2018 Ford Escape Complaint Log

The fly wheel has had to be replaced twice on my car. I am driving and all of the sudden it starts clanking, I'm thinking my car is going to fall apart. First in 2021 and now again in 2024. I feel this is something that should be recalled because what are the chances that 2 went bad. It is getting fixed after Ford looked at it and wanted to charge us $2800.00 to replace. Took to a recommended transmission shop. Most people don't even know about reporting these issues. Not only that they replaced my engine already in 2021. I have had numerous problems with this car, if interested in checking it out you all are more than welcome to. I was out of town and suddenly my car would not start even though the battery good according to auto zone and O'reilly's was good. it is just crazy the problems, I am afraid to drive my car and being stranded somewhere. I am going to look for all the invoices i have from ford and will submit

My car, 2018 Ford Escape is in need of an entirely new engine due to coolant leaking into the engine. This is a KNOWN ISSUE. My car suddenly started overheating and my car became undrivable. This is a widely reported issue and I believe there is clear evidence that it is a known defect and that Ford has the absolute responsibility to repair it .

The roof seals failed, water poured into the rear of the car in cargo space, and filled spare tire wheel well without warning. We had noticed a sour, moldy smell prior to that, and began to show allergy symptoms, necessitating medication. Dealer was made aware.They tested roof and resealed it. The roof was glued on at manufacturer… not riveted or secured in any other way. It is the fault of the Ford manufacturer . The leak appeared approx April [XXX]. Got appointment at Ford here in DeLand April [XXX]. They kept the car, tore it apart to find cause of leak. We got it back late Friday April [XXX]. There was still water in it ! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Coolant intruding into cylinder bores, caused engine failure. Ford will not honor letter sent.

Like thousands of other customers, my engine needs to be fully replaced at only 30K miles due to coolant leaking into the engine. I am fortunate to have purchased a bumper to bumper warranry for over $4K, but this is FORD'S issue and THEY should be replacing the engines at no cost to their customers. It's terrible they are able to get away with screwing over people who still are paying off their loans without a car that runs. There should be a class action lawsuit filed, period. After my engine is replaced, I will be selling this crappy, unreliable car because I don't trust it won't happen again and after my 6 year, 60K warranty expires. I purchased it used from a BMW dealership that was a trade in and only put on 6K miles in 2 years. I've driven foreign cars that have been reliable with no costly repairs well over 100K miles. This is criminal!!!

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge began to indicate that the engine was overheating, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, requiring an engine replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 64,000.

My 2018 Ford Escape started running super rough one morning as I was heading into work. There were no lights and the system check said all systems running normal. However when I checked all the fluids and looked at everything it all looked fine. When I restarted the car I could see the engine shaking. As I was headed down the street to have a mechanic look at it the check engine light started flashing and the car lost power. Long story short the car was towed to the dealership and they told me I need a new engine and quoted $11,724.00, they said there was a coolant leak into the engine. I bought this car brand new and it only has 52,491 miles on it. After some extensive research I have found that this is a issue that is well known with all Escape models between the 2013 and 2019 years. However Ford is not doing anything to fix it and basically is just shrugging it off.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic where the ignition coils and spark plugs were replaced. Despite the repair, the failure persisted, and the contact was referred to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with coolant intrusion into cylinder #3. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the "Parking Brake - Fault Service Now" message illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact stopped driving the vehicle out of fear of causing brake damage or engine damage. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

Coolant leak into the cylinder causing head gasket and cylinder to crack. This caused engine heating and could've potentially caused an engine fire. This was diagnosed by a Ford dealer and was covered under a Ford customer service program in 2022 (21N12). Engine warning light came on alerting to the problem.

known problem with ford eco boost engines. Coolant loss, engine overheating, loss of power and died. now $11000 to replace the engine.

Driver seat belt will not latch, takes several tries to finally latch in place. SAFTEY CONCERN!

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated and temperature gauge raised to HOT, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, and the engine short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was unknown.

I noticed a 'ticking' noise for about a minute when starting the engine after it'd been sitting overnight. In the first minute there'd also be some revving, about 100rpm, before the engine finally settled into normal idle. Other times, when starting the engine it would 'shudder' and I'd have to turn the car off, wait about 10 seconds, and start the engine again. A few weeks later the check engine light came on and I took it to the dealership. I had recorded the noise at startup and played it for the employees. They kept the car overnight to test it in the morning. In the morning, I was notified I'd need a new engine as 'coolant was getting into a cylinder' and it was a "block/head flaw". My antifreeze was empty. I was told this is a manufacturer defect and the dealership has been seeing this issue about once a week. I was told this is a "Ford issue and not anything" I, as an owner/operator, would have done to cause it. I was told "this is not a repair, it is a replace" and could eventually cause engine overheating and engine failure. My vehicle is only 6 years old with 52,000 miles at the time this issue arose.

