Ford EcoBoost 1.5l block has design flaws, causing coolant to enter into the block which causes the car to studder and reduce speed due to a misfire happening in the engine. Inspection upon request approved. Car acted completely fine, as we entered onto the highway we started to pick up speed as traffic is very fast, about 100 yards after entering the highway the vehicle failed causing sudden reduce engine performance. Traffic caught up to us as we veered to the far right shoulder, almost getting rear ended and causing a multiple car pileup. Car was towed to the Ford dealership for diagnosis, that was when ford told us this is a common issue on 1.5l EcoBoost's and common on all of the EcoBoost. There was a recall for this issue, but it does not pertain to this VIN due to the build location? There were no warning signs, no messages or any other symptoms to know this was going to happen. Ford knows about this EcoBoost problem and has made a new block to replace the design flawed 1.5l EcoBoost, but no recall on for anything in relation to this. Ford didn't notify us about this issue, which very easily could have ended in a horrible car accident and the death of the multiple people in the vehicle when it failed. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN AND FORD SHOULD TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THERE POORLY DESIGNED ENGINES! I'm very lucky my mother wasn't driving, as this could have ended very horribly.

- Eagle Point, OR, USA

Bought a used car from Marsh Auto Sales in Ortonville Michigan in April, the very next day the check engine light came on and car would not start. It kept saying -??Engine Fault.-?? Finally got the car to start, drove it for the rest of the month, scheduled a service appointment but the car overheated, we were stuck on the side of the road, it would not run and the coolant was low. Looked on Ford-??s website and there was a -??Customer Satisfaction Recall or program - 19B37, Campaign number 21N12-?? that issued a recall for a the exact problem and the engine needed to be replaced. They issued the recall during Covid, and Im sure it was hard for the original owner to submit it for service as getting appointments was extremely hard. I called Ford, and Marsh Auto Sales and neither were willing to help.

- Grand Blanc, MI, USA

Experiencing coolant intrusion with a 2018 Ford Escape. Ford is charging $8,000 for the repair. This is known issue with the vehicle. They instituted a temporary program to fix the vehicle free of charge but has expired in 2022. Ford should have recalled the vehicle for this issue. It is unacceptable they can charge so much for a known issue, that they acknowledge is their own fault.

- Henderson, NV, USA

Check engine light came on and coolant tank was nearly empty after refilling it days before. Mechanic confirmed engine failure.

- Lawrence, PA, USA

Check engine light came on and engine running rough. Shop found coolant leaking into cylinders due to issue with the make of the engine. Needs a new engine before it can be drivable. This is a known problem with these engines that Ford is aware of but a formal recall has not been issued.

- Big Lake, MN, USA

Had to take the vehicle into the dealer the end of April 2025 for oil leak that they discovered. It was fixed. Then on May 8 2025 check engine light came on so had it towed to Ford dealer. They couldn't find any thing wrong. Car had white smoke, shaking when starting and smelled like oil. They had it 6 days before returning it. They said the white smoke was normal for an older car because the exhaust ststem is older. Huh"?" so then on May 29 2025 the car still had the white smoke when started. Moved car down the driveway into the street and it died. It would not move and was sitting in the middle of the street. Let it sit for a while and was able to move it back into the driveway. Called dealer again and asked them to tow it again. Dealer said the wall was cracked and the coolant had leaked into the cylinders and the engine needed to be replaced at a cost of $10,000. Oh and that was a discounted price. The warranty had ran out 86 miles before. I asked Ford Motor Co. If they would do anything about it and they said they had no programs to pay for it. They sold a faulty vehicle and should have to pay for the repairs, not me. It was a danger to drive and we as owners were not told about it.

- Omaha, NE, USA

Coolant intrusion. Engine fault light came on and then the engine overheating light came on. Coolant was empty. Added coolant. Coolant emptied. No puddles on ground. No visible leaks. Problem confirmed by dealership. Owned vehicle for a week before the issue appeared. Outside the 21N12 customer satisfaction program by a month.

- Indianola, IA, USA

Vehicle has a known issue with the coolant leaking into the engine and causing the engine block to fail. This has been documented thousands of times with almost 100 complaints on this site. Our vehicle has 34,000 miles on it and the engine had catastrophic failure while driving, which could have caused a fatal accident. Thankfully, it didn't cause any damage or injuries. The engine is going to cost $10,500 to replace and Ford is not assisting with any of the cost. The Ford repair shop has confirmed that this is what occurred.

