2019 Ford Escape
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 588 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 18th highest complaint count among 26 Escape model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 24 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 28 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V011000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, gear position indication (prndl)Jun 10, 2022
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Campaign 22V413000 on NHTSA.gov
TiresMar 10, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 F-150, 2018-2020 F-250, F-350, and 2019 Escape vehicles equipped with Continental tires. On the affected vehicles, it is possible that one or more tires were cured for too long during tire production.
Over cured tires may develop a break in the sidewall, resulting in sudden air loss or belt edge separation which could lead to tread/belt loss. Either condition can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tires, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S10.
Campaign 21V155000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
384 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Nov 21, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while returning home from visiting a nearby town. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The following day, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with head gasket failure, coolant intrusion into the engine, and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. In addition, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Nov 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Hot" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, there was sufficient coolant in the coolant reservoir and the engine was not overheating. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a significant amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine base had failed, and the dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
Engine, Nov 16, 2024
Took my 2019 escape in for regular maintenance of changing spark plugs and transmission fluid change. My vehicle was running just fine no issues when I brought it in. They did the service and only after a test drive did it start to misfire. Long story short the mechanic found it was issue with a faulty cracked piston in the cylinder which caused antifreeze to leak into the cylinder. The only repair for this is a new engine! I regularly serviced my vehicle several times a year at ford and never once received any sort of recall alerts in the mail, email or ford app nor did any the of ford service technicians mentioned anything during service appointments. Excuse my wording If I didn’t use the correct terms but this is literally the same issue the f150’s are having so I am curious to why mine has not been recalled yet? I have a 5 year old suv that now needs a new engine and ford knows about the fault and they best replace my engine for free this is shady ford. I’m single mom of 3 kids I can’t afford to replace an engine?! That’s why I bought the 2019 escape brand new to avoid stuff like this happening on a older vehicle but now here I am with a vehicle that is un drivable after 5 years!! Please add this model to your recall ford don’t be so greedy it’s your mistake you pay for it!
Engine, Nov 14, 2024
A fault in the engine block caused a crack allowing coolant to spill into the engine's cylinders. A powertrain fault occurred with loss of power while driving. The problem has been confirmed and inspected by the manufacturer. Misfires occurred intermittently prior to the failure.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Nov 9, 2024
Coolant is going into the engine. Ford will not replace since it is a known issue and not a recall. I've had to replace cylinder 3 and spark plug since car started jolting down the road and wouldn't go past 30 mph. Constantly adding coolant. It is available for inspection upon request. Safety is a big issue since I have 2 kids that are with me in that vehicle. If the engine fails while I'm driving it puts everyone on the road at risk. Local Ford dealership confirmed with me this issue was coolant intrusion. This issue has been ongoing since June 2024 until present Nov 2024. Messages for engine failure have popped up. Overheating has came about. Misfiring popped up.
Engine, Nov 6, 2024
Car started having Misfire code around 40,000 miles (September 2023). Spark plugs and coils were changed out twice within a few months of each other. The last technician to replace the coils said it looked like oil was on the spark plugs. Check Engine light still remains on to this day. Around 55,000 miles, noticed coolant was needing to be replaced every other day. Took to Ford Dealership 10/29/24. Video from Technician, shows coolant leaking into engine and stated this is a common problem TSB and we need a new engine ($9,088). Took to local mechanic for second opinion (11/2/24). He found the same issue. Per Ford Dealership, car is out of warranty as of March 2024 (5 year/50,000). This car was purchased used 1/2023 with 26,800 miles. The car hesitates to start. I have to try multiple times to start the car. Called Ford Motor Company 11/06/24 and they stated to file with NHTSA.
Engine and engine cooling, Nov 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the temperature gauge moved to Hot, and the message "Engine Overheating, Pull Over Safely" was displayed. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon pulling to the side of the road and parking the vehicle, the temperature decreased completely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant intrusion into an unknown cylinder had caused the engine to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 53,000.
Engine, Oct 29, 2024
In some of the affected vehicles the 1.5L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or may run in a rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator light (MIL) with only diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0300, P0301-P0304, P0316, P0217, P1285 and/or P1299 stored in powertrain control module (PCM). This may be due to coolant intrusion into a cylinder bore.
Engine, Engine and engine cooling, Oct 28, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine block had failed, causing coolant intrusion into the cylinders. 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 a case was opened. The contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
Engine, Engine and engine cooling, Oct 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle and checked under the hood and became aware that the coolant reservoir was low on coolant. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir and drove to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a misfire in cylinders #2 and #3 due to 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 93,000.
Engine, Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power; however, the engine remained running. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway to turn the vehicle off. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose or duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Engine, Sep 30, 2024
My check engine light first came on in June 2024 (3 months ago), and said there were too many cylinder 4 misfires, and to replace the spark plugs. This was done, check engine light was cleared. My car began showing an "engine fault, service now" error 2.5 weeks ago and it sounded like water was "rushing" in the engine. The check engine light came on 3 days later, got the codes read, took it to a mechanic, then exchanged the ignition coil. When I went to pick it up, the car shuddered whenever trying to accelerate, so much so that my car wouldn't accelerate, and I had to have to towed to the Ford dealer. The mechanic confirmed that with the codes and the symptoms, and he previously worked at Ford, there is a coolant leak into the engine block and I would likely need a new engine. There is a Technical Service Bulletin out for this issue, so they know it exists. The dealer has not confirmed the issue yet, they said it will probably take 2 weeks before they get to that, then it would likely be 1-3 months to get the parts here, then they would start repairing it, but there were 3 vehicles ahead of mine with the exact same issue. My safety was put at risk because the car would not accelerate to the speed limit, increasing likelihood of a wreck, and the engine felt like it was going to die at any moment when I returned the one block back to the mechanic.
