Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Ford Escape - part 1

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.

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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.

Engine problem. Blown head gasket. Common problem among 2017 Ford Escape models.

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Car is eating antifreeze with no visible leaks. The vehicle overheats if not enough antifreeze. I had to use stop leak just to keep the antifreeze from leaking. The vehicle had a recall fix in 2018 for coolant intrusion by the previous owner but problem is occurring again. Have asked multiple Ford dealerships to help but they said the warranty is expired but after doing research I saw that even after a recall occurs if the problem was not fixed even after a warranty expires the company is still liable for repairs. I would like to make a complaint because I feel as if Ford is not honoring their recall policy. Even after correct information was given.

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The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine light and low coolant warning light were illuminated. Upon checking the coolant level, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant to the vehicle; however, the coolant disappeared and gushed back into the reservoir. Additionally, upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to start and chugged, with a white sweet-smelling smoke coming from the tailpipe while idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was purchased, and the contact inquired about a free diagnostic test, but the dealer denied assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 104,353.

We purchased a 2019 Ford Escape 1. 5l new from the dealer. We've put only 25,000 miles on it, but are now facing a well known issue (coolant intrusion) that they failed to inform us about. This is despite our vehicle meeting literally every requirement to be included in their customer service program, they told us it is not tied to our VIN and are out of luck. Our car is now worthless. If we had been notified we would have taken the necessary precautions. Again, this is a known issue, with a current class action lawsuit in place, that Ford failed to notify us of. We are now out tens of thousands of dollars in replacing a car we have barely driven.

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Engine will periodically and randomly stall and quit while driving. Mostly in city but it quit while driving on highway I-10 at 65 mph in one incident.

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Am reporting a potential safety defect involving my 2014 Ford Escape titanium 1. 6l ecoboost. While driving, I suddenly heard a pop/burst from under the hood. The vehicle then began producing white smoke/steam. There were no warning lights or temperature warnings before the smoke began. The high-temperature/overheating warning appeared only after the vehicle was already smoking/steaming. I immediately pulled over and stopped the vehicle. Green coolant had sprayed throughout the engine compartment. An independent repair shop confirmed that the plastic return-side heater-hose union/connector broke, causing a severe coolant leak. The shop recommended replacing the connector and coolant, performing a cooling-system pressure test, and a combustion leak test to check for possible engine damage. This failure created a safety risk because the vehicle suddenly lost coolant while being driven and gave almost no advance warning before overheating. The vehicle has not been inspected by Ford for this specific failure. I am concerned because these symptoms appear similar to the coolant-loss/overheating concerns addressed by Ford safety recall 17s09 involving certain 2014 Ford Escape 1. 6l ecoboost vehicles. My VIN is not currently listed in that recall. I am reporting this so NHTSA can determine whether similar sudden cooling-system failures are occurring in vehicles outside the original recall population.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the service center for an instrument panel failure, a diagnostic test was performed on the engine. The contact was informed that in addition to the instrument panel failure, there was coolant inside the cylinders, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 105,000.

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.

Vehicle has coolant intrusion into cylinders verified by Ford dealer.

I recently purchased this vehicle for 2400. 00 from a private seller. Within 3 weeks of very minor driving the car got 1 block from home and showed very hot and dumped all the coolant. And that was the 1st time it had been driven that day and it was 69 degrees outside. We let it sit for about a week and refilled the coolant. It drove great for about 2 weeks and then out of the blue it stalls while I'm driving it down the road. Had it towed home and my mechanic came and did a tune up. We had very fouled plugs and replaced all the coil wires. Put in a emissions treatment as well as checking everything. It started after killing my battery several times and seemed to be fine. Drove it around the block and it stalled after being fine only to find coolant in the spark plug areas and somehow my VIN isn't listed in the recall. My mechanic said I should write you guys to let you know that I should be included as he believes that is exactly what happened to me. Please help. Thank you.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, a high alert warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road, turned off the vehicle, and waited for fifteen minutes before restarting the vehicle. However, the failure persisted. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic and was diagnosed with cylinder #2 failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 70,293.

