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.
While driving at a constant speed on the highway, the transmission shifted down a gear and revved into very high RPMs. I was dramatically slowing down despite pressing on the gas pedal. The car didn't provide any power and just revved while I had cars next to me going at highway speeds. Managed to get off the highway, a transmission fault indicator popped up on the dash. The car no longer was able to move. I had the car towed to the Ford Dealership. This car has a bad transmission at ~97,000 miles. Prior to this, I felt like the car's transmission maybe wasn't shifting on time but didn't make much of it. This could have easily resulted in a crash. Turns out this is a very well known problem with the Ford Escape. My friend has a 2016 Ford Escape who recently paid 8000$ for a new transmission. This is clearly unsafe and the failure is definitely premature.
Coolant intrusion on 2.0L Ecoboost Engine Car started running rough, oil light came on. Palmetto Ford Charleston SC indicated engine needed replacement due to coolant intrusion. This same dealer replaced the Turbo Wastegate 10/17/2025. 12/17/2025 the car ran rough.Service Bulletin 19-2346 seems to be the problem. Called Ford Customer Service who offered no assistance. Car has 75,000 miles, 1 owner, well maintained.
05/03/2025 - My Escape has the 1.5L 4-cylinder engine failed at 118763 miles. Local Ford Dealership installed new Short Block. 09/11/2025 - Engine failed at 122742. Local Ford Dealership installed new Short Block.
The vehicle has experienced consistent overheating issues and coolant leak this Fall. My mechanic searched and realized that there were hundreds of thousands of vehicles that experienced engine performance issues traced to coolant intrusion-?"a known problem in certain Ford 2.0L EcoBoost engines (model years around 2015-?"2019). Coolant leaked into the cylinders, causing misfires and eventual engine failure. While this issue is widely documented and addressed under Ford-??s Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP 21N12), it is not part of an official safety recall. As a result, coverage is limited to specific warranty or mileage criteria, leaving some vehicles, including this one, ineligible for repair under the program despite the severity of the failure. I have no recourse for this, and it seems as though a very costly repair is likely even though there is a known issue that Ford has acknowledged and fixed for many other owners.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and there was a misfire coming from the engine. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred while the contact was driving on the highway. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinders #2 and #3. The vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
In 2023, at around 77,000 miles the engine block in my moms 2017 Ford Escape Titanium (2.0L EcoBoost) cracked due to coolant intrusion and we had to have it replaced. Although the engine was replaced, the replacement engine was the same model, just from 2016 instead of 2017. The engine is still running fine, but due to the poor manufacturing of the engine block, I am worried it will happen again soon since the car itself has 108,000 miles, and the engine has around 85,000.
I have a major engine failure on the 1.5L ecoboost engine. The engine failed away from home (at Costco) and had to arrange a ride home. Towed to the dealer where they diagnosed a coolant intrusion into #3 cylinder which locked the engine. Researched this and found out that this is a known defect. Ford will do nothing to repair this because I fall outside the window of their multiple Technical Service Bulletins. This vehicle has 68111 miles on it and resides at our home in Arizona. We only use it when we Winter there. I received no notices from Ford about this issue. The safety component of this is that we had just returned from a long day trip in the desert and could have been stranded there. This needs to elevated to recall status because there are so many people in my situation. I have a $14,400 quote to fix an otherwise perfect car that is only worth $7800. This is fraud. Ford needs to be held accountable for poor design/manufacturing as well as hiding this problem as long as it could. Fixing this only when there is a failure and you must fall into a certain window is unacceptable.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the failure could cause engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
Coolant intrusion in my 2017 Ford Escape Titanium presents a serious safety hazard that warrants an immediate recall. When coolant leaks into the engine-??s cylinders, it can lead to sudden engine misfires, stalling, loss of power, or complete engine failure while the vehicle is in motion. This creates extremely dangerous driving conditions-?"especially at highway speeds, during turns, or in intersections-?"because it removes the driver-??s ability to accelerate, maintain speed, or safely maneuver the vehicle. In many cases, coolant intrusion causes the engine to overheat rapidly, which can result in thermal damage, smoke, or even fire risk. Drivers often receive little to no warning before these failures occur. The problem is both unpredictable and progressive, meaning a vehicle that appears to be operating normally can suddenly stall or seize without sufficient time for the driver to react. Ford has been aware of widespread coolant intrusion issues across multiple EcoBoost engines, yet many affected owners-?"including myself-?"have not received adequate support, coverage, or recall actions. This defect is not merely a mechanical inconvenience; it is a direct threat to driver, passenger, and public safety. The only appropriate response is a mandatory recall to inspect, repair, or replace affected engines before more drivers experience dangerous failures on the road.Paying for this on a teachers salary before the holidays is a struggle.
