Print this page

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 9
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,956 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2017 Ford Escape engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2017 Ford Escape:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2017 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 1 of 45)

problem #899

Oct 252024

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Coolant was leaking into the engine creating a need for a full engine replacement. Signs of the issue included check engine lights appearing on dashboard twice in two weeks and no coolant remaining in the vehicle. This issue has been reported multiple times by other owners of Ford Escapes with no recourse from Ford. Issue was reported to me by an independent car mechanic. Engine is being replaced this week, therefore no receipt for repairs is yet available, but estimate was $9000.

- The Villages, FL, USA

problem #898

Oct 162024

Escape

  • miles
Bought vehicle (used 91.5K miles) from Hyundai dealer and on drive home the check engine light illuminated, checked it at home and was P0301 (misfire on cylinder #1). After back and forth with the dealer I agreed to bring in the vehicle for them to diagnose. On the trip to dealer the vehicle overheated and I had to add water and wait roadside before I could continue. At the dealer the problem was diagnosed as coolant leaking into the #1 cylinder at the head gasket (i.e. per TSB 22-2322 and related TSBs) and the fix was a new long block.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #897

Aug 192024

Escape

  • miles
Coolant leaked into the engine according to McCarthy Ford. Located in North Little Rock, AR. The vehicle started smoking pulling out of the garage.

- Sherwood , AR, USA

problem #896

Oct 242024

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My child and I were driving in the car when it suddenly overhead to extreme temperatures. I've only had this car 2 years, come to find out there's a faulty design to the engine cylinders causing coolant to seep in to the engine, also causing the head gasket to blow. This is ford's fault and there's currently class action lawsuits because this can cause the engine to combust, incredibly dangerous. There needs to be recalls

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #895

Oct 072024

Escape

  • 119,368 miles
I was driving home from my second job, when the "check engine" light came on. I thought "no big deal". As i got further along, I noticed a "skip" in the engine. The "skip", or misfire, continued. Several more miles down the road, there was a sudden jolt with the car. A message with an alarm suddenly displayed on my cockpit instrument cluster; " Service Required, See Dealer now". By the time I arrived home, the engine was misfiring quite regularly. I parked the car, called the closest repair shop to set up appointment, and they told me go ahead and bring in car. The car would not restart, so I had car towed to repair shop. The next day, the repair shop called saying vehicle had "Blown Head Gasket " and would take a major repair. The car has not been repaired yet because of the major expense.

- Alabaster, AL, USA

problem #894

Jun 152024

Escape

  • miles
The "engine light" came on and reported a misfire in cylinder 3. After further research, I found that this is an indicator of the failure of a gasket allowing coolant to leak into the cylinder causing the misfire. I have had the issue diagnosed, confirming the gasket failure by two garages, one being a Ford dealership. Further research has shown that this is a known flaw to the Ford Company, caused by the engine design. The "fix" is a long block engine replacement. If no action is taken the engine will eventually loose coolant and over heat, or the damage in the cylinder will ultimately cause the engine to lock up, likely causing an accident and thus putting occupants of the SUV and possibly others at risk of injury. My car had approximately 100,000 miles when the issue was first indicated, approximately six months after purchasing the vehicle from a Ford dealership.

- Polson, MT, USA

problem #893

Oct 172024

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car overheated and went into limp mode while I was on the freeway, I was almost involved in a crash due to this. I took the car to an auto repair facility where they stated that this is a known issue with Ford 2.0T Ecoboost engines that cause a sudden and full internal burn of all coolant and the engine overheats. Ford has acknowledged an issue on the engines since 2022. However, Ford has not issued a recall for these engines. There is an NHTSA TSB on these engines TSB 19-2346. I could have lost my life due to sudden loss of forward momentum, the car could have combusted due to overheating.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #892

Sep 302024

Escape

  • miles
Engine fault light came on driving down the highway. Pulled over immediately due to car having trouble accelerating where I had to wait for help. Took it into a Ford dealership for a inspection and found out that it had a cylinder 2 misfire with fluid leaking into the engine. At that point, they recommend a full engine replacement. The engine failure happened unexpectedly, the engine light was not on during the drive and it was not driving any differently prior to the incident. The day the fault engine light came on was the first time I had ever experienced those symptoms. We took great care of the car, it never went over miles for oil changes, and got inspections at time of oil changes.

- Whitehall, MT, USA

problem #891

Oct 192024

Escape

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud noise coming from under the hood. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact thought that the vehicle was going to explode. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

- Lisle, IL, USA

problem #890

Sep 182024

Escape

  • miles
On this car it has a manufacturer design deflect on the engine block that allows coolant into the #3 cylinder. This is referred to as coolant intrusion. Ford has a service bulletin 20-2100 (attached) on this but are claiming we are not covered by it based on the build date of our car. Our car is clearly in the criteria of the service bulletin. Taking to the Ford Dealer they have an enormous number of these cars coming in with the same problem. Many people are being told Ford will not cover the cost of their bad design, causing this issue since they don't meet the criteria. As a retired helicopter mechanic from the Army National Guard, main components like an engine block and cylinder heads should not wear out unless there are many more miles than our car has. We regularly service the car for oil and other items as called for in the owner's manual. I've called Ford Customer Service three times and can't get a commitment from Ford to pay for it. Or Ford claim number is CXH-02801631-B0D5W8, and while the vehicle is affected by the attached service bulletin, Ford will not pay for it. Dealer can appeal for financial assistance to cover the cost. Nobody will tell me what the criteria is to get this covered by Ford. The service bulleting appears to apply to our vehicle so I would think Ford would take care of their customers. The check engine light is flashing making this car is not able to be driven based on my mechanic's direction. Otherwise, we are risking further damage to it based on Ford's error they are dumping onto the people who bought their product. We are the original owners of this vehicle.? If NHTSA has not started the process of a recall on this item, we strongly recommend you do so.? This is a repair that has $2,848.19 for parts plus 28.2 hours of labor per the dealer at almost $200 / hr. is $5,600 +/- and a grand total of over $8,500.? Even if you drop the labor to $100 / hr it's over $5,800.?Ford is expecting us to absorb the bad design cost

