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2017 Ford Escape

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Escape years

Owner complaints for the 2017 Ford Escape are substantially higher than the model-year median of 996.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

1,155 reports with mileage · 1,522 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 1,564 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 507 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 390 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

39 crash reports15 fire reports38 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

507 reports
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145,000 miles · May 12, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact's friend owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the owner had to add additional coolant after it was low. The vehicle stalled while driving, and all the coolant was depleted. The owner used approximately 2 jugs of antifreeze. The driver was stranded. The low coolant light was illuminated. The vehicle was pu…

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The contact's friend owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the owner had to add additional coolant after it was low. The vehicle stalled while driving, and all the coolant was depleted. The owner used approximately 2 jugs of antifreeze. The driver was stranded. The low coolant light was illuminated. The vehicle was pulled to the owner's residence. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

NHTSA ODI #11737291

108,000 miles · May 11, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning and a " engine fault service now message appeared and also idled roughly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed as a coolant leak into the engine block that caused misfire…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the check engine warning and a " engine fault service now message appeared and also idled roughly. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed as a coolant leak into the engine block that caused misfires in cylinder two and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that a coolant leak into the engine block that caused misfires in cylinder two and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

NHTSA ODI #11737103

153,000 miles · May 7, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine light had appeared on the instrument panel. After an oil change was performed on the vehicle, the check engine light remained as the vehicle began to shake upon start of the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a P0302 engine …

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine light had appeared on the instrument panel. After an oil change was performed on the vehicle, the check engine light remained as the vehicle began to shake upon start of the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a P0302 engine code appeared which indicated a cylinder #2 misfire. The contact then called a dealer for a second opinion who informed her over the phone that the failure sounded like a coolant intrusion failure into one of the vehicle engine cylinder. The vehicle was then taken to another an independent mechanic who confirmed the coolant intrusion failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.

NHTSA ODI #11736383

77,000 miles · Apr 20, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing coolant, and the coolant pipes were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine cylinders. Due to the failure, the contact was informed that the engine…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing coolant, and the coolant pipes were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine cylinders. Due to the failure, the contact was informed that the engine needed to repaired or replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.

NHTSA ODI #11732552

87,000 miles · Apr 17, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with coolant intrusion in two cylinders and determined that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with coolant intrusion in two cylinders and determined that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ODI #11731932

121,000 miles · Apr 15, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and was turning on and off. The thermostat gauge increased to hot. The contact became aware that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. Additionally, the oil light was illuminated even though an oil change had been…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated and was turning on and off. The thermostat gauge increased to hot. The contact became aware that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. Additionally, the oil light was illuminated even though an oil change had been performed two months prior. The vehicle became undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that there was an internal coolant leak. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

NHTSA ODI #11731405

57,000 miles · Apr 1, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

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 Auto Zone, and the contact was informed that there was a misfire in cylinder #2. The contact replaced the ignition coils and spark plugs; however, the following …

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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 Auto Zone, and the contact was informed that there was a misfire in cylinder #2. The contact replaced the ignition coils and spark plugs; however, the following day, the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the contact took the vehicle to another Auto Zone, the vehicle was diagnosed with cylinder #2 misfire. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, and there was white smoke coming from the coolant intrusion into the engine. The independent mechanic used a borescope and determined there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

NHTSA ODI #11728584

93,000 miles · Mar 30, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-65 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in the eng…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-65 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in the engine caused by a crack in the engine block. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure was a design flaw. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was deemed a common failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

NHTSA ODI #11728024

100,000 miles · Mar 20, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “Pull Over Immediately” was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle entered LIMP Mode and failed to exceed 5 MPH. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message “Pull Over Immediately” was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle entered LIMP Mode and failed to exceed 5 MPH. Upon inspection, the contact became aware that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. There was no coolant visible on the ground. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with coolant intrusion in the cylinders. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI #11725810

84,000 miles · Mar 16, 2026
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 45-55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, with a message that the engine was overheating displayed. The vehicle experienced reduced power and decelerated to 8 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence, and coolant was added to the coolant …

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 45-55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, with a message that the engine was overheating displayed. The vehicle experienced reduced power and decelerated to 8 MPH. The vehicle was driven to the residence, and coolant was added to the coolant reservoir. The contact replaced the ignition coils and spark plugs; however, the check engine warning illuminated three days later. Upon scanning the vehicle, the contact retrieved DTC: P0302 for cylinder #2 misfire. The dealer was contacted and informed that the vehicle was not covered under the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

NHTSA ODI #11724664

Official recalls

4

26V374000 · Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls

Jun 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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A closing window that does not reverse direction as expected can pinch a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

26V011000 · Equipment:electrical:engine Block Heater

Jan 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: 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.

22V413000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl); Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

16V617000 · Electrical System:software; Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls

Aug 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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If a window closes on a body part, it can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Electrical System:software

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."

Consequence: If a window closes on a body part, it can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls

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."

Consequence: If a window closes on a body part, it can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Ford Escape problems