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.
Latches/locks/linkages, Structure, Sep 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated when parked the lift gate would independently start to close while she was loading the trunk. The contact stated that the lift gate failure had become constant and eventually became locked and could not be raised or lowered. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who determined that the lift gate automatic system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
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.
Structure, Wheels, Engine, Sep 17, 2022
I am writing this to inform you of (4) safety issues in just the past year. Last August while driving in Massachusetts (I live in PA) I heard a strange noise. After pulling off the busy highway I found the bottom of my car dragging on the road. I had to find a place that sold duct tape as a temporary fix. Next problem was swollen lug nuts (never heard of such a thing). While getting new tires I had spent money for new lug nuts. The next problem again, the bottom of the car was falling off and dragging on the road. Most recently, two weeks ago while driving down the highway in West Virginia the car stated shaking and the engine light stated flashing. After being towed to Greenbrier Ford in Lewisburg, WV the dealer informed me the engine had a catastrophic failure. This is the second engine failure. Every time I get in this vehicle I feel unsafe because I never know what is going to happen next.
Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 17, 2022
Whenever I put gas in my vehicle it hesitate to start. I reported this to the dealership when it started doing this about 3 weeks after getting it. I purchased it on January 24, 2022.
Engine, Sep 15, 2022
On July 1, 2022 we were turning left onto another street and the car started hesitating and the dash indicator said "stop vehicle, severe/extreme engine heat, do not drive". The Police came right away and we were blocking traffic, they told us we had to move it out of the driving lane and they couldn't push us with their cruiser. Other cars trying to pass were honking and had to move in the other travel lane to get around us. We are lucky we were not hit by another motorist, it was rush hour. We had no prior incidents or warnings. We had to keep trying to complete the turn and it would jerk forward a little, it took at least 20 times of putting it in park, starting engine and put it in drive to jerk along the road to a safe lot that was about 20 yards away. We had to get a AAA Tow Truck to take us to our place nearby since the Ford Dealership was closed for the 4th of July Holiday weekend. On July 5th we got another Tow Truck to take us to the Dealership. The Estimate we received by phone on July 6 said the small block engine had to be replaced because the coolant had entered the engine and it ruined the motor. We only had about 45,000 miles on the odometer. The Estimate was $5,100 and we were several months past the warranty so we had to use up about half our savings. I called Ford Motor Co. and asked if there was any help available for the repairs, but they said there was none and there is no recall for this problem. I checked the Internet for this specific issue and there have been many people complaining of this happening and there are a few pending Law Suits trying to force Ford to recognize they have a Manufacturing failure with these vehicles that have the Eco-Boost feature. The final bill was $5,400 because they also discovered the Water Pump had damage too and had to be replaced. It took 49 days until the vehicle was completed. We had to rent a car for 2 weeks, then got a loaner from Ford shop. The repair only has a 3 Yr Warranty.
Engine, Sep 15, 2022
Coolant leaked into engine cylinder and locked the engine. This is a known defect from TSB 22-2229. Only fix is replacement of engine.
Engine, Sep 14, 2022
The engine over heated on interstate 1-94 while I was going 70 miles per hour and I had to pull off the side of the road. The engine coolant leaked into my pistons and caused this issue. It is ridiculous that ford knows this is an issue and isn’t forced to recall and fix it. It is an extremely dangerous issue.
Engine, Sep 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge fluctuated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
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.
Wheels, Sep 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the tires were being replaced, she was informed that the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The lug nuts were replaced. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
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.
Other or unspecified, Sep 5, 2022
Vehicle warning indicated to restart car. Pulled over and car did not restart. Dealership indicated that the power steering belt broke the crank sensor on the motor and if the sensor was broke it would not start. They stated that they wouldn’t look for any other issues if it was the sensor that was out and that was the reason for the car not starting so they would not look further. Diagnostics was run but they only pinpointed the initial Pcode failure and worked on that specific issue. There was an open recall on the vehicle at the time the vehicle was in the shop but that was overlooked. The vehicle failed to operate properly the day AFTER I picked up the vehicle. The vehicle was driven for 5hrs, next morning the vehicle was going 25mph when the transmission became faulty. Vehicle would not accelerate past 20mph in any position. Had to tow it to another service location. Looking up vehicle history, it appears that Ford Motor company is aware that this year/model vehicle has this same issue but have been unwilling to issue a Recall or Service notice to fix/alleviate the problem. This vehicle has apx 89,000 miles and it is currently unusable. Many forums indicate they have had the SAME issue but never received any help from ford although it is a known issue. Dealership reported transmission related codes talking about ratio is incorrect. Not electrical but commanding the gears and causing a slip. Codes observed: Pcode: P0731 P0733 P0734 P0735 Transmission will require replacement as the vehicle will stop moving completely yet the dealership claims that the recall is only for the transmission shift at park and is unrelated.
