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.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Engine, Jul 11, 2022
After arriving at my designation 250 miles from my home my I arrived safely but when leaving from there the car would start. I waited 20 minutes before I tried starting it and it started. I was there for the weekend for a graduation. Sunday the car started and I proceeded to come home to the same distance. I stopped at Costco in Portland, Or. which was about 5:30 evening. I went to put my groceries in the car but the hood would not open. I tried to use the Fob but again it would not start. I took the key out of the Fob and opened the door and the horn started blasting and the car lights started blinking. My son was in Portand, Or. as well and meet me at Costco. He opened the Fob and put in a new battery but that did not work. We figured that it was probably dead even though it was never used and new. He went and bought a 5 pack of batteries. We tried again and again it would not start. Before I called him I had gotten hold of my roadside insurance and since it was not considered an accident nor anyone hurt, they said it would take about 1 to 2 hours to get there. That's when I called my son. After numerous times trying to get it started with a new battery it finally started. Drove home with my son following behind and made it home. I was thinking that it was just the Fob but it started to do the same thing in days to come. As of today July 11, 2022 my car has been at the dealer where I bought it since May 23, 2022. I took it there for an oil change, which I always do and it's been there almost 2 months. I did send a letter to Ford Motor Company , Customer Relationship Center in Dearborn, MI 48126. I believe that my 2022 Ford should be considered a safety defect. I'm just glad that, had my car lost power on the freeway or any other place it I would not had any control over it. I did not mention that my granddaughter was with me when I drove the 250 miles.
Power train, Jul 11, 2022
I bought this car with only about 6000 miles and at about 108,000 the gears started giving issues and basically it stopped engaging and had to be towed to Folsom Ford dealership. It was then diagnosed to having issue with the transmission and I was quoted that labor charge ONLY will be $5000.00. Since it was too much I shopped around and decided to tow it to another garage where it was completed for $4141.00 with everything included. Now this morning I received a recall notice confirming issue in transmission and FYI it was a big risk when in a busy freeway (I-5 North) just before Sacramento Airport my vehicle just stopped and had to push my car on the side of the freeway, and anyone could have hit but thank god I came out safe. I would really appreciate if FORD can refund/reimburse whatever I paid to get this fixed and on top of this I paid about $600.00 to get a rental to go to my work. I am attaching herewith all relevant invoices and receipts:
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 11, 2022
Engine was not able to continue accelerating onto a freeway entrance ramp or up a hill. It began to struggle and would not increase in rpms. The low pressure oil light flashed for a second when this happened. Never saw an engine light go off. Since the engine light never went off I continued to drive this vehicle, on highways where there were situations where I could not maintain a safe highway speed. It was scary and felt the engine would quit any second. But it would settle and again no indicators went off. After any struggle on a freeway the next 24 hours the engine would struggle even driving on local roads (under 40mph); could not accelerate and all and felt the car would stall any second. Sometimes the oil indicator would go off, sometimes not. This was reproduced and confirmed by a Ford Dealer. They found metal in the engine oil and said the entire engine needed to be replaced. They currently have the faulty engine. No others have inspected the engine at this point. Again no engine warnings went off and my entire engine needed to be replaced, it was not an option to wait. It wasn't safe to drive. This is not related to the current recall.
Engine, Engine and engine cooling, Jul 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light and the "Engine Fault Service Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the throttle body and crankshaft case pressure sensor were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,100.
Power train, Jul 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and shifting to drive(D), there was a loud thumping noise heard. The “Service Transmission” message was displayed and the vehicle would not accelerate properly. The vehicle was slowly driven to the nearby dealer who examined the vehicle and diagnosed that transmission had failed and needed to be repaired. No further information was available. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 74,000.
Seat belts, Jul 9, 2022
The front passenger seat belts do not lock during hard braking. Seats belts fail to lock and engage. This is a very serious safety issues. If we were to get into an accident I fear the possible damage during impact
Engine, Jul 9, 2022
Engine light kept coming on. Eventually stopped in traffic and went into limp mode. Took it to the local Ford dealer and they said it was a coolant leak into the engine and that they've seen it before and that it would cost $8,000 to replace the engine. We were able to get an independent mechanic to replace the faulty engine with a pre-owned engine with 11,329 miles for $5,000.
Wheels, Jul 9, 2022
Swollen lug nuts
Steering, Other or unspecified, Jul 8, 2022
Rear trail arm bushings are gone on both sides
Engine, Jul 8, 2022
I had a 2017 Ford Escape SE FWD. Check light came on for cylinder 2 misfire. Took it to the dealership to have it diagnosed. It failed a pressure test due to coolant leaking into cylinder walls. Motor failure was at 109XXX miles.
