2017 Ford Escape Complaint Log

Ford engine 2.0L coolant leaking into cylinders. Known issue from Ford and unwilling to support any repairs or replacement. Have confirmed issue with dealership and was given a $9000 estimate to replace the engine. The latent engine defect will cause the engine to fail during driving operations leading to safety issues while in traffic.

NO VISBLE COOLANT LEAKS, HAVE TO REFILL ANTIFREEZE RESEVOIR WEEKLY, MISSFIRING #2 CYLINDER AS RESULT, IGNITION COIL FOR THAT CYLINDER AND PLUG WORK FINE

I discovered, after my Ford Ecoboost engine light came on, that my engine needs a total replacement with only 67,000 miles on the engine. I have learned that it was a KNOWN design flaw by Ford Motor Company since 2020, the year I purchased my vehicle slightly used with 20k miles. The engine can overheat, catch fire, or seize up while driving, due to coolant leaking into the piston chambers. I was NEVER sent a recall notice, or warning of any kind from Ford Motor Company, even though this could cause an accident. I am expected to pay over $10,000 for a new engine that SHOULD have been recalled, due to their own design flaws. I see that there are multiple class actions law suits pending over this issue.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle experienced rough idling. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was damaged due to coolant intrusion and need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

Coolant is leaking into the cylinder. Overheating. It's the known ecoboost coolant intrusion

Rear power liftgate fails to lift, close or lock properly.

Engine began misfiring while driving, and received a check engine light. Brought to a mechanic, who confirmed that coolant had begun leaking into the engine cylinder, consistent with Ford TSB 22-2229. Total engine replacement recommended, but Ford refuses to cover the replacement under warranty, or recall. Vehicle is no longer safely operable.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and was running abnormally rough. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the contact became aware of smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stopped and parked the vehicle. The contact inspected the fluid levels, and the fluid levels were sufficient. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic where it was confirmed that the failure was due to coolant intrusion, causing engine failure. In addition, 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 manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

Engine block/head gasket failed prematurely (approximately 75,000 miles) allowing engine coolant to enter the cylinder leading to engine failure/replacement.

Vehicle is slowly losing collant, and when I park I get a strong smell of collant. I took vehicle to have collant flushed and was took system was ok. From what I have researched is that there is a history of coolant entering engine cylinder because of defective engine and causeing engines to event ually seize.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the earliest available date to diagnose the was 10-14 days. The vehicle was taken to the Dicky's Doghouse, where it was diagnosed that the cylinder #4 head was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was awaiting an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

The vehicle began shaking when the engine was turned on and the acceleration was not reliable. It was then accessed by a dealership and found that the engine needs replaced due to coolant leaking into the engine. The dealership told me the vehicle is not safe to drive. The vehicle has been maintenanced regularly and only has 76,000 miles on it. The engine needing replaced is due to a defect in the build of this model.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown TSB related to coolant intrusion into the engine; however, the vehicle was not included in the TSB. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 112,513.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the second cylinder was misfiring due to coolant intrusion. The dealer determined that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

I own a 2017 Ford Escape with the 1.5L EcoBoost engine. The engine began exhibiting symptoms of coolant intrusion into the combustion chamber. A certified Ford dealership confirmed the diagnosis after inspection and advised that the engine needs to be replaced or rebuilt due to this issue. This defect is known and widespread in this engine type and can lead to engine failure while driving, posing a serious safety risk. Although Ford issued a Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP 21N12) for this exact problem, my vehicle was just outside the expiration period, and Ford has denied financial assistance, despite this being a documented and recurring defect. There were no warning lights before the engine began running rough and misfiring. The coolant loss was gradual and internal. This issue has been confirmed and documented by a Ford dealership, and I have a case open with Ford corporate. I am filing this complaint because of the safety risks involved with coolant intrusion, the costly repair burden passed to consumers, and Ford’s refusal to support a known defect that could lead to sudden engine failure while driving.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the engine misfired with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the cylinders, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was also referred to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 34,755.

COOLANT IS LEAKING/RUNNING ONTO ENGINE CAUSING DAMAGE. VEHICLE INSPECTED BY SUTTON FORD, MATTESON, IL AND ADVISED A LONG BLOCK ENGINE REPLACEMENT.

I took my 2017 Ford Escape to the dealer for a check engine light (code P1450) that was due to an evaporative emissions problem. While checking for this issue, they found that there was coolant incursion into the combustion chamber of one of the cylinders. It is interesting that they checked for this problem while diagnosing an evaporative emissions issue. They told me the only repair is to replace the long block for $10,500. The head gasket failed due to a poor engine casting design. This is a problem that has affected thousands of Ford 2.0L turbo engines in multiple Ford products. Given the widespread nature of this issue, this seems like it should be a recall. The car is in my garage since it cannot be driven and is available for any third party inspections.

