2018 Ford Escape

I have a vehicle whose refrigeration is going into the motor. It started with the check engine light came on notifying the third spark plug was damaged and showed the codes P0303, P04DB, P0316, P0339. Later a warning sign came on the dashboard with the phrase "ENGINE MALFUNCTION, SERVICE NOW". It had a recall almost immediately after it was acquired and was seen by the manufacturer about two years.

Due to faulty manufacturing by Ford Motor Company the coolant leaked into cylinders 2 and 3 of the engine. Ford is aware of this issue and has issued a technical service bulletin stating that the only fix is to replace the engine however they have not issued a recall. The leak has been confirmed by two mechanics. Blacks Tire and Auto and is currently at the Ford dealership. The check engine light came on and I researched the code and found many stories of people having the same issue.

When checking the oil, realized that there was no antifreeze in the reservoir. I went ahead and filled it to the max line, as the antifreeze didn't even come up to the minimum line of the reservoir tank. My gut was telling me that I need to every so often check the antifreeze, there was no apparent leak, there was nothing on my garage floor to indicate that there was a leak. Every time I checked the antifreeze, it was below the minimum line. I had also been noticing that my car was shifting hard. the rpms were randomly jumping higher than normal when I was maintaining a normal speed. When I go to start my car, the whole car shakes as though the engine is misfiring. When I took the car in to a mechanic, they looked it over and I was told that I needed to replace the long engine block due to a coolant intrusion into the cylinder. The car will sometimes show the check engine light and sometimes it just goes off. I had the check engine light come up before and was told after having it hooked up at Auto Zone that I just needed a tune up.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving on two occasions at approximately 50 MPH, the Check Engine warning light illuminated. During the second failure, there was white smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road each time, turned off, and restarted; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an issue with the engine block causing coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the engine block or engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that two spark plugs were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred a month later. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine and the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

2018 Ford Escape: engine coolant intrusion resulting in a completely failed engine. Took it to a local Ford dealership for evaluation. Confirmed this was the issued. Quoted over $14,000 to replace with a re-manufactured engine. This issue causes misfire, smoke and could catch on fire. Contacted Ford and was told while we qualify for mileage for the customer service program 21N12, it does not qualify based on expiration despite knowing this is a faulty part.

2018 Ford Escape SE 1.5L 4 cylinder EcoBoost engine. I was driving on a major 2 lane state road going 65 miles an hour when the warning light came on that the engine was overheating and pull over immediately. There was no prior warning. As soon as I stopped I looked at the temperature indicator and it returned to a normal level. I tried to drive again and got the same urgent message to stop. There was very little grass on the side of the road where I had to pull off and cars and trucks were passing us going 60-70 miles per hour. I had to call a tow truck to get the vehicle towed to the local Ford dealership. 3 hours sitting on the side of the road and did not get picked up for 3 hours in the dark. Ford ran a diagnostic test the next day and informed me in writing that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant leakage into the engine block. I would also need the cabin coolant heater pump and the sparkplugs replaced. The total would be over $8,200. I had the vehicle in for service three months ago due to a check engine light and did the requested repair. The informed me now that it was for a different issue. Ford is not taking any responsibility for this known problem. I was the original owner and was never informed of the issue.

My 2018 Ford Escape developed a severe engine problem at fewer than 30,000 miles. The Check Engine Light illuminated and diagnostic trouble code P0302 (cylinder #2 misfire) was present. The vehicle was also losing coolant without any visible external leak, and white smoke was observed from the exhaust. The engine now misfires so severely that I do not consider the vehicle safe to operate. The vehicle has not been driven for more than 60 days because of concerns about further engine damage and safety. Due to the severity of the misfire, the vehicle cannot safely accelerate or reach normal traffic speeds. The symptoms are consistent with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2, where coolant enters the combustion chamber through an internal engine defect. The combination of coolant loss, cylinder #2 misfire, and white exhaust smoke indicates an internal engine failure rather than a routine maintenance issue. This condition occurred at under 30,000 miles and has effectively rendered the vehicle unusable. The potential for loss of power, inability to accelerate with traffic, and possible engine failure while driving creates a significant safety concern. I am submitting this complaint because I believe this may be related to a broader defect pattern involving coolant intrusion in certain Ford EcoBoost engines and because the condition creates a risk of loss of power during vehicle operation.