2017 Ford Escape
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 2,686 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 26 Escape model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 39 involved a crash and 15 involved a fire. 56 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Visibility, power window devices and controlsJun 9, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Escape vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 16V617. The power-operated windows may exert excessive force when encountering an object, before they automatically reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
A closing window that does not reverse direction as expected can pinch a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will update the power window operating system software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 22, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C29. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.
Campaign 26V374000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V011000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, gear position indication (prndl)Jun 10, 2022
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Campaign 22V413000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, power window devices and controlsAug 24, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2017 Ford Escape Titanium and SE vehicles manufactured October 5, 2015, to May 12, 2016. The settings for the closing-force of the power-operated windows may allow the windows to close on an object such as a body part and injure it before the windows auto-reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
If a window closes on a body part, it can increase the risk of injury.
Ford has notified owners, and dealers will update the power window operating system software, free of charge. The recall began on September 6, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C12.
Campaign 16V617000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
391 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Nov 26, 2022
I purchase 2017 Ford Escape from a car dealership only had it for a week and car keeps stopping in the middle of traffic like the car is in neutral but it’s not, and there is a recall on this vehicle from the car fax sheet and I took to a Ford and Lincoln car dealership for repairs to bushing cable and now mechanic saying there might be issues with transmission and I been reading reviews on the vehicle there have been some transmission issues.
Power train, Nov 13, 2022
On June 01,2018 my coworker and I was on a joint visit. After the visit we walked to our vehicles to start the engines and to turn on the ac. I exited the 2017 Ford Escape and walked over to my coworker and we started to discuss other work problems. My coworker stated "the car is rolling back". I went after the Ford attempting to enter the vehicle. The drivers door knocked me down and I was completely ran over from foot to head. I placed my arm over my face and closed my eyes. I held my breath as I listened to the sounds of bones cracking... I suffered 5 fractured ribs, 2 fractures on my face, 15" Laceration on the back of my head to where my skull was showing. Several hematomas and a contusion in my right lung. I suffer everyday with pain. There is no way I could have exited the vehicle with it moving. I was able to walk to my coworkers vehicle.
Power train, Oct 30, 2022
Transmission threw a " Transmission Fault " code while driving normally. The car quit pulling at all and I was just able to get out of the road. The Transmission no longer works in any gear. The car has 101,000 miles on it. Ford will be getting this car back, I will not pay for another Transmission with no guarantee that this won't happen again. I will never buy another Ford ever.
Power train, Oct 27, 2022
2017 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 22V-413.
Power train, Oct 25, 2022
Transmission Torque Converter failure at low speed, in traffic . could not get off of road , until towed. to Ford dealer service garage. Yes this problem has been identified at Donnell ,Ford Service garage in Salem ,Ohio. They had 3 more of these failures towed in the same day. (10/21/2022) A clunk from under the vehicle then the car quite moving. all the idiot lights came on. The Ford device garage said the Torque converter shattered and the vehicle needs a complete transmission rebuild. I do not know if the manufacturer has inspected these parts or components. The Ford garage said they cannot get ford parts only after market parts for these transmissions. The garage Manager also said and it is all reported on web sites that the 2017 and 2018 transmissions are a problem.
Power train, Oct 17, 2022
Stranded off highway exit. Car jerked and revved then barely could go 10 mph. Car went from a slow winding sound to a quick and hard jerking. New Torque converter needed at 64K miles. However, torque converter requires significant transmission work in addition. Ford Dealership said part was back ordered with a 1 year wait at a cost of $4500. Other transmission repairman in area quoted me $6,000 and said he had another Escape with the same problem the week before I called. When I began looking for a replacement car, several dealerships refused to even accept the car as a trade in stating that this was a known problem with Ford cars .I looked at replacement cars at County Ford in Graham, NC where I had purchased it 2 years previously, however, I felt the sales team was overly aggressive and not empathetic at having sold me a car 2 years previous that was now unrepairable at their dealership. Awful, awful experience. I thought I had invested a lot of money in a dependable car. No car should need a new transmission 4,000 miles out of warranty. The experience has been an absolute nightmare.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Power train, Engine, Oct 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated upon refilling the gas tank at the gas station and attempting to drive, he shifted from park (P) to drive (D), however, the vehicle failed to move. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle after turning off and restarting the vehicle several times. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring after refilling the gas tank. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer who provided an unknown diagnostic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train), which he associated with the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to complete the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Oct 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while at a complete stop at the traffic light, the vehicle stalled while utilizing the auto Start/Stop feature. The message "Shift To Park And Restart The Engine" was displayed. The contact was able to shift into neutral (N) or drive (D). An unknown dealer was notified of the failure but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power train, Oct 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving and shifting into gears, the vehicle was jerking and surging. The contact also stated that the RPMs revved up; however, the vehicle decelerated independently. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving from a complete stop at the red light, the vehicle would hesitate to respond, and would surge while shifting into the intended gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). However, in the process of completing the recall repair, the dealer informed the contact that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Oct 8, 2022
The vehicle check engine light has lit up on multiple occasions. We have had diagnoses that say "it's fine" from Ford, but we are concerned that it's not "fine" because of a code that indicates a problem with a cylinder misfire. This is a known mechanical defect in the year/make/model. However, Ford claims that our vehicle is not in the VIN range. My teenager drives this vehicle and we are now anxious about the reliability of the car. We paid over blue book value for the vehicle. We have spent hundreds of dollars on diagnosis with independent mechanics.
