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
588 reports, newest first.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 13, 2025
I drove this car off the lot with only 16k miles...by 28k miles...it required a new engine due to the known defect of coolant being leaked into the engine from the ceramic cylinders. 2 months later the car needed an alternator. I've been back and forth to the dealership and the costs are mounting. Just recently they wanted $1,500 for another repair. The car is unreliable and I still have over $16k left to pay on it. There are countless of other consumers online complaining about the same issues I am experiencing as well as a Class Action Law Suit against Ford in California for these ecoboost engines that I don't qualify for because I'm in Illinois. I just really need help with this matter because it's not getting better.
Engine, Mar 12, 2025
I have a cracked engine block, causing coolant to leak into cylinder. This is an extremely common problem with Ford Escapes in this range of years. Ford refuses to do anything about this, and we as consumers are extremely unhappy. We are requesting that Ford provide a fix for this.
Power train, Mar 11, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently started reversing. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
Power train, Engine, Mar 10, 2025
Was driving car is 2019 and has 84802 miles and no issues and all of a sudden power train issue came on and car would barely drive. The dealer was rude and zero help and so was ford number. There are 96 complaints of the same thing that should fall under the campaign 22v413000. I had on my ford app that I was part of the csp but the dealer said I was not and would do nothing for me and now look I have the exact issue and now no one wants to take care of it and it is not a cheap repair. FORD should have to refund me this money ASAP!!!! Or do something because how do I know I won’t have more issues after I get this fixed. I bought this car brand new and also took it to dealer to get all oil changes and etc to make sure things were handled and they were not. Will not ever go back to that dealer. And not sure I will ever buy a ford again because of how I have been treated so far.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 4, 2025
After the vehicle has been running and stopped at a traffic light or an intersection, whether the auto-start is on or off, as you pull out into traffic the engine shuts off. No error code to the computer that Ford could find, it just stops. This is a life and death situation as oncoming traffic are approaching. In order to get it started again, you have to put the vehicle in park and push the stop/start button.
Power train, Feb 28, 2025
The transmission is damaged beyond repair at 90 thousand miles. This vehicle is always serviced at Ford truck city in Buda Texas. We are very very disappointed with the quality and service from FORD. This vehicle is at the same dealership been serviced in Buda Texas at the cost of $ $8,400 dollars. We have no choice but to get a loan to paid for. I am helping my granddaughter paid for, si she can go to college and work. This is very very difficult for us. HELP !!
Exterior lighting, Feb 25, 2025
There is something wrong with either the bcm, headlight assembly, or headlight wiring harnesses. My low beam headlight bulbs only last about 6 months and then they go bad. I have tried using OEM bulbs, sylanvia bulbs, and led bulbs and have the same result = replacing within 6 months! This causes a severe safety issue as I lose visibility from a headlight. This issue is well documented all over the Internet and no one has been able to find any answers, except for a couple people being able to just use OEM bulbs and replace yearly.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to respond upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, and the dealer replaced the transmission and the turbo; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to Advance Auto, where it was diagnosed with camshaft 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 unknown.
Power train, Engine, Feb 24, 2025
Cracked Flex plate/flywheel repaired under warranty less than two years ago. Flex plate/flywheel again loose and/or cracked requiring hours of labor to replace and out of pocket expenses.
Power train, Feb 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift gear as needed. The vehicle was taken for maintenance to the dealer and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on another occasion, the vehicle failed to shift gear. The check engine warning light illuminated with a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer and diagnosed with gearbox failure. The vehicle was repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 96,167.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Feb 23, 2025, fire
My truck burst into flames in the middle of the night while we were sleeping. Started under the hood. We have cameras and luckily it woke me up bc it almost caught my house on fire.
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH with cruise control activated, the engine started to overheat. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with head gasket failure. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had failed, causing the engine to fail. The dealer determined that the short block needed to be replaced with an improved part. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided due to the mileage. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
Power train, Feb 19, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the accelerator pedal failed to respond. The vehicle was stalling and jerking. There were no warning lights illuminated. An independent mechanic arrived at the residence to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was diagnosed with CVT transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that if a warning light became illuminated, assistance would be provided with the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 12, 2025
Coolant leakage into cylinders and a broken timing belt upon attempting to start and drive the vehicle 10 feet, resulting in the entire engine being considered broken, needing replacement.
Engine, Feb 11, 2025
The engine failed (melted piston) such that I had a sudden lose of power while driving down the expressway. This resulted in my vehicle speed going from 70 MPH to 30 MPH. This resulted in my having to get to the shoulder of the road as quickly as possible to get out of the way of traffic. The vehicle was driven to the dealer (i.e. limp home mode). DTC's P0304 and P0302 were present. The dealer diagnosed the failure of the engine due to a melted piston. This resulted in the vehicle needing a complete engine replacement. I sold the vehicle as is to a scrap yard. The vehicle was running normally and there were no warnings of any kind leading up to the incident.
