2017 Ford Escape complaints

The contact's husband owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact was informed that upon starting the vehicle, a message indicating high engine temperature was displayed, stating to pull over as soon as possible. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked for a long time after the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving the vehicle around the neighborhood, the failure recurred. The contact's husband drove back to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a crack in the engine block, which caused coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

I own a 2017 Ford Escape equipped with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine. I am experiencing a known issue related to engine coolant intrusion into the cylinders, which has been reported by many owners and acknowledged by Ford through Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12. This issue involves coolant leaking internally into the combustion chamber—usually due to a flawed cylinder head casting—which can cause engine misfires, white exhaust smoke, rough idling, overheating, or complete engine failure. In my case, a coolant pressure test was performed, and it confirmed that the cooling system is losing pressure, which is consistent with internal coolant leakage into the engine. Despite this, Ford has declined to cover the repair under the 21N12 program, stating that my vehicle is not eligible by VIN, even though it is the correct model year and engine. I believe this constitutes a safety issue, as the engine could fail at highway speeds without warning, and Ford has failed to provide adequate support for vehicles that clearly exhibit the documented failure pattern. I am requesting the NHTSA investigate this issue further, including why certain 2017 Escapes with the affected 2.0L EcoBoost engine are being excluded from coverage despite confirmed symptoms.

The 2.0 Motor in my 2017 Ford Escape had a Check Engine light displayed for Engine Misfire on the #2 Cylinder after the OEM Scanner was run for the reason the Check Engine light was on by the Auto Mechanic at my workplace. I ordered the replacement cylinder and sparkplug, and it was replaced. I am no Mechanic, but this issue is similar to the 2013 Ford Escape with the 2.0 Motor which Ford put out a recall on and this issue is no different.

Coolant leak into two pistons which in past ford escapes could cause the engine to overheat and potentially catch fire. was checked at the ford dealer on 04/24/2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The check engine warning light was blinking. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact stated that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19B37. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a claim and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 101,261.

I am writing to report a serious and potentially dangerous issue with the transmission in my 2017 Ford Escape (6F35 model). On April 13, 2025, at approximately 83,800 miles, my vehicle began exhibiting alarming symptoms, including slipping, jerking, hesitation, and delayed acceleration. A dashboard message instructed me to “Service Transmission.” On Monday morning I immediately took the vehicle to my trusted mechanic, who identified the problem as a likely failure of the 6F35 transmission. Hoping it was a computer glitch, he reset the system and advised me to monitor it. The issue returned within 20 miles. When I brought the car back, he confirmed the failure and informed me this is a common and well-documented problem with this transmission model and vehicle year. I contacted the original dealership where I purchased the car and was told there were no recalls. I then contacted Ford directly. Despite this being a widely reported issue, Ford told me I had to take it to a dealership for official diagnosis. I did so—at an additional cost of $200—and the dealership confirmed exactly what my mechanic had already determined. They then quoted a repair cost of over $7,000, which is nearly the value of the vehicle itself. Further research confirmed that this is a known and widespread issue with the 6F35 transmission in the 2017 Ford Escape and prior models, yet Ford has failed to issue a recall or offer assistance. This transmission failure poses a significant safety risk, especially

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, there was a misfire from the engine and the engine was overheating. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway and observed that the engine temperature gauge was returning to normal. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and replaced the spark plugs and coils. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred. The contact took the vehicle back to the same mechanic who diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had been advised by the mechanic that the coolant intrusion into the engine block was a known failure. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Getting a misfire code P0302 due to a coolant leak. I know it's a coolant leak due low coolant in reservoir. The check engine light comes on and off intermittently and the exhaust blows white smoke at start up.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was always serviced by the dealer since the vehicle was purchased in 2016. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 61,970.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,700.

We were informed by a tech that we had a coolant leak. The leak was soo bad that it was causing damage to the engine and seems to be a common issue with fords made around 2017. We are now unfortunately paying for the car although the damage to the engine has left us with a car we cannot drive.

Coolant Intrusion on my 2017 Ford Escape Ecoboost that requires a new engine.

Low coolant levels, running in rough condition with P0300, P0302 codes stored in the PCM. Confirmed presence of coolant intrusion into cylinder bores.

