Reliable Auto DB

2017 Ford Escape reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2017 Ford Escape holds 2,679 complaints after 10 years, a rate of 74 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Escape years here — over the median of the other years, which is 38. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Power windows, Engine block heater, and Gear position indicator.

2017 Ford Escape SE
Photo by RL GNZLZ from Chile, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0
Complaints

2,679

Per year

74

Recalls

4

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (1,565 of 2,679), then Engine and engine cooling (507) and Powertrain (390). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 70,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 45,000 and 96,915 miles. Those filings include 39 that report a crash, 15 that report a fire, and 38 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Escape has 1,118 complaints, 47 per year, and the 2018 has 1,792 complaints, 37 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2017 Ford Escape. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (4)

Recall visibility, power windows 2026-06-09 · NHTSA campaign 26V374000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Escape vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 16V617. The power-operated windows may exert excessive force when encountering an object, before they automatically reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
Remedy Dealers will update the power window operating system software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 22, 2026. Owners may contact customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C29. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 6, 2026.
Vehicles affected 18,124
Recall equipment, electrical, engine block heater 2026-01-15 · NHTSA campaign 26V011000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Remedy Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Vehicles affected 116,672
Recall powertrain, automatic transmission, gear position indicator 2022-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 22V413000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Remedy Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Vehicles affected 2,925,968
Recall visibility, power windows 2016-08-24 · NHTSA campaign 16V617000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2017 Ford Escape Titanium and SE vehicles manufactured October 5, 2015, to May 12, 2016. The settings for the closing-force of the power-operated windows may allow the windows to close on an object such as a body part and injure it before the windows auto-reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 118, "Power-Operated Window Systems."
Remedy Ford has notified owners, and dealers will update the power window operating system software, free of charge. The recall began on September 6, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16C12.
Vehicles affected 17,985

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (2679 total)

Engine
1565
Engine and engine cooling
507
Powertrain
390
Electrical system
156
Wheels
76
Fuel and propulsion system
72
Structure
62
Steering
49
Service brakes
45
Exterior lighting
38
Speed control
31
Air bags
21
Fuel system, gasoline
21
Seat belts
14
Visibility and wipers
11
Latches, locks, and linkages
8
Suspension
8
Electronic stability control (ESC)
7
Tires
6
Back-over prevention
5
Equipment
5
Hydraulic brakes
4
Seats
4
Visibility
4
Lane departure
3
Carry handle, shell, and base
2
Fire-related
2
Other or not sure
2
Fuel system, other
1
Hybrid propulsion
1
Parking brake
1
Traction control
1
Show 24 more Show less
Crash-flagged

39

Fire-flagged

15

Injury reports

38

Death reports

0

Of the 1,155 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 70,000 miles. The middle half fall between 45,000 and 96,915 miles.

Complaints filed per year

2201650201757201811220191242020116202123720223812023713202464520252422026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "well known problem with ford 2,0 Eco boost engines. mine is 2017 escape 2.0 Eco boost. radiator loosing fluid, pep boys checked it and said it was a cracked head gasket and would cost about 5,000.00 to fix.looked up…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-19
  • "The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service Engine Soon" warning light illuminated on the instrument cluster. On a separate occasion, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly while…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-16
  • "Engine problem. Blown head gasket. Common problem among 2017 Ford Escape models."
    Engine · filed 2026-09-15
  • "My vehicle has been giving me warning messages at complete stop at red light, stop sign or even park. Engine turns off and the message pop ups as auto startstop manual restart required put on p shift position restart…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-15
  • "My car has experienced Catastrophic Engine Failure. There is a coolant intrusion into the cylinders and now the car is inoperable. It runs for 2 minutes before shutting the engine off."
    Engine · filed 2026-09-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Ford Escape SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2017 Ford Escape SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Escape all-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 20 27 23 MPG $2800
Escape all-wheel drive 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 22 28 24 MPG $2700
Escape front-wheel drive 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 29 24 MPG $2700
Escape front-wheel drive 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 23 30 26 MPG $2500
Escape front-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 22 29 25 MPG $2600
Escape front-wheel drive flex-fuel 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 29 24 MPG $2700

Specs and fitment

3rd generation, 2013–2019
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-20 synthetic (1.6L EcoBoost/2.5L I4); 5W-30 synthetic (2.0L EcoBoost) , 5.7 qt capacity
Tire size 235/55R17 (S/SE) to 235/50R18 (SE/Titanium)

Known issues for this generation

Early third-gen years (especially 2013) also draw NHTSA powertrain filings about the shifter-cable bushing. Recall 18V-471 covers certain 2013-2014 Escapes with six-speed automatics: the bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade and detach so the lever can show Park while the gearbox is not in Park, with no warning; dealers replace the bushing (Ford 18S20). Recall 22V-413 expands that bushing concern to certain 2013-2019 Escapes among other Ford models; dealers again replace the bushing. Separately, recall 17V-209 covered the 2014 Escape with the 1.6L GTDI: driving with low coolant could crack the cylinder head and leak oil onto hot parts, raising fire risk; dealers installed a coolant-level sensor. Recall 16V-643 covered 2013-2015 Escapes among about two million Ford/Lincoln vehicles for door-latch parts that may break so a door fails to latch or opens while moving; dealers replaced the latches.

Compare

Previous year 2016 Ford Escape Next year 2018 Ford Escape See every Ford Escape model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Ford Escape reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2017 Ford Escape holds 2,679 complaints after 10 years, a rate of 74 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Escape years here — over the median of the other years, which is 38. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Power windows, Engine block heater, and Gear position indicator.

What are common problems with a 2017 Ford Escape?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (1,565 of 2,679), then Engine and engine cooling (507) and Powertrain (390). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 70,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 45,000 and 96,915 miles. Those filings include 39 that report a crash, 15 that report a fire, and 38 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Ford Escape more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Escape has 1,118 complaints, 47 per year, and the 2018 has 1,792 complaints, 37 per year. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Ford Escape been recalled?

The 2017 Ford Escape has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2017 Ford Escape?

Owners have filed 2679 complaints about the 2017 Ford Escape with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Ford Escape get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Ford Escape is 24.3 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is my Ford Escape?

2008-2012 is the 2nd generation, 2013-2019 is the 3rd generation, and 2020-onward is the 4th generation.

Should I avoid charging my Ford Escape's high-voltage battery?

If your 2020-2024 Escape is covered by recall 24V-954, Ford advises not charging the high-voltage battery until the recall remedy has been completed.