2017 Ford Escape

Coolant is continually, but slowly, leaking. The car has alerted me twice now that the engine is too hot and to safely stop the vehicle. There is also an oil leak. The vehicle needed oil replaced, not just changed, within the window of scheduled oil change. This car has been routinely taken into Ford for oil changes and nothing has been said about this issue.

The head gasket of the engine failed, allowing the intrusion of coolant in to the combustion chamber as well as exhaust gas entering the cooling system. After starting up the engine there is white smoke exiting the exhaust pipe. If you open the coolant reservoir you will also see bubbles coming up (exhaust gas). The issue was diagnosed by a machine shop with pressure testing. The report is attached. The issue was noticed because the car showed a low coolant check light. The car was immediately pulled over without the engine overheating. The ODB2 scanner also showed an engine misfiring for the first 1000 revolutions. This is a known Ford issue and design flaw in the 1.5L engine built between 2017 and 2019. Being a small, high powered turbo engine the engineers needed a better cooling capacity and added a channel between the cylinders to allow for more surface cooling. This channel significantly lowers the ability of the head gasket to perform for the expected life span of the engine. The surface area between the combustion chambers is way too small. Ford addressed the coolant intrusion issue and mitigated it by a change in the coolant passages. It was introduced in early 2019. The issue is confirmed by Ford as well as the dealership where we purchased this car. The issue can only get permanently fixed by replacing the engine block. Only changing the head gasket means the issue can reappear any time, making the car unsafe to drive. Living in Arizona, we feel that it is unsafe to drive a car like this. The desert heats up to 120 degrees over the summer. If your car breaks down in an area without cell phone coverage you have a huge problem. Your car should only break down because parts get old and worn out rather than a design flaw by the manufacturer. If you are selling a baby crib that possibly fails because of a design flaw there would be an immediate recall. I feel that Ford should address this issue again and offer its customers a reasonable to feel safe.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion into cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

I went in for the recall notice I had received and wanted the dealership to check on a concern I had towards my Escape that came afloat the day prior. I had scheduled to bring my car in for the recall/car concerns, except, I ended up bringing it in early. Now, the car was shimmying and the ck engine light came on. After the inspection, I was read the tech's notes. I was then told the cost of its repairs was nearly $7200! My car is only 6/7yrs old with 56,000 miles. I have not had any engine issues. After seeing the NHTSA report concerning my vehicle, I feel the needed repair cost should not be from my wallet. Here is my Escape's VIN [XXX] as well as the notes from my dealer's tech. "Verified the concern, engine has a misfire, CEL on some white smoke when started and also low on coolant. Hook up the IDS and found codes P0304, P0316 and P051B. Performed a cylinder balance test and found cylinder 4 misfiring. Performed a relative compression test and relative compression is ok. Reviewed mode 6 data and found cylinder 4 has been misfiring. During my visual inspection I found the coolant reservoir was empty/ low on coolant. Removed the cylinder 4 spark plug and the porcelain was cracked. Looked into the cylinder with my bore scope and the piston was clean aluminum indicating it has been steamed with coolant. Pressure test the cooling system ond found cylinder 4 is seeping coolant into the cylinder. The short block will have to be replaced to fix the concern." If you can get back to me ASAP. Thank you. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was excessive white smoke coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The owner was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 73,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on three occasions, where it was diagnosed and determined that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, who determined that the failure was due to the torque converter. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The engine block cracked and coolant is leaking into the cylinders at 55k. Car is at the dealers and Ford says it knows this is a defect but won't recall or make it right. The repair is a total engine replacement for over $8k!! This set off a check engine light off which is how I found out. This could've caused the engine to stop running at any speed and cause an accident. I want Ford to pay for the known defect but they refuse.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was running extremely rough, with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the coolant reservoir was being refilled every three to four days. The contact stated that there were no visible coolant leaks. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant leak and 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 a case was filed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall or warranty. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being repaired under an unstated recall, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a coolant intrusion into the engine short block. The contact was informed that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.