2017 Ford Escape burning gas like crazy… any ideas?

My 2017 Ford Escape (80k miles) has been burning through gas like crazy off and on for the past couple of months. For example, today I filled up the tank, drove just 5.5 miles, and my Distance to Empty (DTE) dropped from 236 to 198 miles.

It doesn’t matter if the car is warmed up, if I’m using heat, or if I’m driving on the highway or in the city. I’ve been driving it normally, but nothing seems to make a difference.

I’ve run tests, but nothing is showing up. Has anyone else had this problem or knows what might be causing it? I’m tired of wasting money on gas.

Do you reset the trip odometer every time you fill up?

Gael said:
Do you reset the trip odometer every time you fill up?

Reset? Reset what?

Sky said:

Gael said:
Do you reset the trip odometer every time you fill up?

Reset? Reset what?

The trip odometer. It helps recalibrate your car’s fuel calculations.

@Gael
I don’t see how that’s related. The trip odometer just tracks miles driven, right?

Sky said:
@Gael
I don’t see how that’s related. The trip odometer just tracks miles driven, right?

It’s tied to your car’s Distance to Empty (DTE). If you don’t reset it, the car averages fuel usage over a longer time instead of using current data.

@Gael
I don’t reset it every time, but I did after my last oil change, and it still burned through gas. So I doubt that’s the issue.

Sky said:
@Gael
I don’t reset it every time, but I did after my last oil change, and it still burned through gas. So I doubt that’s the issue.

Plus, this just started happening two months ago. Resetting the trip odometer wouldn’t suddenly fix this.

@Sky
For example, using 7 gallons of gas for just 60-70 miles isn’t normal. Something else is definitely wrong.

The DTE calculation isn’t always accurate. Resetting the trip or looking at your average fuel economy is more reliable. If you’re getting less than 20mpg, it might be your turbo going out.

Zen said:
The DTE calculation isn’t always accurate. Resetting the trip or looking at your average fuel economy is more reliable. If you’re getting less than 20mpg, it might be your turbo going out.

Both my fuel gauge and DTE drop fast, so it’s not just a calculation issue. Could it be something with the Ecoboost? It doesn’t always happen, which makes it harder to figure out.

@Sky
Also, my MPG tracker is stuck at 21.6, which is obviously wrong.

@Sky
Even though spark plugs are rated for 100k miles, I’d change them now to see if it helps. Sometimes they don’t last that long.

As for the turbo, if it’s starting to fail, it can hurt your MPG a lot. The engine relies on it, so if it’s not working well, the engine has to work harder and burn more gas. My turbo is on its last leg, and I only get an underboost code in specific situations (like high altitude and accelerating uphill). Otherwise, the only sign is bad gas mileage—I’m down to 19mpg.

Does it feel like you’re leaving everyone in the dust when the light turns green or on the highway?