Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Ford Escape - part 1

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The low oil warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel prior to the failure. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive to the residence. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that a faulty wire connected to the spark plug had caused the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.

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I have replaced the transmission due to the toque converter acting up and then failing. I have replaced now 3 coolant parts as well due to leaking and constant overheating and have replaced the block once as well.

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Coolant intrusion into the engine from a manufacturer defect.

Waterpump pulley/ waterpump, yes it's available for inspection. I lost power and a message came up on the screen to shut off the vehicle there was a engine failure , overheating. No, I have not had it confirmed by a dealer yet. No it has not been inspected by any person. I started hearing a noise about a month ago and I was going to make an appointment the same week it happened to break down on me. I have a disabled daughter and I'm thankful I just took her home because of the extreme cold weather. I was outside for over an hour waiting to get SUV towed.

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I was parking vehicle & noticed from center console burning smoke coming from heater vents & middle console. I turned it off right away, waited a while & it stopped, driving at 60mph a back & forth forward & back hesitation or vibration. Shifting back & forth, no check engine light, but I feel that this vehicle has the recalls that are listed for this same year model & it has never being corrected. I need to bring this vehicle to a Ford dealership to get it checked. I'm in the madison wisconsin area, please have this matter taken care ove. 2013 Ford Escape 2. 0l.

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My [xxx] daughter was driving her 2017 Ford Escape 1. 5l ecoboost check engine light came on and a message to pull over immediately. Vehicle was out of coolant. The coolant isn't leaking. The vehicle has a design flaw that causes coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Extremely dangerous and could leave someone stranded. The cost to fix is about the same as the value of the car!! thousands of dollars!! this is a known design, flaw, and thousands of customers are experiencing it. It can leave drivers stranded and dangerous situations, including drivers like my teenage daughter. Ford should be responsible to fix this dangerous design flaw! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On 1/13/26, vehicle was taken to don hinds Ford, fishers, in 46038-2892 for loss of coolant and sporadic shaking during start. Service performed diagnostic "diagnostic: performed coolant pressure test and used boroscope to inspect each cylinder. Found cyl# 3 & 4 to have cooant intrusion. Recomend replacement of engine long block. " service recommendation "engine rebuild/replace: replcement of engine long block via TSB 22-2229" totaling $9,229. 68 to be paid by customer. TSB 22-2229 is expired and vehicle has 82k miles. Known issue with this engine design, but not covered by Ford. I contacted Ford customer service requesting goodwill assistance or out-of-warranty coverage. Both were denied over the phone.

I have a coolant intrusion in my 2019 Ford Escape. It idles roughly, there’s thick sweet smelling white smoke coming from the exhaust and when we refilled the coolant to max and started it once, the coolant level was immediately at the minimum. We have not turned it on or driven it since we found this out. There is a customer satisfaction program for 2019 Ford Escapes for powertrain control module reprogramming (campaign 19b37) that then makes the vehicle eligible for a one time repair under campaign 21n12. This campaign fixes exactly what is wrong with my vehicle. It applies to vehicles built in louisville until April 2019. My vehicle was built in louisville in may 2019. The dealership told me to call Ford customer relations/recall team to explain the situation and get a goodwill repair since my vehicle is having the exact same issues as the vehicles built at the same plant the month before. The recall team refused to provide me with a goodwill repair and also refused to give me information on when or if at all my case will be reviewed by the appropriate team. I asked to be able to contact the team handling my review by phone. They said I could only communicate with them by physical mail. This is unacceptable and I believe that Ford caused an unsafe situation for countless drivers for years by not including 2019 Ford Escapes built in louisville in may 2019 in their customer satisfaction program and are still refusing to do so.

Was opening the moon rooftop and I noticed smoke started coming from the middle of the radio / navigation system, all through vents smoke coming out something was burning I shut the vehicle, and waited about 10 minutes till it went away don't know why this happened, but I'm curious that the recalls that coming up for this vehicle are very significant, running hesitation & smell of burning, vibration in front of vehicle.

