There are 50 owner-reported engine complaints for the 2015 Ford Escapein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Service engine warning light came on. When checked, coolant was found to be leaking into cylinder 3 due to the engine block being porous. Service center said they see this a lot in this particular engine.
MIL activated, reported misfire in cylinder 2. Attempted to replace spark plugs but they had seized. Took to dealership: was told coolant leaked into cylinder and entire engine needed to be replaced. Technician said this was common with Ecoboost engines for this model year, but not enough to merit a recall. Cost to replace engine more than the vehicle is worth
- The car loses coolant while the engine is running. This coolant loss is nearly imperceptible, except that the car's heat stopped working reliably. If the car is left idling with the heat on, it does not become warm. It only begins to become warm at higher speeds, then loses heat after slowing down.There are no easily visible coolant leaks. - If I had not caught it in time, the car could have overheated, causing a breakdown and emergency stop. - I have reproduced the problem, but it has not been brought to a dealer. - It has not yet been inspected. -There were no warning lights, I only noticed the coolant loss because I observed the radiator not working and checked under the hood. - The car is still available to be inspected, and is safe to drive short distances if the coolant is topped off.
Unknown coolant leak. Coolant is being lost somewhere in the engine no visible leaks. Added coolant several times.
Cabin lost heat November 2025. Brought it in to the local Ford dealership right away and they said replacing replacing the oil cooler hose will probably fix it. Car worked fine for a couple of weeks but the cabin heat tapered off again. Made another appointment with the Ford dealership, but the first available appointment wasn’t until 2/23/26. I tried to drive anywhere as little as possible after this because I live in Fairbanks, AK and it’s commonly -30 this time of the year. Tried to leave work on [XXX] and a warning came up as I started driving away that the engine was overheating and power was reduced to minimize damage. I put my car back in my work parking spot and plugged it in until I could get an appointment at a local mechanic shop. Had the car towed to a local shop 1/6/26 and they inspected it 1/7/26. The report came back saying there was an internal coolant leak and found hydrocarbons in the cooling system. The recommended fix was to replace the entire engine with a quote for $12,000. That is more than I paid for the vehicle and way over the Kelly Blue Book worth. I did some research and found that there is a common coolant leak issue damaging engines of a certain range of Ford vehicles that has not become an official recall yet. I looked at other Ford Escape owner complaints and it looks like my 2015 Escape 1.6L has the same engine defect. I’m afraid if I pay for the engine replacement, this will just happen again. If I don’t pay, I still owe for my lease and will only get pennies to sell it as is for parts. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, and after several attempts, the vehicle restarted but continued to stall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that occasionally, while shifted in reverse, the rearview camera failed to display as intended and was possibly impacted by severe weather conditions. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that during colder weather, the heater failed to operate as intended while activated. After further inspection, the coolant reservoir was abnormally low. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was determined that the coolant level was extremely low. The coolant reservoir was refilled; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Vehicle is leaking coolant.
I am having a issue that is not new to ford, my ford escape is having the coolant leak issue, I already have spend more than 2k on it, still engine is over heating, Ford Escape reps and almost all the mechanic know the issue is very known, I hope this issue is addressed.
Transmission sticks and only will tend to shift once it hits 3 RPM! And jerks
On 7/25/25 at about 1pm my son was driving the ford escape 2.0 engine (2015) and it started jerking, stalling while driving. The AC shut off suddenly and the car was overheating. He almost got in a car accident when it suddenly stopped! Turns out it was coolant oil intrusion issue and now requires a new engine 12k
Engine began giving white smoke from exhaust at start up. 2 Mechanics have checked it and said it’s a well Known coolant intrusion issue with these ford eco boost engines. High risk of overheating and engine failure (while driving, which is a major safety risk for my family).
