Owners have filed 2,624 safety complaints about the 2017 Ford Escape with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.
Complaints for this vehicle report 39 crashes, 15 fires, 56 injuries. No deaths have been reported.
Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2017 Ford Escape, engine & cooling issues stand far above everything else.
"Well known issue with this 2017 Ford Escape with faulty coolant system leaking into engine cylinders causing internal engine failure. This was the formal diagnosis by a qualified repair shop on or about May 26, 2026."
"Engine overheated, dashboard told driver stop immediately, find somewhere safe to pull over. I filled it with coolant and took it to my local Chevy dealer. They told me the long block was porous, coolant was getting into the cylinder and my engine needed to be replaced. There is no external coolant leak, it is all going into the block. I have the 2.0L Ecoboost engine."
For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2017 Ford Escape inverts that curve — filings peaked in 2024, 7 years after the model year.
Across the Ford Escape model years we track, the 2013 has the most complaints on file (2,743); the 2017 ranks 2 of 9.
4 recalls apply to some or all 2017 Ford Escape vehicles. Note the flagged campaign: it covers vehicles whose earlier recall repairs were performed incorrectly.
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…
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.
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.
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 require…
Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →
NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.
As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 2,624 complaints about the 2017 Ford Escape with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.
The 2017 Ford Escape has 4 NHTSA recalls on file. One recall reopens earlier campaigns whose repairs were performed incorrectly. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.
NHTSA gives the 2017 Ford Escape an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.
All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved July 14, 2026.
Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.
This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.