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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,845 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

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2017 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #26

Aug 232024

Escape

  • miles

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

My son was driving this car home from school and while going through a busy street, the car suddenly buckled and stalled and he was almost t-boned. Thankfully he was not hit. We later found out that this vehicle was assembled in a plant that has a known line issue with their engine blocks. This issue caused one of the cylinders to crack and fluid to leak in causing the issue that almost caused the accident. We were made aware that this is a known issue by our service person. Ford is aware of it as they have issued CSPs and TSPs regarding the issue but have yet to issue a recall and will not cover repair costs or offer to fix vehicles before they have the issue. Ford should have a safety recall to prevent possible accidents as these vehicles age and the problem occurs more regularly.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #25

Mar 172024

Escape

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The contact stated that the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and occasionally surged forward while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000.

- Rockwall, TX, USA

problem #24

Apr 182024

Escape

  • miles
2017 Ford Escape SE 4WD with a 4 CLYINDER D 1.5 DI TURBO engine. We purchased this vehicle used, in 2019 with 42,384 miles. We have kept up with all scheduled maintenance through the dealership. Until April of this year, we have had ZERO issues with this vehicle! First, the check engine light came on Upon starting, another warning "Engine Fault Service Now" would appear. Aside from the lights, the only initial indication something may be off was the "sloshing" noise that came from the engine after shutting it off. Initially, we took the car to our independent mechanic who informed us that the car was experiencing coolant intrusion into the engine and the only remedy would be to replace the engine. He shared with us that this type of engine is NOTORIOUS for this malfunction. Being as Darling's could not give us an appointment promptly, , we just kept checking the coolant levels and cautiously drove the vehicle. On May 3, I was driving when the dash lit up with "High Engine Temperature-stop safely" warnings and the gauge went from normal to all the way to H. We added coolant and this did not happen again. However, between May 3 and the date of our appointment at the dealership, May 17th, a host of new problems seemed to happen overnight. The car would not start several times both after being driven and sitting overnight. While backing down my driveway, the car stalled and wouldn't start again, luckily I wasn't in traffic. Right before our appointment and the final straw was when I was leaving for work. The car wouldn't start, so I left it for a few minutes and I was able to restart it. I drove down the street maybe a block away when all this white smoke filled the inside of the car along with pouring out the back exhaust. Darling's stated it "coded P0304, for a misfire on 4, coolant was entering cylinder 4, needs a motor". Cost to fix is more than what the car is worth and we still owe $4000 on it. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL?

- Lisbon Falls, ME, USA

problem #23

Feb 212023

Escape

  • miles

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

While driving sometimes even the speed is below 40mph pushing the accelerator will not accelerate the vehicle making a loud engine noise for 4-5 minutes deaccelerating the vehicle. And again, working fine. It happens random and had happened 5-10 times after I purchased the vehicle in 2020. The frequency of the problem is random.

- Owins Mills, MD, USA

problem #22

Jun 012023

Escape

  • miles
I was on the highway doing 70+ and my car overheated and shut off. When i turned it back on the engine light was on and it was shaking like crazy. I took it to the dealership and they told me that it is a known prob and it has a coolant leak into the engine. I can see online that this is happening to thousands of people and ford is refusing to fix it. I could be dead right now. They-??ve known about this problem for years but will not replace my engine.

- Eagleville, PA, USA

problem #21

Jul 262022

Escape

  • miles
All of a sudden my transmission service fault light has came on, my escape won-??t shift into gear, and when it is in park it won-??t go into drive it any other gear without you forcing it. I have called farina, Effingham, Salem, Centralia, Newton and none of them can get my car in for a month. I am now without a vehicle and I-??m needing something done.

- Louisville, IL, USA

problem #20

Feb 012022

Escape

  • miles

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

Had car in for 4 spark plugs replaced and one ignition coil replaced. After leaving mechanic, the car suddenly slowed down, dashboard screen came on with "High Engine Temperatures pull over safely and call your Ford dealer", and the check engine light came on. The car would not go over 10 miles an hour. I limped back to the mechanic. He could not find a problem, the scanner they use under the dash came back with several readings. None had anything to do with the spark plugs or ignition coil. He kept it for several hours, researching, then unplugged the battery for a while. Plugged it back up, then nothing wrong. He called me, I picked the car up and drove about 1.5 to 2 miles and same thing happened. the car suddenly slowed down, dashboard screen came on with "High Engine Temperatures pull over safely and call your Ford dealer", and the check engine light came on. The car would not go over 10 miles an hour. I limped back to my house. Had the car towed to a Ford dealership. They held it for 6 calendar days then ran a diagnostic on the car. It came back with sealant broke, coolant leaked into engine. I need a new engine. I am under the understanding this issue of coolant into engine was fixed back in 2020, with Ford's the Customer Satisfaction Program # 19B37. OF which I participated, but apparently, according to the Customer Satisfaction Program Customer Service person, the is nothing that can be done about it now. According to several Technical Service Bulletins and SSM bulletins, Ford has known about this issue for a while now. According to VehiclesHistory.com, NHTSA has a class action lawsuit concerning "coolant into the engine" against Ford. So here is one more complaint.

- Saint Louis, Mo, MO, USA

problem #19

Mar 012020

Escape

  • 36,000 miles
The contact owned a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the vehicle to crash into a parking pole. As a result, the pole detached, moved 11 millimeters and fell on top of another vehicle that was parked. During the incident the air bag did not deploy. No injuries were reported. No police report was taken. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 36,000.

