2017 Ford Escape Complaints

POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/19/2026

My power lines were not installed properly and leaked all over burning up my transmission. This is aVERY common ford issue to the point where the place where I took it said I got a lot further than others. Ford needs to do better

ENGINE — Filed 08/01/2025

My engine is internally leaking coolant. I consistently smell a sweet smell. I consistently have a service engine soon light on and it has a P0301 code. My car is only at 63,450 miles. My mechanic informs me the rememdy requires a complete long block replacement.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 05/27/2025

When driving the vehicle it suddenly lost all acceleration power. I coasted to side of road and opened hood to determine the vehicle was on fire from rear of engine bay. I then proceeded to offload what I was able from behind the vehicle of my tools for my job. There was no over heat warning or other indicators of any major issues with the vehicle prior to the fire.

ENGINE — Filed 12/15/2021

The contact called on behalf of her husband, who owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her husband was approaching a stop sign at 5 MPH, and upon depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact immediately depressed the brake pedal with both feet in order to bring the vehicle to a complete stop; no warning lights were illuminated. The failure occurred on several occasions where the brake pedal failed to stop the vehicle. On a most recent occasion, the contact parked in an empty lot when the vehicle accelerated, causing her to crash into a wall in front at an unknown speed. The building's wall was damaged, and the vehicle came to a stop upon impact. The vehicle was towed to a local repair center. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer, where the failure could not able to be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

AIR BAGS — Filed 05/26/2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the passenger's side front end of the vehicle hit a cow and was significantly damaged. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated after the crash. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained neck and back pain, and bruises on the chest from the seat belt. The contact received medical assistance. The vehicle was towed to an autobody repair shop. A police report was filed but the contact did not have the police report information available. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

STEERING — Filed 05/25/2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed and turning away from the curb, there was a snap, and the steering wheel became horizontal regardless of the efforts to manually center it in its normal position. The vehicle continued veering to the right. The vehicle crashed into the rear of another parked unoccupied vehicle, where it came to a stop. No warning lights illuminated prior or after the crash. The air bags did not deploy. No injuries or medical attention were sought. A police report was not filed. An appointment with the dealer was scheduled to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic for a front passenger side tie rod failure and was towed back to the contact's residence. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000. 

ENGINE,FIRERELATED — Filed 03/16/2024

The contact's wife owned a 2017 Ford Escape. While the contact's wife was driving at 80 MPH, both a stop engine and check engine warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. The contact's wife called the contact who was then informed to immediately pull over. As the contact's wife pulled over, black smoke began to emit from the engine. The contact's wife exited the vehicle as the vehicle quickly caught fire. The authorities were called to the scene and the fire was extinguished. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was destroyed as a result of the fire. The failure mileage was 100,000.

ENGINE — Filed 01/16/2024

Antifreeze is leaking into the small block, causing a fire in the engine. This was a known issue on the other Ford Fusions and other year Escapes. Upon viewing other users on reddit, this is a major issue.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 01/06/2024

I have a problem with my coolant leaking in the engine of my 2017 Ford Escape SE. case, [XXX] is from ford I have contacted ford several times on this issue. My vehicle is currently in the shop now since 11/14/2023. Ford says they are not going to fix my vehicle and it's a known issue I have included the service bulletin from Ford's website below. Any help getting my vehicle fixed would be greatly appreciated. I am also having problems with my transmission. VIN NUMBER [XXX] Bulletin [XXX] · Number: TSB [XXX] · Date: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ENGINE — Filed 01/22/2022

Head gasket failed causing coolant to leak entirely. A KNOWN DEFECT.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 11/12/2023

Hi my name is [XXX] and I have a problem with my coolant leaking in the engine of my 2017 Ford Escape 2.0 turbo all wheel drive SE. case, [XXX] is from ford I have contacted ford several times on this issue. My vehicle is currently in the shop now since 11/14/2023. Ford says they are not going to fix my vehicle and it's a known issue I have included the service bulletin from Ford's website below. Any help getting my vehicle fixed would be greatly appreciated. My transmission is also slipping. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 11/17/2023

TRANSMISSION cable broke. Transmission failed and we had to replace it for $5,500. Car was at 101,000 miles. Ford wouldn't help. Now getting a cylinder 4 misfire - P0304 code, U3000-04. Also, coolant leaks constantly and there is no leak. per the recall of the 2017 Ford Fusion, this coolant leak into the cylinders is happening to us as well.

ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — Filed 11/06/2023

My vehicle shut off while i was driving on the highway. The check engine light flashed for a few seconds and then the whole car shut off while i was doing 70 on the highway. Thankfully nobody was hurt but i'm lucky to be alive. Cars swerving everywhere! When i took it to the dealer they say it was a cylinder misfire and its caused by coolant leaking into the engine through porous materials used by FORD. Its been to several ford dealerships. They inspect it, they know right away what the issue is because they see it all the time and they all say the same thing. Yes we know about it, no we wont fix it. I spoke to ford about the issue and they admitted that they know about the problem but they're refusing to recall my vehicle. These vehicles are at risk hurting thousands of people. Im being told that these engines were used in most ford vehicles from 2012 on... PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 10/17/2023

My son and I hit a deer and his back passenger seat seatbelt didn’t lock and my air bag light came on but they never deployed

AIR BAGS — Filed 03/06/2023

The contact owned a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH the contact struck another vehicle in the middle of the passenger side, causing front-end damages to the contact's vehicle and the passenger side of the other vehicle. No air bags deploy. The seat belt retracted against the contact's chest causing the pacemaker in the contact’s chest to be pushed back, and the contact glasses broke during the impact. The contact sought medical attention to make sure the pacemaker was not damaged; the other driver was not injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000. The VIN was not available.

VISIBILITY — Filed 10/26/2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed with her grandson seated in the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle, the rear passenger’s side window independently started going up and down and her grandson’s arm got closed in the window, causing a minor injury but had not sought medical attention. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the window was fixed; however, several days later while driving with her puppy inside the vehicle, the window independently rolled down almost causing the puppy to jump out the window. The window failed to roll back up as needed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact notified the dealer of a failure with the button for the window on the driver’s side. The window switch was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that after arriving at the residence the window rolled up independently. The contact inquired about NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V617000 (Visibility, Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The contact paid out of pocket for the switch replacement. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHSTA Hotline. The failure mileage was 57,187.

FIRERELATED — Filed 10/29/2022

The contact's son-in-law owned a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his son-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle cut in front of his vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed to stop the vehicle, and the check engine warning light illuminated. There was smoke coming from underneath the hood, and then flames came from the front end of the vehicle. The son-in-law pulled over on the side of the road and safely exited the vehicle. No medical attention was received. The fire department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. Police and fire department reports were filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard, where it was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 06/01/2018

On June 01,2018 my coworker and I was on a joint visit. After the visit we walked to our vehicles to start the engines and to turn on the ac. I exited the 2017 Ford Escape and walked over to my coworker and we started to discuss other work problems. My coworker stated "the car is rolling back". I went after the Ford attempting to enter the vehicle. The drivers door knocked me down and I was completely ran over from foot to head. I placed my arm over my face and closed my eyes. I held my breath as I listened to the sounds of bones cracking... I suffered 5 fractured ribs, 2 fractures on my face, 15" Laceration on the back of my head to where my skull was showing. Several hematomas and a contusion in my right lung. I suffer everyday with pain. There is no way I could have exited the vehicle with it moving. I was able to walk to my coworkers vehicle.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 06/06/2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The contact had experienced a failure while stopped at a traffic sign. The contact stated that the vehicle rolled forward at approximately 2 MPH and lightly crashed into a vehicle in front of him. There was no damage or injuries. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train), however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 08/12/2022

