The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the failure could cause engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

- Lexington, NC, USA

Coolant intrusion in my 2017 Ford Escape Titanium presents a serious safety hazard that warrants an immediate recall. When coolant leaks into the engine-??s cylinders, it can lead to sudden engine misfires, stalling, loss of power, or complete engine failure while the vehicle is in motion. This creates extremely dangerous driving conditions-?"especially at highway speeds, during turns, or in intersections-?"because it removes the driver-??s ability to accelerate, maintain speed, or safely maneuver the vehicle. In many cases, coolant intrusion causes the engine to overheat rapidly, which can result in thermal damage, smoke, or even fire risk. Drivers often receive little to no warning before these failures occur. The problem is both unpredictable and progressive, meaning a vehicle that appears to be operating normally can suddenly stall or seize without sufficient time for the driver to react. Ford has been aware of widespread coolant intrusion issues across multiple EcoBoost engines, yet many affected owners-?"including myself-?"have not received adequate support, coverage, or recall actions. This defect is not merely a mechanical inconvenience; it is a direct threat to driver, passenger, and public safety. The only appropriate response is a mandatory recall to inspect, repair, or replace affected engines before more drivers experience dangerous failures on the road.Paying for this on a teachers salary before the holidays is a struggle.

- Mount Carmel, IL, USA

Coolant leaking into cylinder, causing white vapor to come out of the exhaust. Keep needing to fill the coolant reservoir.

- Cottonwood , CA, USA

Ford on 12/4/25, diagnosed there is a coolant leak into the engine from the spark plugs, coolant was low when towed in and had rough idle. I know there is a class action suit against ford right now for this very problem with the 1.5, 1.6, and 2.0 engines. The vehicle started overheating and check engine light came on. Started showing about a week ago

- Washington, DC, USA

Passed a truck and when I looked in the mirror I noticed blue smoke. As I was returning home noticed a lack of power and then check engine light came on. Was missing out on cylinder #2, so replaced plugs. Ran ok for a bit but started missing again and check engine light came back on. Called the Ford dealership and had it towed to them. Was told it needed a new engine because coolant had entered the cylinders. This happed on 10/28/25. took to dealer on 11/13/25. This car has only 27000 miles on it, Ford knows they have a design flaw with this motor.

- Topeka, KS, USA

While driving my 2017 Ford Escape, which only has 75k miles on it, a red warning light came on indicating an engine problem and to pull over safely. I was at a red light at a busy intersection when this happened. When it turned green I started driving trying to get into a parking lot safely. My car sputtered and stopped. Luckily I was able to get it into the parking lot. It turns out, after going to the Ford dealership, that it needs a new short block engine due to coolant intrusion, which is a now known design flaw. There was a CSP (recall) 21N12 for this issue for Ford Escapes built at the Louisville, KY plant. My car was built there, and meets/met all the requirements of the CSP, but for some reason was not included in the CSP. I am not sure why. I have reached out to Ford, but they are doing nothing to assist. How has there been nothing else regarding this issue? It is a known design flaw, and Ford isn't being held accountable for it. There are so many people that are affected by this and having to pay up to $10,000 out of pocket for a repair that Ford should be covering!

- Franklin, MA, USA

Coolant intrusion/engine-block design flaw - car shakes, white smoke, leaks all coolant

- Sandy, UT, USA

I began receiving a notification labeled "Engine fault, service now" a few weeks prior to the incident. I took my car to a mechanic and everything checked out fine, so the code was cleared and did not return. A few weeks later, I was changing my oil and noticed my engine coolant appeared extremely low. I also noticed a wet spot under my car under the coolant chamber side. I refilled the coolant, drove 5 minutes home, and then noticed it was once again empty. I then had my engine light come on. I took my car to Ford that night. The next day they called and informed me I had an internal coolant leak that had seized my spark plugs and destroyed my engine. This is a known issue, extremely common, and yet they refuse to do a recall on it and could provide me no help. I was quoted $16,000 for the repair (far more than the car is worth) and essentially just ended up having to buy a new car. The Ford will have to be scrapped for a few hundred dollars despite only being 8 years old with only 98,000 miles on it. I have records of my ownership and a written diagnostic report from Ford. From Ford: "Observed coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. Recommend replacement of the long block at this time. Coolant intrusion into long block at this time. Found the engine assembly has an internal coolant leak." Additionally, Ford has posted a service bulletin with recommended repair instructions for this known issue. The bulletin number is 9-2139 from 2019. There is also an active class action lawsuit against Ford being run by Kershaw Talley Barlow for this issue.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

