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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 · Jan 13, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes

Brakes have failed twice and been repaired. Several sensors have failed and been repaired. The engine failed and had to be totally rebuilt. The vehicle has only 45000 miles. Minor, but paint has peeled down to bare metal. The engine has just been repaired by dealership - it was a bear to get that accomplished. Ford Corpora…

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Brakes have failed twice and been repaired. Several sensors have failed and been repaired. The engine failed and had to be totally rebuilt. The vehicle has only 45000 miles. Minor, but paint has peeled down to bare metal. The engine has just been repaired by dealership - it was a bear to get that accomplished. Ford Corporation would not assist but the dealership itself was very proactive. When the incident happened several warnings came on but did not stay on - stopped right in the middle of a street which in my view created a huge safety hazard . We were able to restart and get off the road but had to have it towed. It would not go faster than 5-10 mph. I have done much research on the vehicle to find out that this failure was due to a design and numerous manufacturing flaws - coolant leaked into the engine block and cracked the heads. Ford Corporation has known this for a long time and was not forthcoming when the other repairs were done. The paint and the brakes are also well known problems. The vehicle is now repaired but the question is - for how long? It was inspected through Sam Galloway Ford in Fort Myers FL. I don’t feel like I can even sell/trade the vehicle and pass these issues on to someone else. Ford is certainly not being fair to other drivers who are having the same EcoBoost engine problems.

NHTSA ODI #11635633

Mileage unknown · Jan 12, 2025
Exterior Lighting

Failure of defective and dangerous head and tail lights - total of six. Luckily, I identified the problem before a serious accident. This was previously reported without details or supporting documentation under NHTSA Complaint 11600823 by a family member. The uploaded documents show the actions of the dealership (Art Hill Fo…

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Failure of defective and dangerous head and tail lights - total of six. Luckily, I identified the problem before a serious accident. This was previously reported without details or supporting documentation under NHTSA Complaint 11600823 by a family member. The uploaded documents show the actions of the dealership (Art Hill Ford) and Ford Motor Company.

NHTSA ODI #11635544

Mileage unknown · Jan 12, 2025
Power Train

Transmission just stopped in the middle of me turning at a red light to get off the road. No lights. No warnings. Apparently that’s normal according to a Ford repair person. I was almost killed. Car wasn’t parked when in park. Car jumped and engine revved when on the brake. Car wouldn’t reverse. Ford says it’s not a recall, bu…

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Transmission just stopped in the middle of me turning at a red light to get off the road. No lights. No warnings. Apparently that’s normal according to a Ford repair person. I was almost killed. Car wasn’t parked when in park. Car jumped and engine revved when on the brake. Car wouldn’t reverse. Ford says it’s not a recall, but it sure wasn’t anything I did. The car has 70k miles and has been babied. This needs to be fixed because they’re not doing a thing.

NHTSA ODI #11635490

Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2025
Engine

Mechanics told us there is coolant leaking into the engine because of a crack in the engine because of a flawed engine design.

NHTSA ODI #11635376

83,000 miles · Jan 10, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact's partner owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon the start of the engine, the vehicle would shake when idle and while driving as the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they discovered a misfire in cylinder #1. The vehicle was take…

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The contact's partner owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon the start of the engine, the vehicle would shake when idle and while driving as the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they discovered a misfire in cylinder #1. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic where a pressure test was performed; the test showed that cylinder #1 was measuring below standard operation. The contact called a dealer and an appointment was made to have the vehicle inspected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ODI #11635256

60,000 miles · Jan 10, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated when starting the vehicle, she noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was vibrating. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that coolant had intruded into the…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated when starting the vehicle, she noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was vibrating. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that coolant had intruded into the engine block and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI #11635198

119,000 miles · Jan 9, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as coolant intrusion leaked into the cylinder which caused the engine to fail. The contact wa…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as coolant intrusion leaked into the cylinder which caused the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.

NHTSA ODI #11635042

Mileage unknown · Jan 8, 2025
Engine

My 2017 Ford Escape experienced the same engine issue noted by many with Ford Escapes from 2012-2019. There is an issue where the engine block cracks and coolant leaks into the engine, ultimately requiring the engine and many other components be replaced. Our vehicle was serviced by Ford in July 2024 and we paid out of pocket f…

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My 2017 Ford Escape experienced the same engine issue noted by many with Ford Escapes from 2012-2019. There is an issue where the engine block cracks and coolant leaks into the engine, ultimately requiring the engine and many other components be replaced. Our vehicle was serviced by Ford in July 2024 and we paid out of pocket for an engine diagnostic. This diagnostic resulted in a clean bill of health being reported for the engine, despite Ford knowing about the defects affecting this engine years earlier. By December 2024, the check engine light came on and when evaluated at both a Ford Service Center and independent auto mechanic, the resulting diagnosis was that the engine and many other components had to be replaced. The cost of this repair was to exceed $11,000 - none of which would be paid by Ford. This amount exceeded the value of the car at the time, resulting in a need to purchase a new vehicle without salvaging any value from the 2017 Ford Escape that only had 72,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI #11634945

176,510 miles · Jan 8, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 35 MPH, the engine stalled, and all of the warning lights were illuminated. The contact proceeded to pull over onto the side of the road where she attempted to restart her vehicle however the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was to…

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 35 MPH, the engine stalled, and all of the warning lights were illuminated. The contact proceeded to pull over onto the side of the road where she attempted to restart her vehicle however the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had experienced coolant intrusion and would need to be replaced. The failure occurred on two separate occasions. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 176,510.

NHTSA ODI #11634885

Mileage unknown · Jan 8, 2025
Engine

January 8, 2025 To the NHTSA: My wife, [XXX] and I, [XXX] , have a 2017 Ford Escape. We have been informed that our vehicle has a defective lower-engine block that is resulting in coolant seeping into the engine cylinders, which causes the engine to overheat. This damage can also result in the engine becoming completely destr…

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January 8, 2025 To the NHTSA: My wife, [XXX] and I, [XXX] , have a 2017 Ford Escape. We have been informed that our vehicle has a defective lower-engine block that is resulting in coolant seeping into the engine cylinders, which causes the engine to overheat. This damage can also result in the engine becoming completely destroyed. A fire can also result. Upon further investigation by ourselves, this defect can cause a fire and it poses a great risk to our health and safety. We read a litigation about affected consumer with this same issue and we also called a Ford Service Center in Minnesota. The service rep told us the issue is related to a faulty design in the bottom half of the engine block. Apparently there are grooves, that in some cases, allow coolant to seep in. The rep said Ford has given them a service bulletin which talks about the issues and the rep said Ford has "re-designed" their lower engine block as a replacement part for such vehicle in light of the issue. Our cost of replacing the lower engine block would be about $12,000, since our car has about 78,000 miles and is out of factory warranty. Ford should bear responsibility for this and should have caught this problem through its quality controls. While our car isn't burning coolant yet, we fear it's only a matter of time before we experience an issue that so many others have. We are extremely disappointed in Ford for this. We would like the NHTSA to force Ford Motor Company to do a recall for this. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11634859

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