2018 Ford Escape

The small block of my engine needs to be replaced. Ford has told me that it is a known problem and that is why they extended the powertrain warranty to 85,000 miles because of it. My car has 125,000 miles on it so I was told they can’t do anything. I don’t understand why, if this is a KNOWN problem with this car, why I should have to pay for it because I took good care of it so it didn’t happen until 125,000 miles. This should be a recall. I have an incident claim at ford because of this. I spent $4000 already trying to fix it before finding out it was the small block the whole time and it’s going to cost $78000.

I drive a 2018 Ford Escape with only 73,000 miles. Engine misfiring upon startup and check engine light caused me to immediately take my car to the mechanic. They diagnosed my vehicle with a coolant leak into cylinder 3 in my engine and a crack in the engine head. This is a known issue in my year/make/model which has affected enough consumers that it is pending class action lawsuit. If I continue to drive my car in the state it is in, without spending 7-8k repairing this issue, it is likely to be a hazard to myself and any drivers around should my engine overheat and sustain greater damage while on the road.

The engine is leaking coolant into cylinder 2. Ford dealership on October 1, 2025, confirmed this and has recommended a long block engine replacement due to warping of internal engine parts. No overheating of engine as of yet. Engine warning lamp did illuminated once indicating an engine misfire per code reader. Warning lamp was a few months before dealership diagnosed the problem as a bad engine. Vehicle has 97,048 miles and has been very well taken care of with records showing all routine scheduled maintenance.

Early May 2025 the check engine light came on. Had towed to my mechanic 95 miles away (I live remotely), they changed the spark plugs. Within one week the check engine light came on a, took to a local garage (inside the national park where my residence is) and they chaned the spark plugs again. The nect week I heard my coolant system making noises (it never made this before), checked and refilled fluids, but it continued and tye check engine light came on again. Had it towed to my mechanic again. They advised me the headgasget blew and the coolant system went with it. Had to pay to have it towed to my home.

Coolant intrusion due to bad engine built. I was driving and the car stated it was overheating. Had to hurry and pull over on a highway with my children in the car. Started smelling like something was burning. I had just had a full work up on my car in July. No warning lights on my vehicle. It’s currently at a ford dealership and they will not cover the costs for a new engine which is needed.

2018 Ford Escape. Purchased in 2021with 31,000 miles. vehicle has been maintained in compliance with all Ford standards. at 62,000 miles engine light came on, car slowed to less than 8 miles an hour almost immediately. Was told computer went into some type of safety mode. took to a Ford dealership was told that there was a coolant intrusion into cyl 2 . I was told by the technician that this was a somewhat common issue in these vehicles due to poor engine design. Entire engine would need to be replaced for $13K. Obviously, the safety issue is the car automatically going into a safety mode. If I had been on a highway the immediate stall could have caused a major accident. Thankfully i was on a low travelled road. Researching these issue it looks like there are thousands of buyers with the same problems happening within months of purchase to years, time and mileage doesn't seem to matter. There are tens of thousands of these vehicles still on the road like a ticking timebomb

The car was serviced in 8/2022 after warning light came on leaving wife stranded while on nursing call. Towed to Ford dealership. Changed spark plugs @ 40,000 miles. Same issue repaired at local shop in 5/2025 @ 86,000 miles. Same issue @ 92,000 miles 9/2025. Diagnosed by Ford dealer to be coolant intrusion. Ford refuses to correct. This engine has known defects and has stopped in traffic which is a possible safety hazard.

The exhaust started emitting white smoke with an off smell upon cranking. We took it to a mechanic, and it is likely it is coolant intrusion into the engine block. The burning coolant is likely causing the white smoke. The check engine light has not come on even after the white smoke started. So, far there doesn't appear to be a safety issue, and coolant level is checked periodically. No person or entity has inspected the vehicle other than the mechanic. The concern is that coolant intrusion is not normal, and the coolant level will always be dropping. I don't believe this issue is conducive to long-term operation of the vehicle.