Power train, Jul 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and was unable to accelerate. There was also an unknown rattling sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that it was difficult to shift gears. The vehicle was driven to a local family member's residence; then towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed a failure with the transmission; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with transmission and gear shifter failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
Engine, Jul 7, 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, and the dealer replaced the spark plugs; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine block was allowing coolant to leak into the engine. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it remained unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 6, 2022
Car engine stopped running while driving. Car was taken to dealer, they said transmission but Ford Corporate says they have no record of the issue. How is that? The car is doing the same thing again and I am afraid to drive it, if it would start. Now ,it won't even start. How are they allowed to keep this stuff secret? I know nothing will happen , but the next time this occurs someone could die as it doesn't care where it shuts off.
Power train, Engine, Jul 5, 2022
Cylinders 1 & 3 began to misfire, sparkplug, wires, coils replaced, 2 days later engine light pops back on with same error codes. Noticed very low coolant and then discovered coolant in oil.
Engine, Jul 5, 2022
Check engine light came on and took it to the dealer. quick diagnosis was a misfire on piston #1. Was told that there is a known problem with coolant leaking into the piston and it happened with previous ford engines. took it in to be tested and was just told that the engine needs to be replaced for a total of $6000.
Power train, Jul 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH and attempting to accelerate to overtake a semi-truck, the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle started losing motive power. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,488.
Steering, Jul 4, 2022
I was on a parkway when the power steering stopped working suddenly. Controlling the vehicle became extremely difficult. I have not been to the shop due to availability, but the OBD sent a message that power assist failed.
Engine, Jun 30, 2022
Coolant leaking into the engine cylinders - it's a known problem with 1.5L and 2.0L Ecoboost Engines for Ford Escapes and other vehicles manufactured between 2013-2019, ours is a 2017. Ford was sued with a class action lawsuit for the 1.6L engines but no fix or recalls for the other engines experiencing the same problem. Please help! this is very dangerous as it can cause the engine to seize and no warning! More details here: Engines in their Ford vehicles overheat due to an internal coolant / antifreeze leak that allows coolant to enter into the cylinders of the engine. In many cases, the defect is alleged to have caused total engine failure and to require replacement of the engine block. While some consumers report the check engine light comes on to alert them to the issue, others state they got no warning. Similarly, some consumers note they saw blue or white smoke coming from their vehicles to alert them to the issue. Several observed that their vehicle misfired when coolant leaked into the cylinders. The most common vehicle PCM codes reported as associated with misfire related to the internal coolant leak are P0316 and P0302. Consumers additional report that the prevalence of the problem has caused replacement parts to be on backorder, causing significant increased wait times for vehicle repair. Ford previously recalled certain 2013 and 2014 Ford vehicles equipped with the 1.6L engine for a similar issue under recall campaigns 12V551 and 17V209. No such recall has been made, however, for vehicles with the 1.5L and 2.0L Ford Ecoboost engines presenting similar problems.
Power train, Jun 30, 2022
While idling in park vehicle transmission moved to reverse and backed away from me only to be restrained by a large bush. Rear bumper and exhaust damaged.
Engine and engine cooling, Jun 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was hot. Additionally, a warning chime sounded in the vehicle. The next day, the contact stated that the same failure occurred while driving 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was discovered that coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders. The contact then drove the vehicle to a dealer where they confirmed the failure and gave him an estimate for a new engine block. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 90,767.
Power train, Jun 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting to first gear, the vehicle jerked and lunged forward. The service transmission message was displayed. The contact stated while driving, the speed decreased to 20 MPH and then accelerated independently to 60 MPH without warning. The vehicle was restarted and operated as designed. The contact called an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Engine, Jun 29, 2022
THE ENGINE IS LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE CYLINDERS FOR THE PAST YEAR. KEEP ADDING AND ENGINE MISS. ECOBOOST ENGINES ARE ALL DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD NOT BE SOLD...... NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND NO CODES PRESENT. NEVER OVER HEATED AND ONLY ADDED ANTI FREEZE TO STAY AT FULL LINE.
Power train, Jun 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced an abnormal jerking with the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,818.
Power train, Jun 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after shifting in to reverse, the vehicle drove forward instead. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to accelerate immediately. The contact manually shifted the gear shifter and the vehicle then started immediately; with the normal mode warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with the shifter cable. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact and dealer referenced the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 59,784.
Engine, Jun 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the purge valve was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, three days later, the check engine warning light returned and the engine started sputtering when started. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that coolant had leaked into cylinders #2 and #4. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.