general problems of the 2018 Ford Escape - part 1

This is in relation to the coolant intrusion problem with all the Ford ecoboost engines. The vehicle has 98,958 miles - all recommended services were done. Mechanic is recommending a full engine replacement to the tune of $19000. That is nearly 2/3 the value of the car when purchased. Ford not standing behind their products has gotten to a point of hilarity.

There have been several issues that cause safety concerns with my 2018 Ford Escape 1. 5l ecoboost. The two most concerning are the headlights and engine failure. Since I drove this vehicle off the lot in 2023 I have had to replace the headlights every 4 to 6 months. I recently learned it is do to an electrical issue and the most recent occurrence caused a small fire under the hood of my vehicle. Sometimes both lights would go out at once without warning. This issue has been reported by numerous consumers and Ford has done nothing. Regarding the engine failure, a coolant leak was reported by two mechanics but the source of the leak couldn't be identified. It was only discovered it was internal when my vehicle just stopped while pulling forward in a drive through. Luckily it wasn't on the highway but if it had been it could've caused an accident, at 70 mph, that likely would've resulted in minor injuries for not only me but other drivers. Ford has been made aware of this issue by owners of 2013-2019 Ford Escape ecoboost vehicles but still hasn't issued a recall. Ford refuses to do anything about this and has instructed its customer support team to tell consumers they "can't" (won't) do anything outside of warranty. This issue often occurs outside of warranty. Ford still hasn't issued a recall despite numerous lawsuits for this exact problem. All customers can do is file a complaint. There are thousands of these vehicles on the road and if Ford continues to do nothing this could eventually lead to fatalities due to vehicle collisions. Someone needs to do something if Ford won't. Engine failure 10/20/26; electrical fire September 2026; lighting failure 2023-2026. The fact someone was fine selling this vehicle, despite consumer reports, is appalling.

I suffered catastrophic engine misfires with a sudden loss of power and white smoke coming from the exhaust. This was due to a design flaw in the Ford ecoboost 1. 5l engine which allowed coolant into the #3 cylinder.

On approximately September 28, 2026, the vehicle began sputtering when first turned on. It then progressed to running extremely rough. On September 30, 2026 the engine icon lit up first. A few days later, I received an engine fault service now message. I went to the auto zone on October 4, 2026 and they ran a diagnostic check. These are the codes that were found: check engine fail replace ignition coil and spark plug #3 p0303 cylinder 3 misfire detected p0339 crankshaft position sensor a circuit intermittent p0300 random misfire detected cylinder 3 on October 5, 2026, I took it to my mechanic and he began checking everything. He found oil on and inside the computer. He also found that there was antifreeze residue on the cylinder and spark plugs. He did some research to find out what could cause this to happen. He found the following: 1,134–1,711 engine complaints depending on dataset. Failures typically occur between 50,000 and 100,000 miles. Main engine problems 1. Coolant intrusion (1. 5l ecoboost – most common & severe) coolant leaks past the block/head sealing surface into cylinders. Not a head gasket failure—requires short-block or long-block replacement. Symptoms: misfire codes (p0300–p0304) white exhaust smoke unexplained coolant loss rough idle, stalling, overheating. 2. Cracked engine block often the end result of prolonged coolant intrusion. Leads to catastrophic engine failure requiring full replacement. On Friday, October 9, 2026, I drove my car to work, approximately 2. 5 miles, after the Escape sitting for 3. 5 hours, I started it. I immediately received the high engine temperature stop safely, and the engine shut off. On the 3rd try, the Escape stayed running. I could only drive 11 mph. On my final turn onto a busy street, the Escape began sputtering and would not accelerate at all. I was stuck in the middle of the street, putting myself at risk of being hit. I finally made it to a parking lot but had to be pushed home by my son.

Failed component/system: the engine assembly/engine cooling system. The internal structural failure of the cylinder block (open-deck design defect) allowing engine coolant intrusion into combustion chambers, cylinders 2/3. Safety: the vehicle is experiencing severe engine stalling, immediate loss of motive power on active roadways, dense white smoke from exhaust which blinds trailing traffic. This causes immediate risk for rear-end collision, leaves others with the possibility to be stranded on dangerous traffic situations. The vehicle leaks hot fluids into the combustions system putting everyone at risk for under hood fires. Has the problem been confirmed: yes, my vehicle is currently at the pennyrile Ford dealership, they performed a cooling system pressure test and borescope inspection, and confirmed internal coolant intrusion requiring a total engine replacement. They have even confirmed and acknowledged that this is an on going issue! dealer inspection: yes warning lamps/messages: check engine soon light, raised engine levels, rapidly depleting coolant within days of refill, rough idling, cold start rumblings, sweet chemical smell and thick white smoke coming from tailpipe. Ford has already admitted this is an ongoing issue with these systems, I currently have a 2. 0 engine but the recall is for the 1. 0/1. 5.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine temperature increased, and the vehicle entered limp mode. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders. The failure mileage was 110,000.

