2018 Ford Escape complaints

Coolant getting into engine causing misfiring, hesitating check engine light came on. this started in May 2024. Had spark plugs replaced then air filter coolant was low had to add to it had a gas cleaner put into gas tank. This was all done by a licensed mechanic. in 3 appointments. This was an on and off problem the last time i had it to the mechanic he saw the coolant was low and again the engine light was on again that is when he knew coolant was getting into the defected engine on 9/26/24. had a diagnostic test at a ford dealer 10/3. told me i need a new engine for it could catch on fire, blow up or stop running. gave me a ride home. This is a known defect by FORD company in the 2.0,1.5 EcoBoost engine 2018. yet no recall no help. Car is at keystone ford Chambersburg PA, around 43,000 miles.

Check Engine light came on. Scanner resulted in Code P0301. When taken to a service shop was advised coolant leak in cylinder 1, which froze the spark plug, engine needs to be replaced.

The engine overheated and failed due to a known issue with the engine they put out a service bulletin for these specific engines but only up to 87k and now at 97k that mine has they won’t fix it. Its a coolant intrusion and they know this is an issue with these engines.

My 2018 Ford Escape's engine light came on around February of 2024 with the code of P2096 and after a while, it started misfiring and showed the additional code of P0302. I took it in around 82K miles to get it checked out and since I hadn't had any work done, the place I took it to (Midas) did a bunch of work including a tune up and replaced all the coils and spark plugs. It was fine for a month , then the P2096 code came back on and started misfiring again. The car was taken in to be looked at to the same place, but the codes weren't registering and nothing was done. By the end of the same day, the engine light came back on and it started misfiring shortly thereafter with the same 2 codes. I took it back to Midas around September 6, 2024 and they looked at it and told me that it was the known issue of coolant intrusion and the fix was a new engine. I didn't believe them as they had done me badly for other reasons so I took it in to Varsity Ford and they came up with the same conclusion. They replaced the spark plug in cylinder 2 and the misfiring immediately stopped. The check engine light stayed off for 6 days and then came back on with the P0302 code. I know there is a ford customer satisfaction issue and Ford should pay for the fix if it was below 84,000 miles, but my car started misfiring at 82000 miles and the problem has persisted through to almost 86,000 with no changes and I would like Ford to fix the issue since they knew it existed. The coolant intrusion issue is

We purchased this 2018 Ford Escape new. The headlights have burned out many times, and much sooner than normal. What is really a mystery is that many times the low beams will burn out together. This is typically rare as one will burn out and then the other will continue to work for a while. We always replace them in pairs. The local shop changed them out most of the times and they only work for a few months to about six months on average. It is a very strange situation. They will stop working and then will sometimes begin working again, leading me to believe it is not a bulb issue as much as its an electrical issue. We keep checking to see if there is a safety recall as this is very unsafe when they stop working together at night while driving. There are many comments on websites and blogs so we know we are not alone. This is just one of the problems. This vehicle, driven mildly and maintained perfectly on schedule, with most service done at the local Ford dealer service center, has experienced both engine and transmission failure in the low 90k miles. Fortunately, we purchased coverage that took care of those. But we are told that our CNA bumper to bumper warranty does not cover head light issues. I think Ford should pay to have this vehicle examined, to determine what is wrong with the headlight wiring and pay for the repair to restore it to safe operation .

Total engine failure and rebuild due to faulty head gasket component from ford. Vehicle went from running good to all of a sudden having smoke when starting, engine light came on. Immediately had inspected and was told total head gasket/engine failure.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating abnormally but returned to normal functionality afterward. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the coolant intrusion into cylinder #2 had caused a misfire. 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 and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.

1.5L Short Block Coolant Intrusion to Cylinder "19B37" Customer Satisfaction was Performed in January 2020 with 65,000 miles on it. We bought car in June of 2020 now with 105,000 miles on it needs a Motor Per Dealer. They won't cover it Being it's out of Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12 its Still within 7yrs but not 84,000 milage. When we bought it we were UNAWARE of issues before Purchase.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered, jerked, and felt bouncy. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 66,018.

The coolant leaks into the engine's cylinders. This is a known issue by the manufacturer for all 2018 Ford Escapes. Engine failure can occur at anytime while operating the vehicle. The engine light will come on and in one instance there was an engine failure message on the dash.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud ticking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing belt had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant leaking into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. 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.