My 2017 Ford Escape starting having issues about a year ago and was losing coolant and then car would read hot. It’s an ecoboost motor and coolant is leaking into the motor and damaging it. The motor needs replacing and Ford knew about this issue but refuses to repair it. I have repaired car 5 times or so trying to fix this but keeps getting worse and now destroyed the engine. It is a known flaw by Ford repair and many people but I was not told anything when I bought the car.

A coolant intrusion caused the head gasket to fail.

Bought car in 2023, one year later engine failure due to overheating from head gasket issue widespread with this vehicle. Replaced engine, and two years later facing identical issue with another engine failure. Unidentifiable coolant leak led to low oil pressure and car shaking on the highway. Will require yet another engine replacement.

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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.

Coolant leaks internally into the engine cylinders. This is resulting in needing a full engine replacement for $15,000. It has been confirmed by the dealership. The check engine light came on.

It is common knowledge that my particular vehicle has a known engine defect - coolant intrusion - that in effect renders the engine inoperable eventually in models from 2013-19. Mine is a 2017. It was sold to me without anyone referencing the known engine issue. Over the last couple of years, my family was nearly stranded when the car suddenly began to experience shuddering, very rough driving, coolant disappearing and having to be replenished, and the engine coils misfiring and having to be replaced. Now, the engine has failed and is in need of more than $4,000 in repairs. While Ford did not issue a recall, it did alert its dealerships to the known manufacturing defect. As a consumer, I was not told of this problem during the sale.

Vehicle information: year/make/model: 2017 Ford Escape titanium engine: 2. 0l ecoboost 4-cylinder drivetrain: all-wheel drive (awd) current mileage: approximately 118,000 miles description of the safety problem: the vehicle experienced a sudden and severe loss of engine coolant with no external leaks visible on the ground. Diagnostic inspection revealed that engine coolant is intruding internally into the engine cylinders due to a known structural defect in the Ford 2. 0l ecoboost engine block/head gasket design. Prior to diagnosing the failure, the vehicle exhibited rough idling, misfires, and white smoke from the exhaust due to coolant burning in the combustion chambers. Unrelated components, including the ignition coils, were previously replaced in an attempt to correct the misfires before the internal coolant intrusion was identified as the root cause. This defect poses an immediate safety hazard. The internal coolant loss causes the engine to overheat rapidly and threatens to force the vehicle into an abrupt emergency "limp mode" or cause complete, sudden engine failure while driving at highway speeds. This creates a severe risk of a rear-end collision or stranding the vehicle in active traffic without warning. Ford has failed to issue a recall for this systemic powertrain defect, leaving consumers to operate unsafe vehicles or face catastrophic out-of-pocket engine replacement costs.

Slow coolant leak that is a known issue with engine. This caused the water pump to go bad and engine to risk overheating. Has been looked at by 3 independent mechanics all confirmed this is a known issue causing major concerns. No warning! just suddenly lost all coolant! no engine needs replaced!.

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.

I am submitting a safety complaint regarding my 2020 Ford Escape, which currently has an unrepaired safety recall involving the fuel injectors. Recall information: manufacturer recall number: 25s76 NHTSA recall number: 25v467 recall date: July 16, 2025 according to the recall notice, a fuel injector may crack and cause fuel to accumulate on top of the engine. The notice states that liquid fuel and/or fuel vapor near hot engine or exhaust components could ignite and cause an under-hood fire. I am very concerned because this recall has remained unrepaired since 2025, and as of September 2026, the remedy is still listed as unavailable. I am also currently experiencing a problem with my vehicle. Whenever I put gas in the vehicle, it has a difficult time starting afterward. The engine struggles to start after refueling, which is concerning to me because there is already an open recall involving the vehicle's fuel system. I understand that I cannot personally determine whether the starting problem is directly related to the recalled fuel injector issue. However, because the vehicle has an open fuel-system safety recall involving a potential fuel leak and fire risk, I believe these symptoms should be documented and investigated. I am concerned about continuing to operate this vehicle while the recall remains unrepaired, especially since the recall warns of the possibility of fuel or fuel vapor accumulating near hot engine components. I am requesting that NHTSA document and investigate my complaint and provide any available guidance regarding this unresolved recall and the symptoms I am experiencing. I would also like my concerns documented regarding the length of time this safety recall has remained without an available permanent repair.

