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.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Aug 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while at a traffic light or a stop sign, the vehicle jerked and jolted forward when the accelerator pedal was released. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the purge valve was stuck open. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 72,239.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Aug 12, 2023
Auto restart stopped working Coolant leaking into 2 cylinders, causing full engine replacement
Engine, Aug 11, 2023
Ford indicated the engine needs to be rebuilt. Coolant was leaking onto the engine causing the engine to misfire. This would cause the vehicle to sporadically hesitate when the vehicle was in use. This issue was inspected, quoted and confirmed by the local Ford Dealer as well as reviewed / confirmed by Ford's corporate office. The dashboard engine light would illuminate and stay on until the vehicle was service and the code was cleared. This issue has been documented on Ford Technical Service Bulletins. During the diagnostic process, photos were taken by the dealer and a report, including needed parts, was prepared.
Engine, Aug 11, 2023
My engine light came on saying I had a misfire 3. Changed the spark plugs and coil packs. Couple weeks later engine light came back on and says misfire 3. Changed spark plugs again. When I changed the spark plugs the number 3 was wet. Now again my engine light came on and showing misfire 3. This is ridiculous. There has been so many complaints of this happening to other people. Ford needs to replace the engines in theses cars.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Aug 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that engine was damaged due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 however, but the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000.
Latches/locks/linkages, Aug 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the rear hatch door was opened for the contact to remove an item from the vehicle, the rear hatch door inadvertently lowered and struck her ankles. The contact was not seriously injured. On another occasion, while attempting to open the rear hatch door, the door failed to open. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic forcefully opened the door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the dealer was unsure what had caused the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 2,000.
Engine, Aug 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was starting rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who performed an injector test, inspected the spark plugs, and informed the contact that there was coolant leaking into the engine. The mechanic recommended an engine replacement. The contact called 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 120,000.
Service brakes, Engine, Aug 11, 2023
In Jan 2019, we bought this certified pre-owned car. Recently, we received a recall noticed that involved the timing system. We took it in and was told that the system was resolved and there was no further issues. Two days after leaving the dealer, the check engine light came on. The car began having the same issues that where present before taking it in for the recall timing issues. When I called to return the car, I was told that there was no further issues to address and I was responsible for any further concerns. Shortly after my brake pedal became stiff and was difficult to stop. I was able to get it stopped safely. The next day the engine died and would not start. After taking it to a mechanic, I was told the the engine would need to be replaced due to the timing belt snapping. The car had less than 70,000 miles on it and if there were any issues with the timing belt they should have been caught during the time the recall issues were addressed.
Engine, Aug 10, 2023
Engine coolant intrusion. The Engine needs entirely replaced at only 68k miles.
Engine, Aug 10, 2023
The engine failed states misfire cylinder 1 on diagnostic where the ignition coil and spark plug was changed. Problem recreated itself and then the powertrain fault illuminated and car lost acceleration driving less than 5miles. Car taken to dealership and was told it misfire cylinder 1 and was told the head gasket was leaking coolant into cylinder 1 causing the engine failure.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started to run rough, causing the vehicle to vibrate abnormally. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine failure was intermittent. The contact was unable to start the vehicle and the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant had intruded into cylinder #1. The dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the dealer advised that the failure was related to TSB Number: 22-2229 - Coolant in Cylinders (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Engine, Aug 10, 2023
Coolant leaking into cylinder on the engine, and Ford says it is out of warranty, but a fired hazard
Engine, Aug 9, 2023
Coolant leaking into cylinder 2. Engine had to be replaced. $8,917 quote from Ford to put a new engine in, and vehicle is out of warranty. The service advisor at the dealership and the mechanic both admitted it is a known defect. Ford refuses to fix this problem. There were literally 5 other vehicles at the dealership with the same issue. I would be dumping another 9000 into a car after already paying 30k for it. This is horrible for consumers, and they are doing nothing to make this right for consumers.
Engine, Aug 7, 2023
On July 16th 2023 my husband and I were driving on a local street when our car lost all power. Lucky we were able to make it to our destination and ended up bringing our Escape to a local repair shop where we learned we would need a new engine costing approximately 13000 dollars with no guarantee the new used engine wouldn't fail as well. While we are so grateful that our engine didn't catch fire or cause an accident or fatality we feel we now have a very expensive brick parked in our driveway that we can't in good conscience sell and can't afford to repair. This was our first new car purchase and I feel Ford should take responsibility for the defect they knew existed. We were lucky but it's only a matter of time before someone loses their life when their engine fails on the highway.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 7, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the spark plugs. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic a second time and the cooler pack was replaced. The contact was informed there was a misfire in cylinder #4. While driving, the temperature gauge rose to the hot level. The contact pulled over to let the engine cool down. The driver became aware there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. Additional coolant was added on several occasions. The contact called the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 61,500.