Coolant leaked into the engine causing it to overheat requiring the engine to be replaced. This was a known defect by Ford regarding this year Escape

A warning signal came on in my FORD Escape indicating a problem with the head gasket or head of the engine. I am NOT complaining about a fire possibility, but I have heard of this as being and issue. I am complaining about the head or head gasket being a problem, according to the vehicle's computer warning system. I contacted FORD and was told that if my vehicle was under seven years old, which it is, or under 84,000 miles, which it is not(@89,000), FORD would do a CUSTOMER SATISFACTION REPAIR. FORD's customer service told me that they would do nothing. This vehicle is my fifth FORD. My last FORD was an F-150. When I retired that vehicle, it had almost 200,000 miles on it. My other vehicle is a DODGE Caravan, with just shy of 200,000 miles. My only point is that I always take care of my vehicle. I have never had any serious issues with my vehicles, save this one. Is there any mandates for the repairs of this vehicle? Thank you for your attention. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I have a 2018 ford escape only like 100,000 has engine gone due to coolant leak. In research I saw ford has ignored this issue from day one to its customers. I have 2018 ford Escape 1.5 EcoBoost. Ford has had one recall also with the transmission bushings that were repaired at 80,000. car ran bad since recall repaired of transmission bushings. Ford has deceived consumers with its engine failure and coolant leaks, with its fraudulent deceptive practices.

Coolant leaking from between cylinders in engine causing it to overheat. This is a known issue by Ford in engines manufactured within a certain time frame. Problem occurred suddenly and unexpectedly. Ford knows about this issue. Check engine light turned on the day before and then the next day the car would fail to start and was overheating

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test to be performed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was discovered that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #3. The contact was then provided an estimate to replace the engine. The contact was referred to the manufacturer who informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN related to the failure. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine light had appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that despite the warning light, the vehicle was still safe to drive. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that there was a misfire in engine cylinder#1. While the contact was driving 40 MPH, the vehicle shut off with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and after months of negotiations, the dealer, the manufacturer, and the contact all partially paid for an engine replacement. Recently, the contact was informed that vehicle was losing coolant. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested a vehicle buy back. The contact continued driving the vehicle; however, the vehicle shut off while driving 60 MPH with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, and it was discovered that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #4. The contact immediately notified the manufacturer and was later informed that the buyback request had been denied. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power and decelerated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had experienced coolant intrusion into the cylinders, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 104,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced rough idling and was sputtering while driving at various speeds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, there was a message that the engine was overheating, and to urgently stop the vehicle safely was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that cylinder #2 was misfiring due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not covered due to the mileage. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,900.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20-30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond, shuddered, and made an abnormal grinding sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving and exceeding 30 MPH. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The recall repair was previously performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with the cost for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 37,800.

I was taking off and i had a warning sign that my hood was opened and nobody didn't even touch the hood

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal clicking sound detected. The transmission default warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that there was no recall coverage for the vehicle. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

I bought a 2018 Ford Escape 1.5L ecoboost as the 2 or 3rd owner. There were no recalls I checked and also did a carfax when I bought the car 7/4/2024. I was driving the car and all of a sudden the car slows itself down from 50mph to 5mph and give me a warning car is overheating. Got to side of road safely and took to the mechanic he then told me about fords customer satisfaction program but since I have 95k miles my car does not qualifiy as they only gave 4 months to people with 84k miles to get fixed free if you are over they will nto fix. I did not own the car when they sent this out in 2022 and there was nothing made public about this engine isssue they are aware of. I am still sore from the seat belts locking up and have neck issues. this car sits in my garage as a paperweight now.

While sitting in my car at idle in park, the car cuts off after 20 minutes or so. At this point, the car will not restart, and it seems that the battery is dead. It did not respond to an attempted jump start, however. On the first occasion the car restarted normally after approximately 1 hour. It has been starting and running fine since then. . On the second occurrence, today, the car shut off while idling in park. It has been 1.5 hours. since auto shutoff left me stranded. The car finally started. I have on occasion put a car ( this is a new one) in park when stopped in traffic.

Check engine light came on. Brought to dealership and told Long Block replacement needed under TSB 22-2229. Manufactured defect of block is root cause. Ford nor dealership are helping at all. This is a manufactured defect that was known to dealership at time of sale. There was no information relayed. Ford has multiple vehicles with recall for same issue but not mine.

