general problems of the 2018 Ford Escape - part 1

2018 Ford Escape se 1. 5l 4 cylinder ecoboost engine. I was driving on a major 2 lane state road going 65 miles an hour when the warning light came on that the engine was overheating and pull over immediately. There was no prior warning. As soon as I stopped I looked at the temperature indicator and it returned to a normal level. I tried to drive again and got the same urgent message to stop. There was very little grass on the side of the road where I had to pull off and cars and trucks were passing us going 60-70 miles per hour. I had to call a tow truck to get the vehicle towed to the local Ford dealership. 3 hours sitting on the side of the road and did not get picked up for 3 hours in the dark. Ford ran a diagnostic test the next day and informed me in writing that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant leakage into the engine block. I would also need the cabin coolant heater pump and the sparkplugs replaced. The total would be over $8,200. I had the vehicle in for service three months ago due to a check engine light and did the requested repair. The informed me now that it was for a different issue. Ford is not taking any responsibility for this known problem. I was the original owner and was never informed of the issue.

Engine fault warning flashed upon start for a few weeks, then check engine light came on and did not shut off. Took to shop and they said that it was leaking coolant and coolant intrusion was occurring requiring a new engine.

Engine running rough on start; found coolant intrusion in cylinder 3; necessary to replace long block assembly.

Coolant intrusion due to a design flaw leading to coolant entering the combustion chamber causing spark plugs to prematurely fail and in extreme cases cause the engine to hydrolock and bend piston rods. Symptoms are a rough idle, mil illumination and dtc for misfires p0300-p0304, coolant loss and overheating.

I purchased this vehicle used in 2024, and since I bought it have had a variety of issues. I have already invested over 5k in repairs. I have replaced the head gasket and now the water pump twice. This vehicle will not stop overheating. Ford has a known issue with these engines and should correct these issues. They are making working families go broke and we still owed 8k on the car loan.

When checking the oil, realized that there was no antifreeze in the reservoir. I went ahead and filled it to the max line, as the antifreeze didn't even come up to the minimum line of the reservoir tank. My gut was telling me that I need to every so often check the antifreeze, there was no apparent leak, there was nothing on my garage floor to indicate that there was a leak. Every time I checked the antifreeze, it was below the minimum line. I had also been noticing that my car was shifting hard. The rpms were randomly jumping higher than normal when I was maintaining a normal speed. When I go to start my car, the whole car shakes as though the engine is misfiring. When I took the car in to a mechanic, they looked it over and I was told that I needed to replace the long engine block due to a coolant intrusion into the cylinder. The car will sometimes show the check engine light and sometimes it just goes off. I had the check engine light come up before and was told after having it hooked up at auto zone that I just needed a tune up.

Coolant intrusion a known flaw in the design of the 1. 5 ecoboost yet no help from Ford at all. When a failure is designed into a product and sold to customers this is not ok and should be made right by Ford.

Componet system that failed: engine and engine cooling complaint description:the vehicle experienced a sudden internal engine failure due to a manufacturer design defect causing coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders. A professional mechanic diagnosed the issue with diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0303, confirming a cylinder 3 misfire caused by coolant leaking into the block. The vehicle requires a total engine replacement at just 48,406 miles. This internal coolant leak poses a severe safety hazard, including sudden engine stalling, loss of motive power while driving, and potential thermal runaway/engine fire risks. The vehicle is currently rendered unsafe to drive and is parked at my residence.

In 2025 I bought this vehicle used at a dealership with 84,000 miles on it. A year later, it’s at 118,000 miles and needs a new engine. Due to coolant leaking into my cylinders and into my engine and mixing with oil and water in my oil pan. The issue it is having is directly caused my Ford and the way it has designed this engine. Coolant has leaked into my cylinders causing a check engine light coming on labeled cylinder 3 misfire. I called Ford about this to see if they would help, but they told me because my car is over 84,000 miles, they cannot cover the cost of repairs. I am still paying on my car loan, and in addition now, I have to pay even more to buy an engine for 5,000 dollars. This is not okay. Other have this issue as well. It is well documented online. Ford should recall this issue.

Check engine light came on and took to shop and determined that coolant intrusion in cylinder #2 this was a recall on other 2018 Ford Escape but not this VIN number.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle misfiring, white some, hesitation. The engine light illuminated. Antifreeze leaking into the cylinder. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the diagnostic code p0300 was read and an antifreeze leak into the cylinder and a design flaw in the eco boost. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate mileage was unavailable.

