2018 Ford Escape Complaints

ENGINE — Filed 07/14/2026

I have a coolant intrusion into my engine. It is a well known issue among the 2017-2019 ford escape 1.5L ecoboost engines. ford is refusing to assist me with financial assistance because it has fallen outside of their customer satisfaction program 21N12. they are punishing me for their faulty engine because i took care of my vehicle and it lasted longer than their program terms. i took it into a ford dealership who confirmed it is the exact issue explained in their TSB 22-2134, yet i am going to have to pay $8787 for a short block replacement, when had this happened a few years ago, they would have covered it for free. this NEEDS to be a recall. there have been enough people report this exact issue for cause to become a recall.

ENGINE — Filed 06/04/2026

Vehicle showed "Engine Fault/Service Now". Drove to dealer. Told needed new engine as coolant had leaked into the third engine cyclinder. The cost would be $16,000. Research showed that Ford had had a program in place to fix this issue, but it had expired. Further research showed this was a known fault, even at the time of purchasing the car new, but that no recalls had been issued, and that there is a class action lawsuit against Ford for this problem. Have been advised to report to NHTSA.

ENGINE — Filed 07/14/2026

Started overheating, spark plug code and coolant code. Now they believe coolant is leaking into cylinder in motor because of design flaw.

ENGINE — Filed 07/10/2026

My 2018 Ford Escape SE temp gauge went to the red with warning lights to pull over and get engine serviced immediately. I refilled the coolant revisor and with in a few days the same instance occurred paired with misfiring while this situation happened. I immediately stopped driving the car and it is going to get dropped off at the dealership we purchased from on thursday 7/16/26. I believe this motor is faulty due to coolant intrusion. Zero leaks of coolant only issue is stated above. i believe the coolant is leaking into the cylinders.

ENGINE — Filed 07/11/2026

Car overheated and losing coolant. I just purchased this car on 6/22/2026 and having issues already. The check engine light is on and giving a p0301 code. I’m having to add coolant everyday to keep the car from running hot.

ENGINE — Filed 07/10/2026

Car has 105k can get specific if need be. But has had an intermittent misfire along with consuming coolant since about 95k miles. It now has had coolant intrusion and needs a complete engine overhaul or replacement

ENGINE — Filed 07/12/2026

Car gave an Engine Overheat warning to pull over and turn off. Towed to Ford dealership where their diagnostics pointed to coolant intrusion - a known issue with 2018 ford escapes with similar specs to mine. I was then told that I would need to replace the engine due to the issue and Ford would not be willing to assist or cover the cost. I was told that my specific VIN was not covered by recall but that it is a very common issue and to report the issue to NHTSA.

ENGINE — Filed 06/30/2026

I am writing to report a severe and dangerous manufacturing defect regarding engine coolant intrusion on my 2018 Ford Escape. Engine coolant has leaked into the engine cylinders, causing immediate engine misfires, white smoke from the exhaust, a rapid loss of coolant, and severe engine overheating.This is a well-documented manufacturing flaw in Ford's EcoBoost engine blocks (specifically involving the cylinder block design). This defect creates a critical safety hazard: the engine can stall suddenly, lose power while driving at highway speeds, or suffer complete catastrophic failure, greatly increasing the risk of an accident or an engine fire.Ford previously issued Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 19-2346 and Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12 for this exact issue, acknowledging the design flaw. However, my vehicle is now experiencing this catastrophic failure, and the dealer is demanding thousands of dollars for a complete engine block replacement. I am requesting that the NHTSA fully investigate this persistent safety defect to force a safety recall so affected consumers are not left driving hazardous vehicles or forced to pay for Ford's engineering failure.

ENGINE — Filed 07/07/2026

Noticeable engine shudder upon startup for 2018 Ford Escape. Engine light turned on for cylinder misfire. Took to Ford dealer, and a certified technician investigated the issue as: "REPLACE ENGINE SHORT BLOCK AND TRANSFER PARTS (ENGINE LOW ON COOLANT, LEAKING INTO CYLINDER 3". This is a known manufacturing defect at this point. Ford knows these engines are defective due to a design flaw, and there's even ongoing class action lawsuits related to this exact issue for the same make/model. The NHTSA needs to step in and force a mandatory safety recall from Ford due to the increasing reports and before this causes severe accidents.

ENGINE — Filed 07/09/2026

The engine failed because of coolant intrusion and the cylinders are messed up because of it. The engine could have died or locked up while driving,the car could have overheated and caught fire. Yes a ford dealer diagnosed the vehicle. Yes I had a check engine light come on for a misfire in cylinder 2 I also had low coolant and white smoke in my exhaust and rough idling. Ford is refusing to help replace the engine but this is an ongoing issue with the 1.5l ecoboost engines.