The engine failed due to coolant leaking into the cylinders. Sarasota Ford confirmed that coolant intrusion caused internal engine damage and the engine could not be repaired. The vehicle was purchased only 18 months ago and has been maintained per manufacturer guidelines. This appears to match a known Ford issue that has affected multiple Ford Escape model years involving coolant intrusion, rough running, stalling, and eventual engine failure. The repair required a full engine replacement at a cost of $9,850.20, which we have already paid. I am requesting NHTSA review this defect pattern as it creates safety risks and significant financial impact for owners.

- Parrish, FL, USA

continues to roll when parked engine has been replaced twice grinding when putting in park

- Baltimore, MD, USA

An -??engine fault check engine now-?? Came up. We quickly brought our 2017 Ford escape into our near by Ford dealership. Mechanic says a P2601 code came up, which is related to coolant to Aux pump performance. They found reservoir leaking a reservoir spiderd hose down to oil cooler. Found coolant reservoir leaking. I have this diagnostic in writing. ford wanted to charge $1088 to fix the issue and said once thats paid they would look further. We didn-??t have close to that amount of money so we went to another near by mechanic, they looked into issue and found the coolant had been leaking into the engine and sent photos, and thats when we realized we needed an engine replacement. We have always taken care of our cars and we should not be having to pay for a brand new engine! The mechanic at the other smaller shop we took car to was actually a prior ford mechanic but left them and says he had seen this issue with this year and model many times! And it was due to a bad engine build that they since corrected for newer cars. So the people who bought a car with that year and model just got screwed. We are now having to take my 5 year old grand daughter to school on a bike and carriage situation, hoping it doesn-??t get to cold or rainy. Not to mention our transmission had to be re built -??just out of warranty-?? so ford was no help once again. We looked it up and the transmission going out just out of warranty was also a recurring issue for this year and model. So really we feel we spent 30,000 to 35,000 on a dud car. We feel not taken care of in the slightest by ford. Also my son has a Ford F-150 and the transmission went out that would cost 5000 to 9000. This truck was gently driven and still had low miles. It should not need such a drastic replacement! We found that this transmission issue was also a recurring issue on that year and model truck and we had no help with it. So we have two ford vehicles now that we poured so much money into that we can-??t use.

- Lockhart , TX, USA

My check engine light came on. So I decided to get a code reading from auto zone. Once code scan I received error code p0303. I then decided to replace all coils and spark plugs, then the check engine light goes out for a couple of days. I decided to take to a local shop they tell me a hose was loose and if the check engine light comes back bring it back-??. I thought to myself that's why I came the first time, I then decided to take to ford. They do the diagnostic and say I have to replace engine because of coolant intrusion. I would need a long block and would cost around 8000 to fix. The reason I am sending this is because I believe that Ford should be held accountable for this known flaw in the design of the ecoboost engine. Many people are or has been going through this problem. A recall is the best way for ford to handle and take accountability.

- Columbia , MD, USA

Coolant intrusion into cylinders at 81,000 miles has damaged engine and transmission pump, requiring replacement of both. Appears this is a known issue with both 2.0L and 1.5L engines.

- Western Springs, IL, USA

I was informed by the Ford Dealership that I needed new engine. I have spoke to 2 mechanics ( my local mechanic who has 2 Ford Escape with engine failures and the other mechanic from DCH Ford who had 3 engine failures) I see there is no recall but with 5 Ford Escape engine failures that I am aware of via only 2 mechanics I would have to say they are more out there.

- Phillipsburg , NJ, USA

Coolant leak causing overheating and rough driving issues. Check engine light stayed on, along with other warning lights. The engine ran terrible. I rely on a Ford vehicle to transport myself and my children safely. This issued cause me to pull over on busy highways and interstates to let the engine rest and add multiple gallons of coolant. Our local mechanic inspected the vehicle and said this was a known issue with these vehicles and recommended to replace the engine due to a crack in the block. I had to replace the whole engine.