Took to a shop to replace dead battery. Shop did full inspection as this shop does for me. Shop found oil dripping down cv boot and thought I needed new cv boot. I advised cv boot just replaced a few years ago. They thought it was leaking from my turbo. I advised I should still have warranties from Ford. Took to my Ford dealership I leased from in Dec 2017, and purchased in Dec 2020 and regularly brought my vehicle to. They said you need a new engine, and your warranties expired 5 months ago. My Ford had 38k miles only! called warranty # for Ford, no help, dealership wouldn't help. 38k miles on a 2018 Ford Escape and it's now junk! 15k for a new engine on a car that's worth 8k. Great job Ford! never again!.

2018 Ford Escape: engine coolant intrusion resulting in a completely failed engine. Took it to a local Ford dealership for evaluation. Confirmed this was the issued. Quoted over $14,000 to replace with a re-manufactured engine. This issue causes misfire, smoke and could catch on fire. Contacted Ford and was told while we qualify for mileage for the customer service program 21n12, it does not qualify based on expiration despite knowing this is a faulty part.

Coolant breach in engine block, cylinder 3. Causing misfire and engine fault. TSB 22-2322.

2018 Ford Escape 105k miles. Check engine light came on, car ran rough, white smoke coming out of tail pipe. I took it to a third party mechanic, they ruled out coolant intrusion (or so they said) replaced a coil and spark plug and cleared check engine light. One week later after I had driven maybe 100 miles it had a very rough start in the morning and the check engine light came on again. I noticed white smoke coming out of the tail pipe. I had it towed back to the mechanic that first worked on it. They found coolant intrusion. This creates a safety concern because the vehicle can misfire, overheat, lose power, enter limp mode, or stall while driving, including at highway speeds or in traffic. A sudden loss of engine power could prevent me from accelerating, merging, clearing an intersection, or safely pulling off the roadway. Ford has acknowledged coolant intrusion on certain 2017–2019 Escape 1. 5l engines through customer satisfaction program 21n12, which provided short-block repair coverage for coolant intrusion, but my vehicle is now outside coverage and requires an engine replacement. Up to this point Ford has refused to provide any assistance.

My engine has coolant intrusion causing the 3rd cylinder to misfire. Ford will not speak to me on the issue other than to say it is not covered under warranty, even though this is a known and reported issue. I see there was a recall on the 2013-2019 Escape (2. 0l engines) - #26s01.

Car started losing coolant and engine overheating on highway. Ford knows about this issue with coolant leaking into engine block but fails to mention to current owners. We have to figure it out ourselves once the engine is destroyed and damage is done and the expensive fix is in. This is dangerous!.

Car exhibited white smoke, overheated and engine stopped. Left me stranded in middle of extremely busy road, 90° temps and I’m [xxx] with no one to help me. I had car towed to autonation (Ford dealership, jacksonville, FL, where car was purchased in 2022 and dealership was aware of defect but failed to divulge at time of sale. Autonation has confirmed coolant intrusion ecoboost engine defect, they deny any responsibility quoting a cost of $11,000 to have Ford correct their defect; I do not have this kind of money. No early warning information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Hello, my vehicle (VIN: [xxx] ) is not operational due to coolant intrusion/corrosion. I was informed this issue is not covered by the customer satisfaction program, but this failure matches a known problem affecting this model/year and should be reconsidered. Two months ago I took the car to bob allen Ford in overland park for a check-engine light. They replaced a coolant-related part, but the coolant intrusion was not discovered. Approximately 2,000 miles after that service the vehicle became undrivable. At the time of that visit I requested a bumper-to-bumper inspection and was told no. I am highly upset that a likely systemic issue was not identified or addressed, and that coverage has been denied despite the circumstances. Please have a supervisor or specialist call me to explain why coverage was refused, review the service and inspection history, and discuss options for goodwill, escalation, or repair assistance. I expect a clear explanation, next steps, and a timeline. Contact phone: [xxx] [xxx] email: [xxx] thank you, information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My 2018 Ford Escape 1. 5l ecoboost started shaking when in gear and the engine light went on so I brought it to the dealership immediately. Po302 and po316 codes showed. Dealership has informed me that the coolant has been leaking into the cylinder and this is a known issue with these engines. I have been quoted $13,500 for a total engine replacement.