My daughter was driving our 2018 Ford Escape at highway speed when it suddenly began shaking and shuddering violently, with no advance warning. The check engine light came on for the first time as the shaking began. The vehicle lost propulsion, and the shaking impaired her ability to control it, creating an immediate safety emergency in moving highway traffic. She had to maneuver quickly out of traffic onto a narrow shoulder. It was dark, and the limited shoulder space made exiting safely difficult. She feared for her life due to the sudden failure and exposure to passing traffic. She reached the shoulder without a collision. The vehicle required an emergency tow through her insurance company, and she received transportation home. The vehicle had undergone a safety inspection in August before this incident. A Ford dealership confirmed an internal engine leak allowing coolant into a cylinder's combustion chamber. A borescope inspection found liquid on top of the piston, and a cooling-system pressure test confirmed coolant entering the combustion chamber. The spark plugs were severely carbon-fouled, causing a misfire. Replacing them temporarily improved the symptoms, but the misfire quickly returned. The dealership determined that the engine requires a rebuild or replacement. The diagnosis appears to correspond to Ford customer satisfaction program 21n12, dated June 9, 2022. We were not notified of this issue before the incident and found no corresponding safety recall for this vehicle in NHTSA's records. This sudden failure caused loss of propulsion and impaired control at highway speed, forcing an emergency maneuver onto a narrow shoulder after dark. The check engine light provided no advance warning. We request that NHTSA investigate this defect and determine whether a safety recall is warranted to prevent similar incidents and injuries.

For the second time I have a coolant intrusion on my engine. It was fixed by the manufacturer once before.

Engine light came on so took vehicle to auto repair shop. They diagnosed coolant intrusion into the engine, and told me this is a known problem. Ford has issued technical service bulletin 22-2134, as well as other documentation on the problem. It is both a functional and safety hazard. There is a class action suit (miller vs. Ford) on this matter currently. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer and they said there is no program from Ford to cover this known problem. I have 73,000 miles on my car! yes, it is 8 years old, but that should not degate action from Ford on this. They have never notified Ford customers, and yet this is a safety hazard (can cause enginer to seize and start a fire). I was quoted $15,000 cost to replace the enginer from the dealer. I cannot afford this, but am afraid to drive my car!.

21n12 coolant intrusion \ at dealership coolant in oil, coolant in firing cylinders possible explosion fire. Engine light popped on 2 weeks ago and they have my vehicle now and still do not know if they will fix it.

Engine just started shaking and stopped working engine light came on then the hot light came on and no longer works. This car had been constantly serviced appropriately has 105,000 miles on it.

Ford issued TSB 22-2229 (and earlier TSB 19-2208) specifically covering 2018 2. 0l ecoboost engines with coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The root cause: Ford redesigned the engine block around mid-2019 because the original design allowed coolant to pool in small grooves between the cylinder bores, eventually degrading the head gasket or cracking the cylinder wall. Error code * p0316 — misfire detected during startup. Ford dealer estimate $12,700 for the repair. A new engine block. . Ford customer care says there is no assistance available because the vehicle is out of warranty. It has 60,555 miles.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the head gasket of the engine cracked and the vehicle stalled. There was coolant leaking into the engine previously, and the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was leaking coolant. There was white smoke coming from the tailpipe with a sweet odor during the failure. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was contacted by phone, where a case was opened. The contact was informed that there was no recall or manufacturer warranty on the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. A mobile mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and confirmed that the head gasket was cracked. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

The vehicle is experiencing ongoing coolant loss with no visible external leak. The coolant level drops consistently and requires frequent refilling. The issue began around mid?mileage and has continued to worsen. The engine sometimes emits a coolant smell, and the temperature gauge rises more quickly than normal. Warning messages about high engine temperature have appeared during driving. The dealer inspected the vehicle but could not find an external leak and stated the condition was normal, even though the coolant continues to disappear. No repairs have resolved the issue. Based on known problems with ecoboost engines, an internal coolant leak or cylinder head defect is suspected, but the exact cause is unknown. This creates a safety risk because sudden overheating can occur while driving, which may lead to engine failure, loss of power, or stalling in traffic. The issue is ongoing and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

Apparently my 2018 Ford Escape 1. 5 liter ecoboost engine has a known flaw of coolant intrusion into the cylinders. It can be inspected right now as it's at the Ford service center. This problem could have left me on the side of the freeway at night. Ford service has verified the problem and that it needs a new engine. I dont believe the parts have been inspected by anyone other than Ford service and my independent mechanic. There was a check engine light that came on back in April of this year. I brought it into Ford for basic minor service on April 29 and was told to check diagnostics I had to pay $298. I took it elsewhere and they told me it was a code that came up for the smog system. I didn't have any other issues at that time. In July a different light came on that was flashing so I took it to an independent mechanic and he found the misfire code of p0304 in cylinder #4. He proceeded to replace spark plugs and injector #4. Not until September did the sputtering start but no engine light came on. I took it back to my mechanic and he spent 2 weeks trying different things to figure out what was going on. He was unable to so I had to take it to the Ford service center and they verified the coolant intrusion problem. My car is only 8 years old and there was never a recall or service notice to advise me of this problem.

