2018 Ford Escape Engine

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.

Coolant leaking into engine. Engine failure

I purchased my 2018 Ford Escape Ecoboost in June 2024 with 64K miles. Two weeks later the engine light came on with the code for misfire in cylinder 1. I brought it back to the dealer which they cleared it stating it was old history that needed to be cleared. In October the same code came on and the spark plugs and coil was replaced. Then in January the engine light came on with the same code then when would go off right before I’d bring it in. I was told that it was a common occurrence with the car (light going on and off) it began again end of March, on for a few days then off. I took it in on April 9th and they told me it was a complaint leak into the cylinder 1 and needs a long block replacement which will cost $9600.00 over half the cost of the vehicle. The vehicle has 76k miles. I was told there’s class action lawsuits about this issue. My mom has the same vehicle and it also happened to her right before her warranty went out at 56k miles and the engine was replaced.

See attached document for complaint.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was started and running, the vehicle shuddered, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone, where a handheld diagnostic scanner indicated that there was a misfire in cylinder #4. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the "Engine Overheating" message was displayed on the instrument panel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

I have a 2018 Ford Escape 1.5L EcoBoost purchased on 2/2/18. On 9/17/25, after starting the car I noticed that it idled very rough when I put it in gear, but drove fine afterward. This behavior continued to happen over the next week when I also noticed strong smelling white exhaust/smoke coming from the car while I was still in the garage. On 9/23/25 the Service Engine Soon light came on shortly after I started driving. I took the car in for diagnostic testing to my Ford dealer on 9/25/25 and the coolant intrusion issue was identified with codes P0302 and P0316. Because I will not be replacing the engine long block (quoted at $10,570 + tax)--the car is past even the Ford extended warranty of 7yr/84,000mi with 85,721 miles when diagnosed--I was told I need to watch the coolant, that I can drive the car, but that the engine will eventually burn out. I was referred to TSB 22-2322 to read more about the problem, but no fix was offered. With no resolution, this Escape is a timebomb that will eventually experience total engine failure and/or engine fire.

There is coolant intrusion that is a known issue with this model. Coolant is leaking into cylinder 1, which has damaged the engine.

Check engine light came on and car started to shake. Took to Ford dealership and they said the coolant leaked into the engine. If I was driving, something bad could've happened.

Known issue with coolant system. Car is overheating and caused a problem with my engine block. It is a known issue with these vehicles. Ford did a customer satisfaction program (21N12) to fix it for free but only up to 7 years or so many miles. The problem is that I wasn't made aware that this could ever possibly be an issue so how was I supposed to get it fixed with no knowledge of the problem. Now I'm having to pay out of pocket to get it fixed because of Ford's poor design and lack of care for their shoddy product. Fixing this issue will cost thousands, not to mention having to miss work because my car overheated. Which could possibly end up getting me fired. Ford needs to be held accountable for selling poorly made product and not even helping when it falters. My family and I have purchased Ford vehicles for decades but this will probably be the last of that tradition if they can't even be responsible for their own mistakes.

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 dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 65,000.

I was crossing the road and the suv just stopped. I’m stuck in the middle of a busy road. Luckily I had help to get the car across. The SUV would not start up again.

Sudden loss of compression on a cylinder lead to loss of all power and engine failure on the highway. A Google search reported this as a known issue with the 1.5L turbos in the 2017-2019 model year Escapes. I took my car in to the Ford dealership and was instructed to open a claim with Ford Corporate and to request financial assistance for an engine replacement. Ford is very well aware of this issue where the engines suddenly pull all the coolant into the engine and cause engine failure. Ford has been offering financial assistance to replace these engines apparently trying to avoid a recall. At the local Ford dealership, this is such a known issue that they are keeping a long block and short block in stock at all times.

