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.
Power train, Nov 14, 2024
While driving once I exited off the highway the rpm gauge was going up and down before I could exit onto a secondary highway. If I would have continued on the highway and loss acceleration I would have been in danger as well as other drivers because I no longer had control of making the car move. All of a sudden, the car started to slow down and when I pressed the accelerator, the car jerked and would not accelerate so as I pulled over. After I pulled over, I could not get the car to move again and the accelerator would not work at all. Had to call a tow truck. Towed to dealership. Dealership called 2 days later to tell us the transmission needed to be replaced.
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.
Tires, Nov 4, 2024
- The tire side walls blew out. There are several tears approximately 2-3 inches long. - It happened going about 55 and maintaining control of the car was difficult. My wife was broke down alone in an isolated area. - I took the tire to Twin State Ford in St Johnsbury VT where it was looked at by the service department. He commented that the sidewalls of the other tires were cracking. He confirmed there was a safety recall on the tires for the year make and model that matched my car but he said my VIN number was not included. Ford number 21S10 recall date 2021-03-09 - A few seconds before the tire blew out the low tire light came on. I called the Ford Manufacture Customer service they said my vin number was not included in the recall and gave me a case number [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Wheels, Oct 31, 2024
In the last six months fourteen of sixteen original equipment lug nuts have had to be replaced because they were "swollen". The dealer was able to do this work but I am concerned for the times when I was not having the vehicle serviced. What if I had had a flat tire and could not change the tire because of this issue? This would put me and the vehicle at risk to find a place of safety to replace the tire.
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.
Power train, Oct 29, 2024
The contact's son owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal loud sound. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the flex plate was fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: SSM48725. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
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.
Air bags, Oct 22, 2024, crash
I was stopped in traffic on a local freeway at rush hour. The vehicle behind me was slowing to a stop. An SUV did not slow down and hit the vehicle behind me at approximately 60 mph. That vehicle was flipped when the SUV collided with it. The SUV collided with me, pushing my vehicle into a van in front of me and then sending my vehicle across 3 lanes of the highway. In the initial impact, my seat back was bent backwards and twisted from the initial impact. With the second impact, I was then thrown forward and my face hit the steering column and my right side and arm hit the center console. I was wearing my seatbelt. The cabin briefly filled with smoke which may have been from the engine failure. None of the airbag deployed.
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.
Seat belts, Oct 8, 2024
Drivers side buckle would not allow me to put the connection plate in it so I put wd40 in it now I can put it in but it won’t stay clicked I have to click my driver side seatbelt in the passenger side buckle for my safety driving and I feel as if that isn’t very safe and it’s not comfortable
Tires, Oct 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape equipped with Kumho Tires, Tire Line Crugen HP71, Tire Size: P235/45/R19, DOT Number: 1H2TEYA8E. The contact stated that the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to inflate the tires; however, the tires were not able to hold air. The contact stated there was tread separating on all four tires. The contact stated that all four tires installed had been installed in August 2023. The vehicle was taken to a tire dealer who informed the contact that the tires were in good condition and recommended a wheel alignment. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 125,000. The tire failure mileage was 9,000.
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.
Power train, Oct 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving; however, the failure recurred after arriving to the destination. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where the same assessment was made. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 69,500.
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.
Power train, Sep 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated the vehicle was making an abnormal sound while idling. The contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission was previously replaced due to the failure; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the flywheel, the sealant, the torque converter, and the transmission pump needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty and referred the contact to another dealer, Apple Ford (8800 Stanford Blvd, Columbia, MD 21045), where the same assessment was made. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
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.
Power train, Sep 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired at a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the torque convertor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was shuddering. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same local dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque convertor might need to be replaced. The vehicle was left at the local dealer for further repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.
Power train, Sep 16, 2024
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The torque converter is going out - this will be the 3rd time we will have replaced it. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car sputters and does not shift correctly. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, at the Ford dealer each time. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? By Ford Dealer Mechanics. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Symptoms include sputtering and not seeming to shirt when accelerating.
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....