Radiator fluid ìs leaking into cylinder, requiring engine replacement. Every other model and year of Escape has recalls for this issue.

The engine began misfiring and causing the car to shake and causing an engine light on ignition, pulling an error code of p0304, pointing to an issue with the cylinders. Even after replacing all spark plugs and coils, the engine continued to misfire and cause the car to shake. When we brought it back to our independent mechanic, he diagnosed it as a coolant intrusion, which I've come to read is incredibly common on this type of engine from Ford. The engine has failed and will need a full replacement due to the coolant intrusion into the cylinders. With this issue occurring during a long drive, it put our safety at risk. The problem was confirmed by the independent service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer or police, just the mechanic. The warning signs that appeared were the shaking and engine light, though they did not point directly to the coolant intrusion, as those issues are often caused by things like spark plugs as well. The issue started occuring a week before it was finally diagnosed with the coolant intrusion.

Cylinder cracked due to coolant intrusion. A customer satisfaction program was opened 21n12 however it closed last November. My vehicle is under the milage for the fix.

I have a 2018 Ford Escape with a 1. 5 liter engine. I am loosing coolant into my combustion chambers. I just learned that Ford knew about this problem but did not issue a recall. The only way to repair this is to replace the engine.

2018 Ford Escape mileage 74,920. Catastrophic unrepairable engine failure due to coolant leaking into engine on 09/21/26. Ford motor company knew of this design flaw as early as 2010 but continued manufacturing and selling the cars with this flaw. Engine light came on but only after the engine was already compromised. Car was towed to clay cooley Ford dealer in arlington texas on 09/23/26 who confirmed this diagnosis. My safety and safety of others was at risk because the car stopped running while I was in traffic with no warning, and it could have caused a fire.

My 2018 Ford Escape se 1. 5l ecoboost is actively suffering from the manufacturer defect outlined in Ford TSB 19-2375 (coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders). The vehicle shakes violently on startup, emits heavy white smoke from the tailpipe, and displays an 'engine fault service now' warning. Because it is burning through coolant, this vehicle poses an immediate safety risk of sudden power loss, highway stalling, or catastrophic engine failure while driving. My job requires me to transport vulnerable medical patients, and this severe defect makes the vehicle entirely unsafe to operate on public roads.

The engine is having issues. There is coolant leaking into the engine. Causing for the engine to shake upon starting the car. Issues that can come from operating the vehicle are overheating, fire and explosion of engine. I took the car for diagnostics at a Ford dealership and they confirmed that it is a fault with the engine that Ford is aware about but issued no recall. The check engine light first appeared on Saturday 9/05/2026 and that same day upon igniting the engine that was the first time that the engine rattled when starting the vehicle.

On September 4, 2026, at approximately 6:00 pm, I was driving my 2018 Ford Escape se (1. 5l ecoboost) and executing a left-hand turn across an intersection. Mid-turn, the vehicle suddenly lost all power, an "engine fault" warning message illuminated on the dashboard, and the engine completely stalled out. Because the vehicle died directly in the path of oncoming traffic, I was forced to steer the coasting vehicle out of harm's way to avoid an imminent side-impact collision. This emergency maneuver caused the vehicle to scrape a curb—damaging the right tire rim—and collide with a utility pole. Fortunately, no injuries occurred. I managed to bring the vehicle to a stop on a side street. Once stopped, the vehicle exhibited a total "no crank, no start" condition and completely refused to turn over or restart. The vehicle had to be towed to a repair facility. Upon professional diagnostic inspection, the technician discovered extensive engine oil intrusion within the main engine wiring harness. Engine oil had dynamically wicked through the harness directly into the powertrain control module (pcm), completely compromising and shorting out the primary computer. This electronic failure is what triggered the sudden, catastrophic engine shutdown mid-traffic. This vehicle has a chronic history of severe electrical, powertrain, and "no-start" defects at only 56,000 miles, despite being meticulously maintained with routine synthetic oil changes as required. This is the second time I have experienced a life-threatening loss of engine power while actively driving, and I am fortunate to have narrowly avoided a major, high-speed collision on both occasions. In July 2025, the throttle body failed and initiated a dangerous limp mode mid-traffic, forcing a tow for replacement. In July 2026, a starter failure resulted in another total "no crank, no start" condition during the holiday weekend, requiring an emergency mobile mechanic. Following this my car has sat for a month.