While accelerating onto a 70 mph highway via an on-ramp, my vehicle suddenly began to misfire severely, resulting in a dramatic loss of power. It was unable to climb the incline. I immediately activated the emergency flashers, but vehicles approaching from behind at highway speeds were forced to brake abruptly and swerve to avoid a collision. Fortunately, I was able to safely exit via the next off-ramp. During the misfire, the check engine light began flashing on the dashboard. A few months prior, a warning light appeared at startup. Diagnostic code P0302 indicated a misfire in Cylinder 2 during the first 1,000 revolutions. The recommended fix was to replace the spark plugs and ignition coils. I had all spark plugs replaced, and the plug in Cylinder 2 was notably fouled. I also topped off the coolant at that time. Approximately a month later, I checked the coolant again and found it nearly depleted. I refilled it, but there were no visible signs of leakage—no smoke, and the oil appeared normal. Then came the highway incident. Afterward, a mechanic diagnosed a significant coolant leak into Cylinder 2 using a scope. A new $12k engine(w/labor) is required! Further research revealed this is a well-documented and chronic issue tied to a manufacturing defect in Ford’s 1.5L EcoBoost engines (and others). Numerous class action lawsuits have been filed, and Ford previously issued bulletin 21N12 for a one-time repair—now discontinued. Ford is fully aware of this defect. I am grateful that the vehicles behind me were able to avoid a crash, and that I am here today to share this experience. Every mechanic I consulted confirmed that this issue is widely known, and expressed frustration that Ford has not taken responsibility.  Why must we wait for a catastrophic event or loss of life before Ford acknowledges the severity of this defect? Recently, Ford recalled a backup camera—yet faulty engines that can fail at highway speeds receive no such action. Lives are at risk!

While driving the car got hot and on the highway the car slowed all the way down to 5mph almost causing a car to hit me from behind and cause a crash on the highway

The car has 90K miles and it has coolant getting into the combustion chambers.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was coolant intrusion into various cylinders, resulting in engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short block Replacement after Coolant Intrusion). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to start. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the cylinders and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 85,000.

Check engine light came on, I immediately brought to Ford dealership who has done all maintenance, Ford technician ran applicable tests and determined my 2.0L EcoBoost engine has cracked engine plate causing cylinder 2 misfire and coolant leak, which I was advised only fix for is installing new updated engine from Ford. I was informed this is a known issue and the replacement engine fixes the manufacturing defect. They directed me to the problem noted in NHTSB service bulletin 19-2346 from December 2019. The Ford corporate customer care team advised me to report the issue to the NHTSB in order to receive engine coverage. I feel Ford corporation should have informed me of this known issue so I could have taken action to sell the vehicle, as they have left me with a remaining loan balance and major repair needed. Thank you for your attention to this.

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.

The contact's mother-in-law owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her mother-in-law had experienced a loss of motive power while driving at various speeds. The contact was informed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's mother-in-law had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who replaced the spark plugs, ignition coils, and fuel pump. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same mechanic who was able to diagnose that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The mechanic referred the owner to a dealer for assistance. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and confirmed that coolant had entered the cylinders and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had researched online and related the failure to a known failure of the 2.0 liter engines. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,090.

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.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the "Engine Overheated" message was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle shut down. The vehicle failed to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

Had a lot of knocking in the engine on startup and sometimes driving down the road. Engine check light went on, used code reader to diagnose and it said misfire on cylinder 2. Replaced spark plugs and ignition coils to solve problem. Ran well for about a week, week and half before had the same issues pop up again. Then all of the sudden I’m driving down the road and the temp spikes in the engine and warning light comes on about car overheating and to pull off the road . I was on the highway so I let off the gas and the temp came right back down. Took the car to a Tire Kingdom to get it checked out and the coolant is almost all gone, it’s leaked back into the engine and the head gasket needs replaced. Call Ford to see if they would cover service and the dealer and Ford corporate both said it would not be covered, despite TSBs being out about this issue.

MY FORD ESCAPE IS A 2018 WITH 54,000 MI AND COOLANT WAS LEAKING IN THE CYLYDERS. IT WAS SOLD TO ME AS A LOW MILAGE MINT COND. SUV THROUGH CARMAX WHO DID NOT DISCLOSE THIS PROBLEM AND ALSO FORD. NOW ITS SITTING AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP FOR 2 WKS WITH NOTHING DONE AND "WAITING TO HEAR" FROM FORD. THEY SAY THE JOB COULD BE UP TO $11,000.