Bought the vehicle used and two months later engine and transmission needed replacement after several transmission faults and check engine light stayed on due to coolant intrusion in the cylinders and the known transmission defects in this model.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant had leaked into cylinder two and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified on the failure, and they offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

I had to take my 2018 Ford Escape in the be checked out after it started losing coolant. Come to find out there is some type of defect in the eco boost engine that causes coolant intrusion. Basically I’ve been told it requires an entire engine swap to fix the issue.

Coolant intrusion in the engine which needs replacement. Car was misfiring and white smoke coming out took the auto shop for service. Its about $9400 to fix the car which is now more than the car is worth. Dealership never warned me that this was a potential issue.

Engine coolant intrusion. I was told by the service department at my Ford dealership this is a common and known issue solely due to how it was made and the parts used. This should 100% be recalled and fixed. It literally makes the car unsafe and unusable.

After driving about 300 miles the car started showing red engine light and lost power. When I took for diagnosis at Ford dealer in [xxx] I was told there is known defect where coolant is getting leaked into the engine causing engine to fail and need engine replacement. There was no support provided from Ford for this issue till date and recall is long due information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My engine needs to be replaced at 55,000 miles due to a known coolant leak issue that I had no knowledge of when I purchased the vehicle. The issue has been confirmed by the dealer. The vehicle shakes when turning on.

My 2018 Ford Escape with 1. 5l ecoboost engine had repeated overheating and coolant loss over time. The vehicle was repaired multiple times for cooling system issues (hoses, coolant, water pump), but the problem persisted. It has now been diagnosed with internal coolant intrusion requiring engine replacement. This matches known issues reported with this engine.

Engine coolant intrusion. Known issue with these cars apparently that Ford needs to step up and fix/replace their design flaw. The fact car dealerships sell these ticking time bombs to unknowing customers is ridiculous.

I own a 2018 Ford Escape equipped with the 1. 5l ecoboost engine. My vehicle experienced a known coolant intrusion defect in which coolant leaks internally into the engine cylinders. This issue appears consistent with problems reported by many other owners of similar Ford vehicles and engine configurations. The vehicle experienced symptoms including coolant loss without an external leak, engine misfires, rough operation, and diagnostic trouble codes including p0316. The condition progressed to a determination that the engine requires replacement due to coolant entering the combustion chamber. This defect creates a significant safety concern because the engine can suddenly misfire, lose power, hesitate, run roughly, or potentially stall while driving. Sudden loss of power during traffic, highway travel, merging, or intersections creates a risk of collision. Ford has issued service bulletins and customer programs involving coolant intrusion and engine replacement on similar 1. 5l ecoboost vehicles, yet my VIN was reportedly excluded despite suffering the same failure pattern. This appears to be a design-related defect rather than ordinary wear and tear, which Ford subsequently completely altered as they recognize the design failure. An internal engine defect causing coolant intrusion and catastrophic engine failure presents a potential safety issue affecting numerous consumers.

The vehicle has coolant intrusion, and engine has been reported knock. Before the incident, I called the bloomfield office to book an appointment, I was put on call waiting but no response, I booked the appointment online, no confirmation. I then booked another appointment and went to springfield, vauxhall Ford plant when I received the recall paper. The agent that responded to me told me that the parts are not available and I have to wait for the part. I told them that the engine light is coming up and that maybe it is due to recall issue. They told me that I will pay $275 for diagnosis, and if any part or repair is needed, it will be additional charge. I told them to provide me with the temporary solution suggested by Ford on the paper. The agent told me that if they provide that, I will not get the intended part when it is available . I went to a local shop where they help me to change one of the misfired plug, change the oil, and add to the coolant because the level was low, and asked me to come back few days later to do the proper checking/smoke test. I packed the car, and on the appointment date, I tried to start the car, the car did not work again. I call my local mechanic to check for me, find out that the coolant has went down again! he said that the car has coolant intrusion and has affected the engine. I need to replace the engine now!.

Coolant is leaking into the piston heads because of a commonly understood design flaw with the cooling systems between the piston heads. Ford knows about this flaw but refused to replace it.

While entering the highway my vehicle started to buck. I took my foot off the gas and then it accelerated really fast in on coming traffic the check engine light came on it immediately over heated and shut of on the highway in traffic.

Coolant intrusion in engine, dangerous, can cause fires.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine was idling rough, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed and it ws determined that there was coolant inside the engine cylinders and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 53,200.