2017 Ford Escape Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 2,710 owner complaints for the 2017 Ford Escape.

Recalled components: visibility, equipment, and powertrain. Most-described problem: overheating or coolant loss (1,293 complaints, 48%). Most-reported area: engine (1,588 complaints, 59%; median mileage when it happened: 70,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

4 safety recalls for the 2017 Ford Escape

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2017 Ford Escape.

What owners report

Owners have filed 2,710 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Escape. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Overheating or coolant loss1,293 · 48%
  Median 81,000 miles at failure, from 484 reports with mileage
• Check engine light934 · 34%
  Median 78,500 miles at failure, from 523 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement932 · 34%
  Median 79,000 miles at failure, from 421 reports with mileage
• Misfires or rough running598 · 22%
  Median 81,300 miles at failure, from 223 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell269 · 10%
  Median 82,000 miles at failure, from 108 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration226 · 8%
  Median 78,000 miles at failure, from 132 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode209 · 8%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 104 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off203 · 7%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 117 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine1,588 · 59%
  Median 70,000 miles at failure, from 417 reports with mileage
• Engine and cooling512 · 19%
  Most named: cooling system (5); engine, gasoline, turbo/supercharger (4) · Median 82,000 miles at failure, from 477 reports with mileage
• Powertrain391 · 14%
  Most named: automatic transmission (13); automatic transmission, torque converter (5) · Median 75,500 miles at failure, from 157 reports with mileage
• Electrical system156 · 6%
  Most named: ignition, coil, spark plugs (3) · Median 37,100 miles at failure, from 85 reports with mileage
• Wheels76 · 3%
  Most named: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (27) · Median 43,200 miles at failure, from 34 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system72 · 3%
  Median 34,800 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Body structure62 · 2%
  Most named: body (53); body, hatchback/liftgate (3) · Median 40,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other153 · 6%
  Median 25,000 miles at failure, from 44 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Ford Escape recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2017 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2011 Escape drew the most (451) and the 2017 drew 221.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2017 Escape MPG

Questions