- Palisade, MN, USA

At 46000 miles mileage cylinder 3 misfired. This led to sudden engine slowdown on a busy street. Headgasket broke and coolant intruded into engine causing total engine failure.

- Panama City, FL, USA

From what I understand, the engine malfunctioned in a way that caused the cylinder compression to fail in several cylinders, but not all. This caused the car to stutter, shake, and slow down significantly in traffic on the highway. A warning popped up on the dashboard that said to shut the car down as soon as possible. We pulled over right away, which left us on a bridge on the highway. This endangered us as well as passing traffic, and then the tow truck person as well. We had to have the entire engine replaced in the car, which then after about 25 miles of driving, had the exact same problem (thankfully, in a 25 mph neighborhood this time). The problem has been replicated by the service center several times. They have now installed a total of three replacement engines that were all defective.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated and the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred, and the engine was replaced at 18,000. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

- Swannanoa, NC, USA

Coolant intrusion

- Lake View, NY, USA

Purchased 2018 Escape at 64, xxx miles and was doing well. At around 86, xxx miles noticed a misfire and white smoke out of the exhaust. Took it to a shop and they did tests. They confirmed that it had coolant intrusion on cylinders 2 & 3. Since it is 2,000 miles over the 21N12 FoMoCo said we are basically on our own for repairs. Thank for being so stand up for your products Ford!!

- Casper, WY, USA

All of a sudden, right around 108,000 miles, the check engine light came on. Upon several mechanic visits, and replacing ignition coils, and spark plugs, and even doing a system engine oil flush, the check engine light keeps coming back on. The same code is displayed, a cylinder 2 and 3 misfire. Upon further investigation, I've found that this is a common issue that happens with the same model as my vehicle and instances occur with various mileage on the vehicle, some reported from 15,000 and up to 240,000 miles on the vehicle. During my research, I found that Ford realized that this was the engine type itself being at fault and changed from a short block engine to a better one going forward. I've also read reports that Ford has corrected the issue by replacing the engine retroactively. I feel that this is a major safety concern, as I was told be several mechanics that it could fail while driving and shake uncontrollably, which as anyone who drives would know, could cause major collisions. I urge this agency to take corrective action against Ford Motor Company in general and in encouraging them to fix the issue in my vehicle.

- Land O Lakes, FL, USA

My car was working fine. Two weeks ago, the check engine light came on, so I took it to a local repair shop. They said it had a misfire code and the car needed new spark plugs and a new ignition coil. My Escape has 86,000 miles on it. The check engine light went off, but a week later, the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree and said engine was overheating, stop car immediately. I was about 1 block from my house. The car stalled and would not run at all. After about five minutes, I was able to start the car and limp back home. I called AAA and they towed it to a AAA repair center. Three days later, the repair center called and said that I needed a new engine. They told me that there was a known problem with these engines and that Ford would replace the engines in cars with 84,000 miles or less. They advised me to go to a dealer and see if they would replace the engine because I was so close to 84,000. I went to a Ford dealer and they said they would not replace the engine. They also said that if the Ford dealer replaced the engine, it would cost approximately $8,000. The car is valued at $10-12,000. I currently still owe $12,000 on this vehicle.

- Largo, FL, USA

Engine coolant intrusion into Cylinder head. Vehicle is a 2018 with 95k miles on it. This is causing cylinder 1 misfiring and FORD is saying it requires a new engine block.

- Geneva, IL, USA

Ford is trying to say that my engine is blown, my check engine light came on at 105,000 miles and it said that my cylinder too was misfiring. I brought it to my mechanic and he replaced the coils and the spark plugs and the check engine light kept coming back on within a few hours I took the vehicle to my mechanic five times in three days the last time I took it to my mechanic the vehicle started overheat, there was no power, the vehicle is shaking, and it left me pretty much stuck on the side of the road with a child in my car.

- Saint Albans, VT, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the vehicle began to jerk then suddenly lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the contact stated that upon reaching her destination, the vehicle stalled and had since not been able to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 127,000.

- San Bernardino, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the engine compartment, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated normally, but while the vehicle was idling, the contact observed a rumbling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred three days later. The vehicle was taken to the same independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the cylinders needed to be interchanged. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred five days later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

- Panama City, FL, USA

Ecoboost 1.8l engine failure due to coolant leaking into the cylinders. Looks to be a very common issue that Ford is very aware.

- Stow, OH, USA