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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 · Feb 27, 2024
Engine

In December 2023 my 2017 Ford Escape began running rough and misfiring. I took it to a Ford approved garage for inspection since I couldn't get in to the dealer until January. The garage was able to read the check engine light and found a short block coolant intrusion. When he called the Ford Company he was told there was a Cu…

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In December 2023 my 2017 Ford Escape began running rough and misfiring. I took it to a Ford approved garage for inspection since I couldn't get in to the dealer until January. The garage was able to read the check engine light and found a short block coolant intrusion. When he called the Ford Company he was told there was a Customer Service Program [XXX] on this vehicle. He was also told I missed the warranty date by 15 days even though I was 30,000 miles under the mileage warranty. Ford has acknowledged this issue occurred at their Louisville plant. I received a case number from Ford - [XXX] and scheduled a diagnostic with the dealer. The soonest I could get it in was 2-6-24. They agreed with the Ford garage and told me I needed a new engine, water pump, and oil repair. The car was not safe to drive due to all of these issues. After multiple calls to Ford, they will not honor this Customer Satisfaction Program due to the warranty date of the program. The car did not act up until December 2023, so I had no reason to take it in for this problem. Each Customer Service Rep I spoke to acknowledged that this was their responsibility but they couldn't do anything to help me. They directed me to report this to the NHTA indicating it would force their hand to do the right thing. I was forced to pay almost $9000 in repairs, simply because I didn't drive my car into the ground and force the problem to the forefront. I am assuming I am not the only on with this issue. Please see the attached documents and thank you for any help you can offer. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11574328

Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2024
Engine

Vehicles warning lights and sound went off on my wife, scaring her and my grandson. I was sick in bed so she contacted my neighbor who took antifreeze and it took a gallon to fill it up. Two weeks later it took another gallon. After inspection of the car and finding no leaks he hooked up a code reader and got misfire in #3 cylin…

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Vehicles warning lights and sound went off on my wife, scaring her and my grandson. I was sick in bed so she contacted my neighbor who took antifreeze and it took a gallon to fill it up. Two weeks later it took another gallon. After inspection of the car and finding no leaks he hooked up a code reader and got misfire in #3 cylinder. I then searched the internet and found incident after incident about the 2.0 Ecoboost engines. Even on your web site I found 85 complaints about ecoboost engines. FORD should be held to their own standard and replace these engines with the newer engines that have been researched and proven to solve this issue.

NHTSA ODI #11574259

25,000 miles · Feb 27, 2024
Structure

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, rainwater leaked into the cabin of the vehicle from the roof. The contact stated that the leaks were present at several locations inside the vehicle which included the rear hatch area, the rear driver’s, and passenger’s side roof areas abov…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, rainwater leaked into the cabin of the vehicle from the roof. The contact stated that the leaks were present at several locations inside the vehicle which included the rear hatch area, the rear driver’s, and passenger’s side roof areas above the windows, and the from driver's side roof area above the window. The contact also stated that mold was present inside the vehicle due to condensation from the rainwater. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 25,000.

NHTSA ODI #11574173

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2024
Power Train

When pressing the acceleration pedal, car does not always switch into the next gear. On other occasions, while accelerating the car jerks and does not switch into the next year smoothly

NHTSA ODI #11574026

49,000 miles · Feb 26, 2024
Structure

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that several of the skid plate bolts had detached, causing the front of the skid plate to fall. The indepe…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that several of the skid plate bolts had detached, causing the front of the skid plate to fall. The independent mechanic informed the contact that only two rear bolts were still attached to the skid plate. The independent mechanic removed the skid plate. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the skid plate bolts had been replaced twice, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

NHTSA ODI #11574004

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2024
Electrical SystemEngine

Because Ford company has used peanut oil I have rodents getting into my car causing major damages

NHTSA ODI #11573962

Mileage unknown · Feb 26, 2024
Air Bags

On [XXX], I was driving on the left lane of freeway [XXX] All of a sudden curtain airbags (both sides) deployed for no reason. The force/impact of the airbags felt like something extremely heavy or big landed on top of the roof. My vehicle slowed down automatically and then went into crash mode and was unable to start/drive. I …

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On [XXX], I was driving on the left lane of freeway [XXX] All of a sudden curtain airbags (both sides) deployed for no reason. The force/impact of the airbags felt like something extremely heavy or big landed on top of the roof. My vehicle slowed down automatically and then went into crash mode and was unable to start/drive. I stepped outside to look at my vehicle and not a scratch or dent was on my vehicle. I was not in an accident or anything. Was alarming/unsafe because I was on the freeway during [XXX] which is busy at that time so I could have been in a massive wreck and if I had my 4month old in the vehicle she would have been crushed/dead. On [XXX] my vehicle was inspected by silverrock and they denied the claim being "outside influence". At that time my vehicle was at Clover's Collison (still is) and the owner ran diagnostics. From 2/16-2/21 I have been reaching out to Carvana/Silverrock and trying to have them take care of this for me but they did nothing. I called my Progressive Insurance on 2/21 and they sent an inspector out as well and on 2/23 they did not find anything that could have caused the airbags to deploy. I called Ford Customer Service/recall department to ask regarding a recall on this vehicle and nothing has been reported with this model. I am currently having Clovers Collison (easpointe) repair the vehicle out of my pocket ($6,000) since insurance/warranty/carvana is doing nothing to help with this case. I need to be able to drive and Carvana/Silverrock have put me in a huge/massive bind to where I need this vehicle to go to/from work. Driving from Saint Clair Shores, MI to Novi, MI everyday. *No check engine lights, or any warning signs on my dash before this happened* INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11573916

Mileage unknown · Feb 25, 2024
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

Engine light started coming on and off and it started to run rough on startup. I took it in for servicing and was told coolant was leaking into the engine. Following the inspection, car now runs very rough and I am not longer safe to drive it. The repair is $8000! Ford offered to pay $3000 of that -- not good enough considering…

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Engine light started coming on and off and it started to run rough on startup. I took it in for servicing and was told coolant was leaking into the engine. Following the inspection, car now runs very rough and I am not longer safe to drive it. The repair is $8000! Ford offered to pay $3000 of that -- not good enough considering that the car has 50910 miles on it and has had all recommended servicing and it is a known Ford defect. Yes, the car is available for inspection upon request. Yes, I feel that my safety and that of my 11year old were compromised with a known defect as I have since learned that this is well-known problem. Yes, the vehicle has been inspected by ford. The warning was the enigine light coming on.

NHTSA ODI #11573875

130,000 miles · Feb 23, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. The vehicle failed to restart, and the contact's son was stranded on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact’s son checked the coolant level, and the dip stick. The …

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. The vehicle failed to restart, and the contact's son was stranded on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact’s son checked the coolant level, and the dip stick. The dip stick had oil on it. The dealer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed about TSB: 21N12 and the contact's vehicle was not associated with the TSB. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was also advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI #11573572

Mileage unknown · Feb 22, 2024
Engine

Coolant is leaking into the cylinders. This seems to be because of a defect in the way the engine was cut from the manufacturer.

NHTSA ODI #11573354

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