Engine, Sep 27, 2024
Coolant leak into cylinders leading to loss of power/acceleration and degradation of the engine. Inability to accelerate and loss of acceleration posed safety risk when merging into traffic or being able to avoid an accident. Degradation of the entire engine puts the vehicle at risk and compromises safety of the driver and other cars on the road. Problem confirmed by independent mechanic and Jack Kain Ford dealership. Check engine light came on and at first was diagnosed as needing spark plugs replaced. Vehicle shaking and check engine light continued leading to the diagnosis of coolant leak. According to both mechanic and dealer, this is a common engine design flaw in the 2013-2019 Escapes of all type 1.5, 1.6 & 2.O L.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed 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 manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,899.
Power train, Engine, Sep 23, 2024
Engine light was coming on in the car. Engine was shuttering and ticking/knocking on start up and then would stop after running for about a minute. Had it put on the scanner and the code said misfire on cylinder one/ignition coil. Had ignition coil on cylinder one replaced twice. 1st time replaced was the beginning of Sept and then the 2nd time on 9/18/24. Car would run fine for a week and then the engine light would come on again and the engine was doing the same thing. This time took the car to the Ford dealership. Service Supervisor said coolant was leaking into the cylinder and that the short block would need to be replaced. The car had 54,000 miles on it when these issues started and now the engine needs to be replaced at only 56,000 miles and I am without a car while having to wait for it to get fixed. Car could have stalled/stopped while driving and caused an accident. Engine will be at the dealership for review if needed.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had failed due to coolant leaking into the engine. 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 made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Engine, Sep 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked while attempting to accelerate. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and DTC code: P0303 was retrieved, and the spark plugs were replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Engine, Sep 14, 2024
Engine has a coolant intrusion! This model had a recall for a faulty engine 2 years ago. Many other Escape owners are reporting the same issue I am having. Ford replaced a faulty engine with another faulty engine....
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Sep 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and the engine hot warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact allowed the vehicle to cool down. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The following day, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 10 MPH. The contact stated that the engine overheated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. In addition, the contact was informed that the failure was due to a defect in manufacturing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
Engine, Sep 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving on three occasions at 55 MPH, the engine overheated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the low coolant message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer three times where it was diagnosed that the water pump and gasket screws needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The failure mileage was 68,000.
Engine, Sep 12, 2024
This Ford Escape has a known engine problem that results in a spark plug seizing into the engine block. This known issue causes the motor to hesitate, run poorly, become sluggish and ultimately fail potentially in traffic. This concern becomes a danger to other drivers as well as the owner of the vehicle. The dealership immediately knew of the concern was aware of the problem when we called. It took them minute to confirm the problem and they stated to us, "we've seen this problem, on this specific engine a number of time." Ford is aware of the problem and provides some or no assistance to consumers. They are provide some assistance to my family, but I'm not sure why they are not fixing the known problem at Ford's total expense. This specific vehicle has 55,000 miles and is 2 month outside of the 60 month engine and drivetrain warranty. Ford customer service will not advance our conversation beyond the dealership requesting help for a known issue. My sisters safety was at risk before identifying the concern. Ford is making her pay $4700 and a 3 week car rental to repair for their known issue. This seems blatantly unfair and unsafe to consumers. sincerely
Engine, Sep 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was a misfire, and the contact also noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Engine, Sep 10, 2024
The 2.0 Ecoboost has a known defect than can cause coolant to leak into the pistons causing total engine failure. This could cause an accident due to lack of power and or loss of power while driving or crossing roads or highways. I have spoke to Ford techs and the dealership. Ford has admitted this issue and have failed to provide any type of repair or recall. My current 2019 is not showing symptoms but they could arrive at any moment. This is worrisome, knowing an issue could arrive that would put my family and myself at risk
Engine, Sep 5, 2024
On Monday [XXX], my wife was driving her 2019 FORD ESCAPE SPORT WG. She received an alert on the dashboard that her car was overheating. She stopped at a parking lot and the car was towed to our mechanic. His diagnostic was this, "Your car has random misfire codes (P0300). We found antifreeze (coolant) in cylinder #3. This is basically what the extended warranty should cover." Steve Yun - VP of Operations,Decatur Auto Repair and Body Inc,301 Dekalb Industrial Way,Decatur, GA The vehicle is now with Ford FIve Star Dealership in Stone Mountain, Georgia and they are refusing to repair the vehicle because it is not covered by the extended warranty. NOTE: When I spoke with customer service at Ford Corporate - at this number ((800) 392-3673) - we were also informed that our vehicle was not covered because our specific vehicle was over the five year warranty date (July 2) and there was not an extended warranty assigned to the VIN#. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and allowed the vehicle to cool off before continuing to drive home at slow speeds. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant was leaking into cylinders #2 and #3, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact was unable to retrieve the vehicle due to lack of coverage for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed there was no recall on the VIN. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.