2019 Ford Escape Complaint Log

Presence of coolant in the engine cylinders, Ford has it as a known issue but won't issue a full recall. Causing cylinder misfires. Needs new engine. Ford design flaw!

Backup camera will stay on for a short time after switching from R to D. It will switch while driving down the road. Also the lighting continues to switch light to dark while driving during the day.

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.

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).

White smoke coming out of exhaust smelled of antifreeze. Took to Ford dealer in Eagle River, Wisconsin: Dealer found coolant in #1 cylinder and wrote on receipt - headgasket block failure, recommend replacing engine. Service writer said this is due to a defect in engine block being a slit machined in block between cylinders by Ford. Dealer quote for engine replacement was $9500.

Transmission issue, transmission failure

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 74,500.

In June 2025 vehicle had no coolant in tank, refilled and monitored, July 2025 check engine light appeared and code for cylinder 3 misfire, Aug 2025 vehicle went to local certified automotive repair company who began running diagnostics, replaced spark plug and coil #3. After replacement was asked to drive, less than 10 miles check engine came back on with same code. Mechanic kept working on vehicle until December/January 2026 when it was determined and confirmed that there is a coolant leak, running a check engine with malfunction of cylinder 3 inevitably leading to full engine failure. Was quoted February 2026 by another local certified automotive repair company over $8,000 for the removal and install of a new engine.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant intrusion into the cylinder had caused the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 58,600.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. In addition, the contact became aware of an abnormal coolant consumption. The check engine warning light was occasionally illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with OP code: 62. The contact was informed that the short block needed to be replaced. The local dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to TSB: 19-2208; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,645.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact heard a rumbling sound coming from the engine, causing the vehicle to shake abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with engine failure, and that the cam shaft was damaged. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 130,000.

On or about June 1, 2025, the vehicle began losing coolant without a visible leak. Took the vehicle to dealer for a diagnosis. Dealer claimed than a coolant hose was bad and required an $1100 repair. I reported to the dealer the low coolant, water in the oil and white smoke at start up but they dismissed the complaint. Stated they would need the $1100 repair done before any other diagnosis could completed. July 1, 2025, after consulting Ford corporate directly, they are "looking" into my concern. No offer of repairs, at all.

I have Engine coolant intrusion into the the cylinder heads. White smoke during start up and loss of engine coolant. Also is stuttering during start up with check engine lights..

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders, causing the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

Replaced engine blowing a lot of smoke out of the exhaust when starting engine and it didn't do that before the new remanufacured engine was installed.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost motive power with the engine revving abnormally. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle however, after driving 100-feet, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,133.

Vehicle indicates a misfire on cylinder number 2 . Diagnosis of the issue appoint to a leak of coolant into the cylinder bore.

Was driving out of town when the car started to slow down on its own, and when stepping on the gas kept slowing down and jerking and we had to pull over and shut it off. Did that a few times and then would go gaining speed a little at a time, except when going up a hill. Then would start to slow down and almost stall on the busy highway. Traffic was backing up behind us unable to pass and we continually had to keep pulling over on the highway as the car would start to stall. Then the check engine light came on, and a couple times it flashed. We pulled into our hometown garage (Heisler Auto, Mohall ND) and they checked it out and said it was a cylinder 1 misfire. We purchased spark plugs and did that ourselves. The problem continued immediately after we put them in and the check engine light came on again. We took back to Heisler Auto and 2 weeks later they changed out the coil packs to see if that was the issue. The issue continued when they took it out for a drive and upon further inspection found it to be the timing chain. It will be another 2 weeks before they get the part and do the work. So it’s been a whole month with no vehicle to drive. There was no warning signs of this. Car has driven great and has had great gas mileage until Bam, that day it just quit running. I will upload the $2200 repair bill after they get it done. I wanted to send this off now so I don’t forget. I called Ford and I have a case number for this: CXH-04637344 and they told me to file the complaint with you.

What component has failed and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine is failing due to coolant intrusion. This is a known issue that can lead to engine fires and failure whilst driving. This problem is reproduce able. The dealership has inspected the issue however it is intermittent and did not occur while they checked. CEL does come on for the issue and first appeared in early 2025.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak and that the short block, along with several other unknown parts needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of a possible recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.

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.

