Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. 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. 14 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
The seat stopped working. The ford almost gave out on me multiple times today. On the highway and twice on the road. Apparently this vehicle has been recalled plenty of times. It has something to do with bush wiring. The seat will not adjust or move forward and the windshield wipers don’t work. It basically gave out and will not reverse.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced paint chipping on the roof of the vehicle near the front windshield causing a visibility and safety concern for the driver. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 67,000.
The windshield paint on both sides is chipping and may cause distraction or paint on windshield making it not possible to see. There was a recall for this---my VIN was not included on recall.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while it was raining the windshield wipers became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the catalytic converter, windshield wiper motor, and emission coil needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
I was driving to work at 7am on Saturday, August 26, 2023- and it was a mild morning... maybe 50 degrees. As I was driving I heard what sounded like a gunshot- and once I was able to gather myself, I realized that my panoramic sunroof had exploded. Outward. Nothing hit the glass- it merely exploded. There is no point of impact from an outside object. I was driving past a cattle ranch- no trees hanging over the road and there were no other vehicles in sight. I was only 2 miles from home and was able to close the sunroof cover and slowly drive home to park in garage. It is available- at our home, currently, if inspection is needed. Glass did fall on me, the driver. Luckily I did not have any passengers with me at the time. And my nerves were shot from the loud sound. We have tried, unsuccessfully, to have our calls returned by Ford. And we are hesitant to reach out to our insurance as we truly feel the manufacturer is at fault here. After doing some research, this seems to be a common problem with many Ford models with panoramic sunroofs. We appreciate you recording this incident- and if you have any advice on how to proceed, that would also be appreciated.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while receiving a routine inspection on the vehicle, he was informed that there was corrosion around the windshield of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed the corrosion and stated that if the corrosion was not treated, the windshield was at risk of detaching. The structure around the windshield was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the 5-year warranty coverage had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 55,800.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed with her grandson seated in the rear passenger’s side of the vehicle, the rear passenger’s side window independently started going up and down and her grandson’s arm got closed in the window, causing a minor injury but had not sought medical attention. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the window was fixed; however, several days later while driving with her puppy inside the vehicle, the window independently rolled down almost causing the puppy to jump out the window. The window failed to roll back up as needed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact notified the dealer of a failure with the button for the window on the driver’s side. The window switch was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that after arriving at the residence the window rolled up independently. The contact inquired about NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V617000 (Visibility, Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The contact paid out of pocket for the switch replacement. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHSTA Hotline. The failure mileage was 57,187.
DURING FIRST WEEK IN MARCH 2020, LOW WINDSHIELD FLUID LIGHT CAME ON, TRIED TO REFILL BUT WILL NOT HOLD FLUID LEAKS ON GROUND. CAR ONLY HAS 56000 MILES, WITHOUT THIS IT MAKES MORE DIFFICULTE TO SEE OUT. THIS UNIT TAKES UP TO 3.5 HOURS TO REPLACE. IT MAY NOT BE VERY CRITICAL TO SAFETY BUT I DON'T EXPECT MANY TO BE REPLACED AT THIS PRICE.
THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WHICH WAS APPROXIMATELY EARLY FEB. 2019 THE WIPERS WOULD "HIT" EACH OTHER AND GET STUCK ON THE WINDSHIELD UNTIL THEY WOULD FINALLY RETRACT DOWN TO THE OFF POSITION. DEALER REPLACED THE WIPER MOTORS. AFTER ABOUT 1 - 1 1/2 WEEKS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED. TOOK VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADJUSTED THE ALIGNMENT OF THE WIPERS AND TIGHTENING A NUT IN THE INTERMITTENT WIPER SWITCH. ON 3/23/19 THE WIPERS AGAIN GOT "STUCK" IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION ON THE WINDSHIELD AND "STUTTERED" VERY SLOWLY ON THE WINDSHIELD UNTIL THEY FINALLY RETRACTED DOWN INTO THE OFF POSITION. THE FIRST INCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS IN A STATIONARY POSITION WARMING UP IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING IN A HEAVY RAIN ON A CITY STREET. THE 3RD INCIDENT HAPPENED AGAIN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.
