Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Ford Escape - part 1

Component or system: engine – coolant intrusion into the combustion chamber (cylinder 2). The vehicle and documentation (dealer diagnostic report, photos) are available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: coolant intrusion causes engine misfires, loss of power, and rapid coolant loss, which can lead to sudden engine stalling or hydrolock at highway speeds. A stall could result in loss of power steering and braking assist, creating a serious crash risk for occupants and others on the road. Confirmation: the problem has been reproduced and confirmed by a Ford dealership using a borescope inspection. Inspection: a Ford dealership service department has inspected the vehicle. They confirmed coolant pooling in cylinder 2. Warning signs: the check engine light first appeared in early July 2025 with a misfire on cylinder 2. Spark plugs and other components were replaced, but the issue returned within two weeks. The engine misfired, produced white exhaust smoke, and lost coolant over time.

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According to my local Ford dealership, the rattling/clicking sound in my engine is due to a faulty water pump which is apparently a known problem for a 2019 Ford Escape. I did not even have a check engine light appear and just happened to have my vehicle there for a different reason. This is an extensive and costly fix that should not be an issue with a 6 year old vehicle with 77k miles. With this being a common/known fault for ecosport engines, it affects the safety of my engine and all passengers and other drivers.

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Engine warming light came on, codes p0301 and p0316. Brought the vehicle into a Ford dealership and was told it is coolant leaking into the engine, and has been a very common problem, and even had a customer satisfaction program that existed for it that is now expired. (cs21n12). Was told engine needs to be completely replaced at a cost of $9,275. 50 (estimate attached). The engine can fail, which is a safety issue to being with. Upon research online, many others have had this issue, insomuch that Ford replaced engines for free through November 2022 under 21n12. I, along with many others, were unaware of this issue until our cars hit 60,000 or more miles. I purchased the car used with 14,000 miles on it, and never received a letter from Ford about this potential issue. This should be a recall. It should not cost me over $9,000 to fix. Ford knows of the issue and refuses to remain responsible for it.

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My 2018 Ford Escape was sputtering one morning and I realized the oil was dark and almost gone. I took it for an oil change and they discovered there wasn’t coolant in the reservoir. But that didn’t solve the issue. The vehicle shut down and I was left in the middle of the road until I could get help. I took it to the shop and I was told coolant had leaked into the cylinders and the I would be needing a head gasket and short block. I called Ford customer service and I was made aware that is is an issue with the 2018 Ford Escape ecoboost. But they were unable to help me because 21n12 has expired.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was violently shaking with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who detected a burning odor while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was diagnosed with a cracked engine block and coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

I bought this vehicle March of 2024 it had 59880 mile or so on it. It now has 65220 miles in it and it started blowing white smoke and is running rough took it to my mechanic and they said it needs a new engine. I had the water pump replaced because it was loosing antifreeze. Well I had no idea that this has been a ongoing issue with these vehicles. Its high time Ford steps up and takes blame for the faulty engines.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #3, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 21n12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 54,000.

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Car experienced intermittent check-engine light accompanied by "lugging" and inability to accelerate quickly, especially when driving uphill. I felt this was safety related because highway driving in heavy traffic often calls for the ability to accelerate suddenly to merge or to avoid other cars. Dealer finally diagnosed the problem as caused by all four ignition coils being defective.

Had a lot of knocking in the engine on startup and sometimes driving down the road. Engine check light went on, used code reader to diagnose and it said misfire on cylinder 2. Replaced spark plugs and ignition coils to solve problem. Ran well for about a week, week and half before had the same issues pop up again. Then all of the sudden I’m driving down the road and the temp spikes in the engine and warning light comes on about car overheating and to pull off the road . I was on the highway so I let off the gas and the temp came right back down. Took the car to a tire kingdom to get it checked out and the coolant is almost all gone, it’s leaked back into the engine and the head gasket needs replaced. Call Ford to see if they would cover service and the dealer and Ford corporate both said it would not be covered, despite tsbs being out about this issue.

Coolant is leaking into the piston cylinder 4-mainly (and 2). It’s leaking because of the imperfection in the block. In the new engines, the imperfection has been fixed.

The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving 25-30 mph, the vehicle stalled, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull into the nearby parking lot and parked the vehicle. It was unknown whether the vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket had failed, causing coolant intrusion into the engine and engine damage. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that it was a common failure. The contact related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 21n12 (short block replacement after coolant intrusion). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 67,700.

