2018 Ford Escape complaints

No warning but beginning of the issue with coolant intrusion on the engine: car is currently being looked at for blown head gasket or cracked engine block resulting in $3000+ of repairs. Car only has 75K miles on it. Car is shaking while in park/drive/reverse, making odd bumping noises while going up hill, and not throwing any codes. Upon my research, it states there could be a serious issue with the engine but it is expensive to diagnose and Ford refuses to look at it or diagnose it even though it is a known issue.

Multiple failures occurred while driving with my kids in the car from what we can tell an electrical system failure of the parking brake motor as well as a transmission failure it is unknown at this time whether the parking brake motor failed causing stress on the transmission or the transmission fault led to the end Electric motor failure of the parking brake

I purchased a 2018 Ford Escape from Metropolitan Ford dealership in Eden Prairie, MN on 5/15/2025. The very next day the engine light came on. I called them, made an appointment and brought it in thinking that it was a sensor. They checked it out and tried to charge me $1000 for the fix. I argued with them that I had just bought the car and the should be responsible for fixing it. In end I paid $300 and knew from that point that they would take no responsibility for anything wrong with th car. Fast forward to 12/12/2025 I was driving to work and as soon as I entered the interstate the engine light came on as well as the temperature gage going through the roof. I found that I couldn't accelerate and slowly drove the car off the next exit. I was able to get it to my mechanic right there, where he said I had a slow leak in the coolant and gave me a rough estimate of $1000 possible fix but he couldn't do it then. He advised me to keep the coolant filled and took it out of the "limp" mode so I could drive it. A week later I went out to my car and it was in the "limp" mode again, I had it towed to the nearest service station where they came back with the issue. A coolant intrusion. The engine was no longer functional. I went back to the dealer and they told me it was my problem to deal with and that they had no responsibility to do anything. That's when I found out about the recall that they knew about and ignored and sold me a car that they knew was problematic. I'm hoping to join

I believe coolant got into the cylinders and caused an engine failure. I had to replace the engine on the vehicle at 58000 miles

When starting car, rough idle and engine light turns on. Diagnostic trouble codes show P0300, P0301, and P0304. This engine has a known manufacturing defect by Ford and they have some policies for replacement depending on age and mileage. There is no way to prevent this cracked block issue by consumers as it is a design flaw. Engine coolant seeps through the crack into the cylinders. I'm afraid to continue driving it as it may stall in traffic causing an accident or overheat if coolant gets low causing a fire.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and there was a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was covered under the Manufacturer’s Extended Warranty which was related to the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000. The VIN was not available.

While driving down the interstate the engine light started to flash and the engine started to stutter. It would rev up and down. This incident occurred while traveling at approximately 70mph with no prior warning. We exited the highway as soon as possible and towed the vehicle to a Ford dealership. They performed a diagnostic and found that a spark plug had broken and that there was coolant intrusion in 3 of the 4 cylinders. There were no prior engine warning lights. The only potential prior warning to this was the coolant was low during a oil change performed 2 weeks before. The dealership informed me that total engine failure was imminent and inevitable. The engine would need to be replaced for $13,000. The vehicle broke down approximately 100 miles from home. It is not available for inspection as bringing it home was cost prohibitive. I've already sold the car to a wrecking company, Peddle, LLC. The car broke down on 12-12-25. The mileage at the time of the breakdown was 74315. This was recorded at the Ford dealership. Car maintenance was up to date and routinely performed.

Engine coolant intrusion, confirmed by local mechanic and with Ford dealer technician over the phone.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated on the instrument cluster with a message that the vehicle needed to be stopped due to high engine temperature. The contact pulled into a gas station and observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact checked for leaks but found none. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined there was a misfire in cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and found that the 1.5-liter engine in the vehicle was known for a failure with coolant intrusion into the engine block. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

Had vehicle in shop for axle repair, as soon as I got home transmission went out when I was about to turn onto a main road with 2 kids in my car. My car felt like it was in neutral but it wasn’t. Barely got back to my parking spot. Seeing this is a common issue with my car and I think it should be covered under a recall

