2018 Ford Edge

My car was mis-firing, AutoZone ran a diagnostic test and said it was the #2 cylinder. We replaced all of the spark plugs and cylinders and it was still mis-firing. O’Reilly’s ran a diagnostic test and said it was the #2 and #3 cylinders. I was then driving to the store and got a warning message that the car was overheating. I stopped and we looked and there was no coolant. We contacted a local mechanic who said he had seen this problem before in other Ford Edge’s that the coolant was leaking into the cylinders and when the car warmed up and burned off the coolant it ran like it was not mis-firing, and that is exactly what my Ford Edge was doing. We were told by the Ford dealership that we would need to replace the long block and Ford was not issuing a recall because this particular Edge was not made at a certain plant. Well they need to include the plant where this Edge was made because it has the same coolant intrusion problem.

Please Note: I filed a previous complaint (#11511950) on 03/15/2023. Please refer to Ford Technical Service Bulletin TSB 22-2229 issued in June 2022 regarding coolant intrusion into cylinder head on 2017 - 2020 Ford Ecoboost 2.0L engines. Due to a faulty design all of these engines are all destined for total failure. In their own technical service bulletin Ford describes the appropriate fix as total engine replacement. Because of what should surely be considered Ford's manufacturing defect, coolant inevitably intrudes into the cylinder head(s) mixing coolant with the fuel. Once this has begun it is only a matter of time before the engine fails. If such a total engine failure (hydrolock) occurrs at speed the results could be catastrophic, leading to deaths and injuries. Under these circumstances it is difficult to understand why there has not been a recal on these faulty engines. Further, Ford has already offered owners of Ford vehicles with the Ecoboost 1.5L engines, subject to the same problem for the same reason, total engine replacement regardless of mileage.

My 2.0L EcoBoost engine is having the coolant intrusion into the cylinder issue that Ford has acknowledge in a technical service bulletin, but is not doing anything about it. There is a design flaw with this engine and Ford has redesigned in in later years, but has not issued a recall. The coolant reservoir is getting low and there are no signs of leak under the vehicle as it is leaking into the cylinder. I was getting DTCs for cylinder 2 misfire and my car would shake on startup some times. I changed the spark plugs and ignition packs at 100k and noticed that the cylinder 2 spark plugged looked more brown/burnt (it was burning coolant in the cylinder) than he other 3. The coolant has been low (below the min mark) and I have topped it off 3 times already as the issue keeps reoccurring. Coolant in the cylinder is an issue and low coolant could cause the engine to overheat and blow at any point and could be a catastrophic accident waiting to happen. I spoke about the symptoms over the phone to the service guy at my local Ford dealer and he was already familiar with this issue and confident that I have it based on our conversation. I have plans to take it to my mechanic to have them inspect it as well as the dealer.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that during the past winter, whenever the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, the heater would blow out cold air through the vents. The contact stated that later the check engine warning light would become illuminated, and the vehicle would start to make abnormal engine sounds as if the engine was chugging. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant was leaking into cylinder #2. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to TSB: 19-2346 Coolant in Cylinders (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

Question 1 answer: Last month, the check engine light on my 2018 Ford Edge came on. So, we took it to the Ford dealership for repairs 0n 5/3/2023. The service center said that there was a problem with one of the spark plugs and replaced it. The cost was $193.47. Following the repair, the check engine light was reset and the car ran smoothly. I took the car on a trip and drove it around 1,000 miles. The check engine light came on again. I returned the car to the same dealership service center on 5/26/2023. Ford told me (see receipt) there was a code P0302 and P0316 and indicated cylinder #2 was misfiring. Receipt said checked all cylinders and pistons for discoloration. Cylinder #2 was badly discolored. Vehicle has coolant intrusion in cylinders - needs motor. This bill was $180. Service desk personnel asked whether I had an extended warranty since vehicle was at 68,352 miles. I said, "no." Service desk told me that I needed a new motor and the cost would be around $10,000! Service desk also told me that this was a common problem with several Ford models including the Edge, Focus, and Fusion. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request unless we sell or trade it. Question 2: The only safety issue may be that I could have been out on the road if the engine failed. Question 3: See Question 1 answer and attached receipt from car dealership service center Question 4: No, unless you consider the Ford dealership service center as "the manufacturer." Question 5: Prior to each car dealership service center visit, the car ran rough upon starting and the check engine light came on and stayed on until it went to the repair shop. It takes time to get an appointment scheduled. So, each time the situation occurred, it took approximately one week to schedule a repair visit. Also, please note that the address shown on the dealership receipt is my previous address. I've entered my current address where prompted.

I took my car in for Ford Recalls to be performed and asked for the tech to check out why my Check engine light came on. Initially they could not find what caused it so they charged me close to $500 to do an in depth investigation and found that I had a crack in my engine that was causing coolant to leak into it. It could not be repaired and I would have to replace the engine. My car only had just over 65,000 miles on it, and unfortunately just over the warranty. So I was charged $7,000 to replace it. When I called the main Ford Customer Service number I was told that this seems to be a common issue with this year and model but there was nothing that I could do about it, short of a recall being issued for the engine problem. I had no other choice but to replace the engine as driving it could leave me stranded somewhere which was not an option. I was without the use of my car for three weeks with no assistance from Ford. The fact that this is a known issue but still was not covered is ridiculous. I previously owned a 1998 Ford Explorer Sport with over 300,000 miles on it and never had an issue with my engine. I believe that since this is a known issue with this Ford year, make and model that there should be recall issued so that consumers are not having to deal with this very expensive inconvenience. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that the engine cranked up but failed to start. The checking engine warning light was illuminated. The owner replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V548000 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle needed new spark plugs. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, white smoke came from the tailpipe, and the contact smelled an abnormal odor. Additionally, the contact self-inspected the vehicle and noticed that the coolant level was low. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle needed a new engine. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 19-2346 (2.0L EcoBoost: Coolant in Cylinders). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file the complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 85,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the contact pulled over and stopped the vehicle. The contact waited for an hour before adding coolant and restarting the vehicle. The contact stated that there was no coolant in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who found coolant in one of the cylinders and a cracked spark plug. The spark plugs were replaced; however, the leak was not found. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who confirmed the coolant leak. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that coolant was entering the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that he was informed about a TSB for the failure and that the type of engine was no longer used by the manufacturer. The contact was unaware of the TSB number for the engine failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.