2014 Ford Escape Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Coolant leak into engine gasket/block. Moderate acceleration or freeway driving depletes coolant then overheats. No signs of coolant underneath vehicle upon stopping. Vehicle is now lurching/jerking with any acceleration at any speed.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH on the highway, the engine overheated and the vehicle stopped unintentionally. The contact was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was previously taken to an undisclosed local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that there was an internal leak in the head gasket. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Coolant leak just like as listed in other 2014 Ford Escape recalls. It leaked into the engine block causing misfire of spark plugs and thus the Ford dealership tells me I am required $14,000 engine rebuild which I can't afford. It is dangerous for me to drive as the engine may misfire or overheat at any time. The Ford company says I have no recalls and yet this issue was a recalled issue on this year of Ford Escapes.
My 2014 Ford escape started leaking coolant into the engine, producing a terrible odor throughout the cab and causing overheating. The mechanic pressure tested the coolant system and identified coolant leaking into the cylinders. This is a common occurrence in this make and model.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was scanned for codes and the failure was related to the coolant in the engine. The vehicle was not repaired The manufacturer was notified of the failure, opened a case, and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number:Β 17V209000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) as the contact was relating the failure to the recall. The failure mileage was 31,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the messages "Temperature High" and "Pull Over Safely" were displayed. In addition, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the coolant was leaking. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that, on a separate occasion, the coolant reservoir was constantly low. The vehicle was taken to a different independent mechanic who diagnosed coolant intrusion into cylinders 2 or 3, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Left my home and drown about 1 mile and car Oil light came on then battery light came on then car started rolling I had no control of the speed and car stopped in middle of street got it towed to mechanic . Mechanic advises known issue with fords and should be under a recall. coolant leaking from turbo lines
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipes. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant inside the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 117,000.
Vehicle overheated caused the cylinder head that crack. I am concerned it may catch fire as others before the recall. When I key in the VIN it shows no recall. However the NHTSA recall no 17V-209 or 17S09 shows all Escapes produced 2/12/13-9/2/14 have this issue and should have gotten a part to prevent this. With a production date of 5/14, shouldn't this vehicle be included?
The Ford EcoBoost engine in my Ford Escape 2014 has consistent coolant leaking issues as reported by several other vehicle owners. I spent the last 4 years of owning it constantly returning to the dealership over this issue when my car was under warranty because the coolant tank kept leaking. They never fixed the leaking issue and when my warranty expired, they refused to help fix it any longer. I cannot afford a new car or the work I need to keep getting on it yet need it to get to work, and the constant need for my refilling of the coolant in the tank that progressively gets worse and can cause engine failure warrants a recall on behalf of the company and compensation.
Engine light came on and over heates
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the coolant level was low; however, there was no warning light illuminated. The contact added coolant to the coolant reservoir; however, after driving for approximately 20 minutes and then parking the vehicle overnight; however, while attempting to start the vehicle the following morning, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that there was engine failure due to coolant intrusion into cylinder #4. The contact was informed that the cylinder head gasket had melted, causing the engine to seize. The dealer informed the contact of the failure and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,900.
The 1.6L EcoBoost engine is leaking coolant into the #3 cylinder. The vehicle lost power while in motion on a busy road. The check engine light came on with a warning that the engine was overheating, and traffic behind me had to slow down, causing a potential rear-end accident. The engine was scanned, and the fault code P1299 was discovered.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his daughter was driving approximately 50-55 MPH, the message "Engine Failure" was displayed intermittently. The driver continued driving to a safe location. The contact stated upon noticing smoke coming from underneath the hood, the driver pulled to the side of the road and opened the hood. The contact stated that the driver saw flames on the ignition coils, behind the engine compartment, and on the firewall. The contact's daughter picked up snow and was able to extinguish the fire with snow. The fire department was contacted and arrived at the scene, but no further action was required. The contact's daughter did not sustain any injuries. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to Pep Boys, who referred the contact to the dealer and to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was towed to the residence. An independent mechanic was contacted and informed the contact that the failure could be related to NHTSA Campaign Number:Β 17V209000(Β Engine and Engine Coolant). The contact became aware that the VIN was included in the recall. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the cylinder head was cracked, the spark plugs were seized, and there was 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 made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The failure persisted with the message that the engine was overheating before the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic on two separate occasions where the spark plugs and other engine repairs were performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the engine rod had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the cylinders, causing the engine to fail. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred, and the contact parked the vehicle. The vehicle was no longer driven due to the safety concerns. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns aΒ 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was parking the vehicle, the driver noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment and a coolant odor. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact added coolant to the vehicle and drove the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000(Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure andΒ advised the contact to file a vehicle safety complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximatelyΒ 178,998.
The car has been in the shop on and off for two years because of coolant leaking but the coolant pressure test show no leaks. As of March 2025 the car was checked again and showed no pressure leaks. Over the course of time, The radiator was replaced and several other things have been attempted. We are at the point where we donβt want to put more money into the vehicle because we are afraid it is the classic coolant intrusion situation with this car. I have read many reports of this problem. I am only reporting on the most recent incident below. I do not have an invoice for the March, 2025 visit for coolant pressure test.
Rapidly losing coolant without being able to find any leaks with the assumption itβs going into my engine. This also explains why my engine has been acting a bit funny.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the coolant temperature warning light was illuminated, and upon checking the coolant tank, the coolant level was low. The coolant reservoir was refilled; however, several days later the coolant level was low again. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the engine started overheating, causing the engine to seize. The contact was forced to pull over onto the side of the road, and the vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic and was inspected. The contact was notified of coolant intrusion into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. A local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine was overheating and there was oil leaking from the top of the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and scheduled an appointment, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated and the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a warning light for the low coolant level was illuminated. The contact checked the coolant reservoir and became aware that the coolant level was low. The coolant level was topped off. The contact stated that a warning light was illuminated while driving, and the contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that a bypass hose needed to be installed on the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was repaired; however, the loss of coolant continued, and there was no leak found. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer, who was unable to diagnose the vehicle but determined that an air bubble had formed in the system and the failure had worked itself out. The overheating and coolant loss reoccurred, and the contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinders #2 and #4, causing damage to the engine. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to a defect of the engine with the intrusion of coolant. The contact relayed the information to the dealer and was advised that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated. Additionally, an abnormal coolant odor was detected coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact added coolant to the reservoir, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
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Quick Summary
The 2014 Ford Escape has 588 Engine complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.