Ford Escape Owning Family Hit With Dual EcoBoost Engine Failures

Among the various common issues pertaining to Ford EcoBoost engines that have surfaced over the years, Ford Escape crossovers are known to have problems with coolant intrusion. Unfortunately, the only real fix is to replace the entire long block with an updated design, or face endless coolant consumption issues, and the issue tends to happen even with fewer miles on the odometer as well. This problem boils down to the engine’s open deck cooling design, which causes premature gasket failure and sometimes cracks between the cylinders. Unfortunately for a family that owns multiple Ford Escape crossovers, they’ve now experienced that problem more than once.

According to WCVB News, Massachusetts resident Lindsay Hirschfeld purchased her 2017 Ford Escape back in 2020 with around 20k miles on the clock, and was so pleased with the vehicle that her mother also bought one as well. Problem is, a couple of months ago, Hirschfeld began experiencing issues with her crossover, after which her mechanic informed her that coolant intrusion in the cylinders would require a full engine replacement – a job that costs $9,400 to complete. Making matters worse, her mother’s Escape experienced the exact same problem with just 44k miles on the clock.

“It shouldn’t happen,” Hirschfeld said. “You expect to replace tires. You expect to have oil changes. You don’t expect a total engine replacement at 80,000 miles.” Regardless, her mechanic urged her to check with Ford and see if the vehicles were still under warranty, which her mother’s was. However, that wasn’t the case with her own crossover, which is no longer covered by the five-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty. “It’s a known issue, and so they should be taking responsibility for it, completely,” she said. “And they just, they’re just not.”

“Unfortunately, this customer is outside of the 5-year/60,000-mile standard powertrain warranty and the vehicle was repaired at a non-Ford dealership,” a Ford spokesperson said in a statement. “We’re committed to high-quality customer service, including offering extended service plans for customers who want additional protection once the warranty has expired. Customers with concerns about their vehicle should visit their local Ford dealership.”