2018 Ford Escape Complaint Log

At 62,0000 miles, the coolant has started leaking into one of the engine cylinders. The Ford dealership says that the engine block is cracked, the engine needs to be replaced, and that Ford will not warrant it. I have seen hundreds of reports of this same issue at about this same mileage online. Clearly this is a manufacturing defect. No one expects a car to only last 62K miles.

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.

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.

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.

My 2018 Ford Escape with only about 70000 miles needs a complete engine replacement. The reason is there a crack in the cylinder which is leaking coolant into the engine. Because of that I need my entire engine replaced at a cost of $6,800.00. This car has been very well maintained. I have always followed the vehicle maintenance recommendations.

Coolant intrusion lead to broken head gasket. Ford CSP 19B37 and 21N12 expired Nov 2022 and Ford will not cover cost of repairs even though this was a known issue from June 2022 and last service at Ford dealership was July 2023.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the transmission and alternator had been replaced in the past. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant level was low, the cylinder temperature was too high, cylinder #2 had misfired, and the spark plugs had seized. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

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.

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

Coolant leaking into engine.

We started noticing the car hesitating and engine light came on. We took it to mechanic who replaced coils and spark plugs. We drove it for two days and the same problem occurred but only worse. We took the car back and they told us it looked like one of the spark plugs was melted and tried to fix it again only for it to continue as soon as we pulled out of lot. So 3 times at that mechanic and it drove slightly ok for about a week. The next week all kinds of sensors and lights started popping up such as 4wd disabled , ABS, Hills auto start disabled.We took it to the Ford dealer to get a tune up thinking that was the problem only to receive a phone call saying our engine is ruined. There was coolant leaking into the engine and they found metal shavings in the engine. They informed us this was an ongoing problem for some time. They also stated if they put the same engine in the car as a replacement that it would probably be faulty too. They proceeded to tell us that, because we were outside of our warranty, we could either pay 8-10k for a new motor or we could start over buying a much more expensive car. We only have 9,000 left to pay off so exactly 1 year left on our paying off the car and they want us to keep paying them while we pay them more money to fix their problem?!!! We have been with Ford for 10 years and experience a recall before. We lived in California at the time so we were covered under lemon law. This is beyond poor business practice. There are thousands and thousands of people with this very issue and they do nothing to help their consumers who make them rich.

APIM is not fuctional. Rear camera does not work, display does not work, stereo does not work. Resetting the system does not work. Fuses are all good, and electrical connections confirmed good. APIM issues have been an issue with this year of Ford.

the belly shield has falling off numerous times, speaking with another customer in a dealership today, his has also fallen off. This has to be a known issue as the clips are not stable to hold.

Coolant leaking into engine. Not dead yet but not drivable since it will cause more damage to the engine. Luckily caught it before engine went out on the highway, overheating occurred, or fire occurred. This was confirmed by a dealership after they did an engine diagnostic, although a month ago when I brought it in for an oil change they noticed my coolant was low and said they would look into it, they didn’t. Only the ford dealership mechanics have inspected this as of yesterday. An engine warning light came on the day I took it in (yesterday). - was told by my dealership that entire engine needs to be replaced.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, there was an abnormal clicking noise detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the clutch plate and flex plate needed to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there were no open recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

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.

Check engine light came on, when car was plugged in to investigate you get the number one cylinder is misfiring warning. Had a coil pack replaced and within 200 miles, the check engine light returned. Currently my vehicle is at the ford dealership and they are reporting I need a new motor. I am losing antifreeze which is going into the cylinders.

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.

Head Gasket appears to have failed prematurely allowing coolant liquid to enter cylinder and degrade internal components of engine, causing misfiring and engine overheating and failure messages. Conditions have been confirmed by private independent mechanic. have appointment to have dealer evaluate issue.

Low beam headlights keep burning out, no repair information on Alldata and no recall for this safety problem.

The engine has failed due to a cylinder misfire that was caused by coolant leaking into the engine block. Mileage on my car is 85,918 Ford had a recall on the engine but the recall was for 84,000 miles or below. So, my car is over by 1,918 miles. Ford says they can’t do anything to offset the cost of getting a new engine.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine temperature gauge became extremely elevated. The check engine and high engine temperature warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Coolant intrusion to engine causing all coolant to drain

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was vibrating and driving rough. The contact pulled off the roadway and drove to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was a coolant intrusion in cylinder #2. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer who confirmed coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to TSB Number: 19-2139 - Coolant Intrusion Into the Cylinders (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

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.

Coolant intrusion problem.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine misfired. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used a code reader and retrieved DTC code: P201, indicating there was moisture in the cylinder. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,347.

While driving the vehicle a light indicating overheating came on. I slowly and safely made it home and parked the vehicle outside as I was scared it could catch on fire. I contacted a local repair shop, who stated to have it towed to them. The owner of the shop indicated there is coolant leaking/intruding into the cylinder. He stated this is a known issue with Ford's with this particular engine. He stated it is not safe to drive. I contacted two Ford dealerships who stated this is a known issue but there is no coverage to repair it. I contacted Ford Customer Care who advised the customer satisfaction program, 21N12, for this mechanical issue expired in November 2022 which is prior to when I purchased the car. I have been advised by Ford to take it to a Ford dealership for a diagnostic check. I informed them the vehicle is not safe to drive and would need to be towed. I requested they at minimum cover the diagnostic evaluation at the dealership to which they responded the dealers are independently operated and they can't waive it. Ford customer care stated once evaluated at a dealer they would then escalate the issue to a level 2 care executive department and requested I keep all receipts for potential reimbursement. The vehicle is available for NHTSA to inspect.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to b replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 89,000.