- Royal Oak, MI, USA

problem #18

Jul 032020

Escape

  • 64,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her grand-daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle sputtered and decelerated to 8 mph. The vehicle was taken to an independent who erased several unknown diagnostic trouble codes. The vehicle operated as designed after the codes were erased. The contact was informed that erasing the codes would not prevent the failure from recurring. Zeck Ford (4501 S 4th St, leavenworth, ks 66048, (913) 727-1650) was contacted and informed of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage 64,000.

- Mcloth, KS, USA

problem #17

Mar 272020

Escape

  • 74,312 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the accelerator pedal was depressed and ceased in the depressed position. The vehicle was taken to glenwood springs Ford (55 storm king rd, glenwood springs, co 81601) where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective accelerator pedal mechanism and binding. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,312.

- Carbondale, CO, USA

problem #16

Dec 302019

Escape

  • 14,642 miles

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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle did not respond and then suddenly surged forward. The contact stated that the failure occurred ever since the vehicle was purchased in 2016. The vehicle was taken to barber Ford of hazleton (1112 N church St, hazleton, pa 18202) at least six times, but they were not able to replicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: Cas 24051505. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 14,642.

- Hazleton, PA, USA

problem #15

Nov 012019

Escape

  • 54,536 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle sometimes failed to accelerate. Also, when attempting to shift into third gear at approximately 50 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle also made a jerking sensation suddenly and accelerated without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and dealer were not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 54,536. The VIN was invalid.

- Camdena, AR, USA

problem #14

Jun 052019

Escape

  • 26,000 miles
Had a crash yesturday, pulled into business, applied brakes, did not work car started accelerating could not stop, brake S did not work, crashed into building, ,car got towed,15 thousand dollar damage my ins.has to pay, plus the corner of building.police report said, failed to stop, I could not.this should have never happened, contacted Ford, with no avail. Have fractured ribs, plenty of bruising, and my neck hurts.its a 2017 Ford Escape, wich I bought new. I'm afraid of driving it again, what if it happens again, and I would hurt someone else.Ford should be responsible for this matter, now I have to buy another car, I willnot drive the same car again

- Muncy, PA, USA

problem #13

Feb 192019

Escape

  • 19,000 miles
Fault lights come on and do not clear out consistently after an ignition cycle. Cruise control, blind spot warning, speedometer become non operational. Dealer has replace ABS module, battery and negative battery cable with no improvement. At times during initial startup, power steering is lost. Also vehicle would not start on 3 occasions. Issue occurs while car is in motion both during city and highway driving.

- Winter Garden, FL, USA

problem #12

Nov 232018

Escape

  • 13,337 miles
As I pulled into a parking spot, I took my foot off the gas and went to brake. The car lurched forward and accelerated causing me to lose control. I was pumping the brake, but the car didn't stop, causing me to hit a cement pole on the passenger side, and continuing into a brick building. The air bags did not deploy, but the seatbelt tightened and I got 2 broken ribs and terrible bruising wherever the belt impacted my body. The car had to be totaled because of extensive damage to the body and under the hood.

- The Villages, FL, USA

problem #11

Jun 242018

Escape

  • 34,800 miles
While driving 40 mph in the city, I felt a jolt, engine was still running, but had zero gas pedal response. RPM slowly bled off as I was able to coast into a parking lot while dodging through traffic. When the jolt was felt, a "check manual" message appeared on the driver's information screen. No other messages or check engine light came on. I shut down the vehicle and re-started it and I was able to drive normal again. I then had it towed to Ford. They checked and found no codes. Checked electronic throttle body, test drove it, and could not replicate the failure.

- Madison, AL, USA

problem #10

May 152017

Escape

  • 9,015 miles
I had the cruise on at around 70mph I came up on traffic so I touched the brakes and all of a sudden the engine started revving almost to the red line it was like the transmission dropped down to a lower gear all of a sudden.this has happened to me twice I took it to the dealer and they road tested it on the highway and they said they tried everything they could think of 25 times and couldn't, duplicate it. They also said Ford had no bulletins or complaints or recalls on this car.

- Jensen Beach, FL, USA

problem #9

Apr 232018

Escape

  • 5,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. While driving various low speeds, the vehicle independently accelerated rapidly. The contact stated that the failure occurred on more than one occasion. In addition, the vehicle hesitated upon acceleration. The dealer (bill brown Ford in livonia, Michigan) was called and the contact left a voicemail. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000.

- Plymouth, MI, USA

problem #8

Dec 132017

Escape

  • 29,000 miles
Driving in stop and go traffic when stopped at red light the auto start stop will turn the engine off. Stepping on the accelerator pedal the car will not restart and a message comes on that says shift to park and manually restart engine. In all cases the engine does restart. But it does cause delays in busy intersections and hesitation on the driver to pull in to traffic. Problem is intermittent two to three times a week in daily driving.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #7

Jul 312017

Escape

  • 3,922 miles
I turned from the parking lot intersection in Eagle run shopping center, nw of wendy's, from West to South onto the parking lot road that accesses the w maple rd & birch St intersection. I completed my turn and drove South down the parking lot access road to the w maple & birch St intersection where the traffic light was red. I came to a complete stop to wait for a green light. I stopped a ways back from the median curb of the intersection to allow for turning traffic from the West. Shortly later, while waiting for the light to change, I noticed a vibration of the car and looked at the tachometer which showed 1,200 RPM & rising (600rpm is normal). Immediately the car began to physically lunge forward with increased engine noise so I instinctively placed more pressure on the brake pedal which had no affect. The car's engine was now racing wide open & I had no control of the car's rapidly increasing forward motion. At this point, to avoid a catastrophic accident by being pulled into traffic at the intersection, I steered to the right towards the shoulder hitting the traffic light pole with the brake applied the entire time.

- Omaha, NE, USA

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