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 and engine cooling, Oct 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was idling abnormally rough, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into various cylinders had resulted in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 57,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Oct 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine. An Independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified on the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
Engine, Oct 1, 2025
My 2019 has the coolant intrusion in cylinder 2 issue. The dealership recommended a long block replacement and quoted me $10,850 to do this. It is a safety concern and I was advised not to drive it. The engine could seize if not repaired and put myself and others in danger. The extended warranty I had purchased expired a couple weeks before this happened. I understand there a many people experiencing the same issue and that there are some class action lawsuits regarding this as well. That may take years to resolve and in the end it won’t make us whole though. I’m submitting this to you today hoping this issue will be considered for a recall. Thank you for any help with this matter and could I trouble you to please advise me as to what if anything I can do regarding this matter? Kind Regards, Nancy York
Power train, Engine, Sep 26, 2025
The vehicle all of a sudden started saying there was a misfire on cylinder 1. So the ca was taken in for a tune up. Coil packs and spark plugs were changed. The vehicle was then losing coolant with no sign of a coolant leak externally. The coolant began leaking into the engine through a weakened gasket caused by the misfire. That should not of happened. The car had been marked as having various repairs prior to purchase at ford dealerships on such parts.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Fuel system, Diesel, Sep 25, 2025
See attached document for complaint.
Engine, Sep 17, 2025
My Escape has about 73,000 miles on it and the check engine light went off last week when I started the car. The car itself was shaking in a very strange way. I brought it to a repair shop and they said there was coolant leaking into one of the cylinders. This was going to require a full engine replacement at the cost of about $9,000. They reached out to Ford and there was a pre-existing set of instructions on how to deal with this issue, so it was clear this is known to Ford on this model of car. If it was my vehicle only, I'd say I'd cut my losses and just get a new car, but I've read dozens of stories online about this issue and saw a temporary recall from back in 2022 for this exact problem. There are also many class action lawsuits active that name my make and model and the same coolant issues. I am attempting to escalate this with Ford as the technician said I maybe have two weeks before the engine fails altogether, which is obviously a huge danger to me and my family. Hoping Ford can be forced to do the right thing and issue a recall. I am in a tough spot where my family has a single car and either need to pay the large repair bill or pay-off an equivalent sized loan in order to trade in this car (with these known issues) for a new vehicle in the next few days.
Engine, Sep 17, 2025
The engine failed at 51,000 miles due to coolant intrusion. The check engine light came on and a code scan revealed a cylinder 3 misfire. The dealership ran diagnostics and the pressure test, which determined the engine failed.
Power train, Engine, Sep 15, 2025
The engine continually misfires, forcing me to continually get it fixed. Now, with only 68,000 miles I have to replace the head gasket ($4000), which my mechanic states is an extremely common problem with this make, model, and year. I also continually get notices to my Ford app about “fault detected—service engine soon” (for the misfire) and “a power train or AWD fault has been detected”.
Engine, Sep 12, 2025
The coolent leaks into the engine causing engine failure. From research this is a common problem with the ecoboost turbo. Poor design, its like having a lawnmower engine and making it turbo. It needs to be recalled. I can provide estimates from Temecula Ford Dealership.
Engine, Sep 11, 2025
Vehicle: 2019 Ford Escape, VIN: [XXX] Issue: Coolant intrusion into engine cylinders, consistent with TSB 19-2346. Symptoms include coolant loss, white smoke, misfires, and rough idle. Safety Concern: Potential for engine failure or fire risk due to overheating. Manufacturer Response: No recall issued; seeking investigation and formal recall consideration. Related Litigation: [XXX] v. Ford Motor Company, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Sep 10, 2025
The flex plate is cracked. Possible missing dowels.
Other or unspecified, Sep 9, 2025
My backup camera stops working sporadically. I saw a report that certain Ford vehicles were recalled but my vehicle is not included.
