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, Aug 3, 2024
The vehicle lost power while driving nearly causing a rear end collision. There was no warning when incident occurred. Check engine light illuminated with code for misfire on number 1 cylinder and misc misfire. After this happened I’m constantly adding coolant to engine. When I first start the vehicle coolant smell and steam from tail pipe. Did not take to dealership because of cost involved for verification and dealership said new engine would cost approx 10000.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 2, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond as intended with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that several days later while attempting to start the vehicle, there was a considerable amount of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact inspected the coolant reservoir and became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir; however, two days later the coolant reservoir was empty again. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
Engine, Aug 2, 2024
Car only has 42,000 miles on it. Was just told it needs a new engine due to a known manufacturing defect that lets coolant into the cylinders causing rough starting and running.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Aug 2, 2024
The contact called on behalf of his daughter who owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was misfiring. The contact stated that the failure persisted and the engine overheated. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road, where white smoke was coming from the front of the vehicle near the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Engine, Aug 1, 2024
Engine coolant leak: Car has always been well maintain, but all of sudden I am starting to have a coolant leak. From what I have read it is very common and require a motor replacement.
Power train, Engine, Aug 1, 2024
This vehicle has an internal coolant leak causing white smoke out of the tail pipe, rough idling and constant misfiring. I know its an internal coolant leak because I have to constantly add coolant to the vehicle as well as the rough idling and rough start/ misfiring
Engine, Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the check engine and engine overheated warning lights illuminated. The vehicle went into low power mode, and the contact parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was towed to her daughter's residence. The daughter is a mechanic instructor, and her husband is a mechanic who determined that the head gasket was blown, and the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that a diagnostic test needed to be performed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,766.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 78,000.
Engine, Aug 1, 2024
2017 Ford Escape, only owner, just out of warranty. Service engine light came on and vehicle seemed to have an odd sound when first started in the mornings, took to dealership and was told cause was cylinder 4 misfire, had low coolant and the pressure test showed cooling system-coolant intrusion into cylinder 4. I was given an estimate of $7300 to replace short block per TSB 22-2322. My vehicle has a little less than 40,000 miles on it, and just had an oil change with inspection about a month and half ago with no issues found. Don’t know how I can have a cracked block with less than 40,000 miles. I believe this to be a factory defect, and have seen many other complaints online about the same issue. I did see that Ford had a recall for this same issue on the 2017 Ford Escape ecoboost.?.?.? I believe there should be a recall on my vehicle also. I have maintained my vehicle and do not drive it hard.
Engine, Aug 1, 2024
The vehicle began idling rough when starting and was also blowing white exhaust smoke, which triggered an engine code. We took the vehicle to a local mechanic who ran the engine codes that had been pulled from the vehicle and determined that it was related to a TSB that involved coolant leaking into the engine possibly due to an intake manifold bolt backing out which caused damage due to coolant subsequently leaking into the engine. We took to our dealer who advised us that Ford will not do anything for us due to vehicle not being under warranty, even though this was an ongoing concern that Ford was aware of for quite some time.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics who diagnosed the vehicle with a coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
Engine, Jul 31, 2024
Service engine light came on and I called Ford Service to get the car inspected. I had to wait a few days until there was an opening in the service department. I continued to drive car but engine stopped in the middle of my road while backing out of my driveway several times. I live on a busy street but luckily no cars when this happened. When Ford finally inspected vehicle I was informed that the engine needs to be replaced due to head gasket leaking into engine. I have an extended warranty but it won't cover replacing the engine because this is a known problem with these engines so a loop hole was written into warranty. The Ford service department indicated that this is a known factor for 2017 Ford Escapes and I am surprised there is no recall as my engine stopped while in the roadway.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle hesitated and was slow to respond. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was an indication of coolant intrusion in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that there was no recall coverage for the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,533.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the air compressor, water pump, and thermostat, and radiator were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a coolant intrusion in the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
Engine, Jul 29, 2024
The engine was misfiring/car was jerking under light load acceleration causing the inability to maneuver the car as expected. The coolant temperature spiked causing me to have to pull over abruptly and this could have caused an accident. Ford knows that their 1.5L ecoboost motors suffer from a design flaw that causes the engines to fail from coolant intrusion into the cylinder but there has not been a formal recall for this issue. There were no CEL, only an message that said 'engine fault - service now"
Engine, Jul 29, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Engine developed a coolant leak into the cylinders, filling them with fluid and causing loss of engine power and constant misfires. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Vehicle suddenly lost power while driving due to the engine overheating caused by running dry of coolant. Was able to maneuver car into a nearby parking lot. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Check engine light came on shortly before engine began overheating.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a tune-up was performed; however, the failure returned. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where a code reader determined an oil leak in the head gasket. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's son used a code reader that determined that the O2 sensor was defective. The vehicle was taken to a Ford dealer where it was confirmed the O2 sensor was defective; however, the mechanic also discovered coolant intrusion into an engine cylinder. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was running, the vehicle shuddered with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that on each occasion, the vehicle drove rough, and while decelerating the vehicle jerked continuously until shifted into park(P). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Engine, Jul 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine ran rough. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated the admissions warning light had been illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact noticed that around this time the heating system had failed. The vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic who noticed the anit-freeze tank had been low. The anti-freeze had been refilled and a fuse had been repaled. Approximately, 3 months after the admissions light had illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the anit-freeze was low again and that coolant was leaking with cylinder # 3 causing the engine to overheat and fail. The engine needed to be replaced. The engine had not been replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and it was confirmed the VIN was not covered under a recall or warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a safety complaint. The failure mileage was 59,999.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling in stop-and-go traffic, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine started running hot. The contact was able to pull over and check the coolant level and became aware that the coolant reservoir was nearly empty. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #2, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to the Technical Service Bulletin, NHTSA ID:10214126 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The contact was referred to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the TSB. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 88,000.
Engine, Jul 26, 2024
Started driving vehicle one morning and white smoke came of the exhaust. Took it back to Cascade Auto where I purchased the car. Head gasket has to be repaired. Cascade is currently repairing the head gasket. $3,000 repair. The car only has 70,000 miles on it. Ford Motor Company would not help with this repair. I talked with Klaben Ford and North Canton Ford. Also, I called the ford hotline and they would not help with the repair.
Engine, Jul 25, 2024
My 2017 Ford escape has been diagnosed with a coolant intrusion problem. Error code P0303 and P0316 Car is out of Ford warranty but my Auto Nation Protection plan did not expire until 6/18/24. Mileage is only 51607 on day of diagnosis. 7/11/24. My protection plan will not do anything as it is expired. I did first have trouble on 4/20/24 when the engine light came on. Took to mechanic as a veri scan showed Cylinder 3 misfire detected. Mechanic made repairs, ignition coil and spark plugs. work done on 5/7/24. Brought it back a few times to mechanic as the engine light kept coming on. He said to bring it to the dealer as it may be a computer problem. I took to dealer and they diagnosed this coolant intrusion problem. No one will fix this as the warranty is out. I called Ford and they said to repair the car and hold on to the receipt. Seriously????? This is an $8000 repair and I only owe $7,000. I have since researched this and I found out this is a known issue with the escape 2.0. I believe the 1.5 may have had a recall, I am not sure. What about the 2.0. What am I to do now? Please advise. Thank you