Ford Escape Complaints (2017)

2,704 consumer complaints on file.

#11735655May 4, 2026
ENGINE
Coolant intrusion on 1.5 eco boost engine. Common problem with Ford escapes but Ford does nothing to make it right.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735663May 4, 2026
ENGINE
Coolant intrusion into one or more engine cylinders causing rough startup and coollant loss not accountable externally. A known issue and understood by Ford to be a design flaw. 2017 Ford Escape with 2.0L Ecoboost engine, 81,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735356May 3, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
During normal driving, the vehicle unexpectedly powered off and all functions locked up. A warning message appeared stating that the transmission was not in park. After restarting the vehicle, I was able to continue, but the vehicle has been lagging and exhibiting signs that it may stall again
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735289May 2, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
NHTSA Complaint SummaryVehicle: 2017 Ford Escape SEEngine: 1.5L EcoBoostVIN: [XXX] Defect: Engine Block Design Flaw / Coolant IntrusionTechnical Description of the Issue:My vehicle is experiencing a well-documented manufacturing defect specific to the 1.5L EcoBoost engine. The engine block was designed with a "v-groove" between the cylinders that is prone to structural failure. This allows engine coolant to leak into the combustion chambers (coolant intrusion) and allows engine oil to contaminate the cooling system. My vehicle currently exhibits "milky," tan-brown sludge in the coolant reservoir, confirming that oil and coolant are cross-contaminating due to internal engine failure.Extreme Safety Hazards and Dangers:This defect creates several critical safety risks for the driver, passengers, and other motorists:Sudden Loss of Power at High Speeds: The mixing of oil and coolant destroys the engine’s ability to lubricate internal bearings. This can lead to a catastrophic engine seizure while the vehicle is in motion, causing an immediate loss of power and power steering, which creates a high risk of collisions on highways.Engine Fire Risk: When coolant enters the combustion chamber, it can cause severe engine misfires and overheating. Overheated oil or pressurized coolant spraying onto a hot exhaust manifold during a mechanical failure presents a significant fire hazard.Hydro-locking: If coolant floods the cylinder while the vehicle is in operation, the engine can hydro-lock, causing the engine to stall instantly and potentially throwing metal debris onto the roadway, endangering other drivers.Visibility Hazards: Excessive white smoke from the exhaust (caused by burning coolant) can suddenly obscure the driver’s rear-view visibility and the visibility of trailing motorists.Conclusion:Ford Motor Company was aware of this defect, as evidenced by Customer Satisfaction Program 21N08 and TSB 19-2346. However, because these programs have arbitrary expira INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734803April 30, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Coolant intrusion defect. Had to replace engine. Power train fail also.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735003April 30, 2026
ENGINE
I am reporting a potential safety-related engine defect on my 2017 Ford Escape 1.5L EcoBoost. The vehicle has a history of repeated coolant loss and white smoke, followed by engine failure/no-start. The trouble codes later provided by the dealer included P1285 and P1299, which are related to engine over-temperature protection/thermal event concerns. The local Ford dealer diagnosed the vehicle as “out of time” and recommended a major timing/engine repair path. However, after repeated written questions, the dealer confirmed that my prior history of repeated coolant loss and white smoke was not taken into account as part of the current diagnosis. I am concerned that the vehicle should have been evaluated under a coolant-intrusion / thermal-event failure pathway associated with this engine family, rather than being limited to a timing-only diagnosis. My concern is that this may represent a safety-related engine failure pattern involving coolant loss, overheating protection, and possible coolant intrusion, which could cause sudden vehicle disablement or engine failure. I have also opened a case with Ford requesting an independent review: Case CXH-07588177-W3Z8K7.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734588April 29, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Tail light has water intrusion and water shorted out the LED brake light on the driver's side rear of vehicles and has to be replaced as the ED'S are not serviceable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734592April 29, 2026
ENGINE
The engine cooling system and engine block failed due to coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders. This is a known issue in certain 2017 Ford Escape vehicles with the 1.5L or 2.0L EcoBoost engine. The vehicle experienced a loss of power and an engine malfunction while my daughter was driving it, which created a dangerous driving situation for her. The issue has been diagnosed by a mechanic. Prior to the failure, there were symptoms including the check engine light on, the car overheating, and the car running rough.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734709April 29, 2026
ENGINE
2017 Ford Escape. 58K miles. Engine light turned on, took vehicle to Ford was informed there was an issue with a coil. $5000+ for repair. Warranty had already lapsed, took to an auto repair shop, coil replaced. Problem solved. 1 month later car overheats, zero coolant in vehicle. Coolant replaced and within 3-5 days level of coolant is less than half. Research and find a recall for coolant problems causing misfires. No letter received, VIN not listed in recall however the problem looks pretty prevalent via blogs and consumer feedback.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734366April 28, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 50-60 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated and jerked. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the failure was related to an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the recall because the VIN was not included. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired and was towed to the residence. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734242April 28, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
