2017 Ford Escape

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. There was white smoke coming from the exhaust. Additionally, the vehicle had failed to start. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact about a coolant leak and a Customer Satisfaction Program. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the contact was informed that the vehicle did not meet the requirements for the coverage. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that coolant was leaking into the cylinders. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

Car misfired while driving. Check engine light came on [XXX]. Car was taken to Ford Murfreesboro service center and we were advised coolant is leaking into the engine. Per the. CSP during the pandemic, Certain 2017-2019 Model Year Fusion and Escape Vehicles Equipped with a 1.5L GTDI Engine – Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion. Car was not included in the Customer Satisfaction Program [XXX], although it is having the exact issue. My car was manufactured at the Louisville plant, which is one of the impacted manufacturing facility locations. This is a widely known issue and I believe the car should have been included in the CSP in 2022. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The engine failed due to catastrophic damage to the engine due to coolant leaking into the engine block. We were driving on the highway on a two-lane, mountain pass road when the car suddenly shut down. Yes, a Ford dealership confirmed the problem and a Ford customer representative confirmed that it is a known Ford issue with not enough complaints to warrant a recall. Yes, the vehicle has been inspected and quoted at $12,000 in repairs. I had only owned the car about 9 months when this happened and still owe $11,000 in financing. No, there were no warning lamps or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. They first appeared on this drive when the car broke down.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from under the hood of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic and the contact was informed that the water pump was leaking, and that the bearing in the water pump was inoperable causing the abnormal sound. The mechanic recommended the removal of the stress belt and replacing the timing belt. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the vehicle was shaking. The contact stated that the vehicle was initially driven to the dealer the first time; however, the second time the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Their vehicle’s engine has a defect in the design created by Ford Motor Company that results in coolant leaking into the cylinders which causes engine failure, corrosion, and fire, which causes a severe safety risk to passengers and other vehicles and persons unless a new engine without the defective Ford design is placed into the vehicle. Numerous other Ford vehicle owners with vehicles containing the defective engine have reported the exact same failures and coolant leaks, as determined by Ford service technicians or other auto repair technicians. Ford as the manufacturer knows of their defective design but refuses to replace the engine through their expense by recall or other means. The check engine light is illuminated due to the engine misfiring because of the coolant leak, which causes failed emissions tests and does not allow me to be able to register the vehicle according to state and county requirements. Attached are a picture of the current engine’s defect and a new engine. The defect in the old engine is a slit cut into the wall between cylinders. This compromises the integrity of the cylinder walls and engine as a whole. The newer engines are manufactured after 2020 and they have removed the defective slit and replaced it with a drilled hole that doesn’t compromise the engine.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the engine idled rough and the engine misfired. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and a diagnostic test was performed. The mechanic tested the cylinders and found a loss of compression in cylinder #2. Additionally, the cylinder wall was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 84,613.

The lug nuts are swollen/distorted and some cannot be removed with the factory-provided lug wrench. They are supposed to be 19mm, but a 19mm socket does not fit over most of my lug nuts and strips them. Other size sockets do not fit either. Three are damaged. I had to buy a set of extraction sockets to remove them and a full set of aftermarket lug nuts to replace all of the Ford nuts