When I get gas engine turns off. Need to restart it multiple times. Hesitation on acceleration afraid to be on highway. Rough idol at stop. I’ve seen it multiple people have had this issue. It turns out to be the vapor canister, purge solenoid, which I had to be replaced that fixed it. Hopefully this could help out other people. I was so scared on the highway. God bless you.

My engine started to slow down while driving down even though gas pedal was to the floor on the road at peak hour of traffic at 4pm and was barely moving then my high temperature alert came on my dash board and told me to pull over as soon as possible. Once I pulled over saw that coolant was leaking from my emergency spot on tank. Had to have car towed home and then to deal ship to heritage valley ford in Brooklyn ct. I could have been rear end from the back when the engine started to act up which could have cause a accident and I had my kids in the car with me. The dealership confirmed that their was a recall but not a safety recall on it so did not have to fix issue sense not a safety recall. Ford new about the issue of coolant leaking into engine in June of 2022 and told me they did not need to inform me of this issue and could blow engine but not their problem sense not a safety issue. The recall under their CSP program is 21N12 and Heritage Valley Auto Group confirmed this was the issue with my engine and told me I need a new engine. Yes about two weeks prior my check engine light came on with codes for misfiring in my engine and replaced spark plugs and coil packs and then found out this was a know issue with ford under their CSP program.

I am experiencing transmission issues in my 2018 Ford Escape SUV, the vehicle is barely 5 yrs old with less than 75k on the odometer. I started noticing that when I go over 60mph it starts to sputter, I took it to the ford dealership and was told I need to replace the torque converter and transmission at a cost of over 6K. I am in a delima as this is my only vehicle and or not to repair the vehicle or get rid of it. This is a very frustrating situation to be in.

The engine has had the same issue as countless others where coolant got into the engine and the engine must be replaced. This is a constant issue and Ford is doing nothing to remedy this engine issue.

This is 3rd one Ford escape all three ran boiling hot stalled quit running would not crank up coolant leak my car is like brand new I love it but this has to be a recall for it to do three just alike .afraid it will catch on fire and it stalls in traffic I'm [XXX] and it scares me to death of getting hit run over are burning up in car INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The 2018 Ford Escape had a check engine light come on. It showed a code (P0303) that said cylinder 3 was misfiring. It was also having white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and my coolant was draining really quickly. The coolant tank was completely empty before hitting 2,000 miles since it had last been filled. I took the vehicle into a Ford dealership for a diagnostic check to see what was going on. In the end I was told that I have a crack in the long block that is letting coolant into my cylinders which is causing the misfiring. I was told that the possibility of an engine fire and a few other things that make the engine not work could have happened while driving it. Unfortunately the vehicle isn’t even paid off yet and I can’t drive it for fear of something bad happening while doing so. They are quoting me around $8600 to fix it. We are currently trying to figure out if there is anyway of fixing it without having to pay out of pocket. It appears that this is a common problem with 2018 ford escape 2.0L engines. My engine was manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky. The Ford company sent a notice or something out on [XXX] that said the manufacturer error engines for the 2017-2019 Ford Escape 1.5L Ecoboost were manufactured in Louisville, Kentucky. Seeing as my engine was made there and has the same problem as the 1.5L engines I feel like there should be a recall put out for the 2.0L and the 1.5L 2017-2019 Ford Escape engines. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while adjusting the front driver’s side seat to the driver's height, the seat belt rubbed against the seat belt retractor located on the driver side door. As a result of the failure, the front driver’s seat belt started to shred after multiple seat adjustments. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

I received a warning on my dashboard to pullover safely because my engine was overheating even though I just left work from a cold start. I had it towed to my mechanic who told me I had a serious issue and recommended I take it to Ford. Ford just confirmed a short engine block issue and even though I had the required repair done on 7/9/22 that was supposed to prevent this more expensive issue. My particular vehicle was not on the Program 21N12 Coolant Intrusion Recall for possible short engine block issue but that's the exact issues the dealership just told me has happened to my vehicle. Luckily I was able to maneuver it out of the line of traffic safely.

There is a known issue with the 1.5 liter engine for the 2018 Ford Escape related to coolant leaks in the engine causing cylinder misfires (which can lead to damaged spark plugs, lost coolant, overheating, among other things)--Ford has addressed the issue via a "customer service program" (program [XXX]) in what appears to be an attempt to avoid an active recall. Although the issue is widespread for the 1.5 liter engine, it still occurs in the 2.0 liter engine. I have the 2.0 liter engine and am having the same issue (coolant leak due to the design of the open block, has caused multiple issues). The Ford dealership service center (McLarty Daniel Ford in Bentonville, AR) confirmed the diagnosis and that I would need an entirely new engine. But because I'm 2,000 miles outside of my power train warranty and the customer service program only applies to 1.5 liter engines, Ford wants me to pay for all or most of the repairs. Ford should expand program [XXX] to cover the 2.0 liter engine or be forced to address the issue via a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Engine coolant leaking into engine cylinder number two.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the spark plugs. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to an independent mechanic, who then determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. 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 110,000.