Coolant leaking into cylinder 3 causing engine issues. Problem occurred 3 times in the last 6-7 months. Less than 100k miles

I got a oil change in June 2024 and in September 2024 it said change engine oil soon so I go to Walmart get it done they informed me my engine was very low on oil which they said was odd being I just had a oil change 2 months ago and then they informed me I have coolant leaks and the dealer who I lease from had to known about this and sold me this car without full knowledge of what was wrong and my warranty has expired through them and when I called them to complain about having issues they kept giving me the run around and now they know my warranty expired they are telling me where to take it and said I would financially responsible for the repairs I can’t afford car payment insurance and replace and fix the coolant leaks

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after an oil change, the vehicle was started and revved up and was running rough. The contact turned off the vehicle and confirmed that the oil cap was secured. The vehicle was restarted and the vehicle self-corrected. The next day while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact received notification on the vehicle App of engine failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #4, causing engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall or covered under warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 52,903.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was an abnormal rattling noise coming from the vehicle during cold starts. The failure persisted, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test showed that there was coolant intrusion into engine cylinder #4. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The dealer was notified of the failure and the vehicle was towed to the facility where it remained. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion into cylinders #1 and #2, and the 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 62,600.

My engine was replaced last year due to an issue with coolant leaking into the engine and stalling it, therefore my engine was replaced due to a customer satisfaction recall. One year later, the same thing is happening again and I have to get the same repair done.

I had to have a new engine put in my 2018 Escape due to antifreeze getting into the cylinder. I was told by a Ford service department that it is a well documented and known engineering defect, but Ford is refusing to do anything about it. I was driving home when the warning light came on and started dinging. It said the engine was hot and to stop immediately. It did not catch fire, but that was what I was afraid it was going to do. When I started looking into this, I have found that there has been cars catching fire from this problem.

The engine light came on in my 2018 ford Explorer. I took it to the mechanic and was told my engine is failing and the coolant is leaking into the engine. He told me this is a common issue with this car and has happened to other people. He suggested I call the place I bought it to see if they can help pay. I called them and was told there is nothing they can do because my warranty expired three months ago. They said I could by another warranty but would have to wait 30 days for it to go into effect and the car may not last that long.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife driving approximately 65 MPH, she observed that the "High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely" message was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, and his wife was able to coast to the side of the highway. The contact stated that his wife was able to restart the vehicle and drive back to the residence; however, the vehicle stalled, and the driver was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,252.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that there was a coolant leak into the engine. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

Coolant in the cylinders, resulting in full engine failure/replacement.

After the check engine light came on, I took my vehicle to a mechanic. They informed me there was coolant in the cylinders, which required a full engine replacement. This is tied to known issue TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 2.0L EcoBoost - Coolant In Cylinders, White Exhaust Smoke And/Or Illuminated MIL 22-2229 A known issue by the manufacturer, is resulting in an $11,000 engine replacement with no manufacturer assistance. This needs to be addressed and no other consumer should have to bear the burden of manufacturer error.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the engine overheating message was displayed. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed a cylinder #2 misfire within the engine. The spark plugs and engine coils were replaced, and the failure was temporarily remedied, but the failure reoccurred. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000.

Coolant leaking into engine causing engine failure. Entire screen and navigation system stopped working as well as the charge ports.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message to “Stop and Pull Over” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 134,175.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact opened the hood to perform an inspection and became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact stated that there were no indications of a coolant leak. The contact allowed the engine to cool off and added coolant to the reservoir. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact performed an inspection and discovered that coolant had leaked into the crankcase. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the crankcase. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

Coolant intrusion in the Cylinder 2. Advised to replace longblock to rebuild engine. Cost is at $10,000 plus a coolant flush.

We took our car into Ford dealership because we noticed the heater was blowing only cold air. No other problems were evident, car was running fine. The dealer called and told us that the engine was destroyed because the coolant leaked into the engine block. Car did not indicate there was coolant leak, of which we were totally unaware. We had no idea we were driving a vehicle that could have had a sudden power failure or engine could have caught fire. Our dealership and Ford are working out the details of our financial obligation to have the engine replaced.

I have coolant leaking into my engine. There are several misfires occurring ans it doesn’t always start. Have replaced spark plugs and a few hoses. Issue still isn’t resolved

1.5L EcoBoost engine block failure, crack letting cooling into cylinders

Coolant intrusion into engine cylinders and other components in the powertrain. Warranties and Ford companies DO NOT cover this. It is a factory flaw.

The contact’s daughter owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced inconsistent acceleration and rough driving with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who discovered that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The mechanic later discovered coolant inside the engine and informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 144,483.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into a cylinder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power, with the message “Engine Critically Overheating” displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine block had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was not available.