Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2017 Ford Escape submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 37 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 37, in the owner's own words
All 4 tail lights are filled with water, therefore they stopped working due to corrosion. I had to replace all 4 or I couldn't get my car to pass inspection. No warnings or anything telling me my brake lights have failed. This is a huge problem in the 2017 Ford Escape SE!
It is only the low beams, but every couple months, the passenger side goes out. Then within 3 weeks to 2 months later the driver's side goes out. This has been happening since a month after I bought the car in 2021. This does not matter if they are changed individually when one of them goes out or if they are both changed at the same time. Occasionally, they will both just go out at the same time. This is extremely unsafe when driving down the road. I have had the car looked at by different mechanics different times when this issue was happens. It can happen when I turn the car on and it's just been running a few minutes or while i'm doing city, highway and interstate driving. Today is the most recent time it happened my passenger side just went out again. The passenger and drivers side light bulbs (low beans) were last changed just after Thanksgiving. I have never had any issues with the high beams. Those have worked just fine. It is only the low beams.
While driving vehicle at night on [XXX] to Richmond, VA my headlights both stopped working completely. The only way I could see was by turning on my high beam headlights. The high beam headlights worked fine. There was no warning lights, no sounds, the interior lights and everything interior was working normal. It was just the low beam headlights both at the exact same time. The running day lights work. The bulbs were fine the fuses were in perfect condition it just stopped working. This was a SERIOUS and dangerous incident that occurred on a major highway while driving at night suddenly and without warning. Had my high beams not worked I could have been in serious accident trying to drive or get off the highway to get a tow. In addition, all turn signals and break lights work perfectly. I have appt w/Ford dealership in Culpeper, VA on Friday Jan 2, 2026 to figure out why they are not working. I shouldn't have to pay thousands of dollars for a problem that Ford knows is happening with our vehicles. The amount of complaints of similar issues with the Ford Escape on Ford's help thread is in the thousands. This is a serious failure which can increase the risk of a crash and potential injury. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Water intrusion severe in both taillight assemblies with normal rain. Safety issue due to water dimming or completely blocking out the bottom light Car has less than 40k miles.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the driver's and passenger's side taillight housings were filled with water. The contact stated that when the trunk was opened, some of the water in the driver's side taillight housing drained out onto the ground. The contact stated that because of the failure, the taillights and the hatch failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was not covered under any known recall. In addition, the contact was quoted a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Prior to May 2022, both of the quarter panel mounted tail light assemblies on my 2017 Ford Escape SE started taking in water due the seals on the tail lights failing. Soon after those started failing the same thing began happening to the tail light assemblies on the hatch. I have replaced all 4 tail lights with OEM parts sourced from a salvage yard. All parts sourced from the salvage yard had a perfect conditions rating per the salvage yard. Fast forward to November 2024 and I began to notice the seals on the quarter panel mounted tail light assemblies begging to fail. Since then, the passenger side tail light assembly has began taking on water, with the driver side soon to take on water as well. Water and electricity do not mix. The tail lights are available for inspection upon request and I have included pictures. Driving at night or in low light conditions with my tail lights like this puts me and other drivers at risk due to water potentially shorting out my lights/electrical system and making my lights harder for other drivers to see. The problem, to my knowledge has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. First appeared prior to May 2022 and again, after replacing the components, around November 2024. I have appealed to the Ford motor company about this and no recall or programs are in affect for this issue at this time. I have also consulted with other owners of the same vehicle with the same issue and there are multiple online forum threads about this issue.
Both low beam head lights stop working while driving. This is the third time in 18 months this has happened. The temporary fix has been to replace an electrical harness that has been burnt from heat. I understand a safety recall has been issued for other Ford Escapes with this condition.
Failure of defective and dangerous head and tail lights - total of six. Luckily, I identified the problem before a serious accident. This was previously reported without details or supporting documentation under NHTSA Complaint 11600823 by a family member. The uploaded documents show the actions of the dealership (Art Hill Ford) and Ford Motor Company.
Vehicle burns out low beam headlights at a rapid rate. I’ve been the only owner of this car, and have replace the headlights 8 times in 168k miles. I do not drive abundantly at night, primarily during the day. In the span of the past two weeks I have replaced the headlights twice. I have come to a point that I keep spare headlights in the glove box for when they will go out again. Researching the issue online lead me to many forms of drivers with the same vehicle going through the same issue. The vehicle causing the headlights to go out at such a fast rate has presented a dangerous nighttime driving scenario when combined with the daytime running lights that give off enough light to make it unknown if the headlights are truly functioning or not. Given the consumable nature of bulbs the issue has not been taken to the dealer for, only serviced by replacement of bulbs.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the rear driver’s side and rear passenger’s side brake lights and taillights failed to illuminate. The contact discovered water and condensation inside the rear taillight assemblies. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed the contact that the rear brake light and taillight assemblies needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 34,000.