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.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion into several cylinders had resulted in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was filed, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 144,000.

I have 2.0L Ecoboost engine. I received a code indicating that cylinder 4 was misfiring. I changed the plugs and coils. Misfire code is still there. Upon researching issue I noticed that the coolant levels were low and found that the coolant was leaking into cylinder 4. Upon turning over the vehicle white smoke came out of the tailpipe, showing that there was coolant getting into the engine. This is an indication that the head gasket needs to be replaced. Ford issued a recall with the 1.5L ecoboost engines due to a faulty design on the engine. The design failure is due to slits being drilled in between the cylinders in order for the coolant to keep the temperature down while the engines are running. These vehicles would stall on the hwy/interstate putting those in the vehicle and other drivers at risk. This is a known issue and Ford needs to recall these engines.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge displayed that the engine was overheating. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #4, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,993.

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.

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. 

Coolant is leaking into the cylinders, causing misfire. Per this document that you guys posted: "Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12", this is a known manufacturing defect in the engines that are in the model of car that I am driving currently. This is a safety issue and an environmental issue. Coolant gets into the cylinders and burns, emitting into the atmosphere. But the coolant also runs low, and the engine could overheat or catch on fire. The mechanic is estimating currently that the repairs to either change the head gasket or take the engine apart and rebuild it will cost around 7-9k, money we don't have. Ford should fix this manufacturing defect at not cost to us, as their CSP 21n12 document states. The only caveat is that the car has 98k miles on it while the cutoff for these repairs ends at 84k miles.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle sputtered for thirty seconds. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the cylinder head was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the warranty had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

The engine suddenly failed mid-driving, began sputtering and became very weak. It would stutter at intersections or when trying to accelerate and became quite scary to drive. I was on a major freeway heading home when this happened. Upon taking it to a dealership for analysis, they reported a well known TSB-22-2229 had been out for this issue for a few years, but that since none of the "warning signs" were reported at earlier service appointments, they were instructed by Ford to not report it to us consumers unless we first mentioned those issues occurring. When speaking to the technician at the dealership, he acknowledged that due to a design flaw in the original engines, they have been replacing these specific engines in both Ford Escapes and Fusions with wholly new redesigned engines quite frequently. Its should be noted that Ford has extended the TSB at least once since releasing to accommodate more vehicles for coverage, further acknowledging the error on their part. As for warnings - the only warning I had to this catastrophic engine failure was an engine light code P0303 the day before for cylinder 3 misfire, and 1 "warning" the day after it occurred when I started the car and some white smoke came out of the tailpipe. The P0303 code could have been confused with a simple spark plug change, not total engine failure. According to the TSB, these were things that supposedly happened long in advance of failure. The problem has been confirmed by both the dealership I took it to, as well as many people across internet forums and other body shops. The vehicle has been inspected by a dealership and the diagnosis provided below.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the contact noticed an abnormal, rough sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure mainly occurred upon starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the third cylinder, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred by the manufacturer to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 107,789.

My 2017 Ford escort is showing signs of Coolant incursion into the engine block. This is a known issue by the Ford Motor Company and Ford refuses to do anything to fix the issue.

Coolant issues, calipers needing replaced/seized but maintenance has always been up-kept and done at dealer, odor from turbo.

Coolant leaking in #2 cylinder needs long block replacement

My 2017 Ford Escape is leaking water from the radiator and it is probably going to the engine. From what I've researched, this is a chronic problem with Ford Escapes that causes engine failure, which is very expensive to repair.

The motor in my 2017 Ford escape has knocked since purchasing the vehicle. The coolant degas tank was completely empty upon inspection indicating it leaked somewhere. The engine is blown and the technician states it’s due to sludge in the engine. Given that I have kept up on vehicle maintenance and only owned the vehicle for 25k miles, my suspicion is that the engine head sucked in the coolant causing engine failure. At this time the dealer is refusing to help in the repairs and I have no vehicle. I am not the only consumer that’s experiencing this issue.

2017 Ford Escape, have had less than 1 year. Transmission failure. Stopped at traffic light, would not move forward when pressed gas pedal. After a few seconds it jerked hard and went into gear. I was able to get to a parking lot out of traffic. Had vehicle towed to Ford dealership where they ran diagnostics and said there was a torque conversion failure which allowed sludge to get into transmission. Transmission would need to be replaced. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to failure. Quoted $9500 to repair. Asked if Ford would compensate since there were so many recalls and law suits; they stated no.

