NHTSA Complaint #11062620 — 2013 FORD ESCAPE

TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE AT 73269 MILES. VEHICLE HAS BEEN RECALLED MULTIPLE TIMES FOR ENGINE COOLANT LOW/ENGINE OVERHEATING WARNINGS. RECALL WORK WAS COMPLETED ON VEHICLE; HOWEVER, STILL HAD ISSUES WITH ENGINE COOLANT LOW/ENGINE OVERHEATING WARNINGS WHERE THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED IN TO A DEALER. PRIOR TO THE HOLIDAYS, TOOK CAR IN TO LOCAL SHOP FOR A NEW BATTERY AND AIR FILTER. THIS VEHICLE IS A PERSONAL VEHICLE THAT ISN'T DRIVEN MUCH. I HAVE A COMPANY CAR. ON DECEMBER 23, 2017, LEAVING AMARILLO, TEXAS, ENTERED FEEDER ROAD TO ACCESS INTERSTATE. ENGINE COOLANT LOW WARNING CAME ON AND THEN IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY ENGINE OVERHEATING WARNING. TOWED TO FIRESTONE -- THEY SAID IT WAS A TEMPERATURE SENSOR AND THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE PART. TOWED TO GENE MESSER FORD -- THEY HAD IT FOR TWO WEEKS, AND JUST INFORMED ME THAT THE ENTIRE ENGINE WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED -- DUE TO OVERHEATING - CYLINDER HEAD WARPED -- $6,800 FOR THE REPAIR. THIS PARTICULAR ENGINE HAS BEEN CITED FOR SAFETY CONCERNS BECAUSE OF 29 FIRES. I CONTACTED FORD PRIOR TO THIS TO ASK FOR HELP AND THEY DECLINED. THESE ENGINES HAVE HAD MULTIPLE RECALLS FOR CYLINDER HEAD PROBLEMS AND THE RECALL DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM, AS MY VEHICLE STILL HAD "ENGINE COOLANT LOW AND ENGINE OVERHEATING WARNINGS" AFTER THE RECALL WAS COMPLETED. THE CONTINUOUS ENGINE COOLANT LOW WARNING RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE ALSO RECEIVING A NEW RADIATOR IN 2016.