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, Jul 11, 2022
I bought this car with only about 6000 miles and at about 108,000 the gears started giving issues and basically it stopped engaging and had to be towed to Folsom Ford dealership. It was then diagnosed to having issue with the transmission and I was quoted that labor charge ONLY will be $5000.00. Since it was too much I shopped around and decided to tow it to another garage where it was completed for $4141.00 with everything included. Now this morning I received a recall notice confirming issue in transmission and FYI it was a big risk when in a busy freeway (I-5 North) just before Sacramento Airport my vehicle just stopped and had to push my car on the side of the freeway, and anyone could have hit but thank god I came out safe. I would really appreciate if FORD can refund/reimburse whatever I paid to get this fixed and on top of this I paid about $600.00 to get a rental to go to my work. I am attaching herewith all relevant invoices and receipts:
Power train, Jul 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting to drive(D), there was a loud thumping noise heard. The “Service Transmission” message was displayed and the vehicle would not accelerate properly. The vehicle was slowly driven to the nearby dealer who examined the vehicle and diagnosed that transmission had failed and needed to be repaired. No further information was available. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 74,000.
Power train, Jul 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and was unable to accelerate. There was also an unknown rattling sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that it was difficult to shift gears. The vehicle was driven to a local family member's residence; then towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed a failure with the transmission; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with transmission and gear shifter failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
Power train, Engine, Jul 5, 2022
Cylinders 1 & 3 began to misfire, sparkplug, wires, coils replaced, 2 days later engine light pops back on with same error codes. Noticed very low coolant and then discovered coolant in oil.
Power train, Jul 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH and attempting to accelerate to overtake a semi-truck, the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle started losing motive power. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,488.
Power train, Jun 30, 2022
While idling in park vehicle transmission moved to reverse and backed away from me only to be restrained by a large bush. Rear bumper and exhaust damaged.
Power train, Jun 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting to first gear, the vehicle jerked and lunged forward. The service transmission message was displayed. The contact stated while driving, the speed decreased to 20 MPH and then accelerated independently to 60 MPH without warning. The vehicle was restarted and operated as designed. The contact called an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Power train, Jun 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced an abnormal jerking with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,818.
Power train, Jun 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after shifting in to reverse, the vehicle drove forward instead. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to accelerate immediately. The contact manually shifted the gear shifter and the vehicle then started immediately; with the normal mode warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with the shifter cable. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact and dealer referenced the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 59,784.
Power train, Exterior lighting, Engine, Jun 26, 2022
With no warning the suv over heated and I took it to pep boys to see what was happening. They simple told me that I needed to replace the entire engine. This isn’t fair because I didn’t even get a warning. This suv has other problems as well that Ford should have issued recalls for but there’s so many to list. I would just like my suv to be fixed as I’m a single mom trying to make it through this trying times and now I have no car to get work, take my children to school, or even the day to day things that we need like a grocery store trip. I don’t 6,000 to 9,000 to repair my truck and I can’t afford to lose it either as I’m still paying the note on it. Can you please help us, I’m only trying.
Power train, Jun 24, 2022
On 6/23/22 while driving in heavy stop and go traffic, the engine starting turning high rpm's. After about going 1/4 mile with this issue, the transmission failed. We were able to pull into a parking lot and out of traffic. The car displayed a transmission fault code on the display. Car has been well maintained, and at less than 82K miles, transmission has failed. We first started having an intermittent engine skip about 2 weeks ago. Our mechanic could not confirm the issue as there were no check engine lights or codes being displayed. We had the coil packs replaced at their recomendation, since this is another common complaint with the Escape. The transmission and engine issues seem to be common with this model, but Ford has not issued a recall. We are going to be out of pocket over $6k to repair a car with less than 82k miles.
Power train, Jun 20, 2022
Vehicles equipped with the base 6 speed select-shift transmission may sometimes fail to accelerate when merging or going up-hill. This issue created a hazardous situation for my family when a car came into our lane and the escape wouldn't accelerate to avoid collision. Luckily the driver of the oncoming car just missed us.
