This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The **engine system** failed due to **coolant intrusion into cylinder 2**, causing engine misfires and loss of power. This condition is consistent with known EcoBoost engine defects in this model year. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This failure created a **safety risk** due to potential **loss of power or stalling while driving**, increasing the risk of a crash. An additional issue exists with the **electrical system**, specifically the **driver-??s door control panel circuit**, which intermittently malfunctions and affects vehicle operation. The engine issue has been **confirmed by diagnostic trouble codes indicating a cylinder 2 misfire**. Dealer confirmation: **UNKNOWN**. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Prior to failure, the vehicle displayed a **check engine light**, rough idle, and misfiring. Electrical issues occurred intermittently. Exact onset date is **UNKNOWN**.
Coolant leaking into engine cylinder 2 possible head gasket issue associated with known problem for this vehicle. Will cause overheating due to coolant levels needing to be refilled on a regular basis.
My [XXX] daughter was driving her 2017 Ford Escape 1.5L EcoBoost check engine light came on and a message to pull over immediately. Vehicle was out of coolant. The coolant isn't leaking. The vehicle has a design flaw that causes coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Extremely dangerous and could leave someone stranded. The cost to fix is about the same as the value of the car!! Thousands of dollars!! This is a known design, flaw, and thousands of customers are experiencing it. It can leave drivers stranded and dangerous situations, including drivers like my teenage daughter. Ford should be responsible to fix this dangerous design flaw! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On 1/13/26, vehicle was taken to Don Hinds Ford, Fishers, IN 46038-2892 for loss of coolant and sporadic shaking during start. Service performed diagnostic "Diagnostic: PERFORMED COOLANT PRESSURE TEST AND USED BOROSCOPE TO INSPECT EACH CYLINDER. FOUND CYL# 3 & 4 TO HAVE COOANT INTRUSION. RECOMEND REPLACEMENT OF ENGINE LONG BLOCK." Service recommendation "Engine Rebuild/Replace: REPLCEMENT OF ENGINE LONG BLOCK VIA TSB 22-2229" totaling $9,229.68 to be paid by customer. TSB 22-2229 is expired and vehicle has 82K miles. Known issue with this engine design, but not covered by Ford. I contacted Ford Customer Service requesting goodwill assistance or out-of-warranty coverage. Both were denied over the phone.
Coolant intrusion due to engineering defect in engine. Ford is more than aware of this, but will not help us at all. Car is effectively dead and unusable. Ford TSB admits to this defect and requires a "long block" replacement (full engine replacement), but is doing nothing to help customers. This is fleecing.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" Engine, Yes. There is a known coolant intrusion engine fault with ford escapes. ford has issued TSBs over this How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Engine abruptly died. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear"
Coolant intrusion due to head gasket wear from Ecoboost, a known defect on the Ford Escape from 2013-2019. Yes, safety was put at risk, as the entire vehicle started shaking violently without warning on the expressway due to misfire caused from coolant intrusion. Vehicle is currently at Roy O'Brien Ford, SCS MI, where it was diagnosed having coolant intrusion. No warning lights appeared until the incident on [XXX], with a flashing check engine light while driving, with the vehicle shaking violently. Prior to, I could feel and see the RPM's bouncing. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Coolant Intrusion: A design flaw in the open-deck engine block allows coolant to leak into the combustion chambers, leading to misfires, white smoke, and severe engine damage. Affected Vehicles: Primarily 2017-2019 Escapes and 2014-2019 Fusions with the 1.5L EcoBoost engine, built before specific dates. Symptoms: Low coolant, white exhaust smoke, rough idling, check engine light, and DTCs like P0300, P0301-P0304.