MY 2014 FORD ESCAPE TITANIUM HAS A MALFUNCTION OF THE HVAC ACTUATING ASSEMBLY. MY LOCAL MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AND REFERRED ME TO TSB 17-0004 (JAN. 13, 2017) AND SAID THAT I SHOULD TAKE MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. THREE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIPS TOLD ME THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER SINCE THE CAR WAS OUTSIDE OF NORMAL WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE HAS NO BLOWING HEAT DUE TO THE MALFUNCTIONING ACTUATING ASSEMBLY AND RELATED COMPONENTS. THE DEFROST DOES NOT WORK AND CREATES A HAZARD IN COLD WEATHER. YOU CAN NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE SAFELY WITH THE WINDSHIELD FOGGED OR ICED UP. SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FORD SHOULD COVER THE REPAIR AND TSB 17-0004 SHOULD BE UPDATED ACCORDINGLY.
I TRADED IN MY 2007 FORD FUSION FOR A 2017 FORD ESCAPE SE OVER 5 WEEKS AGO. I HAVE BEEN HAVING ISSUES EVER SINCE. THE FIRST FEW DAYS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I SHOWED THIS TO THE DEALER AND THEY HAD ME DROP IT OFF ON A SATURDAY AND THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM THAT MONDAY. THE ISSUE WAS A FUEL SENSOR. I ALSO NOTICED THE WIPERS WERE MAKING A LOT OF NOISE AND WE HAVE BEEN HAVING A LOT OF RAIN. THE WIPERS WOULD STUTTER QUITE A BIT. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND COUPLE OF TIMES AND THEY FINALLY FIXED. THEY SAID IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE. I ALSO NOTICED I WOULD GET A LOW TIRE MESSAGE. I TOOK IT TO THEM THE FIRST TIME AND THEY PUT AIR IN THE TIRE. I RECEIVED THE MESSAGE THE SECOND TIME AND PUT AIR IN THE TIRE. I RECEIVED THE SAME MESSAGE A FEW DAYS AGO, I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME I HAD 2 NAILS IN THE TIRE AND TRIED TO SELL ME A TIRE. NEEDLESS TO SAY I WASN'T HAPPY. I TOLD THEM TO PLUG THE TIRE AND I LEFT. ALL THESE ISSUES WITH 5 WEEKS OF HAVING THIS CAR. UNBELIEVABLE.
WIPERS INTERMITTENTLY INTERFERE WITH EACH OTHER 1-10 TIMES IN A ROW THEN WORK FINE. SOMETIMES WIPER WILL EXTEND OFF THE WINDSHIELD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE (L) TO THE POINT THE WIPER BLADE CAN BE SEEN FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW. DEALER NOT ABLE TO FIND FAULT. FILED COMPLAINT WITH FORD. CLOSED CASE WITHOUT RESOLUTION. DEALER NOW INVOLVED BUT NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. FORD NOT WILLING TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A DRIVING VISIBILITY SAFETY CONCERN.
WIPER ARMS STRIKE BODY ON EITHER SIDE ON RANDOM CYCLE TIMES. DEALER STATES VEHICLE NEEDS WIPER ARMS TIMING ADJUSTED TO PREVENT STRIKING OF THE BODY. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS THE REPEATED STRIKING OF THE VEHICLE BODY CAN CAUSE THE WIPER BLADE TO FAIL OVER TIME, RESULTING IN DECREASED OR LOST VISIBILITY, POSSIBLY LEADING TO A VEHICLE CRASH. THE ISSUE ALSO CAUSES COSMETIC DAMAGE NOT RELEVANT TO SAFETY PERFORMANCE. VEHICLE IS SCHEDULED FOR REPAIRS ON APRIL 3, 2017.
WHILE DRIVING ON I-81 NORTH IN PA, THE INSIDE LAYER OF THE WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A SMALL CRACK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GLASS. NOTHING HIT THE GLASS. THERE ARE NO CHIPS OR OTHER MARKS. ON MONDAY 2/20/17 I STOPPED AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE WITH THE MANAGER. BECAUSE THE CRACK WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE, AND THE OUTSIDE LAYER WAS NOT CRACKED, THE MANAGER BELIEVED IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER TOOK SEVERAL PICTURES, AND CALLED ME WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME TO ASK ME TO COME BACK SO THAT THEY COULD TAKE MORE PICTURES BECAUSE FORD WAS NOT SATISFIED WITH WHAT THE TOOK. A DAY LATER THEY ASKED ME TO COME TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN BECAUSE FORD WANTED EVEN MORE PICTURES. ON 2/24/17 FORD AGREED TO COVER THE REPLACEMENT UNDER WARRANTY. EACH DAY THE CRACK HAS INCREASED IN LENGTH. THE CRACK APPEARS TO HAVE STARTED NEAR THE "NEW FOR 2017" WIPER DE-ICER ELEMENT. A CRACKING WINDOW IS NOT STRUCTURALLY SOUND AND CAN MOST DEFINITELY PUT THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS AT RISK OF INJURY.
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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