When approaching a red light on 8/12/22 in dry conditions, my son attempted to push brake part way down to slow on approach. Nothing happened. Pushed brake all the way to floor and vehicle barely slowed. Brakes had been serviced in May 2022. Vehicle had 36,094 miles. Note: accident report not under owner's name as I was not the driver.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ENGINE — Filed 12/24/2021

I was in an accident 12/24/2021due to other parties at fault, and my air bags did not deploy. The diagnostic with the collision Calliber (78216 zip code) reflected there was a faulty air bag and should have deployed . I suffered neck and back injuries. Half a year later my entire AC compressor needed to be replaced a month later my Entire engine needs to be replaced (8700 price). I’ve only had this car over a year and work remotely. I have under 50k miles on this car and have had so many dangerous And unfortunate high cost issues. The

ENGINE — Filed 08/18/2022

The contact owned a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while at a stop light a plastic electrical type odor was present coming from the air conditioning vents. Moments later while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated and smoke was present coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled and caught on fire. The contact indicated that the flames started in the engine compartment and quickly engulfed the entire vehicle. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed away from the scene. The cause of the fire was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 06/01/2018

On June 1, 2018 which was a Friday and the time was around 5pm. My co worker and I just finished a patient at the Boise Christian Retirement Village. I proceeded to enter the 2017 Ford Escape to start the engine so that the inside would cool down. As I exited the vehicle to speak to my co worker who was parked 2 cars down. We were discussing a situation about a coworker and she states " Danielle your car is rolling back". At that moment I did not know who was in the building the ford was heading. I ran after the ford and opened the driver side door and grabbed the steering wheel. The drivers door knocked me down and the drivers front tire ran me over starting from the foot , leg, pelvic, chest and then my head. I sustained numerous injuries. I had 5 fractured ribs, a hole in my right lung, 2 fractures on my face, several hematomas. My head was squeezed like grape and had a 15 inch laceration. I suffer everyday from this accident. I have scars and a lot of PTSD. I am currently driving the 2019 Ford Escape for my work. Now I am scared to death and dont know what to do

POWER TRAIN — Filed 11/13/2020

I exited my car to take pictures of a bird. The engine was running and I thought the gearshift was in Park. I felt the car bump me and realized it had started moving. The rear tire ran over my left foot and I found myself lying face down on the road. I tried to get up but fell onto my camera. I looked to my right and saw my car moving down the road, drifting to the right towards the embankment that leads down to a canal. I managed to get up and reached the car as it was about to leave the roadway. I tried to grab the steering wheel, but the rear tire ran over my right foot, then over my left foot again. My car went down the embankment, stopping just short of flipping over in the canal. Since there was no other plausible explanation at the time, I assumed I didn’t put the car in Park despite thinking I did. However, I’ve puzzled over the accident almost obsessively since it occurred because when the engine is running and the gearshift is in Drive and not Park, my car moves forward at approx. 4 MPH with little to no hesitation as soon as my foot lifts off the brake pedal. I DID NOT GET OUT OF A MOVING CAR. After the recall notice, I looked at the metadata from the images taken the day of the accident and it shows my car did not begin moving until at least 23 seconds after I exited it to photograph the bird. That also indicates it was in fact in Park. I had a broken rib from falling on my camera and a broken (crushed) big toe on my left foot. Other injuries apparent then and/or in the days following were considerable swelling and pain of my left knee and foot, swelling and pain of my right knee and foot, and pain along the outside of my lower legs. I still have pain from the accident, including arthritis in my left foot, pain along my outer left leg and inner knee, and pain in my left big toe. My camera and brand-new lens were damaged. I did not have the car inspected. My safety and the safety of others are at risk until the required parts for repair are available.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 06/14/2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting the vehicle into park, the vehicle surged forward and went over an embankment without warning. The air bag deployed upon impact. The contact did not sustain any injuries and did not seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and they were unable to repair the vehicle, the vehicle was then towed back to his home. The contact then received a notification in the mail for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000(Power Train) which he linked to his failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 102,000.