2017 Ford Escape Electrical Problems

Which parts fail

• Ignition › Coil › Spark plugs
  3
• Wiring
  1
• Software
  1
• Instrument panel › Speedometer/odometer
  1
• Alternator/generator/regulator
  1
• Instrument cluster/panel
  1

Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  2934%
• 25k–50k
  2428%
• 50k–75k
  1214%
• 75k–100k
  911%
• 100k–150k
  89%
• 150k+
  34%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The car has suffered from multiple problems since 2020, where each time I would take it to the shop to be assessed.. The transmission, the electrical, and I have suffered from mental illness due to me being afraid to drive in the car. There was no way to get it diagnosed for the specific recall. I have spent $15,547.50 in mostly the same repairs. I have bought a total of 13 tires. Had to get the front suspension fixed, the struts, rental cars, had to get new brakes and rotos 3 times, wheel bearing replacement, had to get a second key cut, and the car reprogrammed, car makes a loud noise and it was not able to be diagnosed, purge valve assembly, spark plugs changed 2 times, and of course regular oil changes every few months. My check engine light has never come on. I have gone to the ford service cener, grease monkey, valvoline, good year, jiffy lube, tune up clinic, c&p auto repair. …

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot, the vehicle shuddered and lunged forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the failure recurred, and the vehicle stalled while exiting the highway. The contact veered to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the Auto START/STOP feature engaged independently whenever the failure occurred. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000. The contact was instructed by the dealer to drive the vehicle for 100 miles to reset the components. …

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that the spark plug and an ignition coil in cylinder #4 needed to be replaced. The spark plug and coil were replaced. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred after the repair, the vehicle was taken to a second mechanic and it was determined that the ignition coil and spark plug needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact then took the vehicle to a third mechanic, and the vehicle was diagnosed with a manufacturer defect and had carbon in the engine that was caused by a coolant leak, which made the spark plugs crack. …

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate and decelerate. The vehicle was taken to a nearby mechanic who diagnosed that the alternator and alternator belt had failed and needed to be replaced. The alternator and alternator belt were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission warning light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated, and the steering wheel was difficult to control. After stopping the vehicle and shifting to park(P), the vehicle rolled backwards causing the driver to activate the parking brake. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted regarding the failures. …

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the contact became aware that all the electronics had failed to turn on, after which the contact became aware that the battery was dead. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the battery. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then determined that there was an electrical parasitic draw, consciously resulting in a dead battery but was unable to locate the electrical parasitic draw point. The contact stated that the vehicle was currently on the fourth replacement battery due to an electrical failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 30,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and slightly decelerated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs were misfiring. The independent mechanic related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Ford Campaign Number: 21N12 due to the mileage. Additionally, the manufacturer advised the contact that NHTSA was responsible for the parameters for the recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering intermittently. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, where it was diagnosed with alternator and pistons failure. The second mechanic replaced the alternator; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the second mechanic, where the contact was informed that there was oil and coolant dilution, and metal shavings were found inside the engine. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 134,003.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the instrument cluster was inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 15 MPH in a parking lot, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the residence; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 10 MPH while driving. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that coolant intrusion had caused the engine block to overheat and to fracture. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that white smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe with several warning lights illuminated. The crankshaft position sensor, power control module short circuit sensor, and other warning lights are illuminated. The contact had reset the sensors however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the coolant was leaking however, there was no location of the leak. The contact stated that driving and then shifting into the park(P), the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was returned to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the tailgate unexpectedly opened while driving. The contact stated that the tailgate could be opened manually or with the key fob. The contact stated that depressing the button near the tailgate failed to open the tailgate. The tailgate ajar message was displayed. The contact attempted to resolve the issue by changing the key fob battery, but the issue persisted. The local dealer was contacted and suggested a diagnostic test be performed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no recall coverage on the VIN and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Related recalls

Electrical complaints in other Escape years