Coolant intrude. Coolant flow to engine make light on for engine high temperature at start. Can not drive after light on.

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Coolant intrusion due to engineering defect in engine. Ford is more than aware of this, but will not help us at all. Car is effectively dead and unusable. Ford TSB admits to this defect and requires a "long block" replacement (full engine replacement), but is doing nothing to help customers. This is fleecing.

2018 Ford Escape sel 1. 5l 4cyl turbo. 43,883 miles. Engine light came on. Checked by mechanic on 1/15/26. (philadelphia PA 19128). Diagnosis: coolant leaking from head gasket into cylinder #3. Recommend remove & replace engine. Cost: $11,551. 13 (total) (which is around what the vehicle is worth). I have since researched this problem and found out it is a longstanding issue with this Ford engine, across different models, but has not been addressed - no recall or maintenance notices that I am aware of. Many other consumers have encountered the same exact issue, with engine replacement recommended for thousands of dollars - including in low milage vehicles like mine. Allegedly the faulty engines are still being manufactured and used. . . So, assuming this is true, if someone opts to replace the engine, couldn't they just be getting one with the very same problem?? it is inexcusable that this issue has not been addressed.

My wife had driven the car, it had given an error and I tested it for a code. The code was po304 cylinder 4 misfire detected. We scheduled a maintenance appointment with our local Ford dealership to have them look at this error and address a recall. We were informed that "coolant and freezant were leaking into cylinder #4!" the mileage is ~150300 and the vehicle has been serviced regularly. Prior to the engine light on/code on, there have been no indication there was a problem. I am now reading about other 1. 5l Escapes that have this same recall but mine was not included? this doesn't make sense, it's the same problem with the same motor that was manufactured in other facilities, with the same parts, and those engines were recalled but mine wasn't?? just fix my engine guys!.

My car is the 2013 Ford Escape sel 1. 6 l ecoboost and have had same issue as the recalled 2013 Ford Escape sel 1. 6l economist with over heating,thermostat,and cracked head with coolant leaking into head,why is my car not on recall also. I know this from diagnosis that was ran.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? engine, yes. There is a known coolant intrusion engine fault with Ford Escapes. Ford has issued tsbs over this how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? engine abruptly died. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? yes has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? yes were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no.

I have a 2018 Ford Escape and I have a coolant intrusion leaking into the cylinders. I can smell coolant inside the vehicle. I did some researched the problem. I noticed other people having the same problem. Some of the while driving the motor stopped running. Ford does have the knowledge of this and have done nothing about it. This is a real dangerous safety hazard. Someone is going to get hurt badly and maybe even death can happen. What is it going to take for a national recall for these vehicles affected to be repaired ? this is a very concerning dilemma. Can someone please get back to me. Thank you.

Engine failure when coolant leaked into #4 cyclinder causing loss of power, excessive smoke and total engine failure while driving on interstate. Ford supposedly knows this was an engineering problem in the 2 liter eco-boost engine for several years yet sold vehiles anyway.

Coolant intrusion on cylinder 3, potential to overheat engine posing fire safety risks. Problem has been confirmed at Ford dealership. Vehicle has been inspected by manufacturer. Check engine light came on Dec. 31st 2025, car was not driven until Jan. 2nd 2026, when it was given to dealership mechanic for inspection/diagnosis. Ford is aware of the dangers of coolant intrusion and the flawed engine design.

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Engine coolant system failed, overheated car instantly. Had to get hoses, sensors, thermostat replaced. Possible fire, smoke was present, car had to be turned off immediately. Not the safest. Little to no warning from fine to dead.

Known coolant leak into the cylinders that Ford won’t cover.

Coolant intrusion into the engine potentially causing engine failure. A cracked cylinder head was allowing coolant to leak into one of the 4 cylinders.

Unknown coolant leak. Coolant is being lost somewhere in the engine no visible leaks. Added coolant several times.