Coolant is leaking into #4 cylinder causing misfire. This will lead to a blown engine. It is a known issue with Ford but there isn’t a recall as of today. TSB 22-2229 has been released. I spent a lot of money with the plan this car would be safe and reliable for 10+ yrs and well over 100k miles. I am afraid to drive it but have no choice as I work to support my three children and myself. I have owned five Ford vehicles in 40 yrs and have felt loyal to the co. The co needs to be loyal to its customers and fix the issue in my Escape and all others that this disaster is effecting. Thank you. Feel free to contact me.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power when the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The contact also stated that while the vehicle was parked, the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinder #3, which caused the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that the steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 43,334.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The contact stated there was heavy white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe before the vehicle unexpectedly shut off. The contact stated that the vehicle struggled while being restarted. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact stated that a diagnostic test was performed, and it was discovered that there was coolant entering into the engine, resulting in engine failure. The local dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by mail and the contact recently received a response that the manufacturer was not responsible for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 115,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was running rough, with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that there was a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact stated that when the spark plug was removed, the spark plug fractured, and part of the spark plug was left inside the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. In addition, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Transmission been stalling now says it has engine failure

Coolant intrusion into #2 cylinder. Causing total misfire of engine. Data collected on this issue revealed this failure resulted from faulty design in manufacturing.

At 100k miles the engine needs to be replaced for coolant intrusion. Its a 10,000 dollar repair.

brought vehicle in for check engine light, found coolant getting into cylinders, under warranty replaced small block. one year later same issue, brought in car need SECOND small block engine.

My car quit running properly so I took it to the local O’Reillys and they did a scan. The scan showed a misfire on cylinder 2, a known issue. I took it to a local auto mechanic who said I had a cracked head and needed a new engine. They guided me to the Ford dealership who also confirmed that the engine head was cracked, but noted that the engine needed replaced due to another known issue with these engines, but didn’t say what that other known issue is. The car is barely running, and it clearly falls in line with the other vehicle VIN’s that were recalled due to the known coolant leakage problem that is causing the heads to crack and the engines that need to be replaced. Ford is refusing to include my vehicle.This situation could have been much worse as I drive a major hiway to work and I could have broken down along the way leaving my safety in Jeopardy with a sudden engine malfunction. I could have been hit by a car, or had would be car jacker attack while I would have waited for help. Or if for some reason this issue would have caused my car to catch fire with my child in it. Car is sitting at Ford Dealer and can be inspected at any time.

Electric power steering failing at 35000 miles

Engine has failed and in need of full replacement at 123k miles. Vehicle was manf’d in 2019. While driving the vehicle, it can experience a complete loss of power and extremely poor acceleration resulting in a major safety issue on higher speed roads, causing the driver to be unable to avoid potential safety risks that may present. The dealer and manufacturer are both aware of the defect, but failed to issue a recall. The issue is a known design flaw with the engine, which allows coolant intrusion into the 2bd cylinder.

I purchased my 2019 escape October 2019 brand new from the dealership we paid for the extended warranty of 100,000 miles I’m at 103,541 and now have transmission issues. I called ford and they said the can’t do anything. It cases me to not be able to accelerate, and then the transmission figure light came on luckily I was in town and not on the interstate when this problem happens. Doing some research this is a common problem with the 2019 ford escape transmission’s this could be a major safety problem if it was to happen on a interstate or major highway

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact contacted the dealer and scheduled an appointment. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? -cylinder 1 misfiring-diagnosis fluid intrusion into combustion chamber likely due to faulty head gasket or warped cylinder How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? -car misfiring affected startup acceleration and ran rough (hesitation). Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? -yes, confirmed diagnosis by independent service center first and problem reproduced. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? -yes, inspected with a scope by independent service center. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? yes, check engine light came on intermittently. brought in within a day of it appearing. diagnostic computer check done & per the pulled codes, followed recommended repairs and had OEM spark plugs and coil packs all replaced. 2 days later check engine light came back on. Again experienced difficulty in startup and rough running engine. As of this writing, vehicle is in the shop awaiting further repairs.

The transmission has a rattle and the dealer states that the transmission likely has a damaged flex plate. but the car is not covered as there is no recall or customer campaign. The car barely has over 22,000 miles on it. Ford should be responsible instead of telling me it's a $4-6000 repair. Tranny problems at 22,000 miles is a design issue.