Engine, Feb 10, 2025
*Error "High Engine Temperature Stop Safely" Known issue - available for inspection *Engine may blow up *not yet *not yet *Yes - see above
Power train, Engine, Feb 9, 2025
My car will not drive. Power train light came on out of no where o was less than a mile from home and car keep going from 40 rpm to 5 rpm and would move hardly at all and then speed up. Car makes noise after turn it off like the csp. I have been told the CSP is not valid for me and this is going to be a very expensive repair up to $15,000. Can not believe Ford is not being held accountable for this
Engine and engine cooling, Feb 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost automotive power and almost shut off. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact stated that later while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was coolant inside the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 107,000.
Engine, Feb 4, 2025
I have a 2019 Ford Escape Ecoboost, and the engine had to be replaced at 64,000 miles due to an issue with 2017-2019 Ford Escapes, which Ford did not recall. What happens is the engine sucks all of the antifreeze out of its compartment and dumps it onto the engine block, ruining the engine. It's ridiculous that Ford did not recall this issue, as it is terribly costly to replace an engine on a vehicle. What's even more ridiculous is having to replace an engine with so few miles and paying out of pocket when you're still paying for the vehicle. Some have reported having to have their engine replaced at 15,000 on these same vehicles. Ford needs to be held accountable, if not sued over this issue. And, the dealerships are not nice when they have to fix the problem. Worst and most costly experience with a vehicle ever!
Engine, Feb 2, 2025
I brought my car into Ford while under warranty because I was having problems. It was told to me that I needed an engine so ford didn’t contact my warranty company & decided to pay out of there pocket for a short block. The new engine & short block was supposedly put in. Months later I experienced the same problem & brought it back to Ford. Ford told me they don’t have to fix it being that my extended warranty doesn’t cover it.
Engine and engine cooling, Jan 29, 2025
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 the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, causing the 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 and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 114,000.
Air bags, Jan 27, 2025, crash
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 15 MPH through a yellow light on an off-ramp, another vehicle crossed the intersection at high speeds and crashed into the entire front of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon impact however the other vehicle’s air bags did deploy. It was mentioned that the contact's husband was exempt from wearing a seat belt. The contact’s husband was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated for pain in his neck, his head impact, and back as well as soreness throughout his entire body. The contact's daughter was taken to the hospital by a fellow motorist since her service dog was not permitted on the ambulance and was treated for bruising to her right arm and hip. The other driver suffered no injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance; they referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Other or unspecified, Jan 24, 2025
I purchased the vehicle from the dealership when it had just 5 miles on it. Soon after, I started hearing a popping noise every time the car shifted, as well as when making turns. After taking it back to the dealership, they discovered that there were missing spot welds in the center frame on the passenger side, specifically in the area between the front door and the back door.
Engine, Jan 24, 2025
The engine in this vehicle has a known design flaw (see Ford Customer Satisfaction Programs 19B37/21N12) that causes the cylinder head gasket to fail at a location that allows coolant to enter the cylinder. Coolant contains chemicals like ethylene glycol or propylene glycol. While not easily flammable at room temperature, coolant can catch fire if it reaches its autoignition temperature, which can happen when exposed to the extreme heat and pressure inside an engine cylinder during combustion. The gasket failure also exposes the coolant passages within the cylinder head to these extreme temperatures and allows exhaust gases to enter through the failure location. Additionally, the coolant leak will also cause the engine to run at a higher temperature and the increased heat can further elevate the fire risk. Ford admits to this issue and will replace the engine in affected vehicles through Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12, however this program conveniently expired in November 2022, before most owners were made aware of the issue. This extremely dangerous defect does not become less dangerous with the passage of time and there should be no time limit on this repair. Either a class action lawsuit or action by the NHTSA will be required to force Ford to make these repairs. My own vehicle has been parked and not driven for well over a year due to this issue. It was replaced with a Chevrolet Traverse and I refuse to sell the defective Ford Escape to an unsuspecting buyer who would unwittingly be putting their family’s lives in danger.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jan 23, 2025
The 2019 Ford Escape (purchased new in December 2018) was taken to the Nick Mayer Ford (Mayfield Heights, Ohio where it was purchased) service department in August/September 2024 for a computer diagnostic analysis for a previous warranty recall/repair problems regarding short block replacement for coolant intrusion that was not performed/corrected several years prior in 2021 when only the turbocharger was replaced. The problem was excessive smoke being emitted at engine start back in 2021 when the only turbocharger was replaced and the problem reappeared in August 2024. Nick Mayer Ford had the vehicle for two weeks in August/September 2024 and provided neither a computer diagnostic analysis report nor repair of the previous recall/repair issues (2021) including no explanation/resolution of the problem. Currently, due to the previous undiagnosed/unresolved problems, the engine failed at 70,000 miles in December 2024 and the long engine block has to be replaced. The engine warning lamp was on at the time of engine failure. We are still paying on a car loan for the vehicle. References: 1. Ford Help Desk Assistance Claim Case# [XXX] on 12/5/2024 filed with Tanya E. for short block replacement for coolant intrusion. 2. Ohio Attorney General Matter Number [XXX] on 12/6/2024 filed with Ross. 3. Ohio Attorney General Consumer Complaint# [XXX] filed online on 1/3/2025.