Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
520–25K
2625–50K
6350–75K
4775–100K
35100–150K
4150K+
227 reports with mileage · 358 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
Engine. Review the 307 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 125 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 92 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
24 crash reports3 fire reports20 injury reports
What owners actually said
585 reports
Mileage unknown · Jul 29, 2025
Engine
2019 Ford escape titanium with 62000 miles.check engine light came on once and went off- took to dealer and was told the coolant was going into engine. Had an extended warranty to 75000 miles because of issue I had when car was brand new-brake release switch. Now I am told that warranty expired last year even though there is not…
Read full complaint
2019 Ford escape titanium with 62000 miles.check engine light came on once and went off- took to dealer and was told the coolant was going into engine. Had an extended warranty to 75000 miles because of issue I had when car was brand new-brake release switch. Now I am told that warranty expired last year even though there is not 75000 on it yet. They are telling me I need a 8700 dollar new engine. I am [XXX] and this car is like new. Please help! I bought this brand new and only put about 10000 a year on it INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11676860
Mileage unknown · Jul 28, 2025
Engine
The vehicle's engine shutdown while driving on the highway, forcing me to pull to shoulder in traffic. We had it towed to Ford and were advised that the engine was blown due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. We're told the engine is totaled and they quoted us almost $15,000 USD for the repairs. There is a know recall noti…
Read full complaint
The vehicle's engine shutdown while driving on the highway, forcing me to pull to shoulder in traffic. We had it towed to Ford and were advised that the engine was blown due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. We're told the engine is totaled and they quoted us almost $15,000 USD for the repairs. There is a know recall notice for this exact issue, however we were told it only covers up 85,000 miles and our vehicle has 94,000 miles. We had brought it to a Ford dealership for an oil change 6 months prior and they didn't say anything about it. The dealership/manufacturer refuses any accountability, and offered us $1,500 loyalty discount if we purchased a new Ford vehicle from them. The SUV was in like new condition prior the engine failure (ie. no damage).
NHTSA ODI #11676778
Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2025
Engine
the night prior to my car breaking down I Did notice the car began to lose horsepower to move just a little bit not to much to worry about than the check engine light did appear on dash that night. Code popped up for misfire in cylinder 1. SO changed the spark plugs and light went off , next day light was on and smoke began c…
Read full complaint
the night prior to my car breaking down I Did notice the car began to lose horsepower to move just a little bit not to much to worry about than the check engine light did appear on dash that night. Code popped up for misfire in cylinder 1. SO changed the spark plugs and light went off , next day light was on and smoke began coming out of the tailpipe.
NHTSA ODI #11675813
Mileage unknown · Jul 23, 2025
Engine
Coolant intrusion issue caused by a defect from Ford. They are refusing to fix the issue.
NHTSA ODI #11675507
Mileage unknown · Jul 21, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion System
Car has been experiencing the misfire in cylinder four. This is a known cause in the 1.5 L escapes. This is a 2.0 but it has the same issues not fair that they fixed 1.5 L and not the 2.0 causes a misfire due to coolant leaking into the cylinder burning coolant and then causing the motor to overheat. When that happens, you can b…
Read full complaint
Car has been experiencing the misfire in cylinder four. This is a known cause in the 1.5 L escapes. This is a 2.0 but it has the same issues not fair that they fixed 1.5 L and not the 2.0 causes a misfire due to coolant leaking into the cylinder burning coolant and then causing the motor to overheat. When that happens, you can be going on the highway and have an abrupt warning that causes the vehicle to drop to 20 mph without notice causing extreme safety concerns for just not the driver but anyone around especially on highways.
NHTSA ODI #11675192
Mileage unknown · Jul 21, 2025
Engine
My Ford Escape was driving as usual, but as I was traveling on a down ramp in a left turning lane, the engine overheated abruptly and serious audible and visual alerts appeared on the screen. I was in heavy traffic and was forced to pull over quickly into the right turning lane. This could have easily caused an accident becaus…
Read full complaint
My Ford Escape was driving as usual, but as I was traveling on a down ramp in a left turning lane, the engine overheated abruptly and serious audible and visual alerts appeared on the screen. I was in heavy traffic and was forced to pull over quickly into the right turning lane. This could have easily caused an accident because all of a sudden, the Escape started stalling and would hardly move. It was terrifying, and I was barely able to maneuver it into a nearby parking lot. That night, it was towed to a Ford dealership that inspected it and now says that I need a new engine because the engine block is cracked.
NHTSA ODI #11675142
Mileage unknown · Jul 19, 2025
EngineSteering
After turning the car on, the car started to shake for a couple minutes, the engine light came on after a few minutes of the car doing that. Took it to get it scanned and the code given was P0302 and P0304. Took the car to a ford dealership and after almost a week it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders and ne…
Read full complaint
After turning the car on, the car started to shake for a couple minutes, the engine light came on after a few minutes of the car doing that. Took it to get it scanned and the code given was P0302 and P0304. Took the car to a ford dealership and after almost a week it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders and needed it a new engine. Since the coolant was leaking it also damaged the power steering system due to rust and an electronic power steering gear was also needed since it was giving intermittent failure and was very hard to turn the car. Ford is not owning anything and it is clearly an engine poor design by ford. It is happening to thousands of owner that have that engine.
NHTSA ODI #11674800
74,636 miles · Jul 17, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat and lost motive power. A message stating that the vehicle was overheating was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The temperature gauge increased to hot(H). The contact was able to pull to the side…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat and lost motive power. A message stating that the vehicle was overheating was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The temperature gauge increased to hot(H). The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and turned on the hazard lights. The local dealer was notified of the failure, and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 74,636.
NHTSA ODI #11674286
Mileage unknown · Jul 16, 2025
Engine
The car had a rough idle (only for the first few minutes) for one day before the engine light came on. The car was taken to the dealership on the third day (less than 20mi of driving between the light coming on and the car being inspected). According to their scans, my 2.0L engine is experiencing water (coolant) intrusion into …
Read full complaint
The car had a rough idle (only for the first few minutes) for one day before the engine light came on. The car was taken to the dealership on the third day (less than 20mi of driving between the light coming on and the car being inspected). According to their scans, my 2.0L engine is experiencing water (coolant) intrusion into the clyinders (after only 5 years of service). The Ford technician said it is TSB 22-2229 (a known issue since 2019 TSB 19-2172). There are currently no NHTSA Customer Satisfaction Programs or recalls for this TSB, which is astonishing, as there is one for the 1.5L engine made in the same plant AND Ford completely redesigned the engine because they know it is so bad. The fix is to completely replace the engine ($10,000-$15,000). The danger is that the manufacturer knew there was risk of water intrusion, which can crack the block…this could leave the vehicle in a dangerous situation if driving at highway speeds or in heavy traffic.
NHTSA ODI #11674047
Mileage unknown · Jul 16, 2025
Engine
Consumers claim the engines in their Ford vehicles overheat due to an internal coolant / antifreeze leak that allows coolant to enter into the cylinders of the engine. In many cases, the defect is alleged to have caused total engine failure and to require replacement of the engine block.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S10.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