It was diagnosed by a ford dealer that it has a coolant intrusion. It’s available for an inspection as well! Car has been well taken care of with regular oil changes and regular maintenance. I had a coworker in my car as the car overheated 2 times 2 hours away from home on a work day. In rush hour traffic on a 4 lane interstate. And I had to get off on an exit ramp. Almost caused an accident. Took it to a dealer the next day and they confirmed that the car needs a new engine as the engine is faulty. The car only has 79k miles. We’ve put 24k miles on it in 3 years. As it’s a daily driver and been a great car for us… up until now. The car now misfires idling. And it doesn’t run well. And an inconvenience as I have to fill it with coolant everyday to make it 5 miles to work. Ford was contacted by the service department and I, while I was at the ford certified dealership. They said that because the car is out of factory warranty. Mind you under 80k miles. Was nothing they would help with. Even though, they recognize that they made faulty engines for this car between the beginning of 2019 to mid June of 2019. But never wanted to do a recall. As there was 241,388 ford escapes made that year. They accounted for about half of those being faulty. There was no warnings for this problem. One day I took off to meet clients of mine in a town almost 2 hours away. It overheated 2 times on the way home. Took it into the ford certified dealership the next day to find out it needs an engine. I wasn’t not a happy camper as I never experienced any prior problems or warnings. Never an engine light. No spikes in engine temperatures. Just one day it overheated 2 times on the way home. Because the engine started to eat away coolant and never a warning.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a rattling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission flex plate was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the Extended Warranty coverage for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

Coolant leaked into motor and my car overheated and my motor cracked. Looks like this is an ongoing issue with EcoBoost engines and Ford has yet to do anything about it.

Coolant intrusion into cylinder bores, Cause engine failure

2019 Ford Escape suddenly overheating with warning lights and alarms; messages to stop immediately. Took vehicle to Pollard Ford dealership and paid for diagnostics. They confirmed that coolant is leaking into the #2 cylinder causing the engine to burn coolant and also overheat. I was informed that a new engine is needed and it would cost over $6,500.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,301.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the short block needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown Customer Satisfaction Program; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, there was a misfire coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,588.

The engine on my 2019 Ford Escape failed due to coolant intrusion — the same issue previously addressed by Ford recall #19S22. The recall repair was completed by a certified Ford dealership in 2022. Within days of making the final payment on the vehicle, the engine failed completely and became inoperable. It had to be towed to a Ford dealership for inspection. Before the failure, the same symptom I experienced prior to the original recall occurred again: white smoke coming from the exhaust, indicating coolant was leaking into the engine. There were no warning lights or dashboard messages. When my car did not turn on, I thought it was possibly the battery so I bought a new one and changed it. When that did not work I went ahead and had it towed to get a full diagnostic. The diagnosing Ford dealership confirmed the engine suffered catastrophic failure due to coolant intrusion — the exact defect previously addressed under the recall. Ford acknowledged the diagnosis but declined to fully cover the cost of repair, stating the recall work was “out of warranty.” They initially offered $3,976.18, and when I didn’t accept, this was increased to $5,301.58 — still leaving me with nearly $8,000 in out-of-pocket costs before tax for a full engine replacement. The affected component (engine) was inspected and confirmed by the Ford dealership and is still available for inspection. This failure occurred in the first week of April, and I have been without a working vehicle since. The recurrence of this issue — even after the recall repair was completed — raises serious concerns about long-term safety, durability, and accountability associated with this vehicle.

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact drove the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that the transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that the vehicle had experienced transmission failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced an unknown recall however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

Simply put, the headlights repeatedly blow out with no apparent reason found. Bulbs have been changed multiple times personally and by professionals -- both headlights went out nearly simultaneously in September of 2024 and I replaced the bulbs myself, assuming it was a fluke or the bulbs had simply aged out. At the beginning of March, 2025, the passenger-side bulb went out again and I brought it to my dealership to get checked out. They couldn't find anything wrong, and I had them replace the bulb again. Now, for the third time since I bought the vehicle in April or May of 2024, I have to replace the passenger-side bulb again. I'm returning to the dealership to see if there's anything else to look for, but a quick internet search shows that there are lots of others experiencing this same problem without any kind of solution in sight. This is obviously not normal.

Coolant leaking into Cylinder. Causing overheating. Numerous attempts to fix.

I finally was able to get my Ford Escape into a Ford dealership to be inspected and they confirmed that I will need an entire engine replacement because coolant is leaking into cylinder 3. This is exactly the same engine Ford recalled on the 1.5 but not on the 2.0 yet and my Escape is a 2.0. When I spoke to the Ford Company I was given a case number and told it would take several weeks for Ford to send me a letter to see if they will assist in the repair or not. As a [XXX] this is our only vehicle and I'm honestly at a loss as to what I will do without a car for several weeks. My safety and the safety of my children are at risk because if I do try to drive the car until I hear from Ford it stalls in the lower gears leaving us at risk of being hit if I pull out and the Escape doesn't engage fast enough. We are also in danger because if I am not daily putting anti-freeze into the car Ford states that the engine might catch fire. Yes, the vehicle was inspected by Pierre Ford yesterday, Monday, March 24, 2025. I have had an engine light on for a few months and have had to start adding anti-freeze on a regular basis but it was about 2 weeks ago when I had a warning pop up on the digital dash stating, "Engine Fault Service Now". INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)