At approximately 53000, our 2018 Ford Escape began experiencing engine misfires, rough idling, and visible white smoke from the exhaust. After inspection, the dealer confirmed that coolant was leaking into the combustion chamber due to a known design flaw in the 1.5L EcoBoost engine -?" a condition widely reported by other Escape and Fusion owners. This issue was previously covered under Ford-??s Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP 21N12), which extended short block replacement for this exact problem. However, Ford has denied coverage, citing that the vehicle is now just outside the 7-year eligibility window, despite the low mileage and the fact that this is a documented manufacturing defect, not normal wear and tear. Coolant intrusion into the engine is a critical safety risk, as it can cause sudden engine failure, stalling, and loss of power -?" all of which create dangerous driving conditions, especially at highway speeds. Thousands of owners are reporting identical issues online, and many have suffered catastrophic engine failure well before 100,000 miles. Request: I-??m submitting this complaint to formally document the safety concern and urge the NHTSA to investigate this widespread issue and consider a recall. The current extended warranty program is inadequate, as it leaves many consumers -?" like myself -?" with no recourse for a known, dangerous defect.

- Framingham, MA, USA

the check-engine light started coming on just over mile 100k, codes came back as a cylinder misfire. Due to faulty coolant supply systems, the coolant would be used up very quickly, which could cause the engine to overheat and become dead in the water, effectively endangering anyone driving it. The vehicle has had several repairs to the engine, all for the light to come on several times more.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

Check engine light first appeared early May 2025 days after the car started running very roughly, then bucking upon startup; local mechanic said may need engine but should go to dealer; dealer towed a couple of days later as engine light had begun to blink and said it couldn't be driven; a few days later dealer reported coolant leaking into combustion chamber and would need a new engine at $12,860. Apparently a known failure as reported in Technical Service Bulletin 22-2229, date 6/9/2022 for vehicles including my 2018 Ford Escape Titanium 2.0 L Ecoboost with only 44k miles, final assembly Louisville KY. Reported danger of engine failure while driving, possible fire.

- Slingerlands, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was parked for several hours and then started, and the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shaking, lost motive power, and the engine warning light started flashing. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, restated the vehicle and the check engine warning light became illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. Additionally, the mechanic observed coolant leaking into the engine and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.

- San Pablo, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon start the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a cylinder #2 misfire. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed because the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000.

- Rural Retreat, VA, USA

The gasket cracked and coolant leaked into the #2 cylinder.

- Maple Valley, WA, USA

Engine is shaking car. Appearing to misfire. Car was on highway when this occurred.

- Framingham, MA, USA

Blown engine, misfire cylinder 3 coolant leaking into cylinder 3, block cracked...smuttering. problem has been identified by our mechanic, and Ford has been called for a replacement engine. Check engine light was on.

- Desoto, MO, USA

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