Engine coolant leaks that ford is not covering

- Lancaster, PA, USA

Coolant leaking into engine.

- Orland Park, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and lost motive power. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was then driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The contact was informed that cylinder #2 needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was diagnosed again with a failure within cylinder #2, due to coolant intrusion. The contact was informed that cylinder #2 needed to be replaced again. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failure of cylinder #2 due to coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that due to the coolant intrusion and the repeated cylinder #2 failure, the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. In addition, the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,617.

- The Villages, FL, USA

While driving 70 mph on the interstate, the check engine light came on and the brakes went out and the car died. It was moved to the shoulder and towed to Jarrett Ford (Charlotte Co FL). They diagnosed it with fluids have leaked into the engine and now the engine needs replacing. I am of course 1,300 miles outside of warranty. Upon researching engine troubles, this seems to be a recurring issue in Ford Escapes. I contacted Ford and they refuse to help me. $7300 is a lot of money for a non profit animal rescue to come up with.

- Port Charlotte, FL, USA

Check engine light came on with a P0302 code, indicating misfire. Took it to the dealer that verified coolant intrusion, indicating 21N12. Mileage exceeding the allowable coverage under 21N12, but it was covered by an extended warranty. In addition to having the short block replaced, the wiring harness and PCM were soaked with oil, requiring additional replacement of both. A month prior, the flex plate also failed and required replacement under warranty.

- Livonia, NY, USA

On the 1st of this month (June 2024), my check engine light came on. we took it to our local auto shop and had a diagnosis ran on it to see what the problem was. We were told that a p303 code was what showed up. I took it to a local mechanic who replaced the spark plug and ignition coil. The next day, it threw the same code again. Same mechanic replaced it all again. The code popped up again. Took it to another mechanic who then told us take it to Ford as it had a blown head casket and our coolant was leaking into the combustible engine. I took it to Ford and they acknowledged it was an ongoing issue with this make and model of vehicle. We had ford diagnose the vehicle themselves and are now telling us that we have to replace the whole engine. We found online there are over 500 people having the same issues as we are. I was warned that if i continue to drive it, my engine can literally catch fire at this point. It is definitely a safety concern for all who drive an escape. Also my vehicle doesn't even have 100k miles on it yet. I am suprized that there hasnt already been a recall on this motor yet seeing as how many people are having this same issue.

- Garrison, TX, USA

The motor blew. Dealer confirmed no compression in cylinder 2 and damage to the top and bottom of the head requiring the motor to be replaced. I was accelerating onto the freeway going uphill when I lost acceleration. The car went into "limp mode". I had no warning lights until the vehicle lost power at which time the service engine soon light illuminated and flashed intermittently. Evidently it's a known issue with this engine and a service advisory was issued but nothing was done to proactively prevent the issue. My vehicle is less than 6 years old and was under 75,000 miles.

- Fountain Valley, CA, USA

This vehicle was purchased in 2018 new. In 2020, due to engine misfiring/recall a new engine was installed.. On June 10, 2024, the vehicle started misfiring and running sluggish. Took the vehicle on June 11, 2024 for a diagnostic test. The test showed that the number two cylinder was bad. It was suggested I buy a coil and spark plugs and they were installed on June 12, 2024.The vehicle still runs badly so it has been parked since June 12, 2024. I reached out to a Ford dealership and they agreed to come and fix the vehicle, but they only did the recall on the transmission. I was also informed to bring the car to their shop.

- Denver, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power train warning light illuminated. The contact stated while driving, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed there was coolant intrusion in the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty for the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,148.

- Newtown, CT, USA

My 2018 ford escape began running strangely intermittently. No warning lights and it would only last less than a minute Some time later, it started slow starting on cold starts. No warning lights Eventually the engine light came on. Diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder 2. Had all 4 spark plugs and two coils replaced The engine light came back on and the car was routinely starting slow. About 2 days later the overheating warning came on and the coolant was low

- Southgate, MI, USA

My 2018 ford sel 1.5 ecoboost constantly looses coolant. No leaks of coolant seen anywhere. And a smell of coolant is now coming from the rear of car. I also had a cylinder 3 misfire.

- Gastonia, NC, USA

Coolant leak into engine.

