Ford Motor Company: Equipment › Electrical › Engine Block Heater
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jan 15, 2026 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 116,672. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
The risk
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
15 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 Ford Escape | 599 | 3 | 3 | 24 |
| 2018 Ford Escape | 1,826 | 4 | 6 | 26 |
| 2018 Ford Focus | 837 | 7 | 3 | 15 |
| 2017 Ford Escape | 2,704 | 4 | 15 | 39 |
| 2017 Ford Focus | 900 | 10 | 2 | 18 |
| 2016 Ford Escape | 1,180 | 4 | 10 | 39 |
| 2016 Ford Focus | 1,184 | 10 | 2 | 27 |
| 2016 Lincoln MKC | 80 | 5 | 7 | 1 |
| 2015 Ford Escape | 1,136 | 9 | 20 | 31 |
| 2015 Ford Focus | 1,022 | 9 | 4 | 31 |
| 2015 Lincoln MKC | 131 | 12 | 1 | 7 |
| 2014 Ford Escape | 2,089 | 16 | 104 | 47 |
| 2014 Ford Focus | 2,606 | 12 | 9 | 68 |
| 2013 Ford Escape | 2,753 | 18 | 91 | 49 |
| 2013 Ford Focus | 2,112 | 12 | 12 | 49 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 26V011000.
Full record for the 2019 Ford Escape → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →