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
2,686 reports, newest first.
Engine, Jun 13, 2026
Engine failed at 71,700 miles due to cracked block causing coolant intrusion into cylinders. Motor would quit while driving. Ford dealer tested and confirmed known problem. Motor would misfire then stall.
Engine, Jun 12, 2026
Engine light came on started blinking Vehicle had oil and coolant intrusion into coils and engine and engine is requiring of replacement. No issues prior. Maintenance regularly done.
Engine, Jun 12, 2026
Coolant for car engine was discovered by ford service technician in cylinder causing the spark plug to misfire and break. the engine miss fires and idles very rough. The check engine light keeps coming on flashing, which is another tell tale sigh, according to service advisor, that there is a problem. The car is available for inspection at any time. Driving becomes dangerous if the engine quits or causing the rough engine to not continue to run. Olathe Ford wants $10,000.00 for a new engine.
Engine and engine cooling, Jun 12, 2026
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate. While driving in traffic and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power and was choking and hesitating. The contact pulled over to let the vehicle cool down, after which the Check Engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was driven to the residence, but the vehicle was unable to drive up a steep hill. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder 1 at start up, and coolant intrusion in cylinder #4, and a critical loss of compression in the engine. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,345.
Engine, Jun 12, 2026
Check engine light came on. had it checked at the dealer and they confirmed coolant intrusion on the engine and that it needs an engine replacement. there was a technical service bulletin issue on this exact issue but Ford is refusing to help with any assistance. They estimated $12,000 to fix it.
Engine, Jun 12, 2026
My Turbo/EcoBoost Escape’s check engine light kept coming on and off between October and December 2025. I took it to a Ford repair shop in December to diagnose (P0301 and P0306 engine codes), and they said coolant was leaking into an engine cylinder. They said maybe I hadn’t done a coolant flush years back, but they weren’t sure why it developed. Regardless they said I needed to replace the entire engine— $10,000+ on an 8 year old car. I went to an independent repair shop for a second opinion. They confirmed the problem but told me more that Ford didn’t: it was a known design flaw (a Technical Service Bulletin notice was written) in the engine that Ford didn’t do a recall for, and yes I still needed to spend $10k to replace the engine, or else the car could risk becoming abruptly undrivable within months or as soon as weeks. I was very upset and disappointed a Ford dealer/repair shop wasn’t honest about what was going on, and Ford hadn’t stepped up to address the known flaw in their engines. I was put into a spot of spending $10k on an 8 year old car that was in great shape otherwise and paid off, but could become a piece of junk at any moment. I felt forced into having to get a new car, all because of a design flaw that Ford didn’t admit or correct. But they were happy to start trying to get me to buy a new Ford. As if.
Engine, Jun 11, 2026
Due to a known defect for which there is already a class action lawsuit against Ford, the head gasket seal failed allowing coolant to seep into cylinders 2 and 3. In turn, this caused a crack in the engine wall requiring over $10,000 in repairs.
Engine, Jun 10, 2026
In mid-XXX the engine light came on my 2017 Ford Escape Titanium EcoBoost 2.0 vehicle. I took the vehicle to an auto parts store & was told the problem code was P0303. OnXXX called Earnhardt Ford dealership in [XXX]. Spoke to a service tech that advised based on the code the problem is the coolant leaking into the engine cylinder and the fix is a long block replacement. The cost could be $10,000 maybe more & there were no recalls for this problem on my vehicle & I no longer had a warranty because even though I purchased the extended warranty it expired in 2023. There is currently only 60,800 miles on my vehicle. XXX I called Ford Customer Service & filed a claim & was given case number & was told by the customer service rep the same decision. No recall, No warranty, claim denied. XXX Supervisor from Ford called & also denied the claim. Doing some research revealed this is a KNOWN Design defect that Ford is aware of on 2017-2019 Escapes as well other vehicles. Research also discovered there are multiple class action lawsuits against Ford such as Miller-V-Ford-Motor-Co-28, [XXX]; [XXX] Ford has put myself, any passengers in my vehicle including my grandbabies at risk for engine failure while driving. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Jun 10, 2026
Coolant reservoir keeps losing coolant. Took it to a mechanic who said it has a blown head gasket. Ford knows about this issue for this exact vehicle and has known since at least 2020, but hasn't issued any recalls. There are at least two service bulletins about this car.
Engine, Jun 10, 2026
The Ford 2.0L EcoBoost engine has known issue of coolant in cylinders which causes misfires. Ford has yet to issue a recall on this engine. They have redesigned the engine to solve the known problem. Why have they not issued a recall and why our customers being stuck with the repair costs. The vehicle will suddenly start loosing power which could cause a rear end accident. The Ford service center has confirmed this is the issue. The code that was displayed on OBDII was #07E8- cylinder 2 misfire.
Engine, Jun 9, 2026
My problem was with the cooling system. My car has run great. Absolutely love my car on the way home 2 weeks ago. The coolant hose busted. I towed it to the mechanic shop and he informed me that it wasn't just a busted hose that somehow my coolant is leaking into my motor somewhere. It has not been fixed yet but as doing research is where I seen that most Ford escapes apparently has a coolant problem and I'm very disappointed that this was not handled and now I'm out of vehicle. If I cannot figure out a way to afford to get it fixed there was no warning signs. I've never missed a oil change. I had the spark plugs change and now I'm just out of vehicle. If I cannot get this fixed and to read that y'all knew about this problem is very disheartening
Engine, Jun 8, 2026
On Saturday May 30th my vehicle did a safety shut down and told me to pull over, it appeared to be overheating. Checked my coolant and my reserve tank was empty. I took it to my Ford dealer, their diagnosis was that my engine block was defective/porice and leaking coolant. They stated this is a known issue with Ford. There is a Ford recall 26S01 dated 1/15/26 for this exact issue that my vehicle has not been included in. I strongly feel I need to be compensated for this as it is the exact issue I am experiencing.
Engine, Jun 6, 2026
I have the 2.0 L eco-boost engine that has the coolant leak. It’s ford service bulletin TSB 19-2346
Power train, Jun 5, 2026
The vehicle is operating with a Ford remanufactured transmission assembly which was installed at the dealership of purchase. The repair was completed under the Extended Ford warranty I purchased with the used vehicle 6 months prior and the replacement parts and labor are covered by an active 3-year/36,000-mile Ford Service Parts Warranty from the date of installation with approximately 20,000 miles of coverage remaining at the time of the first incident. On May 5, 2026, at 151,033 miles, the vehicle began exhibiting a severe internal mechanical rattle under brake load, indicating a progressive hardware failure of the internal torque converter assembly. On May 19, 2026, at 151,663 miles, the internal failure escalated, causing the vehicle to suffer a sudden power loss/stalling event while in active traffic, triggering the vehicle's factory 'Stall Alert' dashboard safety warning. The problem has gotten significantly worse, and I can show at minimum, it stalled again on May 27 (video shows car in D but failing to move ), twice on June 4, and again today, after being told there were “no codes”, causing complete loss of propulsion and power steering. This sudden stalling in active traffic creates an immediate highway safety hazard and an extreme risk for a rear-end collision. Because Ford's computer programming automatically clears transient/temporary fault codes upon turning off the ignition, standard diagnostic scanners do not store a permanent code after a key-cycle, hiding an active mechanical safety defect. Authorized Ford repair facilities are refusing immediate diagnostic triage or alternative transportation due to a multi-week service backlog, leaving a safety-compromised vehicle on the road and violating consumer warranty rights."
Engine, Jun 4, 2026
Coolant was found to be leaking in cylinder number 4. The Ford dealer told us the vehicle needed a new engine with a repair cost of $8,000.00. It is not available for inspection, since it was auctioned off by the Ford dealer. My wife and children were stopped at a stop sign and the engine started to misfire. She was trying to turn onto a busy highway and it lacked power with no acceleration initially. Once on the highway. the engine continued to run rough. On the dash, the "engine fault, service now" light appeared. A diagnostic test was performed at a Ford dealer and was confirmed to be coolant leaking into a cylinder. It was not inspected by anyone else. The engine was making a wierd noise after it was turned off a couple of days before and the coolant in the overflow tank was significantly elevated. After it stalled on my wife, the overflow coolant tank was constantly low and needed to be filled back up after each use. After driving and for 4-5 minutes after the engine was turned off, it sounded like water slooshing around in the engine. When it was taken in for diagnostic testing the "engine" light was flashing and then turned solid and then turned off.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 4, 2026
Coolant intrusion into the engine, coolant flowing into the cylinders. Resulting in major dangerous stuttering, jerking, and dangerous loss of power in middle of freeway with fast moving traffic around vehicle. Ford KNOWN ISSUE!
