2017 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

Ford dealership states the engine needs to be replaced at a cost of 10K due to coolant in the engine oil as a result of failure of the #4 cylinder. The service advisor stated “ It’s actually a pretty common thing on these engines”. This issue was discovered during a routine oil change by Roberson Ford in Albany Oregon.

I have a 2017 Ford Escape with an EcoBoost engine. My car was running a little bit rough and the check engine light turned on. I made an appointment with an independent service location that I trust to diagnose the issue. After reading the computer code, which noted a cylinder misfire, they noticed that the coolant level was low, did some investigating and found a Ford-issue technical service bulleting from 2022 detailing the likelihood of a coolant leak into the engine. They scoped the cylinder and confirmed the presence of coolant in the cylinder and noted the only repair was a replacement of the entire long block. I then sent my car to a Ford dealership and asked them separately to diagnose the issue, and they returned with the same diagnosis and suggested repair. The safety of me (a lone parent), my 8yo son, and our dog are put at risk every time I have to drive the car since we don't know when the engine might give out completely. I've now been restricted to only driving very small distances until I can find the required $9K to replace the engine. I do not feel comfortable driving my car (which has been great until now), but cannot afford an indefinite rental car, nor a new car, and have no alternative but to drive it. This is a KNOWN ISSUE (as evidenced by the Technical Service Bulletin) and a few older models have actually been recalled, but for some reason, the remaining have not. Ford will not cover any cost of the repair because of the age of the car, even though it only has 52K miles on it (which is extremely low for its age). All known safety issues should be covered regardless of the age of the car. I understand there is an active class action lawsuit against Ford for this very failure, which speaks volumes as to how widespread this safety issue is.

My 2017 Ford Escape Titanium with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine is experiencing unexplained coolant loss. After topping off the reservoir, coolant disappears within days, yet there are no visible external leaks. The oil appears milky and frothy, suggesting coolant intrusion into the oil system. This points to a possible internal leak such as a head gasket failure or block defect. This issue poses a safety risk due to potential engine overheating, misfires, and sudden engine failure while driving. Symptoms began in early November 2025 and have worsened over time. The problem has not yet been confirmed by a dealer or independent shop, but it matches known issues documented in Ford’s Technical Service Bulletin 19-2208. No warning lights appeared prior to the issue. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or other parties. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue and urge Ford to issue a recall or extended coverage for affected vehicles.

Had a coolant leak at 67,000 miles, and the only indication I had was the heat in my car stopped working. I assumed it was a thermostat issue, dismissed it, and continued driving for months like that since it was the summer. Where I live, it's pretty mild in the summer so I wasn't driving with AC or heat on, just with the windows down. I happened to notice the coolant reservoir was completely empty while routinely refilling the windshield washer fluid. This was my first indication anything was seriously wrong with my car, and I only noticed accidentally. I took it into the repair shop, and they pressure tested the system. They discovered coolant was leaking into the cylinders and called to tell me Ford has had a technical service bulletin they issued years ago (22-2229) about the engine in my car. This is known defect with the engine, and that the only way to remedy it is to replace the engine long block. They quoted me over $17,000 for the repair (parts and labor), and told me that there was internal engine damage that could lead to the engine seizing while operating, which is an obvious safety issue. Had I not happened to refill the windshield wiper fluid, I would have had no idea. In hindsight, this wasn't just a thermostat issue...it was a massive coolant leak into the cylinders. I didn't even get a check engine light until I had already discovered the issue and was waiting for a repair appointment. The problem is known by Ford, and is widespread enough in the ecoboost engines that they issued a TSB (but not a recall). They're letting people drive around with these engines, which have subtle failure signs in milder climates, and then leaving them to foot the massive repair bill for a known issue caused by their bad engineering.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while taking the vehicle in for a routine tire rotation, the dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen, and the tires could not be rotated. The contact's wife purchased a tool to remove the lug nuts and purchased replacement lug nuts. The vehicle was returned to the dealer, who was unable to use the tool to remove the lug nuts. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, AutoNation Ford Gulf Freeway (12227 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77034), who was also unable to use the equipment to remove the lug nuts to replace them lug nuts with ones purchased by the contact. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 74,800. The VIN was not available.

Like so many other with the ford escape from 2017 I experience a coolant leak into engine head causing overheating. With only 115,000 miles and the clear amount of vehicles with the same issues its quite disappointing there is nothing ford motor company is doing, when its clearly a manufacturer defect. Any other company would be held responsible for such an obvious mistake made on their part. I would never buy a ford vehicle going forward as this experience is very disappointing.

Due to a known issue with the casting of the engine block, there is coolant inside of my engine. When my mechanic looked at it, he found a known issue with the block being cast incorrectly. The only work around is a new engine, but the engine that fits my car, will just have the same issue. Ford knows about the default and are not issuing any repair recalls because not enough people have complained about it. I just replaced the transmission last year because it suddenly failed. Now my engine is toast as well. Ford needs to do something about this. The only warning I had was when all of my coolant leaked into my engine and suddenly it overheated.

While driving the car- the front end started to shake and the check engine light came on. Took it to our local Ford dealership and the advised that it was a cylinder 2 misfire when they diagnosed. They advised that the engine block is porous and the coolant slowly leaks into the engine which is causing the misfire. Called Ford's customer assistance line and since the car is out of warranty- and there are no open recalls, that they will not cover the $9100.00 new engine repair. Our car is a 2017 Ford Escape Titanium- with approx 82k miles. We purchased the car as a certified pre-owned in 2021- and have had no prior issues. We did not purchase any extended warranty. We were advised that the car isn't safe to drive due to the engine misfire.

vehicle idled rough and then check engine light came on. Took to ford dealer in Stillwater, OK and they told me coolant was low, vehicle is leaking coolant into cylinder one and needs a new engine block for $9700. Asked about adding coolant and was told without the repair it would just go straight into the engine. Low coolant is at risk for overheating and engine shutdown

Backup Camera display had lines then went blue and black. Backup camera no longer detected