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In my 2017 my check engine light came on at 70,000 miles throwing a bunch of different codes, ignition coil misfire and actuator making vehicle overheat and run rough, made extensive repairs to the vehicle based on what the codes were which didn’t repair the vehicle, finally engine gave out on me at 93,000 miles and I had the vehicle towed to classic Ford in mentor ohio and they diagnosed the vehicle with a bad engine requiring the engine to be replaced, I was then informed by the service department that what killed the engine was coolant leaking into the cylinders due to a design defect by Ford motor company and these issues with these ecoboost engines are very well documented across the internet, dealership quoted me over $9,000 to replace the engine which I definitely can’t afford at all, due to this not being my fault and I’ve kept up with all maintenance but again what killed the engine was Ford’s design that allowed coolant to leak into cylinders, I’ve made several calls to Ford motor company and there corporate offices and they are declining to do anything to help this issue, my case number is [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Cabin lost heat November 2025. Brought it in to the local Ford dealership right away and they said replacing replacing the oil cooler hose will probably fix it. Car worked fine for a couple of weeks but the cabin heat tapered off again. Made another appointment with the Ford dealership, but the first available appointment wasn’t until 2/23/26. I tried to drive anywhere as little as possible after this because I live in fairbanks, ak and it’s commonly -30 this time of the year. Tried to leave work on [xxx] and a warning came up as I started driving away that the engine was overheating and power was reduced to minimize damage. I put my car back in my work parking spot and plugged it in until I could get an appointment at a local mechanic shop. Had the car towed to a local shop 1/6/26 and they inspected it 1/7/26. The report came back saying there was an internal coolant leak and found hydrocarbons in the cooling system. The recommended fix was to replace the entire engine with a quote for $12,000. That is more than I paid for the vehicle and way over the kelly blue book worth. I did some research and found that there is a common coolant leak issue damaging engines of a certain range of Ford vehicles that has not become an official recall yet. I looked at other Ford Escape owner complaints and it looks like my 2015 Escape 1. 6l has the same engine defect. I’m afraid if I pay for the engine replacement, this will just happen again. If I don’t pay, I still owe for my lease and will only get pennies to sell it as is for parts. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I purchased a 2018 Ford Escape from metropolitan Ford dealership in eden prairie, mn on 5/15/2025. The very next day the engine light came on. I called them, made an appointment and brought it in thinking that it was a sensor. They checked it out and tried to charge me $1000 for the fix. I argued with them that I had just bought the car and the should be responsible for fixing it. In end I paid $300 and knew from that point that they would take no responsibility for anything wrong with th car. Fast forward to 12/12/2025 I was driving to work and as soon as I entered the interstate the engine light came on as well as the temperature gage going through the roof. I found that I couldn't accelerate and slowly drove the car off the next exit. I was able to get it to my mechanic right there, where he said I had a slow leak in the coolant and gave me a rough estimate of $1000 possible fix but he couldn't do it then. He advised me to keep the coolant filled and took it out of the "limp" mode so I could drive it. A week later I went out to my car and it was in the "limp" mode again, I had it towed to the nearest service station where they came back with the issue. A coolant intrusion. The engine was no longer functional. I went back to the dealer and they told me it was my problem to deal with and that they had no responsibility to do anything. That's when I found out about the recall that they knew about and ignored and sold me a car that they knew was problematic. I'm hoping to join this class action lawsuit because I'm out $12,000 the largest amount that I ever paid for a car and I don't have a working car. I still owe $5000 on this one. I thought going to a Ford dealership and spending the kind of money I spent would protect me from this exact thing. I'm devastated and really don't know what to do.

While driving at a constant speed on the highway, the transmission shifted down a gear and revved into very high rpms. I was dramatically slowing down despite pressing on the gas pedal. The car didn't provide any power and just revved while I had cars next to me going at highway speeds. Managed to get off the highway, a transmission fault indicator popped up on the dash. The car no longer was able to move. I had the car towed to the Ford dealership. This car has a bad transmission at ~97,000 miles. Prior to this, I felt like the car's transmission maybe wasn't shifting on time but didn't make much of it. This could have easily resulted in a crash. Turns out this is a very well known problem with the Ford Escape. My friend has a 2016 Ford Escape who recently paid 8000$ for a new transmission. This is clearly unsafe and the failure is definitely premature.