Engine, Jun 3, 2026
2017 Ford Escape with 2.0 liter turbocharged engine. At 66,000 miles, car hesitated when moving from stop position. Dealer stated it needed a turbocharger replacement. $3,000 to replace with car just 6,000 miles over warranty. Notified Ford about this problem, not a word back. At 91,000 miles, check engine light came on. Ford dealer diagnosed and stated coolant entering into cylinder #2. Dealer stated the engine needed to be replaced. $7966 to replace! From research on the internet, this model year and other years have problems with coolant leaks that require engine replacement. At this time, I have spent over $11,000 to keep this vehicle road worthy!
Power train, Other or unspecified, Jun 2, 2026, crash
My power lines were not installed properly and leaked all over burning up my transmission. This is aVERY common ford issue to the point where the place where I took it said I got a lot further than others. Ford needs to do better
Engine, Jun 2, 2026
In November 2019 I bought a used 2017 Ford Escape Titanium 1.5L Eco boost with 11k miles. On May 1,2026 my check engine light came on and the car started missing. Took it to my mechanic and he said I needed a coil pack. Put that on and no change. Tried to put new spark plugs in and 1 plug will not come out. I was told my car has a coolant intrusion. Ford has a recall for this motor but coincidentally my motor isn’t part of the recall. My motor is ruined and cannot be driven. It has only 129k miles. My motor should be covered like ALL Ford Escape 1.5L eco boost motors.
Engine, Jun 1, 2026
Engine replacement required due to coolant intrusion. Codes P0303 and P0300.
Engine, Jun 1, 2026
Coolant leaked into the engine block. I know this is part of a recall but my car is not listed on the recall for the exact same engine and year. And I know there are several class actions for this.
Power train, Jun 1, 2026
See Attached Letter for Complaint
Power train, Engine, May 31, 2026
Manufacturing defect causing coolant intrusion and misfire/rough idle. This is also after rebuilding transmission less than a year prior due to failure.
Engine, May 30, 2026
This 2017 ford escape titanium with ecoboost engine suffers from coolant intrusion into the engine. The known design flaw allows coolant into the hot engine which causes cracked heads and eventually a cracked engine case. It also blows oil into the turbo and intake system that leads to engine fires. Our current recommendation from mechanics is to replace the engine, the turbocharger assembly and the valve cover with decontamination of the intake system. This is a known engine design flaw and ford does not recall or fix so we are out the entire value of the car. Our car currently has ~60k miles on it. So is rendered inoperative at very low mileage and has a high risk of engine fire.
Engine, May 29, 2026
The engine in my 2017 Ford Escape EcoBoost experienced a known “coolant intrusion” defect in which engine coolant leaks into the engine cylinders. This defect is widely associated with the 1.5L and 2.0L EcoBoost engines and can cause engine misfires, coolant loss, overheating, corrosion, and catastrophic engine failure requiring engine or short-block replacement. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle is driven by a college student traveling away from home. The coolant intrusion defect creates a serious safety concern because the engine can suddenly misfire, lose power, overheat, or fail unexpectedly while driving. A sudden engine failure could place the driver and others at risk, especially during highway driving or in remote areas. The issue developed shortly after the vehicle was purchased from a dealership in June 2025. The symptoms are consistent with the widely documented Ford EcoBoost coolant intrusion defect acknowledged by Ford through Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12. The vehicle has exhibited symptoms including coolant loss and engine performance concerns consistent with this known defect. The dealership has been notified of the issue. The dealership has been contacted regarding the issue. Ford has previously acknowledged this defect through Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12 relating to coolant intrusion in affected EcoBoost engines. The vehicle experienced symptoms consistent with coolant intrusion, including coolant loss and engine performance concerns/misfires. These symptoms are widely reported with the affect EcoBoost engines and has progressed to severe engine failure.