Home · 2019 Ford Escape Phev · Complaints

What 557 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Ford Escape Phev

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (557)Crash / fire / injury (31)Engine (290)Transmission & drivetrain (118)Engine & cooling (88)Electrical system (37)Fuel system (22)Steering (16)Lights (13)Body & structure (11)Tires (11)Airbags (10)

Newest first · 557 complaints · page 5 of 23

Sep 17, 2025Engine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11687990

Sep 15, 2025Transmission & drivetrainEngine

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”.

NHTSA ODI 11687440

Sep 12, 2025Engine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11686806

Sep 11, 2025Engine

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)

NHTSA ODI 11686728

Sep 10, 2025Engine

The flex plate is cracked. Possible missing dowels.

NHTSA ODI 11686328

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.

NHTSA ODI 11686078

Sep 5, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

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.

NHTSA ODI 11685222

Sep 5, 2025Engine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11685375

Sep 2, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Transmission has been replaced 4 times

NHTSA ODI 11684392

Sep 2, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Clunking/wobble from Rear differential unit, also roaring like a bad wheel bearing loss of acceleration intermittently/power intermittently

NHTSA ODI 11684394

Sep 2, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

Driveshaft carrier bearing trashed

NHTSA ODI 11684396

Aug 29, 2025Engine

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!!

NHTSA ODI 11683883

Aug 29, 2025Transmission & drivetrain

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.

NHTSA ODI 11683961

Aug 28, 2025Transmission & drivetrainEngine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11683742

Aug 24, 2025Engine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11682643

Aug 23, 2025Engine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11682573

Aug 21, 2025Engine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11682170

Aug 19, 2025Engine

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.

NHTSA ODI 11681529

Aug 18, 2025Electrical systemEngine

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

NHTSA ODI 11681400

Aug 15, 2025Engine

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The contact believed that a fuel cleaner needed to be added to the fuel tank. The contact stated that the engine revved abnormally. While at a stoplight, the vehicle failed to drive forward and stalled. The contact stated that the axle and turbocharger had been repaired prior to the failure. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA ODI 11680879

Aug 15, 2025Engine

Coolant in cylinder causing overheating, misfiring of cylinder 3 and cracked engine block

NHTSA ODI 11680941

Aug 12, 2025Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the spark plugs needed to be replaced and a tune up was necessary to fix the vehicle. The parts were replaced; however, four days later the check engine warning light was illuminated again. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer where it was diagnosed a second time and the contact was made aware of coolant intrusion into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,372.

NHTSA ODI 11680232

Aug 11, 2025Engine

Replaced engine blowing a lot of smoke out of the exhaust when starting engine and it didn't do that before the new remanufacured engine was installed.

NHTSA ODI 11679749

Aug 11, 2025Engine

Coolant is leaking and causing the cylinders to misfire. The check engine light is illuminated. This problem has been confirmed by the service department at my local Ford dealership. The repair is to replace the short block with an updated part and estimated cost is $5000-6000. My 2019 Ford Escape has only 79,000 miles on it and has been well-maintained. This leakage will definitely put myself and others at risk when my vehicle breaks down. The check engine light appeared on Thursday, July 31st. I brought the car immediately to the dealership. Since I did not have a scheduled appointment, they did a quick diagnostic and reset to see if it would happen again. The check engine light came back on the next day. I brought it in for a service appointment today after returning from being out of town last week.

NHTSA ODI 11679803

Aug 11, 2025Engine

There's currently a coolant intrusion issue with my 2019 Ford escape and I see that there was a recall on this for all Ford escapes from the years of 2017 through 2019 and I wanted to see if this will be covered for repairs

NHTSA ODI 11679924

← NewerOlder →

Working with the data? Download all 557 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2019 Ford Escape Phev verdict →