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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

2,677 reports
Mileage unknown · Oct 24, 2024
Engine

The "engine light" came on and reported a misfire in cylinder 3. After further research, I found that this is an indicator of the failure of a gasket allowing coolant to leak into the cylinder causing the misfire. I have had the issue diagnosed, confirming the gasket failure by two garages, one being a Ford dealership. Furthe…

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The "engine light" came on and reported a misfire in cylinder 3. After further research, I found that this is an indicator of the failure of a gasket allowing coolant to leak into the cylinder causing the misfire. I have had the issue diagnosed, confirming the gasket failure by two garages, one being a Ford dealership. Further research has shown that this is a known flaw to the Ford Company, caused by the engine design. The "fix" is a long block engine replacement. If no action is taken the engine will eventually loose coolant and over heat, or the damage in the cylinder will ultimately cause the engine to lock up, likely causing an accident and thus putting occupants of the SUV and possibly others at risk of injury. My car had approximately 100,000 miles when the issue was first indicated, approximately six months after purchasing the vehicle from a Ford dealership.

NHTSA ODI #11621764

55,162 miles · Oct 23, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine misfired with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion int…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine misfired with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the same diagnostic was provided, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 55,162.

NHTSA ODI #11621636

50,000 miles · Oct 23, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the engine started misfiring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where the contact scanned the vehicle and retrieved a DTC code for cylinder #2 m…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the engine started misfiring. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where the contact scanned the vehicle and retrieved a DTC code for cylinder #2 misfire. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where the same assessment was made, and the dealer determined that the cylinder #2 exhaust valve was burned. The dealer determined that the cylinder head assembly needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the short block had a manufacturing defect and recommended that the short block be replaced. The contact related the short block defect to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI #11621587

Mileage unknown · Oct 23, 2024
Engine

My car overheated and went into limp mode while I was on the freeway, I was almost involved in a crash due to this. I took the car to an auto repair facility where they stated that this is a known issue with Ford 2.0T Ecoboost engines that cause a sudden and full internal burn of all coolant and the engine overheats. Ford has …

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My car overheated and went into limp mode while I was on the freeway, I was almost involved in a crash due to this. I took the car to an auto repair facility where they stated that this is a known issue with Ford 2.0T Ecoboost engines that cause a sudden and full internal burn of all coolant and the engine overheats. Ford has acknowledged an issue on the engines since 2022. However, Ford has not issued a recall for these engines. There is an NHTSA TSB on these engines TSB 19-2346. I could have lost my life due to sudden loss of forward momentum, the car could have combusted due to overheating.

NHTSA ODI #11621576

34,000 miles · Oct 23, 2024
Exterior Lighting

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the rear driver’s side and rear passenger’s side brake lights and taillights failed to illuminate. The contact discovered water and condensation inside the rear taillight assemblies. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed th…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the rear driver’s side and rear passenger’s side brake lights and taillights failed to illuminate. The contact discovered water and condensation inside the rear taillight assemblies. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that the rear brake light and taillight assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 34,000.

NHTSA ODI #11621545

69,500 miles · Oct 22, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe at start-up. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a dealer, and a diagnostic test was performed. The contact was informed that coolant had leaked into cy…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe at start-up. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a dealer, and a diagnostic test was performed. The contact was informed that coolant had leaked into cylinder #2. The contact was informed by the dealer that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact's wife called the manufacturer and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 69,500.

NHTSA ODI #11621355

42,198 miles · Oct 22, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The dealer made t…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The dealer made the contact aware of Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 21N12 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 42,198.

NHTSA ODI #11621330

29,499 miles · Oct 22, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the message "Service Engine Soon" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The dealer determined that the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the fail…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the message "Service Engine Soon" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The dealer determined that the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: 19-2208. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 29,499.

NHTSA ODI #11621308

70,517 miles · Oct 22, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while cold starting the vehicle, the engine was idling roughly. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the message “Stop Driving – Engine Overheating” was displayed and an audible chime…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while cold starting the vehicle, the engine was idling roughly. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the message “Stop Driving – Engine Overheating” was displayed and an audible chime was heard. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved DTC codes: P0302 and P0306; and determined that coolant was leaking into the engine block. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the "Stop Driving" warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate above 10 MPH. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 22-2134 Coolant Intrusion into the engine block (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,517.

NHTSA ODI #11621299

Mileage unknown · Oct 22, 2024
Engine

Engine fault light came on driving down the highway. Pulled over immediately due to car having trouble accelerating where I had to wait for help. Took it into a Ford dealership for a inspection and found out that it had a cylinder 2 misfire with fluid leaking into the engine. At that point, they recommend a full engine replaceme…

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Engine fault light came on driving down the highway. Pulled over immediately due to car having trouble accelerating where I had to wait for help. Took it into a Ford dealership for a inspection and found out that it had a cylinder 2 misfire with fluid leaking into the engine. At that point, they recommend a full engine replacement. The engine failure happened unexpectedly, the engine light was not on during the drive and it was not driving any differently prior to the incident. The day the fault engine light came on was the first time I had ever experienced those symptoms. We took great care of the car, it never went over miles for oil changes, and got inspections at time of oil changes.

NHTSA ODI #11621226

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