general problems of the 2018 Ford Escape - part 2

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.

Vehicle showed "engine fault/service now". Drove to dealer. Told needed new engine as coolant had leaked into the third engine cyclinder. The cost would be $16,000. Research showed that Ford had had a program in place to fix this issue, but it had expired. Further research showed this was a known fault, even at the time of purchasing the car new, but that no recalls had been issued, and that there is a class action lawsuit against Ford for this problem. Have been advised to report to NHTSA.

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.

I take pride in keeping my vehicles maintained when needed. Out of nowhere, my vehicle with less than 70,000 miles on it began having a cylinder misfire. Now I’m faced with possibly having to get a new engine because of an apparently known defect for this engine. Ford won’t help and my dealership warranty has run out. But it is well documented that Ford knew about this defect but still sold these vehicles. Now I’m stuck with up to a $6,000 bill because Ford didn’t hold themselves accountable.

Coolant intrusion into cylinder, car shakes when idling, lots of white smoke coming out of tailpipes.

My car engine overheated, the check engine light came on, and the "engine fault, service now" message popped up when I was driving to work. My local Ford dealership confirmed that there was coolant intrusion into the second cylinder bore of the engine of my vehicle. Thankfully, due to the gradual progression of the intrusion, the overheating didn't get to the point where it affected my safety or the safety of others. The problem is well-known in Escapes manufactured from 2015-19 in the louisville, ky Ford plant, to the point that a customer satisfaction program 21n12 and technical service bulletin 22-2134 were issued. The vehicle was inspected by my local Ford dealership. For a few days before the incident, the (I) information symbol popped up and disappeared inconsistently both on my way to work and on the way home.

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!.

Defective engine block coolant intrusion into the cylinders engine shuts off during highway use. Check engine light comes on before. I have taken it to Ford dealership, it is a know defect, and they will not help with cost.

The SUV had a coolant loss. After checking the oil it smelled like antifreeze and the antifreeze container smelled of gas mixed with antifreeze.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving on two occasions at approximately 50 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. During the second failure, there was white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road each time, turned off, and restarted; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an issue with the engine block causing coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the engine block or engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that two spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred a month later. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine and the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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

2018 Ford Escape se with a 1. 5l ecoboost engine is experiencing coolant intrusion into the cylinders. This is a well documented flaw in the engine block for which the repairs are more expensive than the value of the vehicle. Service centers have validated the problem and the flaw has been redesigned in newer vehicles. The only problem reported by obd2 data is cylinder misfire, indicative of a coolant breach of the head gasket and coolant usage under normal conditions.

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.

I have a vehicle whose refrigeration is going into the motor. It started with the check engine light came on notifying the third spark plug was damaged and showed the codes p0303, p04db, p0316, p0339. Later a warning sign came on the dashboard with the phrase "engine malfunction, service now". It had a recall almost immediately after it was acquired and was seen by the manufacturer about two years.

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.

Engine light on solid. Replaced per code solenoid purge sensor. After a month light back on. Replaced per code solenoid purge sensor. Light came back on after 3 wks. Went to Ford dealership. Says coolant leaked into cylinders. Out of warranty 91,000 miles. Over 7 yrs, 84,000 miles. Need to replace engine at my expense. Seems unfair. I'm elderly and like most people these days on fixed budget.

My car experienced a sudden internal engine failure due to a known manufacturer design defect causing coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders. A Ford dealer service center 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 ~66000 miles at a cost of over $9000. 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.