Bought car from DriveTime, October 23, 2023. Problems started happening in June 2024. Have detailed list. Have spent over $5,000 in repairs. There is a warranty that has covered some repairs. The 2 major issues have been a transmission replacement and most recently an engine replacement. The mechanic I am using is still having problems with completing the work.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started on several occasions, the check warning light illuminated. The vehicle was shifted into reverse(R), and the vehicle shuddered and jerked before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted each time. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and jerked, and stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was a misfire in cylinder #3 due to coolant leaking into the cylinder. The contact was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was a hard shift in the transmission when accelerating and decelerating. The contact stated that the vehicle was shaking abnormally while being started. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust system. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and there was a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that there was coolant leaking into the spark plugs, causing the spark plugs to fuse inside the cylinder. The spark plugs were removed, and it was determined that there was coolant inside cylinder #3 and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed the engine failure and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

Was driving home from work in the highway when all of a sudden my check engine not only comes on but is blinking meaning immediate issue and pull over. I went from 65MPH to all of sudden misfiring and having minimal acceleration power and having to pull over as safely as possible without hurting anyone. Once pulled over and now on the side of a busy highway during rush hour, my engine continue to vibrate and rumble before turning the car off. Got towed to the nearest mechanic who checked the engine light codes which were P300, P301, and P303, all of which are cylinder warning codes. After diagnosing and taking a deeper look he said my best bet was to find a new engine for replacement. He mentioned that the 1.5 Ecoboost Engine have a known problem of coolant leaking into the engine causing erosion and other problems beyond simple repair. After searching online I am definitely not the only that has had this happen. This has now been known by Ford with no plans of recall or fixing.

The car just stopped in the middle of the road with no warning and I had to have the car towed. The transmission shop had to rebuild the entire transmission.

Coolant intrusion verified by Ford dealership (at 90k) which should fall in line with their recall but am being told to pay for repairs out of pocket. symptoms appeared around 36k miles and I took it to dealership to inspect and they told me they could not reproduce and could find no faults.

I was driving on I 95 and my check engine light came on, then the transmission light came on followed by No hill assist light.As I was driving home all of a sudden without warning my SUV dropped to 10 miles an hour while driving at at speed of 55 miles per hour.. For safety reasons I pulled over on to the shoulder, shut the SUV off a waited , and then I restarted the engine. The same lights came on and again I couldn't drive over 10 miles an hour. After sitting for over 5 months waiting for a recall because Ford said that's the only way they will fix the problem. I hired someone to look at my SUV, I called the Ford Hotline and asked if there was a recall, Because I remember 2 months before it broke down someone came out to my home to fix the bushings that were also being recalled. I was told no , but was advised to wait to see if there would be a recall. Within the last 2 weeks I asked a mechanic to look at my SUV, I was told the issue is an electrical problem, something about control module/ that caused the computer system to fail. The compute is telling the SUV that it's in park., that's why the SUV went into limp mode and won't go over 10 miles per Hours the problem has been determined by a mechanic .

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling roughly. Additionally, when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated with an engine misfire. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent in the beginning and had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine block, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 80,833.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal roaring sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was rough to start. The vehicle failed to start on the third attempt. The service engine soon warning light was flashing. The light became solid before the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders and that the engine needed to be replaced. 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 approximately 105,000.

Coolant leaking into cylinder (number one). Multiple spark plug misfires and losing coolant that could overheat engine. Technical bulletin from Ford states the entire engine needs replacing.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown Customer Satisfaction Program; however, the vehicle 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 approximately 131,919.

Vehicle has a rough idle when started and then runs well. Had check engine light. Took it to Ford dealer for service and they say it has coolant intrusion in the number one cylinder. They want $7,500 for new motor. The vehicle has 84,000 miles out of warranty.

Recently I was driving my car and it gave me an overheating warning I got out of the car to check and I noticed coolant disappearing and when I checked the oil it was a milky substance which indicates a blown head gasket due to the way they designed the short engine block. There have been many issues related to this and honestly it's poor design and it cost a lot of money to replace let alone the safety issues. This happened while I was driving with my kids.

Coolant leaking into the cylinders. This issue is linked to the engine's open deck cooling design, which can cause premature gasket failure or cracks between cylinders. Coolant is leaking into the cylinders and Ford knew about the design defect and did not issue a recall. Request NHTSA issue a recall.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service warning light illuminated. Additionally, the heating system stopped blowing hot air. The contact stated that upon checking the coolant level, the contact noticed that there was no coolant in the reservoir. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. Additionally, the contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The contact stated that there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe while idling and while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in the spark plugs and cylinders. The contact related the failure to Ford TSB Number: 19-2375. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle might not be covered. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.