I’m at 87,000 miles and all of a sudden my check engine light comes on it reads misfire. I take it in have new spark plugs Put in next week my check engine light comes on again. We check the oil now I have coolant leaking into my cylinders and oil. It never overheated nor have I had any other issues. It is non-drivable and I owe $24000 on it. I read online that others have had this same situation.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the engine misfired and was running rough. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,245.

Check engine like came on and I took the vehicle to the dealership the next day. I was told there was coolant leak into the cylinders and I need a new engine. Cost $9000

I have kept this vehicle always serviced and took care of it . One day I was starting the car in the morning , the car was shaking when starting, I drove it was ok , I did have little bit of shaking in Idle . the next day, car also started to shake , after driving it for 3 minutes a check engine light came . I called Pepboys where they did recommended the replacement of the Spark plugs and the coils, after doing all job at pep-boys, next day , same shaking problem and same check engine light it was a misfire in Cylinder 3 then it show multiple Cylinder code, get it back to pep boys. They checked their job and did a leaking test for cylinder which showed a 18-20% leak , then they told me they car has issues in the Gaskets or the Pistons , and you should take it to the dealer, I called the Davidson Ford in Clay, they did test the car and said there is nothing wrong with it , Even the tech drove for 30 Miles. they cleared the Engine light and gave me the car. the second day , car started shaking again when start and the check engine light start Flashing and then the sign Engine Needs Maintenance now appeared I turned it off , towed it back to the dealer . Where they did further diagnostic and found out that there's a coolant intrusion in the Cylinders and the car needs a new engine !! car has 93K ish miles on it ... never ever had an issue with it ....

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power train warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related to the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired under the Customer Satisfaction Program because the mileage had been exceeded. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

Manufacturing design defect in Ford 2.0L Ford Escape. Number 4 cylinder misfire (P0304) and coolant intrusion into cylinder 4. Common pproblem but Ford has not issued a recall as of 06/01/2024. Conyacted Ford customer relations but no succes. Demanding I pay for the engine replacement. Why - since it is a known defect by Ford? 1.5L ening , same problem and Ford issued recall notice for that engine is same model Escape.

The engine began to report misfires in cylinder 3. Spark plugs and ignition coils were replaced, white smoke was noticed out of the exhaust, and the engine was still misfiring. A compression test was run, noting that the engine could not build pressure. The repair shop reported that this is a common issue with these engines and that a new engine would be required. This could have failed while driving at interstate speeds, causing an accident, or the lack of coolant could have led to a fire. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, just an independent repair shop. The first dash light that came on was the check engine light, with a code of "misfire in cylinder three" subsequently leading to the belief of a bad spark plug or ignition coil for that cylinder. Three days later, the "service engine now" light came on and the vehicle was taken to a repair shop. No other lights were present.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic a second time and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle functioned normally. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission was hesitating while shifting to the next gear, and occasionally slipped out of the intended gear while driving at various speeds. The contact stated there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from under the vehicle whenever the transmission slipped out of gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the coil packs and spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer however, the dealer was unable to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and idling, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to drive, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with coolant intrusion which caused a misfire in cylinders #1 and #2 from a crack in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Coolant leaking into 3rd cylinder causing engine failure.

My car began running rough upon start a few weeks ago. After pressing the gas pedal, it would smooth out a little. I took it to my normal mechanic to get it looked at and the engine coolant was low. The reason was that coolant had been intruding into the engine block. This is a KNOWN ISSUE to Ford on 2017-2019 Escapes and other models. This issue puts people at risk for breakdowns. The engine can apparently overheat without warning. My mechanic filled the coolant and pressurized the system and the car started and idled the same way, which is to say roughly. It had been starting that way and running rough up hills for a few weeks, but the check engine lamp only came on recently.

My 2018 Ford Escape needs a completely new engine at 84,495 miles due to coolant leaking into the engine. $9100 to fix an issue Ford is aware of is unacceptable. Ford extended the warranty to 84,000/7yrs. This should be a recall and not simply an extended warranty.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local service center who diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under an unknown Manufacturer's Extended Warranty Campaign related to the failure. The failure mileage was 161,000.

This is the third time my lift-gate ( back hatch ) has started working intermittently. I assume the latch is an electromagnet. It is very unsafe as it does not always latch tight and there is no emergency release. Century Ford replaced the first latch on 3/11/21, R.O.342961. It was also worked on 9/15/21. the current incident started on or about 5/20/24

Antifreeze is going into the engine making the SUV shake and blow white smoke so the vehicle is inoperable. The mechanic told me this is a problem with the 2018 Ford Escape and that Ford would only cover the cost of repairs up to 84,000 miles or 7 years and my vehicle has 94,000 so Ford says they won't do anything to cover the cost of a new engine. Since when is there an expiration date/miles on a RECALL? NOONE DRIVES THEIR CAR 12,000 MILES A YEAR ANYMORE. These number's need to be reevaluated for a more accurate mileage. This RECALL needs to be extended to all Ford customers since we've paid for a vehicle and didn't even get 100,000 miles out of it when it's report to last 200,000-250,000 miles. Ford has had multiple issues with all of their ECO vehicles.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the lift gate latch did not function as intended. The contact stated that the lift gate failed to unlock and open. In addition, the contact stated that due to the failure, it took about 20 minutes or more to get the lift gate latch to unlock and open. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not associated with any recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 44,600.

I have a coolant intrusion in the 1.5L engine and now I have to have the entire engine replaced, and it will cost me more than the car is worth. This is a widely known problem and Ford refuses to include all year/make/models with this issue. I have no way to get my car fixed and it's been down for over a year now because I can't afford to get it fixed.