The Ecoboost 2.0L 4 cylinder engine failure due to a coolant intrusion and it is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle was inspected by the dealer and requires a new engine block with an estimated total $8,790 worth of repairs at only 84,189 miles on the odometer.

The car currently has a coolant infiltration. It is an active recalls on the same model manufactured just 5 months earlier. The car currently has white smoke coming out of the exhaust and the engine has been running roughly. The check engine light came on with a code reporting misfire cylinder 3, which came on about a month ago. The car can be inspected at any time. Safety is at risk because the engine could stop working at anytime according to research related to the similar recall. The problem has been looked at by a mechanic and confirmed. It has not yet been looked at by the manufacturer for the model is this manufacturing time, but just 5 months prior there was a recall on the same model in the same year. There was no warning lamps or messages prior to the issue presenting itself. The issues presents itself when initially starting the car and not driving, but when beginning driving, it does not run well and the car shakes.

Coolant is disappearing. It isnt in the oil and nit leaking under vehicle. It is going into cylinder and burning off causing vehicle to miss and shudder while driving. There is 117,000 miles on my vehicle. I keep oil changed every 5,000 miles. I can smell coolant intermittently and have to keep pulling over to check levels to prevent it overheating. I have read several people are having this issue and there is technical bulletin from Ford. So they are aware and have not issued a recall yet. I shouldn't have to pay over $5 grand for a new motor installation with this low of mileage.

Engine is being less powerful and losing coolant like crazy, looked up what issue is and these engines are known to leak coolant into the engine, in the long run ruining the engine, mine is misfiring and running awful at this point, tried to have ford do something and they acknowledged it’s an issue but won’t do anything without me paying thousands of dollars

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing rough starts. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an Auto Parts Store and was diagnosed with a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket was leaking, causing coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered because the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.

White smoke coming out of the exhaust with unusual smell. Check engine light with a misfire reading. Consistent with known coolant intrusion issue with the 1.5 Ecoboost engine.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the dealer was servicing the vehicle, the dealer noticed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The dealer diagnosed that the head gasket had failed, causing coolant to leak into the engine cylinder, and the spark plugs were damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The contact was referred to NHTSA Hotline to file a vehicle safety complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 101,800.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle misfired. The contact stated that the failure recurred upon starting the vehicle and had persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown cylinder and valve needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The engine was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened; however, the manufacturer confirmed that there was no coverage. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,671.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after her grand-daughter had started the vehicle, the vehicle experienced a rough idle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact's grand-daughter later informed the contact that the failure had recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same mechanic who referred the contact to a dealer. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the fourth cylinder, and 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 for assistance. The failure mileage was 85,426.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the front end of the vehicle started shaking and vibrating, and the vehicle started to decelerate. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer and was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion inside the cylinders. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 71,000. The VIN was not available.

My 2017 Ford Escape began leaking transmission fluid in May of 2025. I had it assessed at my local engine and transmission exchange shop and they found that the leaking was coming from the font main seal and the front pump bushing of the transmission was damaged. The only fix to ensure that this issue would not happen again was to put a different transmission in the car, because this model was so prone to have this issue. I spent the money to have a new transmission installed and the car worked well. Two months later, however, the car began having episodes of not starting, or the engine completely shutting down, no matter where I was on the road. When this occurred, a messaged popped up on the dash counsel stating "Engine Fault, Service Now." I had the car looked at at the same car shop and they found the engine now had an issue. A head gasket was damaged allowing coolant to enter the piston cylinders, fluid locking the engine and shutting down the car. Like the transmission, the only repair is to replace the engine with a new model due to the original model being so prone to this issue. Ford does have a warranty for these issues for a model that is less than 7 years old and less than 84,000 miles. I purchased this vehicle preowned and already outside of that warranty date, therefore these expensive fixes are not covered. The dealership did not report these issue or recalls when selling us the vehicle.

Check engine light was on, took to dealer maintenance / service department. Appearing beginning roughly May 2025. Engine, cylinder #4, visual inspection shows coolant inside cylinder, code #p0304 was active. safety at risk for potential engine failure. Landmark Ford Dealer (Portland, OR) confirmed this problem on borescope inspection and diagnostic testing. Vehicle is not old, was not overheated or mistreated, oil changed regularly, and only 80,000 miles and they say we need a new engine for $9,000. Excuse me?

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on three occasions, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was jumpstarted on each occasion. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that on two occasions when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an AutoZone where a handled diagnostic machine retrieved a code that the VVT valve timing solenoid had an error. The vehicle was taken to the residence and the part was replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred after several days. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving on two occasions the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not reared. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure was approximately 150,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. In addition, the vehicle vibrated, and the transmission was shifting rough. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the head gasket, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with coolant intrusion into the engine and advised the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Engine stopped working