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.
Power train, Aug 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving the vehicle, the power train failed and the vehicle had to be towed to a dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power train, Aug 18, 2022
2017 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO SAFETY RECALL 22V-413. CONSUMER IS ALSO SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR RENTAL VEHICLE. WHILE REPAIRS WERE BEING MADE.
Power train, Aug 18, 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 shortly after receiving the recall notification, the vehicle failed to shift from park(P) to drive(D). The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where he was informed that parts were not yet available to complete the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer: Koons Woodbridge Ford (13779 Noblewood Plaza, Woodbridge, VA 22193: (571) 339-3077) was also contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was 34,294. The consumer stated the vehicle was repaired and the problem is resolved.
Engine, Aug 15, 2022
Check engine light came on. Vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and I was told there was coolant leaking into the engine and causing engine failure. The car would not start and had to be towed to the dealership. They gave me a similar diagnosis and stated the engine was locked up and would need to be replaced. The car currently has about 57,000 miles.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the engine stalled. The vehicle was jerking and lunging forward. There was coolant flowing into the engine. There were unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that spark plugs and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.
Steering, Aug 12, 2022
The vehicle steering is very stiff and it is difficult to drive. When moving at lower speeds it is almost impossible to turn the vehicle.
Power train, Aug 9, 2022
Transmission went out with no warning at all while traveling down a road. It just quit pulling. Dealership stated Ford is having to redesign due to issue with current design. Does not cover this with current recall on the cable. Five at dealership with same problem at a small town dealership Had we been on a interstate and this happened we could have been killed. We were almost rear ended when it just stopped. Spoke with Ford company and they stated they do not issue recalls that it comes from NHTSA. PLEASE don't wait until fatalities happen to force this recall. If they know it is a design issue why want they correct it
Power train, Aug 8, 2022
2017 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO PARTS BEING UNAVAILABLE TO PEFORM SAFETY RECALL.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Aug 5, 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was a coolant leak; however, the mechanic was unable to repair the vehicle. The mechanic referred the contact to a dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Exterior lighting, Aug 5, 2022
The brake light assembly seem separates and water leaks in causing the brake lights to fail. I went online to see if this was an issue, it seems to be a very big issue with this vehicle.
Power train, Aug 4, 2022
Driving home from work 8/3 the transmission began to slip, RPM’s going wild & the car stalling mid drive. When taking off from a stop the vehicles behind me often almost rear ended me because the car would only go 5-10 mph. Then all the sudden would get up to speed quickly only to slip again. Drove it the following morning to the dealership just before work. Same issues as the day before except there was a red warning to service the transmission right away due to failure. 80,000 miles seems to be when this Ford 2017 transmission is famous for going out completely. The dealer was more concerned about accepting zero liability while charging an exorbitant amount for a rental car & declaring the car out of warranty so not their issue.
Power train, Aug 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while making a left turn, the vehicle began to stall. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lunged forward. The contact decided to park the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic the next day however, the mechanic was unable to diagnose and determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact stated two days later she 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
Engine, Aug 3, 2022
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 the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into the cylinder head. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 76,700.
Engine, Aug 2, 2022
Coolant leaking into #2 cylinder and short block needs to be replaced. Known issue with the ecoboost with Ford and yet they keep selling it and won’t cover the cost for replacement motor which costs $7,200! Car is 5 years old.
Engine, Aug 2, 2022
Purchased in late 2021 with approximately 68000 miles on the odometer. Began experiencing coolant loss despite no apparent leakage outside the engine. Coolant loss became so prevalent that vehicle overheated requiring towing to a garage. At garage they diagnosed that coolant was leaking into Cylinder 2 of the engine and this issue requires a complete engine replacement. Investigated for other similar issues and found that this is a known and very common issue with Ford Ecoboost 1.5 liter engines, and has been widely known about since 2019, apparently impacting 2013 to 2019 model years for various ford cars, common factor being the ecoboost 1.5 liter engine. Despite this being widely known and a special service bulletin that i found on your website from 2019 stating the issue. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10162071-0001.pdf I have already paid out $4000 to order a new engine that will not be at the shop until mid September, and there will be an additional approximately $3000 labor bill for the engine replacement. How are they still allowed to sell these vehicles without advising potential owners of this common issue? And how has this not resulted in a recall action that would have saved many many people major financial damage.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Aug 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that cylinder #2 needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred with the vehicle experiencing rough starts. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the cylinder and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 83,750.