December/2025 I noticed a check engine light on my way home went to get the code read and was told I needed new plugs and coils had them replaced on 1/2026 about a week later check engine light again now I’m getting code po302 misfiring had them replaced again on 1/10/2026, only to get the same thing happen again to cylinder 2 as before with constant low coolant in overflow !! so as of 1/16/2026 same reading done same code my cylinder #2 has coolant in there and now I need internal engine work done on my vehicle with know manufacture recall because I brought my car in 7/2024 n now I’m stuck with a vehicle with major issues/problems and no funds to repair. .

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle in the winter, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the coolant sensor needed to be replaced. The coolant sensor was replaced; however, the warning light remained illuminated. The contact related the failure NHTSA campaign number: 17v209000 (engine and engine cooling); however, the model year was not included in the recall. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on two different occasions. The manufacturer was not notified of the current failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.

Two different things are happening with my car. 1) the paint is chipping and has caused corrosion on the body. Apparently this is a known issue but the peeling/chipping has gotten worse and will keep doing so until it is fixed. 2) car keep running hot and losing coolant but no leak to be found even after several rounds of tests.

My Ford issue had the short block coolant intrusion which has resulted in a blown engine with only 55,000 miles on my car. It is my understanding in 2022, Ford issued a one time no cost repair as they knew they sold cars with a junk engine yet I was never sent the customer satisfaction program letter 21n12 informing me of the potential issue and the one time no cost engine replacement. When I called the Ford customer satisfaction program today, using my VIN they confirmed this as well and mentioned there hasn't been a recall on it to date but possibly sometime in the near future and to save all my maintenance receipts. My engine light had been coming on for quite some time, but my car ran fine so each time I took it to my mechanic no code came up so it was cleared and I drove it. Ford wants me to pay them $12,000. 00 to replace the engine because my 7 year extended warranty ended and they will not assist financially. I realize my car is 8 years old but it has low mileage. Been well maintained and I don't feel I should have to pay for a new engine as the dealership sold me the car with a defective short block in the first place and never informed me of the potential issue.

When starting car, rough idle and engine light turns on. Diagnostic trouble codes show p0300, p0301, and p0304. This engine has a known manufacturing defect by Ford and they have some policies for replacement depending on age and mileage. There is no way to prevent this cracked block issue by consumers as it is a design flaw. Engine coolant seeps through the crack into the cylinders. I'm afraid to continue driving it as it may stall in traffic causing an accident or overheat if coolant gets low causing a fire.

Coolant intrusion on the 2. 0 ecoboost engine diagnosed by a Ford dealer service center and a well documented issue. The coolant intrusion causes the engine to misfire rendering the car unusable and a potential road hazard.

No warning but beginning of the issue with coolant intrusion on the engine: car is currently being looked at for blown head gasket or cracked engine block resulting in $3000+ of repairs. Car only has 75k miles on it. Car is shaking while in park/drive/reverse, making odd bumping noises while going up hill, and not throwing any codes. Upon my research, it states there could be a serious issue with the engine but it is expensive to diagnose and Ford refuses to look at it or diagnose it even though it is a known issue.

Engine light is now on and when I fill my car up with gas it has a stall and takes 3-4 times to turn on. My safety is at risk if this recall is not repaired and my car catches fire. Started a month ago and it's challenging to schedule with Ford.

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Coolant intrusion: a design flaw in the open-deck engine block allows coolant to leak into the combustion chambers, leading to misfires, white smoke, and severe engine damage. Affected vehicles: primarily 2017-2019 Escapes and 2014-2019 fusions with the 1. 5l ecoboost engine, built before specific dates. Symptoms: low coolant, white exhaust smoke, rough idling, check engine light, and dtcs like p0300, p0301-p0304.