My family has 2 Ford SUVs. A 2017 ford escape and a 2018 Ford Flex. The 2017 Ford Escape started having an issue a couple years ago regarding moisture/water seeping into the tail lights/brake lights panels. Our cars have never had rear damage or hit anything that would cause them to be susceptible to water leaking in. It has to be something that happened over time. When you lift up the trunk gate, if you push the trunk up high enough, you can get most of the water to come out. Well, during the rainy seasons the water builds up quickly and it caused the LED brake light to go out. The panel piece costs about $400 and to get it fixed at the local ford dealership was a little over $700 a year or so ago. Well, the same thing happened to the other side and it went out as well. Over the last 3 years since the problem started, my wife and i have been more aware of condensation/moisture buildup in taillights and have noticed a lot of fords with the same problem. Our flex has a similar less severe problem where the taillights form condensation in them but they later dry up. Water hasnt gotten through, yet. Because we have noticed so many other ford SUVs with this same moisture problem in the taillights, i wanted to take the time for my first time ever, trying to see if a recall petition could be started on these taillights that are not properly blocking water from getting in. If it was just a simple lightbulb replacement that would be one thing, but because ford installed LED panel lights, they are incredibly expensive to replace. If just our city has a lot of cars with similar problems just on Ford SuVs, i have to imagine there are thousands more across the country. Thank you for your time reading this, and hopefully looking into it. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On September 20, 2024, both low beam headlights stopped working while driving at night. High beams continued to work. This same problem happened about a year ago. At that time, a heavier duty wiring harness was changed to correct the problem. The problem has returned. We are in the process of getting this issue looked at.
The headlights keep burning out, alternating from driver’s side to passenger’s side. The bulbs burn out about every three months but have burnt out in as little as 1 month (same bulbs). A search on the Internet shows numerous persons having the same problem with their Ford Escapes.
The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the headlights and taillights were inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that water had entered the light assemblies. The headlight and taillight assemblies were not properly sealed. The bulbs were replaced. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle during a rainstorm, the contact observed water pooling inside the taillight assembly. The contact then became aware that the taillights were not functioning as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the taillight assembly water seal allowing water to leak into the assembly and short-circuiting the taillights. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 23,000.
All four of the tail lights, on the hatch and on the sides of the car are leaking and retaining water which has caused the brake/tail lights on the rear to fail. This is an obvious safety hazard and a quick Google search reveals that it is a widespread problem. There has always been some water in the light, starting with condensation about a year ago, but as of the last few weeks, the lights are inconsistent, and now appear to not be working at all.
Without any warning, discovered the left brake lamp/tail lamp failed due to extensive water intrusion, caused by the failure of the plastic bonding all along the upper edge of the tail lamp assembly, which allowed copious amounts of water to leak in. The right tail lamp assembly appears to be susceptible to the same failure. Brake & tail lamps are safety components of any motor vehicle, and are critical for accident/crash avoidance/prevention. One online Escape owner's forum cites identical issues, indicating that this defective part is not unique or one of a kind. Original owner.
The headlights on my escape constantly go out. The bulbs are never burnt out but the headlights will not work. I have seen countless ford escapes that are the same style (so I assume a similar year) that are driving on the road with the same issue. I’ve had two shops look at it and say the bulbs are not burnt out but could not find the issue. This is a severe safety issue and needs to be recalled.
Rh and Lh low beam headlamps keep burning out have replaced the bulbs in both lamps 3 times in 9 months issue causing sudden problem driving at night currently now found the connector on both lamps have melted and required replacing Dealer wanted $3500 to replace both headlamp assemblys as there was an issue with the connectors there was no warning when the lamps went out
The headlights keep going out. Every couple weeks to a month one of them blows out. Alternates between both of them to the point that there are times that both are out
It seems like this is a common occurrence especially with this particular vehicle. The low beam LED headlight bulbs keep on breaking resulting in no headlights. These bulbs are expensive and it is such a headache replacing them so often. This should not be the case, but it is.
The KNOWN issue with the 1.5L ecoboost engines happened to my 2017 Escape at 79k miles right after having a the transmission shifter cable bushing recall fixed. Coincidentally, it didn't have the extensive issue before bringing it in for the recall and also ,coincidentally, my warranty expired last month and they told me it's my problem.
My headlights (low beam) constantly blow out. could become a major problem if both blow out while driving at night.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon approaching the vehicle, she became aware that the taillights were retaining water. As a result, the taillight brake lamps failed to function properly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that water had caused severe damage, preventing the bulb from being replaced, and advised that the vehicle be taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the adhesive allowing the lens to separate from the housing. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 72,000.
My low beam headlights go out about every 60 days. I find myself having to drive home... once with both lights failing at the same time. This is discussed in many on-line forums and seems to be a common problem with this car.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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