Engine, Aug 1, 2022
The vehicle was running very poor after a long trip the day after the trip. It had a p0302 code and at my shop in Tempe AZ alerted me to the issue being, an engine needs to be replaced. I had 103,356 miles on it. We have a coolant intrusion and it was checked by putting 21 lbs of pressure on the cooling system and it leaked into the # 2 cylinder. This is a safety problem due to the engine in limp mode and no power. It was an engine replacement that cost $6000. The engine from Ford was only $2100. The only reason the engine was $2100 was the fact that Ford drops the price so the warranty does not damage their profitability. I am tired of this no recall settlements with car manufacturers that do not issue recalls and promise to pay and then they do not send the information to the dealers so they will not replace the parts on warranty for the dealership does not have records to do the repair. This gets Ford off the hook. I have gone through this with my Ford Focus 2012. Dual Clutch went out without recall. I had the first clutch replaced Then I had to pay $2600 for a clutch replacement with only 65,000 miles from the replacement. They installed the same parts on the vehicle that were like new. These were the same defective parts that came on the car when new. Now 65,000 miles later the clutch is again bad with the shaking and shuttering when the car was new. I read online an article from Car and Driver that if the customer requests a new clutch Ford is to replace it no charge. I went to Ford again today and nothing to tell the dealer to replace the clutch. Again Ford has gotten away with not changing the defective product. This was part of a Class action suit that NHTSA negotiated with Ford. Again Ford gets away with not replacing the part. If you negotiate a settlement with Ford a bulletin needs to be produced by Ford and you need to make sure that it is done
Power train, Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was shifted to park and the engine failed to turn off when the ignition was turned to off position and the key was moved. The contact was unsure of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated he reinserted the key, turned the ignition to the off position, and depressed the brake pedal and the engine turned off. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic test or repair. The contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) and was relating the failure to the recall. The dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The dealer stated that parts were not available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Power train, Aug 1, 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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was an engine misfire while starting the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that a family member inspected the vehicle and noticed that the coolant level was low and that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact called the dealer and explained the failure; however, the contact was informed that there was no need for a diagnostic test, due to the failure being a known issue. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000.
Power train, Jul 29, 2022
On June 1, 2018 which was a Friday and the time was around 5pm. My co worker and I just finished a patient at the Boise Christian Retirement Village. I proceeded to enter the 2017 Ford Escape to start the engine so that the inside would cool down. As I exited the vehicle to speak to my co worker who was parked 2 cars down. We were discussing a situation about a coworker and she states " Danielle your car is rolling back". At that moment I did not know who was in the building the ford was heading. I ran after the ford and opened the driver side door and grabbed the steering wheel. The drivers door knocked me down and the drivers front tire ran me over starting from the foot , leg, pelvic, chest and then my head. I sustained numerous injuries. I had 5 fractured ribs, a hole in my right lung, 2 fractures on my face, several hematomas. My head was squeezed like grape and had a 15 inch laceration. I suffer everyday from this accident. I have scars and a lot of PTSD. I am currently driving the 2019 Ford Escape for my work. Now I am scared to death and dont know what to do
Engine, Jul 28, 2022
Engine failure due to loss of compression in two cylinders. Local mechanic believes that the cylinder block or head has failed.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jul 27, 2022
All of a sudden my transmission service fault light has came on, my escape won’t shift into gear, and when it is in park it won’t go into drive it any other gear without you forcing it. I have called farina, Effingham, Salem, Centralia, Newton and none of them can get my car in for a month. I am now without a vehicle and I’m needing something done.
Steering, Jul 27, 2022
The “steering fault failure” warning came on after an alarm, stating that it needed immediate repair. Within less than 5 minutes, steering failed. Wheel was practically locked. I was just about to make a U-turn when this occurred. I was lucky not to be on a busy road. Dealer states it can not reproduce problem. For safety’s sake, the steering rack should be replaced since this is the second time this happened. The last episode occurred when the dealership was changing hands and was not followed up on. Now the dealer called, stating problem is not reproducible. I feel like I’m driving an unsafe vehicle, with no recourse. The car is still covered with an extended warranty, which is proving worthless.
Engine, Jul 27, 2022
On 7/24/22, upon starting the vehicle the “check engine” light on the dash display came on and stayed on during my trip to church and then again on my way home. Because it was Sunday, the Ford Dealer where I purchased the vehicle new in June 2017 was closed. I called the next day and made an appointment to take the vehicle to the dealer service department on 7/27. The service technician determined that coolant is leaking into the cylinders. The fix, according to Ford TSB 22-2229, is engine replacement. The repair estimate totals $7,852.16. The vehicle has 66727 miles on it and is out of warranty. From online research I have learned this is an issue that has occurred frequently with this and other ford models.