Error code p0016 came up and I started investigating and found coolant intrusion which was a known defect during manufacturing by Ford. I was driving normally when the vehicle accelerated really slowly after a stop which could have caused a traffic accident if it happened while in traffic.

Ford has known about a flaw with this engine and coolant intrusion. I have owned the vehicle for 5 months and they are refusing to cover the cost of a new engine. I know there is a lawsuit going on right now with Ford (21n12) this was my daughters first purchase that she financed and now she is on the hook financially for a vehicle that is not running.

Check engine light turned on for misfire codes. Replaced spark plugs but noticed coolant in the cylinder. Found Ford TSB 22-2133 and TSB 22-2229. So I want to report another failure of these engines.

There is coolant intrusion into the engine. My car became overheated and undriveable while I was driving. Ford knows about this issue, but is no longer addressing the issue.

Coolant intrusion the engine is ruined by a design flaw.

I have a 2018 Ford Escape with the 1. 5l engine with 108k miles purchased new in 2018. Noticed the car recently stuttered at times upon vehicle start up and then would smooth out shortly after starting. Check engine light came on, checked the code and it indicated p0301 which is a misfire on cylinder 1. Since it would run I thought it was probably a spark plug misfire so I made an appointment with a dealer to change the plugs. While traveling to the dealer the car quickly overheated and issued a warning to turn the car off. Luckily I was only a half mile from home and not on the main highway yet so I did not have to deal with safety in traffic. Had the car towed to the dealer and they diagnosed coolant intrusion into cylinder 3 and that a new engine would be required to fix the car. Cost will be about $11k they quoted. I am recently retired so coming up with that amount of money is a big hit on our retirement savings. After consulting with my wife we decided we really did not have much choice but to replace the engine, given the cost of new vehicles and being on a fixed income to not create a car payment (this car was paid off two years ago). I did notice about a week before this incident happened that the car was low on coolant in the reservoir so I took it to the place I have the car serviced to top off the coolant. When they opened the reservoir the coolant returned to the bottle and showed full. I did not want to overfill it so I thought since it showed full, it must be normal on these newer engines. This had to be the beginning of the problem, wish Ford would have said something earlier so would have known what to watch out for. At any rate, I will be out of $11k to fix this problem that I am finding out Ford knew about. Ford should step up and take care of this since it apparently has been a problem for several years. We have been a Ford family for 40 years but not sure I can recommend them moving forward. Truly disappointed.

Went to get service for a misfire and found out about a well documented issue with these engines. Coolant intrusion into the cylinders leading to complete engine failure. Ford has known about this issue since 2010 and continued manufacturing with this known defect.

A warning light illuminated, so the vehicle was taken to the dealership for inspection. The vehicle has a history of receiving routine maintenance and repairs at this dealership. The 2. 0l ecoboost engine is known to experience coolant intrusion associated with its open-deck engine-block design, which includes narrow, slotted cooling channels—or grooves—between the cylinder bores. After inspecting the vehicle, the dealership determined that the engine block should be replaced. The estimated out-of-pocket repair cost exceeds the vehicle’s current market value.

Coolant is going into the cylinder. Car was starting rough and exhaust smelled strange. No warning lights came on. Service center reproduced issue. It’s an issue Ford has been aware of but hasn’t issued a recall. Now I need a new engine on my vehicle that only has 41,000 miles on it. Estimate is $10,000. 00.

In 2022 the engine was replaced (due to a Ford defec called coolant intrution) the milage was 49000. The milage is now 78825 and that engine is failing due to coolant intruction. As a single grandparent I should not have to fork out $11000 dollars for a new engine if its still a Ford defect.

Engine has been diagnosed with coolant intrusion (very common Ford ecoboost engine problem) where due to a manufacturing defect the engine has grooves in cylinder that allow coolant to enter combustion chamber. This causes coolant loss, engine mis fires, lots of white smoke upon starting and extremely rough idle. Car has 120000 miles and the cost to repair is over 10,000 dollars. The vehicle and remainder of loan is a total loss because the common problem has made the trade in value around $6000 even if repaired. With out use of vehicle and remainder of loan and repairs I will be around 16000 in the hole and have to sell as salvage. Ford needs to recall this 2. 0 ecoboost engine.

2018 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with a 2. 0l ecoboost engine may exhibit a low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or a runs rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (mil). Diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) may include p0300, p0301-p0304, p0316, p0217, p1285 and/or p1299 stored in powertrain control module (pcm). This may be due to coolant intrusion into the cylinder. To correct the condition, follow the service procedure to replace the long block engine assembly. This is a known issue with a techinal service bulletin issued on 6/9/2022. My car has only 87,000 miles on it and will need a new motor because coolant is leaking into the piston and causing a missfire.