2018 Ford Escape 1.5 liter 4 cyl Ecoboost failure

My 2018 Ford Escape with a 1.5 liter, 4 Cylinder Ecoboost engine failed at 35k miles even though it was regularly serviced at the correct intervals including the comprehensive 30k mileage service that was done in April of this year (i.e., all the documentation is in Ford’s database). Ford is now telling me that I need a new engine at a cost of $7400 for the engine and $5700 for installation. According to Ford, the failure was oil leaking into the cylinders. Of course, the engine is out of warranty due to time, not mileage. I know there have been issues with these engines for coolant leaking into the cylinders due to a defect in the engine block or in the cylinder head seals. Apparently, Ford felt the same way and initially offered to pay for the new engine as long as I was willing to pay for the installation (i.e., this was a verbal offer from my Ford dealer after they requested Ford assistance since they also agreed that this was an unusually early failure for such an engine). Even though I suspect that I had a faulty engine, I verbally agreed to the terms, since the car is out of warranty. However, Ford is now tied up in their internal approval process that has lasted >1 month with no approval in sight. I have a couple of questions for this forum: 1) Has anyone experienced an engine failure on a Ford Escape like mine, and if so, how was it resolved? 2) Any suggestions on my path forward to resolving this?