My vehicle overheated on a drive home from work on an expressway doing approximately 72mph. Without any warning, my car flashed a notification that the engine temperature was too hot and I needed to stop safely. The car would not accelerate, in fact, it decelerated the next 4 miles before I could find a gas station to stop. The coolant reservoir was empty (which was full when I started my car) so I refilled it again. I did end up replacing the coolant reservoir but this issue kept recurring. Fast forward 2 weeks and my car decided it didn’t want to accelerate on my drive home from work. I took it to a local mechanic who said there was oil soaking up the spark plug in the 4th cylinder. Said mechanic replaced all 4 plugs, coil packs and valve cover gasket. I live in Michigan and the heat has been extensive the last couple of weeks. I noticed an oil leak under my car during the hot weather. However yesterday ([XXX]) the temperature here was in the 70’s and the leak wasn’t as bad. I decided to google “2015 Ford Escape 1.6L oil leak during hot weather” and discovered that this is a KNOWN issue and that there could potentially be a recall. I went on the NHTSA website, plugged in my VIN and found there is currently no recall. Ford needs to realize that their consumers purchase cars because they need them to get to work, dr appointments, church and common errands for everyday people. With the economy being the way it is, we can’t afford to continue dropping $1,000’s of our hard earned money on a regular basis. I’ve kept up the routine maintenance on my vehicle, and constantly defend Ford products because this is the first major engine incident I’ve experienced with my vehicle. Please contact Ford and implore them to make things right for the countless people that are experiencing the same issue as I currently am. I’m on a very fixed income and can’t afford a new engine let alone a new car. Thank you for taking the time to read this information. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Defective turbo charger.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon scanning the vehicle with a vehicle scanner, the contact retrieved diagnostic trouble codes indicating an engine misfire. The contact replaced the ignition coils; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that while replacing the spark plugs, the spark plug thread of cylinder #4 remained stuck in the cylinder head. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the spark plug thread might be stuck because the cylinder head had melted around the spark plug thread. The mechanic determined that the cylinder head needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and recommended the cylinder head replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in an undisclosed recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while idling and while driving at various speeds, there was a significant amount of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to A1 Auto 3 Brothers Car Repair, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed due to piston rings failure, and the turbo charger also failed. The dealer determined that the engine and the turbo charger needed to be replaced. The warranty company informed the contact that only the turbo charger was covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
UNKNOWN, but appears like other version of Ford Escape the 2015 suffers from the same fuel pump issues. On at least 10 moments the car stalls and dies during driving. When brought to Fords attention, they have on 2 times indicated that no error codes or way of duplicating problem. I had independent car repair place as well look into the issue with the same response. We now only drive the car if we have to and only in short areas where we are not driving on the freeway and if we can walk home. Please add this to the recalls.
While driving to Las Vegas, I noticed the engine felt unstable and coolant levels were low. After topping off coolant, the car drove normally for the remainder of the trip, but the air conditioning intermittently blew hot air. A mechanic performed diagnostic and pressure tests, but no codes appeared. The issue recurred with repeated coolant loss and stalling sensations. The following day, the vehicle overheated on the freeway and stalled. A mechanic diagnosed a blown head gasket and cracked cylinder head, which cost me $4,500 to repair. Less than a month later, the same issue happened again. This defect creates ongoing safety concerns due to the risk of sudden stalling, overheating, and potential engine fire. I have learned that this issue is widespread in Ford Escape EcoBoost engines, and Ford has not issued a recall or permanent fix.06
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the vapor canister purge valve. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 24N07. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Vehicle threw code for Ignition Coil 1 malfunction, replaced all 4 ignition coils & spark plugs but the car later threw codes for Ignition Coil 1 and 2 malfunction. I observed antifreeze was leaking from the car only while in operation. Lines were replaced and the car was thoroughly checked for leaks. Antifreeze was kept topped off routinely while troubleshooting. Went to start car and it wouldn't start. Had it towed for repairs and received diagnosis that engine overheated due to an internal coolant / antifreeze leak that allows coolant to enter into the cylinders of the engine. This is a known manufacturer's defect that has caused total engine failure and requires replacement of the engine block. Quote to repair the vehicle exceeds the vehicle's value.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026