2017 Ford Escape purchased new, and always maintained. This vehicle has a 2. 0 ecoboost engine. The mileage on the car is 26,340. We experienced the same problem that was reported on ecoboost engines where the coolant leaks into the cylinders which leads to engine failure. The engine temperature light came on indicating we needed to pull over, which we did immediately. We had just left home and were only 2 blocks when this occurred. The engine was cool to the touch. According to the reports, it could result in engine fire. The vehicle just stopped when the engine failed.

I bought my 2017 Ford Escape when it was brand new. It has been excellently maintained and has had no issues. 2 weeks ago the idle seemed rough, but got better when driven. Had diagnostics done and codes indicated spark plugs issue. Replaced spark plugs, but rough idle (misfire) continued. While attempting to address misfire, a sudden and large cloud of smoke was emitted from tailpipe and engine area. Dashboard lights all came on. Coolant reservoir emptied. Car was immediately shut off. All signs point to blown head gasket, cracked engine block, coolant entering engine. Getting estimates, now. But, probably won't repair. Car has 86,000 miles.

In 2021 my engine was replaced by the dealership I purchased it from, with a manufacturer made engine. The issue was that the coolant was leaking into the cylinders causing the engine to overheat which is a potential risk of fires. It was under warranty for 5 years or 50k miles whichever came first. Today, I was notified by the dealership that my engine needs to be replaced again for the same issue as 4 years ago. Coolant leaking into cylinder causing misfire. I was charged $1400 for repairs that did not have anything to do with the issues. Ford is now telling me there is nothing they can do for me and my car is safe to drive so long as I keep it filled with coolant.

My check engine light came on Saturday August 23rd. I took my car to my local Ford dealership on Monday August 25th and on Wednesday, August 27th the Ford technician verified a misfire and found coolant was low. They removed the spark plug and found cooling system was under pressure. They found coolant entering into the cylinder via the cylinder head and that my vehicle now needs a new engine. This problem has been confirmed by the dealership and my only option is to purchase a brand new engine for my 2018 Ford Escape that has less than 40,000 miles on it. An engine failure at just 40,000 miles is simply unacceptable and raise serious concerns about the reliability of this model. I am aware that engine issues on certain Ford Escapes have been the subject of multiple customer complaints and I strongly believe that this may be part of a broader quality or manufacturing issue. There are numerous reported cases from 2018 Escape owners describing engine failures, tied to coolant intrusion and instances where an engine fails unexpectedly often linked to coolant, entering the cylinder and requiring full engine replacement, which seems to be a common pattern in these 1. 5 l and occasionally the 2. 0 eco-boost. While no formal recall exists for this Ford has implemented a customer satisfaction program 21n12 which addressed coolant intrusion into the engine, especially affecting 1. 5 l eco-boost engines.

Engine light came on. Took directly to Ford dealer. Code p0303:00-a8. Cylinder 3 misfire. Coolant leaked into engine. Need long block replacement. 2018 1. 5l engine. 57000 miles. Ford won't warranty. $14,000 to replace engine.

The engine light came on a few weeks after I purchased this used vehicle from Ford. I got s diagnosis on it the other day at oreillys they said “thermostat coolant”, we added the necessary liquids. Got it checked out at a Ford dealership the other day and they say they see no issue with the thermostat cooler, but an issue with the standpipe. I search online and see a recall about this issue in the past.

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My car is having a coolant intrusion/ head gasket failure. There is a recall already for my car which was code csp 21n12 for this issue. Yet when I put in my VIN for csp coverage it shows no recalls for my vehicle. I have a 2017 Ford Escape eco boost 1. 5l. It matches the make , year, and engine for the problem. My car is misfiring, white smoke from exhaust from cold start , and having coolant loss with no dripping on the ground.

Within 2 days of initially experiencing an engine shudder during acceleration on 2017 Ford Escape 2. 0l ecoboost with 44,000 miles, the car was diagnosed with coolant leaking into the engine cylinder. Ford TSB 19-2172 requires an engine long block to remedy the situation. Many others have reported this problem both to NHTSA and online but Ford has not formally addressed this defect as far as I can tell. This is a very costly repair that Ford needs to take ownership for.

The engine light came on and we took it to the dealer where we purchased it. They told us the engine had coolant leaking into it from a warped engine block. The vehicle has less than 50,000 miles on it. The dealer told us it would cost $14000 to replace the engine. We are feeling quite frustrated as Ford was aware this was a known problem / design defect. They even went as far to correct the design on new models. What can we do?.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 had resulted in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to customer satisfaction program: 21n12 (short block replacement after coolant intrusion). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 45,000.