Cracked Cylinder Block - Coolant Intrusion

In November 2024 lost acceleration light popped on the dashboard service now. Was found to have a bad turbo full turbo replacement done July 2025 driving on the highway slow down behind a semi went to pass them. Gas pedal went all the way to the floor would not accelerate Pulled over checked all fluids. Everything was fine. Got back on the road then check engine and oil light came on immediately pulled over checked oil. There was no oil in the car, even though it had been full when I checked fluids put oil in let the car run and cycle through for a while. Oil light went off Got back on the road in half a mile oil light came back on and then stopped driving the vehicle has been sitting at a dealership for five months dealership changed turbo did not do oil change as mandatory part of the replacement. They then drove vehicle now the engine is blown. Was dangerous to myself and my daughters who were in the car losing acceleration on Highway two times. Bad Ford parts or bad mechanic work?

My 1.5L engine in my 2018 ford escape has a coolant leak which is a known problem in these cars according to the internet. There was a CSP from ford (19B37) which I did January 3, 2020 which is supposed to stop this from happening My ca does not qualify for CSP 21N12 according to ford because it is for 84k miles or 7 years. My car has 95k miles but is still in the 7 years but they refuse to help. They have told me to pay for repairs and then submit receipts “IF” there is a recall issued I have just been getting the run around from everyone at ford from customer relations to service departments

Coolant intrusion Issues leading to engine failure messages and head gaskets issues

TEMPERATURE GAUGE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND TEMPERATURE SHOT UP TO RED LINE. WAITED ON SIDE OF ROAD FOR 20 MINUTES TO COOL DOWN THEN RETSARTED AND DROVE 10 MINUTES BACK TO MY WORK AND TEMP GAUGE REMAINED IN NORMAL TEMP AREA. EXPLAINED TO MY MECHANIC AT WORK..HE CHECKED IT OUT AND SAID IT WAS COOLANT INTRUSION PROBLEM AND ENGINE WAS PROBABLY SHOT.

Engine small block cracked causing 2nd cylinder to fill with coolant causing error code related to misfire. Have been told this is a known issue with no recall notice. Ford dealership has confirmed this issue.

My car/engine is in need of a head gasket replacement at least if not a new engine based on significant coolant intrusion and malfunctioning. Over a short period of time, the coolant tank was almost nearly drained and the engine started misfiring which lead to shop visits and investigation. Coolant was found in the cylinders and currently it is needing multiple thousands of dollars in repairs due to what mechanics are telling me is a know issue though not a recall for my case (up to 84K miles its covered under an extended warranty but not at 100k like mine). My safety was not necessarily put at risk, though this seems to be a highly common issue I believe Ford needs to reimburse customers for based on the known issue and significant numbers of vehicles this has affected. There were no warnings prior to this event that I would be out an entire engine and I would like this to go on record to show Ford is not doing their due diligence or what is right.

This vehicle is driven by my [XXX] 3 things happened the third can cause an accident leading to death or a multi car accident. #1 [XXX] driving on the freeway she heard a squeeling noise like a belt slipping then went away and has not retuned. i checked belts and idlers all ok. #2 [XXX] heard loud ticking under floorboard of car driving on the freeway car seemed to drive normally then ticking went away. #3 [XXX] driving on the freeway steering wheel pulled the car aggressively to left almost causing a multi car accident cars behind and to the left were swerving to avoid hitting other cars. She was able to control the car back straight again luckily the car to her left was not next to her but at her rear bumper or she would have hit that car pushing it into cars in all the lanes to the left. After an internet search I discovered that Ford has had problems with their transfer cases (PTU) and its rare but people have reported issues with the car pulling hard left for no reason. I mention the three steps that happened previous to the steering wheel incident because from my research these are the warring signs before the transfer case goes out. This vehicle is a 2018 Ford Escape AWD 35,000 original miles p.s. Ford customer service was notified of this safety issue on December 6, 2025 my Case# [XXX] Response was not covered i will be repairing this vehicle and I will retain all the old parts for your convenience if you need them for further inspection or investigation. PTU failures