- Pleasant Ridge, MI, USA

problem #889

Oct 082024

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On my 2017 Ford Escape with ecoboost, my check engine light came on we noticed a sweet smell right after Iturn the car on to drive it and a big puff of white smoke came out of my tailpipe. I did notice that it hesitated when i would start to go at a stop light but not enough to make it stall. We took it to the dealership and they are saying there is coolant intrusion on the 4th cylinder and the only way to fix it is to have a new motor put in it. That's about $9,000. I only have about 43,000 miles on it.

- West Valley City, UT, USA

problem #888

Sep 162024

Escape

  • miles
In September my check engine light came on, codes were for spark plugs, ignition coil and misfire cylinder 2. I took it to mechanic he said my spark plugs were covered in oil I changed the spark plugs, replaced valve cover gasket and intake gasket. Engine light went off car felt great not even 2 days later I felt the misfire again and there's the engine light back on and white smoke from my exhaust. Brought it back to mechanic I mentioned my coolant issue to him I have to fill my coolant every 2 days no puddles under my car. After looking at my car he said coolant is leaking into cylinder 2 so that's why when I start my car is shakes really bad coolant is burning off from the cylinders. He said I need new heads but they are warped so my best option is to get a new engine or trade my car in. I don't have money for a new engine I'm a single mom I'm upside down on this car because it's only worth $3600. Ford wake up and do something and stop screwing us customers who trusted you and your vehicles and now you left us stranded no help nothing. I have a vehicle that doesn't drive unsafe for my kids and I still need to make car payments on for years still. Someone needs to help and do something

- Schaumburg, IL, USA

problem #887

Aug 052024

Escape

  • miles
the coolant leaked into cylinder of engine and might cause engine damage fortunately the engine light was on and was noticed by me prior to sending vehicle to dealer for checking the problem was confirmed by Ford dealer at Winchester, MA. It was also confirmed by independent service shop.

- Winchester, MA, USA

problem #886

Oct 102024

Escape

  • miles
I have experienced a 1.5L short block, due to coolant intrusion to the cylinder bores. My car is no longer safe to drive.

- Loveland, CO, USA

problem #885

Oct 162024

Escape

  • miles
I bought a Ford Escape 2017 and noticed it started having engine problems I took it to a repair facility and they told me the coolant was leaking into the cylinders. They told me to fix it I would have to get a whole new engine for $8,000, this is so much for a car I just got; I can't get it fixed through Ford since there is no recall. I have already wasted so much money trying to fix it for what the mechanics thought it was, on top of that $2,530 for taking apart the engine to diagnose it. Ford needs to recall these vehicles, this is a manufacturing error on their part and they should pay to get it fixed along with the maintenance people have paid to try to fix this issue.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #884

Oct 102024

Escape

  • 131,930 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the contact's fiancé was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle overheated. The contact stated that the indicator light illuminated, indicating that the vehicle was overheating. In addition, the contact stated that about a month prior, the check engine warning light illuminated but went off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and a failed 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 a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,930.

- Arcata, CA, USA

problem #883

Oct 012024

Escape

  • miles
Coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. This car is 7 years old with 77k miles and needs a new long block due to defective design. Car started stuttering when started and check engine light first came on and I took it to my local mechanic who said the code was for an engine cylinder misfire. He noticed coolant was low and told me this is a common, massive design defect causing coolant intrusion into the engine cylinder and ruining the engine. Had it officially diagnosed by Ford ASAP and they want $9600 to replace their defective engine. Ford recalled the 1.5 ecoboost for this exact issue. Mine is a 2.0 turbo. Please force Ford to recall these vehicles. Someone will die if you don't and they do not care. Ford denied "customer loyalty assistance" and is now leaving me with a paperweight for a car. We need help from the nhtsa. Contact me if you need more information.

- Carrollton, TX, USA

problem #882

Sep 252024

Escape

  • miles
Request for Immediate Resolution of Vehicle Issue I am writing to file a complaint regarding my vehicle, which has less than 40,000 miles and is under 7 years old. Recently, it displayed the error codes PO303-00 and PO316. I took the vehicle to the dealership, and they recommended replacing the entire engine, quoting a cost of $11,500. To seek a second opinion, I consulted a machine shop, and they informed me that these errors should not occur on a vehicle this new with such low mileage. I am deeply concerned, as this vehicle is relatively new and should not be experiencing major issues like this. I rely on my car for daily activities, including taking my child to school, and would appreciate a prompt resolution to this matter. Please assist in addressing this issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your attention and assistance.

- Ithaca, NY, USA

problem #881

Sep 232024

Escape

  • miles
- Engine coolant leaking into engine piston cylinder via a crack in head gasket and/or cracked cylinder wall. it's at a dealership now. - Engine could fail at some point. - Problem is confirmed by manufacture and at a dealership it was confirmed. Only some but not all verified cases will be fixed because of time or mileage. - Vehicle has been inspected by dealer and confirmed. - No prior warning signs happened untill vehicle started missing when first starting. Taken to dealer who confirmed cracks using a scope. They even have pictures.

- Canby, OR, USA

problem #880

Sep 112024

Escape

  • miles
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after a recent oil change, the contact was informed that the coolant level was lower than normal. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the mechanic discovered that there was coolant intrusion into a cylinder. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Clinton Township, MI, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?