Power train, Jun 18, 2022
MY 2017 FORD ESCAPE MOVED FORWARD AFTER BEING PUT IN THE PARK POSITION, THUS CAUSING ME TO FALL TO THE GROUND UPON EXITING AND DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE RAN OVER MY LEFT KNEE, CAUSING A CRUSHED KNEE. I AM STILL UNABLE TO WALK PROPERLY WITHOUT PAIN. I HAVE NOT HAD CAR INPECTED AND HAVE JUST SEEN THE RECALL, WHICH STATES "RECALL INCOMPLETE, REMEDY NOT YET AVAILABLE".
Power train, Jun 17, 2022, crash
On June 4th I parked my car at my house and left it running. As I went to walk into my house my car started moving. I was able to get into the car and put it back in park but not before it ran into my house.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Jun 7, 2022
On 06/07/2022 I started my car in the morning and as I put the car in reverse I was greeted with a message "engine is hot pull over safely" the heat gauge was all the way to the top. After 1/2 block I turned around and pulled back in the driveway. The engine was running roughly and kept turning off. We opened the hood to check the coolant and it was empty. We put water in the radiator so I could go to a nearby store for antifreeze/coolant, but the car was running so roughly and wouldn't accelerate, so after a couple of blocks I turned around and went back to my driveway. Trouble shooting research uncovered many many 2017 Ford Escape eco boost models have had this exact experience, yet there are no recalls... Please advise my next steps regarding proceeding from here. My car only has 42,000 miles on it and I still have 4 yrs of payments to make...
Power train, Engine, May 17, 2022
2017 Ford Escape Ecoboost beware consumers. Shame on Ford Motor Company for it's failed attempt.Issues with it's Ecoboost powertrain still leaves customers found on side of the road with a disable vehicle. No indication warning lights other than à flashing check engineer. No overheating or visible leaks under hood/vehicle. A rumble shift before lost of power. Check engineer light now stay on. Diagnosis report powertrain after 90 days of ownership. Major repair without extended warranty with Ford Motor Company. Unfortunately at 90980 miles it's in need of very expensive updates/repairs.The reality part is Ford Motor Company,doesn't believe this is an manufacturer default. Recalls or extended warranties? Beware consumer the auto market pandemic is real also.
Power train, May 9, 2022
My CVT transmission broke down while I was driving the car at 56,000 miles, well before the 120,000 best practice mark.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Apr 21, 2022
While driving a noise and vehicle slowed down. Light and info came on stating drive train problem take to nearest dealer. We drove it 2 miles to Bill Utter Ford. We were told it might be a week to get it back because of parts delay. Unknown cause of transmission failure. About 40,000 miles on vehicle. Consumer received a call from dealer about my vehicle. Dealer stated it was not the transmission, but a failed throttle body. They said it was not covered in the TSB-16-0139.
Power train, Apr 14, 2022
Torque converter failed at about 70,000. Ford denies a known issue and will only pay for 2/3 of the repair bill. Uploading two phots with the first photo of the torque converter with a blue high heat burn mark in the top left and the second photo is the grinding teeth or gears on the torque convertor pump.
Power train, Apr 11, 2022
On 31-October-2021, I was driving my 2017 Ford Escape SE 1.5l turbo (87,094 miles) on the highway, just prior to my exit ramp, I noticed a slight shudder in the power train. After exiting and arriving to the stop light, all seemed normal... until I took my foot off the brake and pressed on the accelerator.... Nothing. Like I was in neutral... I put my hazard lights on and turned the car off. After 4 or 5 minutes, I started the car, put it into Drive and slowly accelerated. I was able to drive about .5 miles where it slipped out of gear again. I safely coasted into a parking lot and turned off the car. After 5-10 minutes, I started the car, put it in Drive, and was able to reach my intended destination less than .5 miles away. From there, I had the vehicle towed to the dealership where I purchased it. The dealership where I had every manufacturer recommended service complete. I was told the transmission was bad. The options I was given was a rebuilt trans $5700 or a used transmission $5300. I opted to have it rebuilt by a 3rd party for $3100. On 28-March-2022, (90,991 miles) I was driving, approximately 45 MPH, when the car became abruptly sluggish. Then I noticed in my rearview mirror that a massive plume of white smoke was coming from my exhaust. At that point, the cabin began to fill with smoke and the engine light, oil light, and alert screen became alive. I immediately pulled over and exited the vehicle. I had the car towed to the closest shop. There they found a hole in the block about the size of a silver dollar. Diagnosis - Major Internal Engine Failure. Cost for a used to rebuilt motor, $5000 - $9000.... These things SHOULD NOT happen at 87K and 90K miles! While there is currently no recall for this engine or power train, I find it most interesting that a Class Action Lawsuit is currently underway for major internal engine failure (between 60K and 100K miles) for the this exact motor and manufactured year
Power train, Apr 4, 2022
While driving at about 45 mph my car started decelerating while still having the gas pedal depressed and the RPMs shot up. I could no longer accelerate and had to coast off the main road, thankfully not getting hit. Had it towed to a Ford dealership and the transmission is a complete loss. Only have 69, 330 miles on it.
