2018 Ford Escape

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the garage after being driven in the morning; however, later in the day, the vehicle failed to restart. While the contact’s grandson was using the vehicle, there was an abnormal popping sound. There was white steam in the garage. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who noticed milky coolant inside the engine while using a camera to check the engine. The mechanic determined that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causing a crack in the engine, which warped the cylinder heads. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 54,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and there was a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was covered under the Manufacturer’s Extended Warranty which was related to the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated on the instrument cluster with a message that the vehicle needed to be stopped due to high engine temperature. The contact pulled into a gas station and observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact checked for leaks but found none. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined there was a misfire in cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and found that the 1.5-liter engine in the vehicle was known for a failure with coolant intrusion into the engine block. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 40 MPH, the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was restarted, but was undrivable. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer, where it was determined that coolant intrusion in cylinder #2 had caused engine damage. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced, and the contact was informed that the failure had occurred due to a factory defect. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 22-2322. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that no assistance would be provided because the vehicle was not covered under warranty or recall. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to Christian Brothers Automotive, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption and the coolant level was abnormally low. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. Additionally, the contact stated that the message "Power Train Malfunction" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (GTDI Engine – Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion). The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the Customer Satisfaction Program. The failure mileage was approximately 80,188.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 65,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH, an alert indicating engine failure was displayed, along with the “Service Now” message. The vehicle was on the verge of overheating, with the temperature gauge showing an excessively high temperature reading. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir to address the issue temporarily. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The mechanic recommended an engine replacement; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed that a prior Customer Satisfaction Program had expired. The manufacturer also confirmed that there was no recall coverage for this issue and offered no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the contact noticed that the engine was shaking, and smoke was coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that it was a known issue with similar vehicles. The failure mileage was 46,000.

The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving 25-30 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull into the nearby parking lot and parked the vehicle. It was unknown whether the vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket had failed, causing coolant intrusion into the engine and engine damage. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that it was a common failure. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 67,700.