2017 Ford Escape Oil Life Reset
If you changed the oil in a 2017 Ford Escape and the oil-life reminder is still showing, reset it through the information display. The 2017 Escape uses the steering-wheel controls and dashboard menu for this job.
How to reset the oil life on a 2017 Ford Escape
- Park the Escape and make sure the information display is on.
- Use the arrow buttons on the steering wheel to open Settings.
- Select Vehicle.
- Scroll to Oil Life Reset.
- Press and hold the OK button until the display confirms the reset.
- Check that the oil-life display now shows the reset value.
Why some 2017 Escape reset instructions are different
Ford SSM 47108 explains the confusion. It says 2017 Escape vehicles built on or before May 18, 2017 were not equipped with an instrument cluster that can reset the oil-change indicator. Ford directs those early-build vehicles to the Workshop Manual procedure instead.
Vehicles built after May 18, 2017 can use the oil-minder reset in the cluster, which is the dashboard method described on this page. If your 2017 Escape does not show an Oil Life option at all, check the build date before assuming the menu is broken.
Where the Oil Life Reset setting is found
Ford's 2017 Escape information-display guide places Oil Life Reset under the Vehicle section of the Settings menu. The steering-wheel arrow buttons move through the menus, and the OK button selects an item or confirms a setting.
Display wording can look a little different depending on equipment, but the important part is the same: use the information display and hold OK on the oil-life reset item.
Only reset it after the oil and filter are changed
The Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor estimates when the next oil service is due. Resetting it tells the Escape that a fresh oil-service interval has started, so the reset should be the last part of an actual oil and filter service.
On Alice, our 2017 Escape SE, I treat the reset as the last line on the service checklist. That keeps the dashboard reminder and the written maintenance record starting from the same date and odometer reading.
Oil life reminder vs. oil-pressure warning
These are different warnings. The oil-life monitor is a maintenance reminder. An oil-pressure warning can point to a problem that needs immediate attention and should not be cleared or ignored as if it were a routine service reminder.
If the Escape shows a red oil-pressure warning, unusual engine noise or another serious engine warning, shut the vehicle down safely and have the cause checked.
What if Oil Life Reset is not where expected?
- Make sure you are using the steering-wheel controls for the information display, not the SYNC touchscreen.
- Look under Settings and then Vehicle.
- Scroll through the full Vehicle menu because the oil-life item may not be the first option shown.
- Hold OK long enough for the display to confirm the reset rather than tapping it once.
- If there is no Oil Life option at all, check whether the Escape was built on or before May 18, 2017.
- If the display or steering-wheel controls are not working normally, deal with that problem instead of repeatedly trying unrelated reset methods.
Oil-change information for each engine
The reset procedure is only one part of an oil service. The 1.5L EcoBoost, 2.0L EcoBoost and 2.5L engines do not all use the same oil viscosity or capacity. Use the 2017 Ford Escape oil type and capacity guide before buying oil, and see the oil-change owner reference for the service interval and filter information.
Ford's normal maintenance schedule uses the Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor and says not to exceed one year or 10,000 miles (16,000 km) between normal oil-change intervals. The full schedule is on the 2017 Ford Escape service intervals page.