To whom this concerns: My name is [XXX] and I’m writing this on the behalf of my wife [XXX] , but her last name was [XXX] years ago. My wife purchases a 2018 Ford Escape. Car was working completely fine and there were no problems. As time went on, we had to take our vehicle to Jordan Ford where the car was purchased. The issue with the car was something called Engine intrusion. We took it to Jordan Ford, and they told is this needed to be fixed. The cost was around 5,000 which was a lot for this. Then we found out that this vehicle had a recall on it for the exact same issue that we were having. Looking at the recall, it said that we had to give them this by a certain date. We were too late on that date so the recall could not be honored. We called Ford and told them about the problem with the vehicle and they were willing to knock the price down. I told them that is not fair that we must pay for a problem that is a recall. We did not get the car fixed and they knew about it. Now, it looks like our Ford Escape has the exact same issue, but now they are saying that we must pay over 8,000 to replace the short block because it’s over-heating. Well, we found out that this car was purchased after the recall was in motion and we were not told about it. It is not fair that this vehicle has had this many problems and Ford knew about it. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Coolant loss with no visible leaks; idling roughly and misfiring Mechanic stated that coolant loss and appears to have intruded into the cylinders

My vehicle stooped running. I scheduled maintenance at Metro Ford. According to the diagnostic test completed at Metro Ford, there were powertrain issues. This diagnosis also appears on my Ford Motor Pass app. According to the service department at Metro Ford, coolant was leaking into the engine and that a new water pump and battery needs to be installed to get the car back running. We complied with the cost ($2,400 this included new water pump and battery) and 30 days later the car stopped running again. The car was towed back to Metro Ford and we were told that the engine is dead and that a new diagnostic check will need to be done with an additional $410 on top of the $2,400 which was paid to get the water pump and other items fixed previously. We were never informed that the engine will need to be replaced after the first diagnostic check. That information should have been told first since you are running the same check that now tells you the engine is dead.

Check engine light came on, took it promptly for service and was told coolant leaked into the cylinders and I need a new motor. Ford told me this is s a common issue and to report it to Ford for assistance in repair as it is a known issue.

The vehicle experienced a catastrophic engine failure due to a known defect in Ford’s 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine (coolant intrusion into the cylinders). The component that failed was the engine itself, specifically internal cylinder damage caused by coolant leaking into combustion chambers. The vehicle is in my possession and available for inspection upon request. The failure created a serious safety risk. Prior to the engine failure, the vehicle began stalling at low speeds, idling roughly, losing power, and the check-engine light came on. The stalling occurred while driving, which could have caused an accident in traffic. The engine ultimately became inoperable. The issue was evaluated and confirmed by an independent repair facility: Dobbs Tire & Auto in Eureka, MO, on September 18, 2025. They diagnosed complete engine failure and stated it was consistent with the widely reported coolant-intrusion defect affecting this engine type. Replacement cost was quoted at approximately $11,000. The vehicle has NOT been inspected directly by Ford, but the defect is documented in Ford’s own Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 22-2229). According to the TSB and Ford’s internal guidance, coolant intrusion can cause misfires, stalling, and eventual engine seizure. The mileage at failure (110,764) placed the vehicle outside the limited mileage window in which Ford sometimes performs goodwill replacements. Before failure, the warning indicators included: • Check engine light illuminating • Inter

This car has a known issue with the engine. Coolant leaking into cylinder 3 Caused by faulty design. This leak causes a cylinder misfire. And the coolant leak can cause the whole motor to seize. Reputable mechanics state the engine needs to be replaced after only 50,000 miles.

The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the head gasket was blown. Upon further research, the contact related the failure to an undisclosed recall; however, the model year was not included. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.

See attached document for complaint.

Any ford car with the Eco boost 2.0 motor could have coolant intrusion causing the car to miss fire, burn coolant and overheat. this is not only bad for the environment but also dangerous for the roads. How many of these cars are on the roads and could cause traffic and or accidents? This problem is noticed by ford but not recalled TSB 22-2229

My 2018 Ford Escape SE is on its SECOND engine and has started with coolant intrusion AGAIN. The same issue has doomed the same car twice.

On 10/17/2025, my transmission stop working properly after driving fine for 145,000 miles. This seems to be a common occurrence with this year and model for the Escape. The transmission is an automatic and stopped going in the drive gear on the highway. I was able to get the car off the road and have it towed to a mechanic where they verified that that I would need a new transmission.

