2017 Ford Escape: engine knocking or ticking

Filed Apr 10, 2026 · Engine · DE

The vehicle suddenly began running roughly, and produced a loud clicking/knocking noise and engine shut off while driving. We were advised by the Ford mechanic we had it towed to that it was due to the EcoBoost engine failure, and that this is a known issue.Ford has issued technical service bulletins related to this defect, but no recall has been initiated. Given the safety implications of an engine shutting off while driving, the widespread nature of this problem, and the refusal of Ford to own up to this dangerous defect I felt I had to report it.

Filed Jul 25, 2025 · Suspension, Transmission · KY

Without warning my car started not allowing me to go over 40 mph without a very violent jerking under the drivers side floor board. The jerk of the wheel would not allow the car to speed up. And then eventually upon driving my car immediately came to an abrupt stop and would not move forward any farther I was able to get it off to the side of the road of which at that point I was unable to get the car to go into or shift into any gear. It will not shift into park. The only reason my car is standing still now is because of the emergency parking brake, the transmission has gone completely out of my car . My car will not shift into drive neutral or any position. If you attempt to shift it into any position, you get anMy car will not shift into drive neutral or any position. If you attempt to shift it into any position, you get a very loud knocking rattling noise and it will not lock into place. Ford has done a recall for the same situation on many of the vehicles Ford made during that 2017 year. My question is why am I having to deal with this vehicle when Ford knew very well that there were many problems with it. Three years ago I had to deal with an engine block replacement for a new vehicle because Ford had a malfunction when it came to the coolant going into the engine. These are all problems that are not caused by general wear and tear of your customer they are caused by incompetent of Putting the car together in the first place. I really expected More from Ford. The first time I drove a Ford escape I fell in love with it so I want like I’ll regret ever buying this car. This car needs to be completely recalled. I can not afford to pay for a card that is not drivable.

Filed Jul 15, 2025 · Engine · 66,000 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. In addition, the vehicle vibrated, and the transmission was shifting rough. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the head gasket, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.

Filed May 19, 2025 · Engine · VA

2017 Ford Escape with 2.0L EcoBoost engine. Experienced rough engine/shutter and check engine light (MIL) came on. Code scanner found P0302 for PCM. Took to dealership and they found coolant intrusion into cylinder requiring a full engine replacement. They quoted almost $10,000 to fix. This is a know design flaw/defect with this engine and Ford has reworked design at least twice to address. Unfortunately, they left existing owners with ticking time bombs in the form of a likely expense repair or early demise to the vehicle.

Filed Mar 23, 2025 · Engine · CO

I was driving from Colorado to Moab, Utah in Feb 2025 when my car’s engine started making a ticking noise. It had only about 80,000 miles on it at the time and had never had any major issues in the past. I’ve only ever taken it to the Ford service department for regular maintenance and they do a multi point inspection every time—I went in January a month before the trip to Moab and they had found no issues. I took it into 2 mechanics and both said I’d need to replace the engine. The diagnostic from Ford is below. Customer Reports: C/S HEARING A TICKING NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE. CHECK AND ADVISE. Caused by: AUDIBLE TICKING NOISE AROUND CYLINDER 3. NO CODES. REQUIRES TEAR DOWN TO PINPOINT. ADVISE ENGINE REPLACEMENT. Because both mechanics said we’d need a new engine for $6-9k we had to sell the car in Moab and try to figure out how to get back home to Colorado.

Filed Nov 21, 2024 · Engine · 51,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning light Illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was at the dealer for an engine replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, opened a case, and offered to cover half of the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was 51,000.

Filed Aug 29, 2024 · Engine · TX

I was accelerating onto the freeway, heard a knocking sound and the was hesitancy in acceleration. I traveled a few moments, the check engine light came on for the first time and the vehicle began to shake and sputter. Thankfully, I was able to exit the freeway out of harm's way. This is the first time this malfunction occurred. Upon evaluation by a trusted mechanic, and after diligent testing and problem solving attempts by his technicians, I was informed that there had been complete engine failure due to coolant leaking into the cylinders. I have contacted Ford Customer Relations twice with no response as of this writing. The vehicle has less than 32K miles on it and it has been very well maintained. Through investigation I have found that this problem is wide spread. There is an obvious and dangerous design flaw in this particular engine. It must be addressed.

Filed Jun 13, 2024 · Engine · FL

I purchased my 2017 escape almost a year ago. It only has 73000 miles on it. Check engine light turned on. I took it into the mechanic and was told that my coolant was leaking and that I needed a new engine. From what I have read this can lead to the engine catching on fire or engine failure while driving. I was told by the mechanic that I can drive the vehicle because the light was not flashing but how am I to know how safe that truly is. I can not afford a new engine and it is my only vehicle so I will be driving it. I have also read that Ford is aware that this is a manufacture defect but no recall has been issue. Does someone have to get injured before this issue is dealt with? There are thousands of these vehicles on the road as ticking time bombs. Before someone loses a life this should be recalled

Filed May 14, 2024 · Transmission · 105,000 miles · IA

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, a ticking noise was present coming from the transmission. Later, the transmission failed, and the transmission shifter would not go into gear and the vehicle failed to go in drive or in reverse. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 105,000.

Filed Apr 20, 2024 · Engine · HI

White smoke from the exhaust, engine knocking, low coolant levels with no visible leak and check engine light on. These things happened simultaneously out of nowhere. Went to the dealership to get diagnostic and was told water pump was leaking and needed to be replaced. Reported to my insurance company which prompted the dealership to investigate further by doing further diagnostic (a leak down test) and found that there was a coolant intrusion into the cylinder bores and the entire engine needed replacing. Repair is currently still in progress. My vehicle has been inoperable for 9 weeks, and at the dealership for 7 weeks now; with no ETA on repair completion.

Filed Mar 13, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · CA

Good morning, yesterday I noticed that the engine is not running smoothly when starting (i.e. when it is cold). The yellow engine light came on. Errors 0301 and 0316 were detected in the car workshop. Most likely, the engine head was cracked or the head gasket was damaged. Moreover, a week ago I noticed a strange knocking noise in the rear axle. The workshop wanted to change the oil. Unfortunately, there is no drain plug in the rear axle housing. In my opinion, these are design defects of the engine and rear axle. These elements are important for the safety of the car in road traffic. A person cannot be allowed to buy a car that cannot be operated properly. Although the user manual says that it can be done.

Filed Mar 9, 2024 · Engine · WA

The engine has had a head gasket failure at 40,000 miles less than 7 years old. This is caused by the FORD engine design according to the dealership. The dealership tells me that it is a "ticking time bomb". Ford covers the 1.5 l engines but not the 2.0 l ones in a TSB 22-2134. This is a 9500.00 fix which I cannot afford. The check engine light has been on since Sept 2023 and the Ford dealership told me the car was fine. It was not until I continued to bring it in with the check engine light on that they admitted they knew there was a problem that caused the engine to fail catastrophically. This is a safety hazard to the driver and anyone on the road as the engine fails.