Wheels, Sep 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the original lug nuts installed on all four wheels were made of steel and covered in chrome. Over time, the lug nuts had become swollen which made it difficult to remove the lug nuts. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed of the failure. The mechanic declined to remove the lug nuts out of concern that the lug nuts would not be able to be reinstalled once removed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Service brakes, Aug 31, 2022, crash
When approaching a red light on 8/12/22 in dry conditions, my son attempted to push brake part way down to slow on approach. Nothing happened. Pushed brake all the way to floor and vehicle barely slowed. Brakes had been serviced in May 2022. Vehicle had 36,094 miles. Note: accident report not under owner's name as I was not the driver.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the engine was misfiring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact, who is an independent mechanic, diagnosed that cylinder #2 was misfiring. Upon further investigation, the contact diagnosed that coolant was leaking from the radiator into cylinder #2. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact there was no recall associated with the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
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.
Other or unspecified, Aug 26, 2022
I was driving on the highway on a hot (100*) day. I heard a loud boom. I looked at all of my windows and driver control panel, and did not see an issue. Then I heard wind, and realized it was coming from above me. The front panel of my moon roof had exploded - shattering into a million tiny pieces. The majority of the tempering held for a short period of time, but eventually the glass collapsed in. I had an approximately 8 inch hole in my roof, and the rest was in tiny pieces, which continued to rain in until I had the glass repaired. When I heard the sound, I attempted to open the shade, and small fragments of glass rained on me. If this had been open when it occurred, this would have been disastrous. I took it to my car repair facility and it was over $1000 to have the piece of glass repaired. They confirmed that spontaneous explosion of sun/moon roofs is an issue that is increasing in frequency due to the size of these structures on cars. My insurance repaired the glass due to my "glass - full coverage." There were no prior warnings.
Wheels, Other or unspecified, Aug 24, 2022
Took vehicle in for routine service and was told need new lug nuts. Said they were swollen and if we had a flat we would not be able to change our tire. We have had a problem with navigation for years. Told dealer is working with Ford for a solution, been over a year and still waiting. Phone is delayed, GPS is way off, sitting in Delaware and navigation says we are in Maryland. This is a major disappointment
Parking brake, Aug 24, 2022
2017 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO PARTS BEING UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM SAFETY RECALL.
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.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 23, 2022
The vehicle started over heating for no reason, filled the coolant with last oil change within a few days before. Would get to the point the car would stop driving. Happened a few times a day then spread out to less and less. Then happened randomly one day and the car never started again. It stays in a dangerous over heat mode where the car won’t start. I had to have it towed almost 60 miles home and then Uber myself home. We had the car looked at. Never diagnosed, but we were told we have a cracked head. Possible coolant leakage. Total Engine failure. The cause is because the vehicle is defective p
Electrical system, Air bags, Engine, Aug 22, 2022, crash
I was in an accident 12/24/2021due to other parties at fault, and my air bags did not deploy. The diagnostic with the collision Calliber (78216 zip code) reflected there was a faulty air bag and should have deployed . I suffered neck and back injuries. Half a year later my entire AC compressor needed to be replaced a month later my Entire engine needs to be replaced (8700 price). I’ve only had this car over a year and work remotely. I have under 50k miles on this car and have had so many dangerous And unfortunate high cost issues. The
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.
Seat belts, Seats, Aug 19, 2022
When folding down the rear seats to expand storage seatbelt buckles can become crushed, even when doing so per the manual's direct instructions, rendering the rear restraint system useless.
Engine, Aug 19, 2022, fire
The contact owned a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while at a stop light a plastic electrical type odor was present coming from the air conditioning vents. Moments later while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and smoke was present coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled and caught on fire. The contact indicated that the flames started in the engine compartment and quickly engulfed the entire vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed away from the scene. The cause of the fire was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.