Engine, Sep 5, 2025
According to my local ford dealership, the rattling/clicking sound in my engine is due to a faulty water pump which is apparently a known problem for a 2019 ford escape. I did not even have a check engine light appear and just happened to have my vehicle there for a different reason. This is an extensive and costly fix that should not be an issue with a 6 year old vehicle with 77k miles. With this being a common/known fault for EcoSport engines, it affects the safety of my engine and all passengers and other drivers.
Power train, Sep 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated and then accelerated. The contact stated that the engine was hesitating and chugging to maintain power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired due to parts being on backorder. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Power train, Sep 2, 2025
Driveshaft carrier bearing trashed
Power train, Sep 2, 2025
Clunking/wobble from Rear differential unit, also roaring like a bad wheel bearing loss of acceleration intermittently/power intermittently
Power train, Sep 2, 2025
Transmission has been replaced 4 times
Power train, Aug 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate and shudder, prompting her to discontinue driving the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the torque converter and transmission. The contact was informed that the torque converter and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 65,000.
Engine, Aug 29, 2025
My 2019 Ford Escape 2.0 Titanium has a KNOWN coolant intrusion issue where it is leaking into the engine. This began as my car shook on startup, then the check engine light would come on. Drove it a little ways, check engine turned off. Took my car into the repair shop and they looked up the stored code and it was P0301 cylinder #1 misfire detected and P0316 misfire detected on start up first 1,000 revolutions. Car seemed ok, so took it back. Happened again, 2x, check engine light on, off, then on again when I brought it back in. Same codes again. Mechanic said coolant low, removed cylinder #1 spark plug and sent camera into cylinder, found coolant leaking into cylinder. They said I need an entirely new engine, as this has been occurring a LOT with these EcoBoost vehicles. Ford had an open recall but only acknowledged a small amount of vehicles, mine not one of them, and there is currently a lawsuit against Ford because this has been happening to so many people. We are getting nowhere with Ford, they won't acknowledge the issue on the EcoBoost and now we have to come up with nearly $10k to replace an entire engine when the car isn't even worth $8k. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS! Some people are having this issue at 50K Miles!!! This is not ok!!
Power train, Engine, Aug 28, 2025
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the contact received a power train malfunction notification through the Mobile App. The vehicle was able to restart but failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to start but was started after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to Loganville Ford (3460 US-78, Loganville, GA 30052); where it was diagnosed and determined that the cam seals, the crankshaft sensor and harness, and the timing components needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced in 2021, and the fuel pump was replaced in 2023 due to the stalling failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 98,117.
Engine, Aug 24, 2025
The Ford dealer just advised that I need an entire new engine at a cost of $10,000 for a crack in the block, causing coolant to leak into cylinder three, potentially causing critical failure and danger while driving the vehicle. This is a known defect in this motor, which the manufacturer/Ford refuses to address.
Engine, Aug 23, 2025
at 96800 upon start up there was a cloud of white smoke and a check engine light. It was taken to the local ford dealer for diagnosis. Code was P303 and P316 indicating a misfire. the car was found to have coolant intrusion in cylinder 3 and would need a long block replacement. reference used was TSB 22-2229. This type of engine failure is know to ford due to design of coolant channels between cylinders. This could have cause sudden engine failure while drive resulting in an accident and injury or engine fire due to insufficient cooling causing loss of property and/or injury.
Engine, Aug 21, 2025
The vehicle is suffering from an engine failure. It has a check engine light DTC PO303 with a heavy misfire. This causes to engine to lose power at times preventing proper acceleration which could lead to an accident. Ford has a technical service bulletin [TSB 22-2229 ] that describes the failure and the required repair. The problem is a design issue, but Ford is not covering any out of warranty repairs.
Engine, Aug 19, 2025
Leaked coolant into second cylinder caused engine failure. This is a known issue with this model. No prior warnings, check engine light came on as the engine lost power. Risk of total engine failure.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 18, 2025
Stop /Start button would kill the car would need a jump. Coolant leak in engine blew a gasket. Need a new engine. 54,000 moles on a 2019 Fors Escape