Check engine light came on steady. Took vehicle in for service at 1st possible appt. Was told it was engine block failure due to faulty porous block installed by Ford. Vehicle has 54000 miles on it, 8 months out of the 60,000/5yr powertrain warranty. Have an extended warranty but they refused to pay stating Ford knew about the faulty engine blocks installed on thousands of vehicles. Ford had issued a TSB warning of potential engine failures in these vehicles, but no recall. TSB 22-2322 Huge safety issue due to possibility of catching fire or breaking down on busy interstate. Vehicle currently at Ford dealership with a repair price tag of 10,400.

Ford has a KNOWN issue with fluid intrusion in the engines of some of their vehicles built over many years and the repair is a new engine block. The issue causes the car to sputter and stall as well as emit smoke and have a burning smell. They have issued a Technical Service Bulletin about the issue but not a recall and are not fixing the issue in some vehicles.

Timing belt slipped at 72,000 miles causing total engine failure

The car was stalling while driving and coming to a complete stop while accelerating. No warning lights were on. I called an independent mechanic shop and they came out to diagnose the issue. They informed that the powertrain light was now on and that car would not go into first gear. I called the Ford Service Center to schedule a service appointment and I was informed that the car had a recall notice. I took the car in for the recall service and was informed that they completed the service for the recall but that the car was having the same issue.

2.0 ECOBOOST ENGINE IS LEAKING COOLANT INTO THE ENGINE CYLINDERS CAUSING HARD STARTING AND ROUGH IDLE. THIS IS KNOWN PROBLEM WITH ENGINE ADDRESSED IN FORD SERVICE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 19-2346.

Ford Escape 2018 Recall #[XXX] and #[XXX] ENGINE COOLANT LEAK Needs “New Engine” confirmed by service and available for inspection at dealer. Car was taken to Ford Dealer right when engine light came on. Dealer / Service has been only one to inspect car. On [XXX] BEFORE “Engine Coolant” Recalls were expired, car was taken to dealer for Recall #[XXX] I asked about ANY other CSP Letters or Recalls at the time of service. Ford Dealer decided on their own to ONLY preform ONE of the two Recalls that were crucial to being preformed for the safety of my vehicle. Both Recalls #[XXX] and #[XXX] should have been performed together according to letter sent to Dealers from Ford and NHTSA [XXX] Above link clearly states: “ Vehicle owners will receive one letter for both [XXX] and [XXX]. “ “Dealers should repair any affected vehicles that arrive at their dealerships, whether or not the customer has received a letter.” Ford Dealer took it upon themselves NOT to perform repair work or even discuss Recall #[XXX] at the time car was serviced [XXX] before recall expired [XXX]. Ford and Dealers knew about the “Coolant Engine Leak” problem long before and did not warn me or make me aware I was driving a dangerous car. I did not receive CSP Letters that is why I make sure to double check with Service Dept. at time of service. Ford performed Recall #[XXX] and NEVER mentioned CSP Letters sent out or that there was a second recall that needed to done #[XXX] before [XXX] Ford basically sent me on my way in a very unsafe car for myself and my passengers. I should have been made completely aware of this situation at that exact time and service (XXX). INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Widely known issue that the engine has coolant leaking into the engine. Ford issued a statement on it. Now the same thing is happening to my car. Safety of myself and others put at risk by vehicle running incorrectly and engine is now misfiring resulting in difficulty maintaining power while driving. Problem has been confirmed by independent body shop and is being confirmed but dealer now. Check engine light was on at 97k and now at 106k with same codes.

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 25 MPH, there was a significant amount of smoke coming out of the tailpipe, and the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant intrusion in the engine. The mechanic determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and charged a repair fee because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 118,692.

Coolant intrusion into the engine causing a misfire in cylinder #1. Slow and heavy idle at startup, thick white exhaust and an immediate warning of engine overheating. Car is inoperable and engine must be replaced. There was also a short at the main 150 amp battery fuse on 4 separate occasions since the misfire in cylinder #1.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost significant motive power. After which, the contact observed excessive smoke emanating from the exhaust, prompting her to pull to the side of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed oil covering the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the contact was unable to recall the diagnostic result. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 54,000.