Power train, Oct 6, 2022, crash
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact had experienced a failure while stopped at a traffic sign. The contact stated that the vehicle rolled forward at approximately 2 MPH and lightly crashed into a vehicle in front of him. There was no damage or injuries. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train), however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Power train, Engine, Oct 4, 2022
Engine blown due to coolant intrusion. Vehicle has 61,000 miles on it and Ford will not do anything to fix it.
Power train, Oct 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. After receiving the notice, the contact stated that an abnormal clunking sound was coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the clunking sound returned as the vehicle lost power without warning. The contact managed to coast the vehicle off to the side of the road after nearly being struck by several vehicles. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained. The manufacturer had been notified of the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Sep 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that after parking and exiting the vehicle; upon return to the vehicle, the contact noticed that the vehicle had rolled away into the middle of the parking lot. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 29,940. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Sep 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after her daughter shifted the gear shifter into park, the vehicle continued to roll forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's husband assisted her daughter with shifting the gear shifter into neutral(N) and the vehicle stopped rolling; however, the failure reoccurred on another occasion. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact received recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Sep 26, 2022
2017 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO NHTSA SAEFTY RECALL 22V-413.
Power train, Sep 20, 2022
IN APRIL OF 2022 MY ESCAPE STARTED POPPING OUT OF GEAR, PUT IN PARK IT WOULD POP OUT, GOING DOWN THE ROAD IT STARTED POPPING OUT OF DRIVE GOING INTO PARK OR ANOTHER GEAR. YOUR RECALL IS FOR THIS PROBLEM. I WAS ACTUALLY ON MY WAY TO STOP AT A FORD DEALER IN APRIL 2022 AND IT QUIT PULLING ALL TOGETHER. I HAD TO HAVE TOWED TO A FORD DEALER. AND ALL THEY COUILD TELL ME WAS THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND IT WOULD BE 4 MONTHS BEFORE PARTS WOULD BE AVAILABLE AND COST OVER $5,400 TO REPAIR. THEY CHARGED ME $80 TO TELL ME THIS AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING ON THEIR LOT FOR 2 WEEKS. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO MY HOME, WHERE IT STILL SITS UNREPAIRED. WILL THIS BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL SINCE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE TRANSMISSION AND I AM EXPECTING IT TO BE COVERED.
Power train, Sep 19, 2022
Check engine light came on around 67,000 miles. Took into dealership, they advised there's a coolant/oil mixture in one of the cylinders and recommended complete engine replacement. Engine issue for 2.0L turbo Ecoboost.
Power train, Sep 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle randomly shifted into unintended gear. The transmission fault warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Sep 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact stated that while driving, the transmission inadvertently slipped out of gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved fault code: sensor two (oxygen sensor). Additionally, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission and torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
Power train, Aug 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle hesitated and made abnormal sounds. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly. Additionally, the contact stated upon shifting into reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle was not drivable. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that they could diagnose the vehicle in November. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Engine, Aug 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the dealer previously replaced the Auto START/STOP relay twice; however, the failure recurred with the vehicle turning off and intermittently failing to restart immediately. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Aug 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the gear shifter was shifted into reverse(R), the vehicle jerked and drove forward. Additionally, the vehicle rolled forward while the gear shifter was shifted into park(P) and the parking brake was applied to stop the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. Rivertown Ford (1680 Whittlesey Rd, Columbus, GA 31904) was also made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) which included the VIN; however, she had not yet received notification. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Power train, Aug 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving the vehicle, the power train failed and the vehicle had to be towed to a dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power train, Aug 18, 2022
2017 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO SAFETY RECALL 22V-413. CONSUMER IS ALSO SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR RENTAL VEHICLE. WHILE REPAIRS WERE BEING MADE.