Ford on 12/4/25, diagnosed there is a coolant leak into the engine from the spark plugs, coolant was low when towed in and had rough idle. I know there is a class action suit against ford right now for this very problem with the 1.5, 1.6, and 2.0 engines. The vehicle started overheating and check engine light came on. Started showing about a week ago
Passed a truck and when I looked in the mirror I noticed blue smoke. As I was returning home noticed a lack of power and then check engine light came on. Was missing out on cylinder #2, so replaced plugs. Ran ok for a bit but started missing again and check engine light came back on. Called the Ford dealership and had it towed to them. Was told it needed a new engine because coolant had entered the cylinders. This happed on 10/28/25. took to dealer on 11/13/25. This car has only 27000 miles on it, Ford knows they have a design flaw with this motor.
While driving my 2017 Ford Escape, which only has 75k miles on it, a red warning light came on indicating an engine problem and to pull over safely. I was at a red light at a busy intersection when this happened. When it turned green I started driving trying to get into a parking lot safely. My car sputtered and stopped. Luckily I was able to get it into the parking lot. It turns out, after going to the Ford dealership, that it needs a new short block engine due to coolant intrusion, which is a now known design flaw. There was a CSP (recall) 21N12 for this issue for Ford Escapes built at the Louisville, KY plant. My car was built there, and meets/met all the requirements of the CSP, but for some reason was not included in the CSP. I am not sure why. I have reached out to Ford, but they are doing nothing to assist. How has there been nothing else regarding this issue? It is a known design flaw, and Ford isn't being held accountable for it. There are so many people that are affected by this and having to pay up to $10,000 out of pocket for a repair that Ford should be covering!
I began receiving a notification labeled "Engine fault, service now" a few weeks prior to the incident. I took my car to a mechanic and everything checked out fine, so the code was cleared and did not return. A few weeks later, I was changing my oil and noticed my engine coolant appeared extremely low. I also noticed a wet spot under my car under the coolant chamber side. I refilled the coolant, drove 5 minutes home, and then noticed it was once again empty. I then had my engine light come on. I took my car to Ford that night. The next day they called and informed me I had an internal coolant leak that had seized my spark plugs and destroyed my engine. This is a known issue, extremely common, and yet they refuse to do a recall on it and could provide me no help. I was quoted $16,000 for the repair (far more than the car is worth) and essentially just ended up having to buy a new car. The Ford will have to be scrapped for a few hundred dollars despite only being 8 years old with only 98,000 miles on it. I have records of my ownership and a written diagnostic report from Ford. From Ford: "Observed coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. Recommend replacement of the long block at this time. Coolant intrusion into long block at this time. Found the engine assembly has an internal coolant leak." Additionally, Ford has posted a service bulletin with recommended repair instructions for this known issue. The bulletin number is 9-2139 from 2019. There is also an active class action lawsuit against Ford being run by Kershaw Talley Barlow for this issue.
The engine failed due to coolant leaking into the cylinders. Sarasota Ford confirmed that coolant intrusion caused internal engine damage and the engine could not be repaired. The vehicle was purchased only 18 months ago and has been maintained per manufacturer guidelines. This appears to match a known Ford issue that has affected multiple Ford Escape model years involving coolant intrusion, rough running, stalling, and eventual engine failure. The repair required a full engine replacement at a cost of $9,850.20, which we have already paid. I am requesting NHTSA review this defect pattern as it creates safety risks and significant financial impact for owners.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Whiteclowd, MI, USA