My 2018 Ford Escape equipped with a 1.5L ecoboost engine purchased new with 33,000 miles, experienced overheating, white smoke from the exhaust and extreme vibration which became undriveable. It was towed to a Ford dealer who determined it had coolant in the sparkplug holes and the engine would need to be replaced. There was no previous problem or check engine light until the event. There was a Customer Satisfaction Program 19B37 dated May, 2020 identifying the possibility of this problem which required the Ford dealer to perform a reprogramming to prevent the coolant from leaking into the engine. This was performed by a Ford dealer in October 6, 2020. Ford has determined that my vehicle is out of warranty.

Known coolant intrusion issue causes coolant to ruin the engine from the inside. Ford is unfairly denying their own program to remedy the situation for desperate customers.

The engine was replaced under the customer satisfaction program due to the known broken head gasket issue causing catastrophic engine failure. Now, the flex plate is cracked, also a known issue related to the engine replacement. Two major catastrophic repair issues within 9 months. There were no check engine lights. The safety issue is clear. Ford needs to acknowledge and address the issues to protect their customers.

My car was fine earlier today, but when I drove home and parked, I turned my vehicle off and the fan continued to run. I took my car to Autozone and they ran a diagnostic test with the OEM and no codes came up. They said it’s possibly the motor fan module or some sort of sensor or relay. The car isn’t running hot or anything, but the motor can won’t turn off, so it’s running my battery down. This is the first time this has happened.

My 2018 Ford Escape titanium is leaking coolant into the cylinder's. This is a known issue affecting the Ecoboost engine and is not a sign of wear and tear. Code: p0316, p0302. NHTSA should investigate these issues. The warranty may be expired but in good faith this should be covered by the manufacturer. A Ford mechanic mentioned the cost of $7500 to $10000 for this repair which is a cost I cannot afford. My vin is: [XXX] Thank you! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The 2018 Ford Escape Titanium had to replace the engine because engine coolant was seeping into the engine block. The mechanic stated head gaskets were leaking coolant into the spark plugs. I was losing coolant from the reservoir, engine light was on. The mechanic stated this could become a safety hazard if the engine overheated while driving car would completely die and stall. The mechanic stated this has been a problem Ford has known and has now replaced this engine, and the only remedy for this is to replace it with a new engine. miles 119,600. Ford has not responded to my complaint. I replaced the engine at a cost of 8600.00

2018 ford escape eco boost 2.0L. 72K miles Notified of Code P0303. Engine started missing. Findings coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Was told it was a casting issue of the block manufacturing and engine would need replacing. Notified ford for assistance to repair known issue and was denied. Safety concerns due to a design flaw in the open engine block, which can lead to head gasket failure and other coolant-related issues. Yes confirmed by auto repair shop with scope and provided pictures of moisture in the combustion chamber.

Leaking coolant. Transmission problem with the shift cable bushing, which caused the transmission to be in a different gear than indicated and lead to the vehicle rolling away.

A certified shop diagnosed my car as having coolant intrusion in the engine. The engine is the 1.5L Eco Boost. I am getting the run around from the dealership and Ford Corporation. This is a major safety defect that is known and has been reported. This happened quickly and I am now without a vehicle. This is a major safety defect in the engine that Ford manufactured and Ford is very well aware of.

Head gasket went bad, leaked coolant into the engine, cracked cylinder 1

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he and one of his friends observed white smoke coming from the tailpipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #2. The spark plugs, coil pack, and valve cover gasket were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred four days later, and the check engine warning light illuminated with the message "Engine Fault - Service Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Our family has been on the middle of the highway when the Escape has just shut off. We here in Charleston, WV are not the only ones with this issue. We have contacted FORD multiple times on this. The engine failure about 6-7 years ago was the start. Coolant leaking into the cylinder, which is a service bulletin not a recall, prompted the engine to be extensively repaired or replace. Then after this nothing was ever the same. Todd Judy Ford which has been through a rebrand because of all the bad business here in Charleston WV has been since renamed to Downtown Ford, was made aware of every issue along the way. FORD stopped helping, dealership doesn't care. This was a major issue that caused our family's Ford Escape to just stop in the middle of driving in traffic. My wife could have been killed. The electrical and the engine in a severe issue on this year, make and model. Please do something. They have millions of issue with this specific engine and this model and will do nothing. Someone needs to stop them!