Power train, Mar 24, 2022
Tork Converter Failure, 3/13/2022.No Warning. Car stopped moving. No check engine light.No noise or symptoms before hand. Tork Converter failed. Boiled transmission fluid and ruined transmission.Daughter was driving and the car just stopped and would not move. If this had happened on a busy highway she could have been killed. If this had happened with someone behind her she would have been killed. Car was inspected by Sunbelt Ford in Americus, Ga. Confirming Tork Converter failure and $6190.00 repair charge with 6-8 week timeframe. Ford knows of this issue and no recalls. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED!
Power train, Mar 20, 2022
At 19,500 miles, we stopped at a rest stop. Turned car back on 5 mins later, pulled out into traffic and the car would no longer go above 10-15 miles per hour. RPMs would shoot up, but car wouldn't go accelerate. Appeared to be "limp mode." Could still go into reverse. No warning lights on at this time. Stopped, turned car off and back on after a few minutes. No change. Eventually tried 'sport' mode just to see. At this point the car recognized an error, warnings came up and read "service transmission now." Towed car, mechanic read out error code P0984. Tech replaced valve body, filled transmission, and reset computer. At 21,250 miles, while in large amount of stop and go traffic between 45-10 MPH in left lane of interstate, car without warning again suddenly lost power and wouldn't go above 10-15 MPH and RPMs would shoot up with no acceleration. This time warning lights immediately lit up with "service transmission now" again. Had to maneuver across three lanes of traffic to pull over. Tried turning car on and back off several times. Could reverse, but could never get above 15 MPH. Towed car home. Three days later, go to drive car to mechanic and suddenly it was working normal again, no warning lights. Went to mechanic anyway, again read out P0984 error code. Mechanic did entire transmission replacement, stating he's seen this before and entire transmission replacement was only way to fix and guarantee this would stop happening. Completed work. Sold car at 23,000 miles.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Feb 8, 2022
Had car in for 4 spark plugs replaced and one ignition coil replaced. After leaving mechanic, the car suddenly slowed down, dashboard screen came on with "High Engine Temperatures pull over safely and call your Ford dealer", and the check engine light came on. The car would not go over 10 miles an hour. I limped back to the mechanic. He could not find a problem, the scanner they use under the dash came back with several readings. None had anything to do with the spark plugs or ignition coil. He kept it for several hours, researching, then unplugged the battery for a while. Plugged it back up, then nothing wrong. He called me, I picked the car up and drove about 1.5 to 2 miles and same thing happened. the car suddenly slowed down, dashboard screen came on with "High Engine Temperatures pull over safely and call your Ford dealer", and the check engine light came on. The car would not go over 10 miles an hour. I limped back to my house. Had the car towed to a Ford dealership. They held it for 6 calendar days then ran a diagnostic on the car. It came back with sealant broke, coolant leaked into engine. I need a new engine. I am under the understanding this issue of coolant into engine was fixed back in 2020, with Ford's the Customer Satisfaction Program # 19B37. OF which I participated, but apparently, according to the Customer Satisfaction Program Customer Service person, the is nothing that can be done about it now. According to several Technical Service Bulletins and SSM bulletins, Ford has known about this issue for a while now. According to VehiclesHistory.com, NHTSA has a class action lawsuit concerning "coolant into the engine" against Ford. So here is one more complaint.
Power train, Feb 3, 2022
Catastrophic transmission failure and immediate loss off acceleration. Insurance tested transmission fluid by certified lab and found glycol coolant contamination in transmission resulting in catastrophic failure.