- Rome, IN, USA

Ford dealership states the engine needs to be replaced at a cost of 10K due to coolant in the engine oil as a result of failure of the #4 cylinder. The service advisor stated -?? It-??s actually a pretty common thing on these engines-??. This issue was discovered during a routine oil change by Roberson Ford in Albany Oregon.

- Lebanon, OR, USA

I have a 2017 Ford Escape with an EcoBoost engine. My car was running a little bit rough and the check engine light turned on. I made an appointment with an independent service location that I trust to diagnose the issue. After reading the computer code, which noted a cylinder misfire, they noticed that the coolant level was low, did some investigating and found a Ford-issue technical service bulleting from 2022 detailing the likelihood of a coolant leak into the engine. They scoped the cylinder and confirmed the presence of coolant in the cylinder and noted the only repair was a replacement of the entire long block. I then sent my car to a Ford dealership and asked them separately to diagnose the issue, and they returned with the same diagnosis and suggested repair. The safety of me (a lone parent), my 8yo son, and our dog are put at risk every time I have to drive the car since we don't know when the engine might give out completely. I've now been restricted to only driving very small distances until I can find the required $9K to replace the engine. I do not feel comfortable driving my car (which has been great until now), but cannot afford an indefinite rental car, nor a new car, and have no alternative but to drive it. This is a KNOWN ISSUE (as evidenced by the Technical Service Bulletin) and a few older models have actually been recalled, but for some reason, the remaining have not. Ford will not cover any cost of the repair because of the age of the car, even though it only has 52K miles on it (which is extremely low for its age). All known safety issues should be covered regardless of the age of the car. I understand there is an active class action lawsuit against Ford for this very failure, which speaks volumes as to how widespread this safety issue is.

- Portland, OR, USA

My 2017 Ford Escape Titanium with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine is experiencing unexplained coolant loss. After topping off the reservoir, coolant disappears within days, yet there are no visible external leaks. The oil appears milky and frothy, suggesting coolant intrusion into the oil system. This points to a possible internal leak such as a head gasket failure or block defect. This issue poses a safety risk due to potential engine overheating, misfires, and sudden engine failure while driving. Symptoms began in early November 2025 and have worsened over time. The problem has not yet been confirmed by a dealer or independent shop, but it matches known issues documented in Ford-??s Technical Service Bulletin 19-2208. No warning lights appeared prior to the issue. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or other parties. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue and urge Ford to issue a recall or extended coverage for affected vehicles.

- Greer, SC, USA

Had a coolant leak at 67,000 miles, and the only indication I had was the heat in my car stopped working. I assumed it was a thermostat issue, dismissed it, and continued driving for months like that since it was the summer. Where I live, it's pretty mild in the summer so I wasn't driving with AC or heat on, just with the windows down. I happened to notice the coolant reservoir was completely empty while routinely refilling the windshield washer fluid. This was my first indication anything was seriously wrong with my car, and I only noticed accidentally. I took it into the repair shop, and they pressure tested the system. They discovered coolant was leaking into the cylinders and called to tell me Ford has had a technical service bulletin they issued years ago (22-2229) about the engine in my car. This is known defect with the engine, and that the only way to remedy it is to replace the engine long block. They quoted me over $17,000 for the repair (parts and labor), and told me that there was internal engine damage that could lead to the engine seizing while operating, which is an obvious safety issue. Had I not happened to refill the windshield wiper fluid, I would have had no idea. In hindsight, this wasn't just a thermostat issue...it was a massive coolant leak into the cylinders. I didn't even get a check engine light until I had already discovered the issue and was waiting for a repair appointment. The problem is known by Ford, and is widespread enough in the ecoboost engines that they issued a TSB (but not a recall). They're letting people drive around with these engines, which have subtle failure signs in milder climates, and then leaving them to foot the massive repair bill for a known issue caused by their bad engineering.

- Kodiak, AK, USA

Like so many other with the ford escape from 2017 I experience a coolant leak into engine head causing overheating. With only 115,000 miles and the clear amount of vehicles with the same issues its quite disappointing there is nothing ford motor company is doing, when its clearly a manufacturer defect. Any other company would be held responsible for such an obvious mistake made on their part. I would never buy a ford vehicle going forward as this experience is very disappointing.

- Oconto, WI, USA