What 2,068 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Escape Gas

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the head gasket overheated, and the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to veer off the highway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the orange antifreeze caused the head gasket to fail. The mechanic advised the contact that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 164,000.

NHTSA ODI 11565794

A repeated low coolant light continues to show up after refilling the system and having it flushed. The system message center presented a message that said "Stop Safely Now" due to low coolant. The engine temperature gauge was reading completely cold.

NHTSA ODI 11565649

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the "High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely" message was displayed on the instrument panel with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was hot. The contact pulled over and allowed the engine to cool down. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact replenished the coolant and drove the vehicle home. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11564552

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and jerked upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and it was initially discovered there was a leak in the expansion tank as well as a defective thermostat. The contact stated that both parts were replaced. Despite the repair, the contact continued to experience failure with the check engine warning light displayed on the instrument panel and an abnormal burning odor was coming from the vehicle. After several visits to the dealer, it was discovered that coolant had leaked into one of the engine cylinders. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11564560

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving uphill at 35–45 MPH, there was white smoke coming from the tailpipe. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode and lost motive power. The engine temperature rose to a HOT level. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to veer off the roadway. The contact stated who is an independent mechanic completed a diagnostic test and indicated that there were codes for the cylinder head, overheating, and cam position sensor fault. There was coolant entering the cylinder head and exiting through the tailpipe. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact about a software program and referred the contact to the local dealer and the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.

NHTSA ODI 11564573

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "High engine temperature, stop safely" message was displayed before the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact had to add water or coolant to the coolant reservoir for the vehicle to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had two unknown repairs for coolant intrusion; however, the failure recurred. 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 112,000.

NHTSA ODI 11564582

After no signs of overheating or leaks the coolant level of the car has dropped significantly after topping off several times. The heat stopped working and the coolant reservoir never stayed filled. We took it to the dealership for diagnosis. The service representative told us the coolant was leaking directly into the engine and the only solution is to replace the cracked engine block.

NHTSA ODI 11564583

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the Coolant Low message was displayed. The contact needed to add coolant every other day; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to locate the coolant leak. The mechanic also determined that oil was leaking from the valve cover. The valve cover gasket was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

NHTSA ODI 11560621

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving 40 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the heater hose. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who then determined that coolant intrusion had damaged cylinder #3, requiring the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11559131

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact observed that the temperature gauge was indicating that the engine was overheating. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power and was able to pull into a parking lot. The contact stated that he opened the hood and observed that the radiator hoses had split. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the radiator hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the same overheating failure had occurred again and returned the vehicle to the same dealer who stated that the hoses were not damaged. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11558604

The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine was misfiring, and the vehicle was hesitating. Additionally, the engine power was reduced. The contact was unaware if there was a warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to drive to her destination. The contact's daughter then noticed that the coolant level was low and added coolant to the reservoir. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11555708

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle shuddered with blue smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 88,000.

NHTSA ODI 11554326

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after a visual inspection of underneath the vehicle, he observed a coolant leak originating near the engine compartment. The low coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with compression in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 71,000.

NHTSA ODI 11554245

My car began to overheat and enter limp mode, when diagnosed the codes that appeared correlated directly with a safety recall issued in 2017. I brought my car to ford 2x to have them service the recall. I was given my car back, with the check engine light on and still overheating.i went to another dealership, who diagnosed my car again and I paid 712$ for a “water outlet connector “ and this did not resolve the issue. Ford decided to keep the car for 2 months, unable to diagnose the issue, they kept dropping it off to me and it would overheat… they towed it 2x back to the dealership for overheating after they drove 100+ miles on it. Instead of fixing the issue, they kept telling me it was not overheating and dropped it off to me with the check engine light on, the same codes, and overheating… stopping abruptly at high speeds. I brought it back to ford after it cut power at 50 mph with my daughter in it… Now I am being told, I have a cracked cylinder head and the recalled part has nothing to do with the cracked cylinder head … which was not cracked prior too all the repairs done. I was not informed that it was cracked, until November 6 2023. My car has been serviced since July 21st 2023. A cracked cylinder head, is a direct result of a faulty recalled part… which ford replaced a coolant level sensor and stand pipe to prevent this issue. It is not resolved. The estimated the repair at 5800$ and failed to give me any invoices. Refusing to work on my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11553975

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the engine was overheating. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The message to “Pull Over Safely” was displayed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

NHTSA ODI 11552715

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing coolant, but there were no visible coolant leaks. The engine and temperature gauge warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil light illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate, she noticed white smoke coming from the two exhaust tips. The contact checked the oil, and the oil was at the correct level. The vehicle was taken to three independent mechanics, and the contact was informed that the engine may need to be replaced. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that there were no open recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

NHTSA ODI 11552702

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact checked under the hood and became aware that oil had leaked out and was covering the engine. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11550586

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "Pull Over Immediately - Coolant Issue" was displayed. The contact stated that she purchased coolant that her father added to the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving, and she had been adding coolant to the vehicle approximately every 12 days. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where an unknown diagnosis was provided and unknown repairs were performed; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure, and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11550444

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle would idled roughly for 10 minutes or more, and he noticed that a significant amount of white smoke was emitted from the tail pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that he had noticed that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal coolant consumption, which required him to add coolant to the vehicle every week. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the engine block. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred increasingly, and the vehicle had failed to start. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11549316

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was idle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the Toyota dealer where it was purchased. The Toyota dealer diagnosed that engine oil was leaking from the valve cover gasket. The dealer replaced the valve cover gasket, the coolant hoses, and the coolant reservoir; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the Toyota dealer, where the engine was replaced; however, the failure persisted, and the engine was replaced a second time. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the Toyota dealer for an oil change, the dealer informed the contact that the Eco booster was leaking. There was no further information provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The local Ford dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 113,154.

NHTSA ODI 11549152

The contact's daughter owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated after her daughter had driven and parked the vehicle, the vehicle started overheating and there was steam coming from the cowl. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two different independent mechanics, where the vehicle was inspected, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The coolant bypass was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the failure could be related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the front driver's side door failed to close securely. The contact stated that the latch needed to be pushed manually in order to lock the door. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V331000(Latches/Locks/Linkages); however, the VIN was not included. 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 approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11549262

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle with the air conditioner activated with heat selected, the air failed to get warm or hot. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the failure was due to a faulty engine head gasket caused by a coolant leak into the engine cylinders. The mechanic informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 116,601.

NHTSA ODI 11548380

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle had experienced rough idling and was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that engine coolant was present inside cylinder #3. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the local dealer for service. After retrieving the vehicle, while driving approximately 25 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating" had displayed. Upon inspection it was discovered that there was no coolant inside the reservoir however, there was no visible coolant leaks found. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 74,000.

NHTSA ODI 11545547

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant warning light illuminated. The contact then stated that the coolant level was low. Additionally, the contact stated that within two months, she had added coolant to the vehicle twice. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was given a tune-up and the contact was informed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into that engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact was informed that the cost for the repair would be out of pocket. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

NHTSA ODI 11543784

Our ford escape has been leaking coolant excessively and is experiencing intermittent over-heating of the cylinder head. Ford has a recall for this matter however our local ford dealership refuses to service our vehicle, there are also two other recalls that they are refusing to acknowledge.

NHTSA ODI 11543637