06/2025: vehicle overheated approximately 10 times. One time, on 06/24/2025, we were traveling back home. The vehicle overheated and went into limp mode while traveling on a main highway. We were almost hit in the back end, with 3 children in the back, by a semi truck at 10:00 at night. The vehicle would not move faster than 10 miles an hour all of a sudden, with no way to move out of the way fast. It would continue overheating and going in limp mode for months. Then at the end of July 2025, we were traveling in South Carolina. On Kings Highway, or state rt. 17, it just all of a sudden went into limp mode from overheating with absolutely no warning. I had to carefully move to a parking lot of a Home Depot. Luckily they had antifreeze. I slowly filled it back up. Later that week, it did the same thing. This car is dangerous! I have spoken to Ford Customer Service. they told me there was no problem. I recently had a mechanic look at it. He said that there is coolant in the cylinder 2. It has caused damage, possibly, to the head. It is in a constant miss in cylinder 2, and others. The original owner, I believe, knew what was wrong and sold it to us without telling us. I have put over 10 gallons of coolant through this vehicle in the 7 months we have owned it.

Coolant loss with no visible external leak, a sweet smell from the exhaust, and bubbling or gurgling in the coolant reservoir after startup. There is a KNOWN issue ongoing regarding customer satisfaction program 21N12

Check engine light comes on, and car starts to overheat. Took it to Auto Zone, I was told it’s misfiring and he noticed the coolant has a leak, coolant intrusion into the engine.

On the way home from work my 2018 Ford Escape began to drive roughly. The car engine would rev up to 3 then immediately down to 2, and felt like it would stop. I took it to Mac Haik Ford in DeSoto TX where I purchase my vehicle and got a diagnostic done. It ready, Coolant has leaked into the engine and the short block would need to be replaced at $14,000.00

Check Engine Light appeared, and car seemed to sputter and had an odd chemical smell. Brought to mechanic who scanned PCM and found 3 misfire codes (P0300, O0301, P0316). They removed 1 spark plug and inspected cylinder and found it to be wet. Block test was performed, and fluid was found to be coolant. Engine head gasket requires replacement as well as repair or replacement of cylinder. Mechanic suggested seeking support from dealership to have the issue fixed because this is a known issue. A simple internet search confirmed that this make and model (2018 Ford Escape 4 Cyl Ecoboost) has this issue and it is well known and documented. Ford coolant intrusion is a known problem and design flaw. The service manager at the Flood Ford in Narraganset said that since there are no recalls and the warranty on the car has expired there is nothing that they can do as far as monetary support or compensation. They quoted a $9000 repair price. The manager then suggested speaking to Ford Customer Service directly. I spoke to a service rep followed by a supervisor (Reggie) at Ford Customer Service who both told me that there was nothing they could do because there were no active recalls or active customer service programs. The rep at Ford did tell me that CSP 19B37 was done on the vehicle in 2020, prior to my purchase. I was not told of this upon purchase or made aware in any way of a coolant issue. This issue causes major damage to the vehicle and is a safety risk.

CEL is on -- hard time getting vehicle to start up after getting gas - once is running has a "shake to it" for a few seconds then stables Would this be a potential cover? March 30, 2018 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10137114 COMPONENT: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE NHTSA ID Number: 10137114 Manufacturer Communication Number: SSM 47203 Components: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Coolant leak into cylinders caused misfire in cylinder 1. coolant low with no visible leaks . Ford has issued tsb of this known issue. Ford is now doing diagnostic testing. ford just confirmed my engine has the leaking problem.

Started with an engine light coming on, when checked with scan it said misfire in cylinder 2. Was using coolant usually high and when pressure tested it was said to be leaking coolant into engine.

It started with engine light coming on, engine was starting to run rough when started. I noticed the car was using more coolant than usual also. when scanned and pressure tested it was found to be misfiring in cylinder 2 and coolant was leaking into engine. by this point the vehicle is smoking also. It was decided the car should not be driven at this point.