I have 117k miles on my Ford Escape and have always maintained the services on my car. I was driving and my car started to overheat and warning lights came on. Pulled over immediately and turned car off and had it towed to the shop. Mechanic told me the coolant leaked into the cylinder and caused a misfire in cylinder 2&3. He currently has 3 other Ford Escapes there with the same issue. Yet there is no recall for this? he quoted me $6,400 for this job. This is crazy. Something needs to be done about this if so many people are having the same issue.

I was sold the Escape and was not informed about the coolant intrusion and have been having the check engine light come on and off since I purchased it last September, I've replaced multiple spark plugs on cylinder 3 and later found out that the inside of the cylinder had developed surface rust and was having coolant leaking into that cylinder, and due to the coolant leak, my engine overheated and shut it self off in my driveway.

According to cleburne Ford, my 2016 Ford Escape had a coolant leak that makes the engine malfunction and they quoted me a price for a new engine installation. My safety had been impacted because now I don’t know when my engine will stop working but I need a car to get to work. An independent mechanic I took it to told me he could not find a leak or see anything wrong with it, but of course he isn’t a Ford dealership employee. I had a check engine light to which then I contacted cleburne Ford and they were able to diagnose it and give me the bad news.

Previously reported coolant leaking into cylinder 1. Ford knows of this issue, there is a technical service bulletin addressing it (attached), but Ford refuses to take responsibility for it or pay for repairs. I was driving my car when backfires started and then engine stopped. Could not get engine restarted and pushed car out of traffic lane. Car towed to mechanic and now entire engine needs to be replaced at a cost of approx $7000. Again, Ford refuses to pay for repair. This is a recurring problem with ecoboost engines that Ford should repair. I am requesting a recall on all Ford ecoboost engines with more than 70,000 miles to assess coolant leaks and to replace engine if leak is found.

Blown head gasket which is causing coolant to leak into the cylinders. Check engine light came on at 72,000 miles (leased the car at 71,000) with coolant loss. The problem was diagnosed by an independent service center on 8/19/25, 3 weeks after leasing to buy.

Coolant in the engine leak with 1. 5 l ecoboost. Only have 73,900 miles on car. Just bought car last March. Still have 3 and 1/2 years of payments. Vehicle is non drive able right now. Check engine light on. Engine malfunction came on and took to mechanic right away. Mechanic confirmed coolant leak in engine.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 65 mph, the message "engine overheating - please pull over" was displayed, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine was faulty due to coolant intrusion, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 73,400.

Check engine light came on at approx 93,000 miles. Diagnosed as needing tune up. After dealer replaced spark plugs, check engine light came on again. Took it back and they told me coolant was in the #2 cylinder. They replaced spark plug, but couldn't tell me why coolant was in cylinder. Check engine light came on again, and then they told me it would be an $8600 cylinder block assembly replacement. It is available for inspection. Ford dealership confirmed problem. Found out this is a known issue with 2017 Ford Escapes with ecoboost.

Due to a known manufacturing defect in the casting of the engine block, coolant leaked into the #2 cylinder causing failure of the engine. Due to the fact that this is a known issue by Ford, they will do nothing as the vehicle is no longer under warranty. The extended warranty we purchased will not cover the damage or repair as it is a "known issue from Ford. " vehicle is available upon request, if catastrophic failure of the engine had occurred possible loss of power and or control of the vehicle, vehicle was inspected at a certified Ford dealership, check engine and a lot of white smoke the day of service appointment, rough idle the day prior.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a cracked cylinder. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred immediately after a tune-up was performed by the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,199.

Engine slowly started consuming coolant into the cylinders. After starting the engine, the engine would run rough until coolant was burned from the cylinders. A month or two later the engine lost compression and needs to be replaced. From what I've investigated on the internet, this is a known problem with the 1. 5l ecoboost engine and there is a class action lawsuit pending in California. We have contacted the law firm handling the suit in order to be included in the class action.

While driving, the car hesitates changing gears. Sometimes the car will not go in gear or go into park. Had a recall in 2022 for some bushings and cable shifter. The car is too dangerous to drive and mechanics have stated a new transmission is needed.

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The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

Drove around normally last week, and on Saturday with no issue. Monday morning, I started my car and could feel a rough idle. The check engine light was flashing. The idle returned to normal and the check engine light turned off. I drove to work, and the car sat for 9 hours. Afterward, there was a rough idle again, and the check engine light stayed on (solid). The idle got better, but did not go away. I drove straight to the dealership. Dealership said it was coolant intrusion into at least one of the cylinders because of a cracked block. Vehicle has 70k miles on it, mostly highway. Looking online, I see a class action suit is coming Ford's way. It's a known defect in the ecoboost engines, but for some reason they determine that mine doesn't qualify.