Lug nuts have deformed and cannot be removed with standard lug nut wrench supplied with car. Have to be removed by a mechanic and replaced with new lug nuts which if from Ford only bend again.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the exhaust began to show signs of smoke, and the vehicle was pulled over to the shoulder of the road. The Check Engine Warning Light had illuminated. The vehicle was restarted but failed to maintain power and would not drive. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was Anti-Freeze leaked into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was towed to a Ford Service center where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired as of yet. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

The day after paying off my wife's 2018 Escape with 102,000 miles on it started telling us to pull over while driving on the highway because the engine was getting hot We pulled over and it went away. The next time we drove it our daughter was driving with our grandson in the car and it would not go more than a mile or two without overheating. We took it to be looked at by a local mechanic and was told that these regularly have head gasket problems, that was the problem with ours and we would have to replace the engine for about $10,000.00. A quick call to the Ford dealer and a perusal of the internet confirmed what the mechanic stated. I see information about the faulty head gaskets on the 1.0 liter engines, when I look on line I see at least as many customer complaints about the 1.5 liter engine in the escapes. These engines both have the same faulty wet sleeve design that is going to fail prematurely. Why isn't Ford being forced to address the dangerous engines in the escapes as well as the ecosport?

Bought my escape on used 6/2022. On 3/6/24.. My car started shaking and the engine light started blinking. Had it towed to the dealer. The dealer said it was antifreeze intrusion. And it is a well know problem with my motor and that Ford is aware of this.

Check engine light came on for misfire. Odaniel Ford in New Haven, Indiana confirms coolant intrusion. Short block needs replace for $6800.

Coolant leaked into causing engine failure. Now having to have engine replaced. Noticed 156 other complaints to NHTSA regarding same issues. Why is Ford not doing anything about this. My Ford has 58560 miles on it.

Coolant intrusion to the cylinder bores.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant had intruded into the cylinders. The dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

In March of 2024 warning lights for abs, hill assist, traction control came on while the car was driving. We stopped driving and had the error codes checked at a autozone who said the sparkplugs where misfiring on cylinder 3. it was changed and when we started the car it blew white smoke and the engine seized. The repairs were over $6000. We were told ford had a class action suit which closed on November of 2023. We opened a case but ford closed it and will not help with known problems with the 1.5 lt engine.

My check engine light came on and I brought my 2018 Ford Escape to a mechanic. I then learned that coolant was leaking into the engine and causing the spark plugs to misfire. Ford had a bulletin on this issue but refused to perform any repairs on it (they recommended a full engine replacement). I contacted both Ford's customer service line and spoke to the service department at the dealership. Both said they could do nothing to help. I researched this issue and discovered that it is common in this make and model. I do not wish to pay the $10,000 it would cost to replace the engine on my own. I fear that this vehicle may overheat and fail for me on the highway with the loss of engine coolant or the misfire of the spark plugs.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact became aware of a flowing liquid sound underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant leak into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12; however, the contact was informed that the repair could not be covered under the Customer Satisfaction Program. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

I bought a used 2018 Ford escape eco-boost SUV from Elder Ford. I recently have been experiencing coolant problems where the coolant is dissipating from the engine. The car has run hot two or three times and now there appears to be coolant and oil mixed together that's over the engine and it appears that there is a cracked head gasket. I have researched on the computer to find this is a known problem from Ford back to 2010 and there are multiple customers that have experience the same thing. Now I believe the engine has to be replaced. Ford needs to be held accountable for this faulty mechanism. There's a coolant intrusion issue which causing gulping of the coolant into the cylinders. Apparently Ford changed the area around the pistons to an open deck which is causing this problem . I noticed that there's a class action lawsuit in California for the same problem.

This was a company leased vehicle that I bought in 2023. It was never in an accident, and I had it in for the regular maintenance every 7,000 miles as directed by my company. Car crossed over to 100,000 miles and started making a loud rattling noise near the engine. Took it to a local Goodyear who believed it was a cracked or damaged Flywheel. They have dealt with several problems with this make and model for the flywheel issue. They suggested I bring it to the dealer and have the dealer diagnose. Dealer confirmed the flywheel was cracked. During this time, I was able to confirm a November 2022 recall was conducted for the same year for the Ford Edge and again for the Ford Fusion and MKZ models, for the flywheel issue. Customer Satisfaction Program number 22N12. I believe the Ford Escape Flywheel issue should be connected to this recall.

The vehicle started overheating due to an internal coolant leak that sends coolant into the cylinder head. This is apparently a common issue with these vehicles and could easily lead to a fire. There is an active recall for the same exact engine in the Ford Fusion. There needs to be a recall for the Ford Escape engines as well before people sustain unnecessary injury/death.

Engine failed due to timing chain, a common issue for these motors & part of the reason they discontinued this models engine. The car was running when the engine failed. The vehicle is currently at a mechanic, with diagnosis of engine failure due to timing chain. The car has not been looked at by police, manufacturer, insurance or other. There were NO indications of the problem prior to the engine failing.