2017 Ford Escape

2017 Ford Escape with 2.0L EcoBoost engine. Experienced rough engine/shutter and check engine light (MIL) came on. Code scanner found P0302 for PCM. Took to dealership and they found coolant intrusion into cylinder requiring a full engine replacement. They quoted almost $10,000 to fix. This is a know design flaw/defect with this engine and Ford has reworked design at least twice to address. Unfortunately, they left existing owners with ticking time bombs in the form of a likely expense repair or early demise to the vehicle.

I was driving on the interstate when all of a sudden I lost all power, the car started shaking violently, it started leaking and burning oil. I brought it to my local shop and they confirmed that cylinder 3 had a catastrophic failure and it can no longer create any pressure. There were no warning signs. This just happened randomly driving down the interstate.

I am writing to formally file a complaint against the Ford Motor Company concerning a serious issue with our 2017 Ford Escape equipped with the EcoBoost engine. The engine suffered a catastrophic failure at approximately 120,000 miles with no previous warning. Upon inspection by a certified mechanic, it was determined that the failure stemmed from a known defect (coolant leaking into the cylinder) in the 1.5L/1.6L EcoBoost engine, which has been widely reported by other consumers experiencing similar issues. This failure resulted in an unexpected and significant financial burden, with repair/replacement costs estimated at approximately $14,000. I find it unacceptable that a relatively new vehicle with a supposedly reliable engine would experience such a severe issue that appears to be a systemic defect rather than a result of misuse or neglect. I contacted Ford Motor Company to report this issue and seek assistance or coverage for the repairs. Unfortunately, I received no resolution or offer of goodwill, despite this being a known and documented problem. There have been class-action lawsuits and technical service bulletins (TSBs) related to the EcoBoost engines, which further indicates that this is not an isolated case. I have attached a copy of the repair invoice from a local Ford dealership.

Coolant is leaking into the cylinder bores of the engine, potentially causing overheating and engine failure. Its unfair to me that I would have to throw $6,000 into a vehicle that going to cost me literally half of what I would be paying off for the vehicle itself.... obviously got the car at a used dealership, no one had given me any extended warranties at all.

I was driving home from work going through a small town so I was only going 45 MPH when my engine started to rattle and smoke started to come out and I was able to immediately pull off the road safely. I noticed straight away that the engine was leaking and would not turn back on. When I had my vehicle towed to my Ford dealership, they had informed me that my engine block was cracked and the engine threw a rod that had impacted my starter. The engine has metal shaving in it so that has to be replaced, including the starter and turbo which was going to cost me $15,000. Also my Escape was just maintenance 2 weeks prior to the event so its unfortunate that the Ford mechanics "Missed" that big crack in my engine block.

low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or may run in a rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator light (MIL) with only diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0300, P0301-P0304, P0316, P0217, P1285 and/or P1299 stored in powertrain control module (PCM). This is due to coolant intrusion into a cylinder bore.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was shaking slightly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.

Catastrophic engine failure; unless it could happen very quickly, the vehicle likely will not be available for inspection. As background, our family purchased this vehicle used from a MI dealer in July 2023. It was a trade-in by the previous owner, and the dealer did not disclose any known issues. This vehicle belongs to our daughter, who is a graduate student in upstate NY. After driving only ~6,000 miles, her safety was put at risk when she lost acceleration as gray smoke poured out of her tailpipe (had she been on a highway, both she and other drivers would have been at grave risk). She had the vehicle towed to a local service station and was told the engine needed to be replaced. After searching Google for problems with this vehicle's engine, a 1.5L Ecoboost, we discovered that not only is this a known issue (coolant intrusion) for which Ford did not issue a recall (instead, "Program #21N12 one-time repair for vehicles included in 19B37"), but there also is a class action lawsuit being litigated by Capstone Law APC. Given this, we towed the vehicle to the local Ford dealer, who also advised we need to replace the engine, we will receive no financial relief from Ford, and it will cost $12,000 for the replacement (we paid $16,000 for this vehicle less than two years ago). We have spoken to various individuals at the national Ford customer satisfaction organization, and they will not help us. So we now have an inoperable vehicle that my daughter can't afford to repair, and since we are not getting any financial relief from Ford, she is forced to buy a much older, high-mileage vehicle that may also put her safety at risk. The only indication of a problem was when the check engine light came on, but since the vehicle was driving fine, our daughter did not realize she should take it for service right way (this is her first vehicle, and she lives close to campus so drives only infrequently). She is unsure how long the light was on, but likely several weeks.