I am the single owner of this 2017 Ford Escape with an Eco-boost 2.0L engine. This vehicle has only been serviced by Ford dealerships. at approximately 60K miles I noticed a lag in acceleration between 1200-2200 RPM. At 88K this lag became more violent, and I took the car to a Ford dealership for diagnosis. No warning lights had illuminated. The ford dealership advised me that there was coolant intrusion in the cylinders, and an entire new long block engine was required. After researching I learned that the 2017 had a design flaw that allows coolant to leak into the combustion chambers. in 2020 Ford redesigned the engine from an open deck to a closed deck. Due to Fords design flaw, I required a completely new long block engine and was able to confirm it was the new closed deck design at a cost of $14K. This problem boils down to the engine's open deck cooling design, which causes premature gasket failure and sometimes cracks between the cylinders. These problems don't affect the earlier versions of these engines due to their closed deck system, which was used prior to the introduction of the 2017 Escape. Ford has acknowledged this problem, but the fix isn't a simple one - it requires a long block replacement, which is obviously a labor intensive and expensive job. How to we get Ford to be responsible for the costs associated with changing the engine out from their flawed design? This could have been an on highway incident since there were no warning lights or other visible issues.
I bought my 2017 Ford Escape from Cocoa Ford in Cocoa, FL on 8/23/2025. Less than a month after purchase, I noticed the coolant was low, and that the engine was making a weird noise. I also had the check engine light come on two different times and after using an OBD reader, I got code P0303. After the first instance, around Mid-November, 2025, I cleared the code myself, but then immediately scheduled an appointment with my mechanic. Seaside Auto Repair in Satellite Beach, FL on November 24, 2025. They came back stating that the problem is a known issue with Ford Escape cars, citing [XXX] & [XXX]. No repairs were made at this time, as I was assessing my options. Shortly after taking the car to the mechanic was when the check engine light came on again. Around December 5, 2025. Due to the holidays, and the car seemingly getting me to point A to Point B without too much trouble when I wasn't driving far, and constantly monitoring the coolant levels, which continued to drop, even after topping off, I have been waiting until after the new years to seek further mechanical fixes, however on Jan 1, 2026, while driving on the highway, my car began to shake, and I had a flashing check engine light on. I immediately returned home, about an additional 25 minutes of driving, and have not driven the car since. Since this is a known issue, Ford should be responsible for the fixes and/or replacement of my car. It is asinine that this issue does not yet have a recall. I will be reaching out to Ford directly to see if they will assist with this matter, but for now, I wanted to voice my concern about this issue. I'm lucky I was close to home when the issue became more serious. I have attached the invoice from my mechanic, which also includes a descriptions of their findings. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
This is related to the class action lawsuit 2:20-cv-01796-DAD-CKD Miller v. Ford Motor Co. Concerning alleged engine defects in Ford vehicles, specifically focusing on issues like excessive oil consumption and premature failure in certain EcoBoost engines. My engine has developed symptoms regarding the known coolant leak into the engine. The engine looses power when accellerating, and produces white exhaust after starting cold. Replacing spark plugs and coils did not resolve the issue. I checked the coolant level and it was below the minimum, and I had to add more coolant. The ECU has logged misfires at cylinder 2 and 4. The MIL turns on intermittently.
Engine failure due to multiple coolant failures, due to poor design of the long engine block. Ford removed and replaced the long block in full, but it was out of warranty. There are multiple class action lawsuits against Ford for the defecting engine block design. There was only 49,187 miles on the car, well under mileage warranty, but above the 7 year old car age warranty. I paid $8379.39 for the new long block engine.
Vehicle is slowly losing collant, and when I park I get a strong smell of collant. I took vehicle to have collant flushed and was took system was ok. From what I have researched is that there is a history of coolant entering engine cylinder because of defective engine and causeing engines to event ually seize.
Two different things are happening with my car. 1) the paint is chipping and has caused corrosion on the body. Apparently this is a known issue but the peeling/chipping has gotten worse and will keep doing so until it is fixed. 2) car keep running hot and losing coolant but no leak to be found even after several rounds of tests.
Coolant intrusion on the 2.0 ecoboost engine diagnosed by a ford dealer service center and a well documented issue. The coolant intrusion causes the engine to misfire rendering the car unusable and a potential road hazard.
Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) number is 21-2269. The engine block is leaking coolant into the cylinders which causes the engine to report over heating.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Atlanta, GA, USA