2017 Ford Escape · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 1562owner reports
- 77,000median miles
- $8,000median quote
- 2involved a crash
Newest report Sep 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
1984 of the 2,689 complaints on this car are about the engine. 1562 of those describe overheating, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2017 Escape.
Narrower sheets: Head gasket fails or coolant leaks into the engine (138 reports)
Tick what matches of 1562 reports
Overheating on other Escape years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (136 reports), the coolant hose or reservoir (123 reports), the water pump (27 reports) and the radiator (25 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the engine covers the 2017 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
All 4 recalls on the 2017 Ford Escape, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Escape
Loss of motive power. Closed dec 27, 2024.
Electronic throttle body malfunction. Closed feb 28, 2014.
Electronic throttle body malfunction. Closed feb 21, 2013.
Engine stalling. Closed aug 31, 2004.
Engine stalling. Closed apr 15, 2004, led to recall 04V-165.
Engine stalling. Closed sep 10, 2002.
None of these investigations covers the 2017 model year.
What owners paid
323 of the 1562 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $6,000 to $9,972.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 58,000 and 98,000 miles, from the 901 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 14 service bulletins or notices for the 2017 Ford Escape that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Some 2014-2019 Fusion vehicles built on or before 10-Jun-2019 and 2017-2019 Escape vehicles built on or before 08-Apr-2019 equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or runs rough condition with or without an ...
Some 2015-2018 Edge and 2017-2019 Fusion/MKZ/Escape/MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or a runs rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL).
Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Fusion and Escape Vehicles Equipped with a 1.5L GTDI Engine ¢ Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion.
Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Fusion and Escape Vehicles Equipped with a 1.5L GTDI Engine - Powertrain Control Module Programming - Some of the affected vehicles may exhibit collant intrusion into the cylinder bores.
10 more on the 2017 Ford Escape page.
What owners wrote
“Coolant leaking into the engine, confirmed by dealer, recommends replacing engine, $7,000 quote to replace. Engine sputters, especially when starting, symptoms started June 2022 Told engine will at some point fail, causing traffic risk to owner and others depending on the situation of failure.”
Filed Mar 30, 2023 · 100,205 miles
“Coolant is leaking into the engine at under 50,000 miles. This is a 2.0 liter engine and there has already been a recall for the 1.5 liter engine for the same problem. This has been dignosed at the Autonation Ford dealership and is costing me $7169.87.”
Filed Oct 23, 2022 · 50,000 miles
“Engine blown due to coolant intrusion. Vehicle has 61,000 miles on it and Ford will not do anything to fix it.”
Filed Oct 4, 2022 · 61,000 miles
“Check engine light came on. Vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and I was told there was coolant leaking into the engine and causing engine failure. The car would not start and had to be towed to the dealership. They gave me a similar diagnosis and stated the engine was locked up and would need to be replaced. The car currently has about 57,000 miles.”
Filed Aug 15, 2022 · 57,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 2 of 1562 reports involved a crash and 1 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Which lights mean pull over now? Warning lights by color and urgency
Other problems on this car
- Check engine light or misfire 1332 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 623 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 295 reports
- Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard 92 reports
- Transmission fails or needs replacement 88 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 82 reports
- Turbo failure or loss of boost 56 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 49 reports
- Loses power when accelerating 48 reports
- "Service Transmission" message or wrench light comes on 44 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 38 reports
- Auto start-stop will not restart the engine 30 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 27 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 27 reports