I have owned the car for 2 years. Routine maintenance performed. Around the end of March 2025, beginning of April 2025 the check engine sensor came on. I brought it to a shop, Pep Boys. They called within the hour to tell me the head gasket was shot due to coolant getting in the engine. I have about 80,000 miles on the car.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart, but the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into several cylinders, resulting in the engine being damaged. The contact was advised to discontinue driving the vehicle until the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was not yet repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 96,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle hesitated, stalled, and was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and waited for towing assistance. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a misfire and coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. 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 contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 19B37 (Engine - Powertrain Control Module Reprogramming); however, the VIN was not included in the Customer Satisfaction Program. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 83,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the heater became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that coolant needed to be added to the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the heater then became inoperable. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant inside the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the engine. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.

Blown Head. Is available for inspection. Check engine light came on and private mechanic noted cylinder 2 issue. Shortly thereafter car seized.

I’m reporting a safety concern related to engine failure in my 2017 Ford Escape SE. My vehicle is showing signs of coolant intrusion, including white smoke from the exhaust, a sweet chemical smell, and rapid coolant loss with no external leaks. A diagnostic tool confirmed a possible blown head gasket. This exact model is already known for engine issues, and I confirmed that Customer Satisfaction Program 19B37 was completed in 2020 to prevent this—but the issue has returned. I drive this vehicle daily with my two young children, including a baby. If the engine were to overheat or fail suddenly while driving, it could put us in serious danger. There are also known risks of engine fires from this defect, which is terrifying for a parent. The dealership says they can’t help, and Ford cannot offer assistance. I am asking NHTSA to investigate this further, as it is clearly a recurring and unsafe condition affecting many 2017 Ford Escape owners.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 65-70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 40 MPH and shuddered violently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a hole in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. No further information was available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

Coolant leaks into engine cylinders

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the water pump bearing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 35,000.

The contact called on behalf of the owner of the 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his mother-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine overheated. Additionally, the contact stated that the message to “Pull over and turn off the vehicle” was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHSTA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,826.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH and while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The powertrain malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the right of the road and left the vehicle unoccupied for several days. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer transferred the contact to NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

Coolant leak. Originally had my transmission rebuilt in January 2025. My coolant overflow was completely empty, and upon filling it to the max, the next day it was below the minimum line on the overflow. I filled my coolant overflow on 3/23/25, and now it's completely bone dry again.

A very known issue of coolant intrusion to 2.0L ecoboost engine. Ford even admits they know and have redesigned replacement engines, but has consumers pay over 8K to put redesigned engine in! Absurd! Engine can lock/seize at anytime. Which can ultimately cause death by wreck if car quits unexpectedly on the road! My 2017 Ford Escape 2.0l ecoboost engine was confirmed today to have coolant intrusion. These cars keep being resold and becoming new owners headache while the dealer KNOWS! THIS SHOULD BE RECALLLED!! If Hyundai can stand by a faulty engine and fix their faulty engine, Ford should too!!

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a misfire coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The mechanic contacted a dealer for further assistance. The dealer confirmed that there was a known issue with the engine failure in similar vehicles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine overheated while driving at various speeds and was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Weed Family Automotive, where it was diagnosed and determined that a head gasket failure had caused coolant to leak into the engine, causing a misfire while driving. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the cost of the repair would be a significant amount. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,274.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon attempting to accelerate from a stoplight, the transmission failed to shift into gear, and the contact was forced to pull over onto the side of the road. There were no warning lights illuminated; however, the message "Transmission Fault - Please see Service Center" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

Engine coolant leaks into the engine and it shuts down. Happened 3 times. We repaired not knowing it was same issues and now it broke down again on the highway. Now the mechanic says "you need a new engine". Perfect service records.

I purchased this vehicle very recently, and it has only 46,620 miles on it. However, the engine completely failed. I had it inspected by a licensed mechanic, and the diagnosis showed serious internal engine failure, including no compression and a blown head gasket. The repair estimate is over $6,000. I contacted Ford Customer Service, but they said they cannot provide any help at this time. The dealership I bought it from also refused to take responsibility. This has caused me significant financial and emotional stress. I would like to formally report this issue, and ask NHTSA to investigate whether this is a common defect in 2017 Ford Escapes with EcoBoost engines.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined 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 manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the brakes engaged unintendedly, and the vehicle came to an immediate stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The engine did not turn off, and the contact stated that there was no traffic nearby during the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,601.