April 2025 our Ford Escape, a 2017 model, had an issue with the car overheating, we brought to a dealer and the diagnosis was coolant leaking into the cylinders of the engine . Repair costs range $8-10,000.00 , new engine $11,000 plus. Through research on chat rooms we have discovered that this is a known issue with Ford's design, several consumer complaints and open class action lawsuit exists. Our dealer offered no assistance financially, we were told auto is out of warranty and no restitution is available to us. We've taken excellent care for this car and are seniors on fixed income. Like many other consumers facing the same engine issues, we are left with no choice but to absorb costs to repair the auto. Any trade in or resale value is diminished. Thank you for accepting our submission on this critical consumer issue. We are the original owners of this vehicle. Ford is showing no customer loyalty and, no concern for consumer safety as this "coolant intrusion" issue can cause the car to fail, shut down or catch fire.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734179April 27, 2026
ENGINE
DAILY COOLANT LOSS WITH NO LEAK. LARGE VOLUME OF WHITE SWEET-SMELLING SMOKE IN MORNING AT START UP AS WELL AS ENGINE STUMBLING AT STARTUP. UNKNOWN COOLANT LOSS CAUSED OVERHEATING
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733324April 23, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
There is a known issue with coolant intrusion into the engine with this vehicle. The vehicle has less than 40,000 miles. The engine stalled three times over a two mile trip and completely shut off during a left hand turn with oncoming traffic putting my family and other drivers in danger.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733435April 23, 2026
ENGINE
I had noticed the "sluggish" during my travels either to/from work, I had thought that it may be local gasoline. After fueling once again, my car started with an emblem on the dash, which I later looked up in the book provided and it stated that I needed to have the "coolant" looked at, I believe it was a engine emblem.?. My last oil change was October 2025. I stopped 03/10/26 by AutoZone to see if they could do a diagnostic. Which stated several options that could be evaluated. The AutoZone information suggested: spark plugs, coil packs and two other options that it might be. Then the next signal my car gave me was during driving from my evening job on 04/02/26, which was so quick I did not get to see it, however, the alarms were loud enough that I was scared. I pulled over for safety d/t the "emblem that I remember seeing said something about "Fire and Safety". I allowed about 20 minutes to pass and nothing had taking place, so I call to husband re: the warning lights. **Wrench Sign: with the signage of Engine Fault Service Now. I was traveling to work after the car sat in my garage over the weekend. The alarms started going off and suddenly I was without control over the vehicle, the car stopped and there was no power.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733181April 23, 2026
ENGINE
Coolant intrusion into the Engine issue with my 2017 Ford Escape was confirmed by University of Ford with a $12,000 price tag. I was told my car wasn't part of the recalls and it had 106,000 miles on it so it wouldn't be a part of it anyway. They offered me $500 to buy my car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733187April 23, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My low beam headlights for the past year burn out every 4 to 6 weeks. In the past 3 months, they began to burn out every 2 to 3 weeks. Recently I went to have my headlight changed once again and they told me that the headlight assembly kits were actually burnt/melted and would need replaced on both sides. The cost of those was quoted to be over $2000 each. I was also told that certain Ford Escapes had a previous recall for this very problem but I cannot locate that recall for my vehicle. Could you please help me in this matter? I truly cannot offered to pay to have that repaired and I don't feel that this is an issue that is from routine use. If it was just a burnt out light I would understand and take care of it myself. The mechanic feels that I should reach out and see what Ford can do. Thank you so much.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732784April 21, 2026
POWER TRAIN
I started having trouble with my car idleing hard and driving jerky. Around November of 2025, I took it to the local Ford dealership and they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. The check engine light was on at this point So I took it to an independent local shop. They looked at it and saw that the valve in cylinder one was broken and not firing. At this point I took it back to Ford along with pictures of the busted valve. I went back to Ford because I have a lifetime power train warranty they are my authorized repair shop. So with the pictures of the busted valve they filled a claim. The warranty people said that if the head gasket was the only thing messed up they would cover the repairs. If the block was warped they would not cover anything because Ford knows about the problem and there is a Technical Service Bulletin TSB 22-2229 about the problem. I just want to know what to do. How do I proceed ?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732317April 20, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Low beam headlight bulbs fail consistently every 90-120 days. I've replaced them approximately 20 times in 9 years. This is a common failure across this vehicle line, as noted in many online forums. This is a safety hazard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732551April 20, 2026
ENGINE
coolant intrusion
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732552April 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 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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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