After the original 2.0L EcoBoost in my MKC Black Label failed from coolant intrusion around 37,500 miles in May 2023 which I posted about, the replacement engine my dealer installed ALSO failed from coolant intrusion. This time, it failed in July 2024 AFTER LESS THAN 5,000 MILES. Like the first engine failure, the check engine light illuminated, but this time, the code I saw was P0300 random cylinder misfire. Like last time, the dealer performed a cooling system pressurization test, and the engine failed the test. They also did a borescope inspection and saw coolant leaking into cylinder three's combustion chamber. They also found rust pitting in the cylinder walls. Like last time, they replaced the $7,000+ long block AGAIN. This failed replacement engine was assembled in March 2023 via the engine code information sticker, with the block part number J2GE 6006 AC, which Ford's TSB 22-2229 states technicians should use. The engine currently in my car, the second replacement, was assembled in April 2024, having the same block part number of J2GE 6006 AC as the first replacement engine assembled in March 2023. In other words, the dealer installed an engine with the same block part number as the one that failed on me in less than 5,000 miles.

All three of my MKC's engines are assembled at Ford's Valencia engine plant in Spain. I'm afraid this second engine replacement will also fail, and I'll have to pay the full cost. In the less than three years I've owned this car, these engine replacements have cost $14,000+. I can't believe how many owners have experienced this coolant intrusion problem, as the 2.0L EcoBoost is used in many models. And it's not just the 2.0L; it's also other variants such as the 1.5L, 1.6L, and 2.3L. I hope Ford will do the right thing and recall these engines, or NHTSA will open an investigation and force a recall. Please help us owners, NHTSA, as there are many, many more of us out there suffering from these notorious engine problems that Ford doesn't want to deal with!

I bought this MKC Black Label with the 2.0L EcoBoost I-4 in December 2021 with just over 30,000 miles. Beginning around April 29, 2023, I noticed the engine started running rough, and the check engine light illuminated. I had a code reader, and it was the #1 cylinder misfiring.

Before this happened, since I purchased the car, the coolant reservoir tank level had gradually decreased without any physical sign of leakage. The engine was burning coolant. It took a few weeks to get it to the shop, and they diagnosed it as coolant entering the #1 cylinder and burning, as I thought. About a week after the diagnostic, a brand new 2.0L engine was installed, with an updated block design (third gen) designed to prevent the coolant intrusion problem the second-gen 2.0Ls had. This coolant intrusion problem affects specific years of Ford's 1.5L, 1.6L, 2.0L, and 2.3L EcoBoost I-4s.

Had this happened out of warranty, I would have been hit with a $8,000+ bill.

If you have a second-gen 2.0 or other variants of the engine, such as the 2.3, watch out. It's only a matter of time before your engine fails. My car's original one lasted just 37,000 miles and it was babied. If you're looking at a Ford/Lincoln vehicle with this engine with the defective block design, buy at your own risk and get an extended warranty.

For additional information there's a blog named Vroom Fume that discusses this issue more in-depth, it's definitely worth reading.