- Lincoln Park, MI, USA

The engine design used for my car and multiple other makes of Ford have a common problem of leaking coolant into the engine cylinder. After having it diagnosed at the Ford dealership, I was told that I would need a completely new engine because there is no fix and there is no recall for my specific vehicle, but funnily enough, for similar ones with the same issue. I was told that because it was made at X factory instead of Y factory, mine wasn-??t included in the recall issued. If it-??s an engine design flaw why does it matter what factory it was built in? Anyways, I-??m glad I now know my engine is unusable because I had no engine light warning. I just started it one morning and noticed that it was blowing white smoke out of the exhaust and I had no coolant when I looked at the engine. I-??m sure driving a vehicle without any knowledge it was out of coolant or had a crack in the cylinder is a massive safety issue not only to myself but to others on the road with me.

- Greenfield, CA, USA

This is an update to complaint 11594178 regarding the coolant intrusion issue for cylinder 3 in 2018 1.5l Ecoboost. Customer Relations Case number: cxh02238478. Consumer to dealership who recommended speaking to customer relations regarding the engine replacement due to the coolant in the cylinders. Consumer spoke to customer relations at manufacturer who reported that consumers VIN does not have a customer satisfaction program. Consumer directed customer relations to the Ford Pass/recall/CSP webpage which lists CSP program. Customer relations reported that vehicle is out of the mileage and the date for that program, and consumer requested information on how to appeal, as vehicle is within the years span of the CSP, and consumer did not receive notice of this being a known issue until after the safety concern of vehicle losing power and overheating and shaking while driving. Manufacturing customer relations reported that NHTSA controls when CSPs are allowed or called for, even though manufacturers determine the length of time and if the program will be conducted. Manufacturers customer relations also reported the notice of the CSP would have been sent from NHTSA, not the manufacturer, after consumer reiterated that no such notice was received for the time frame allotted for this to be addressed. Manufacturers directed consumer to file a complaint with NHTSA and to ask NHTSA about manufacturers CSP and it's requirements. Customer relations reported that there is no allotted CSP or support for consumer regarding long block replacement, as the CSP is also specific to the short block, but due to the nature of the issue and the damage caused by the engine design, the dealership service center is recommending a motor replacement. Manufacturers customer team reported no other follow up can be completed to address the safety concern or assist in fixing the vehicle, but reported many other consumers were experiencing the same issue, and to call back if there are updates.

- Denver, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the check engine warning light returned on the drive back to the residence from the mechanic. After the check engine warning light appeared, the vehicle began to hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal while driving at 35 MPH. Despite the failure, the contact managed to drive the vehicle to the destination. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle back to the independent mechanic the next day, and the vehicle began to overheat as the "High Engine Temperature Stop Safely" message appeared on the instrument panel while driving at 25 MPH. After multiple attempts to restart the vehicle, the failure persisted. The next day, the contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a crack in the cylinder head. The crack resulted in an internal coolant leak which damaged the engine. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle remained in the dealer's possession and had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

- Denver, CO, USA

I got in my car on June 2, 2024, the car was misfiring really bad. I took it to a mechanic on June 3, 2024 to get oil changed and checked to see why it was misfiring and the check engine light. They told me that I had cylinder 2 misfire and misfire on start up. They stated that I need a new head gasket. I then took to the ford dealer and they stated the same codes were reported and I needed a brand new engine. The dealership did inform me that there was a 1 time replacement on a part at a certain mileage or until June 2022. I never received this notice to get it replaced.

- Iberia, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, no assistance was provided because the vehicle was no longer under Warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Tiger, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and would not accelerate above 3 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 97,000.

- Crown Point, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated while starting. In addition, the contact stated the vehicle would occasionally remain idling. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the exhaust pipes began to blow an abnormal amount of smoke after being driven the following day. The vehicle was scanned with an OBD scanner where it was diagnosed that there was a misfire in cylinder #4. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion present in cylinder #4. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

- Hesperia, CA, USA

Engine light on for a leak in the coolant, that is seeping into the engine. Ford is aware of this manufacturing defect and refuses to replace the engine. This is a very common issue that ford is very well aware of as my local ford service garage advised me.

- Cocoa Beach, FL, USA