Engine, Aug 5, 2023
BEACH FORD REPLACED THE HEADGASKETS AND 12 MONTHS LATER COOLANT LEAKED INTO CYLINDER AND NEED NEW ENGINE. THE VEHICLE IS AT BEACH FORD IN MYRTLE BEACH SOUTH CAROLINA.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 4, 2023
Technical Service Bulletin #22-2229 needs to be added to my car's vin number. Car was brought to dealership after check engine light was illuminated. Diagnostic trouble codes indicated misfire detected on cylinder 1, misfire detected on start up. Dealership did an additional review, and found coolant intrusion into cylinder 1. Entire engine replacement has been reccomended. Car was picked up from dealership on 7.11.23 for regular maintenance, check engine light illuminated again on 7/31/23, car was brought to dealership on 8/1/23, and dealership recommended replacement on 8/2/23. Engine replacement is $8,500.
Engine, Aug 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after driving the vehicle was stopped at a light with the brake pedal depressed. The contact stated that a message that read “Stop Vehicle – Emergency” was displayed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to a coolant leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage 108,000.
Engine, Aug 4, 2023
At 98,500 mileage I saw white/blue smoke coming from the exhaust. It would cloud up my garage and the smell was terrible. We started parking outside and after the second or third time this happened, we took it into the dealership. There were no warning messages or dash lights present. At the dealership they said the coolant looked a little low and after some research did a coolant pressure test. The pressure was not supposed to drop more than 4.5psi over 5 hours and ours dropped 5psi within 2 hours signaling a coolant leak. The repair was a new engine block costing $7000.
Engine, Aug 3, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle started shaking abnormally and failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,843.
Engine, Aug 3, 2023
Code P0302 Coolant intrusions into #2 cylinder causing check engine light with risk of engine failure, stalling, engine fire, decreased power, etc. all of which are life threatening issues to myself, my spouse, and my three young children. Was informed by Ford to file a report.
Wheels, Aug 2, 2023
All 20 OEM 2-piece lug nuts have swollen so that the OEM supplied lug nut wrench will not fit on the nuts. Therefore, if I have a flat tire while driving, and I need to pull over and change the tire, I have no way to get the lug nuts loose to change the tire. If this happens at night and/or in a dangerous part of town, or if I am stranded on the highway miles from the closest access to service or communication, I, or vulnerable passengers could be in danger. The local Ford dealer acknowledge that this problem occurs, but no recall has been issued to my knowledge. To remedy the potential danger, Ford should swap out all 20 0f the OEM 2-piece lug nuts, free of charge, for solid 1-piece nuts that will not swell.
Engine, Aug 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that he had filled the coolant reservoir and a month later the message to check the coolant level was displayed. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle was running rough and there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. There was no sign of a coolant leak. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,300.
Power train, Aug 2, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the transmission failed to shift properly into the intended gear and the RPM was fluctuating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that there was an incorrect gear ratio, metal in the oil, and a noisy pump that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was referred to file a complaint online. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 31, 2023
2017 Ford Escape 2.0L Ecoboost at 58K miles after "the works" oil change at Ford Dealership I noticed coolant tank was empty, engine was heavily leaking oil, engine was running very rough, whitish exhaust smoke, check engine light came on "misfire code", replaced spark plugs and ignition coils, added coolant and engine oil fluid every week, it just kept rolling downhill from there. It is criminal what is going on here...the repair costs aren't worth it and clearly don't fix the problem...do you want to buy a used Ford Escape that either needs a new engine or has had the engine replaced once already before 60K (and probably needs another new engine)? Do you want to buy a new(er) Ford Escape? "Ford Motor Company has issued a new recall for 125,322 model year 2020-2023 Ford Escape, 2022-2023 Ford Maverick and 2021-2023 Lincoln Corsair vehicles for a risk of fire due to engine failure. 2020-2023 recalls on ford escapes." I'll never buy another Ford vehicle again. I shouldn't have to investigate Ford dealerships/Fords work to make sure they are being honest about my vehicle, it's condition and the warranty, I shouldn't have to explain and argue with Ford dealership / Ford to try to get them to fix the situation, I shouldn't be stuck with it and have to wonder or double check if my vehicle is low on essential fluids every time I go somewhere due to Fords design flaws and constantly buy more fluids (there's no way that this meets environmental regulations), I shouldn't have to worry about my vehicle catching fire and/or lose all function at any moment while driving it or after driving it, I shouldn't have to fear parking my car in my garage (catching fire and burning house down with it) or being stranded where I am (whether I'm close to home or far away), could cause accident, injury and/or death. I paid good money for a vehicle that was advertised and marketed (by Ford dealership/Ford) as top rated, safe and reliable vehicle (this can't be legal). FIX THIS NOW BEFORE...