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My Ford Escape titanium 2. 0l 2017 started overheating. The coolant had just disappeared. The car sputtered in the morning with large plumes of white smoke. Due to the overheating my thermostat failed. I brought my car to the art hill Ford dealership in merrilville indiana for service. After a 5 hour pressure test, tiffany a depowski at art hill Ford Lincoln brought me to her desk and notified me and confirmed that I need a new engine due to coolant intrusion. The check engine light had been on for a couple months. I kept bringing the vehicle to my local mechanic. After he couldn't fix it I brought it to the dealer where they told me my engine needs to be replaced. Fortunately safety wasn't a direct factor. The risk of the engine seizing up while driving was a key factor with safety. The Ford invoice states verified coolant leak, recommend new engine is on the upload I sent under the section j#2.

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.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that during the initial start-up, the vehicle would sputter. The check engine light illuminated. While driving at approximately 45 - 50 mph, the vehicle displayed the message, "high heat,' meaning that the engine was overheating. The contact had pulled over and turned on the fan, which allowed the engine to cool off. The contact put antifreeze in the vehicle, and the next morning there was no antifreeze in the vehicle. After completing some research, the contact believes they're experiencing coolant intrusion. The dealer was informed of the issue. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the issue. The manufacturer confirmed that the engine block was no longer covered. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

The vehicle suffered catastrophic engine failure at 72,000 miles due to a known Ford ecoboost manufacturing defect where engine coolant leaks internally into the cylinders. Upon starting the vehicle in the parking lot, the engine began misfiring violently with blinking check engine light. The vehicle suddenly began misfiring, lost power, and became completely inoperable, creating a severe driving hazard. Code p0301 indicates cylinder 1 misfire detected. A professional mechanic ran diagnostics and confirmed a permanent cylinder 1 misfire caused by internal engine failure. The internal heating was so severe it cracked the spark plug on cylinder 1 rendering the car inoperable at 72, 000 miles. The mechanic said evidence of moisture was detected in the chamber.

I recently bought a 2019 Ford Escape from superior Mazda in bentonville, arkansas for my daughter going off to college. Soon after purchasing the vehicle a giant puff of smoke started coming out the exhaust when starting. We took it to a Ford dealership and they said the coolant is leaking into the engine block and apparently this is a known issue with 2017-2019 Ford Escapes. Superior Mazda said it's not their problem. The cost to fix is $12,700. We've only had this car for 38 days. Ford has issued 2 statements about this defect in these cars: Ford issued TSB 19-2375 for 2017–2019 Escapes with the 1. 5l ecoboost. It specifically says coolant can intrude into the cylinders and calls for short-block and head-gasket replacement when the condition is confirmed. There is also Ford customer satisfaction program 21n12, titled “short block replacement after coolant intrusion. ” why is this not a recall? I have since read/heard that this is an issue all over. I spoke to a mechanic in my town and they stated they currently have a 2017 Escape that they are working on with this exact problem. An investigation needs to made into Ford regarding 2017-2019 Ford Escapes. Since this is a known defect and Ford is well aware of this engine flaw in this model car they need to do the right thing and issue a recall. My daughter could have been stranded on the highway heading to college.

The coolant has been leaking into the cylinders the symptoms were violent shaking, low coolant, white smoke, misfires, and engine light and warning on. My safety and others safety were put at risk because if the motor is not replaced it can become a fire hazard and it could break down on the road endangering mine and others lives. The problem was diagnosed by a Ford dealership and cost me $201 to just diagnose where they quoted me $14,000 to replace. It was inspected by the manufacturer (dealership). About 3 weeks ago there was an “engine fault service now” code on the screen then a couple days later the engine light came on and it was either constant or blinking.

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.