NHTSA Complaint #11246447 — 2014 FORD ESCAPE

VEHICLE NEEDS "NEW ENGINE" AS DIAGNOSED BY TAPPER FORD DEALERSHIP, PAW PAW MI. WAS TOLD THE "BLOCK" WAS BAD AFTER "COOLANT LEAKED INTO ENGINE" FROM HEAD GASKET CRACKED. THIS VEHICLE HAS A RECALL STATING "LOCALIZED OVERHEATING OF THE ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD MAY CAUSE THE CYLINDER HEAD TO CRACK". THIS VEHICLE WAS AT STAND STILL IN TRAFFIC JAM ON HIGHWAY7/25/19 WARNING SOUNDS AND MESSAGE APPEARED ON DASHBOARD OF VEHICLE STATING TO PULL OVER DUE TO ENGINE OVERHEATING. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN 1 MORE MILE TO HIGHWAY EXIT, PULLED INTO GAS STATION AT EXIT, HOOD OPENED TO SHOW NO COOLANT PRESENT IN TANK. VEHICLE ALLOWED TO COOL FOR 30MIN, PLACED APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF ORANGE COOLANT IN TANK AS INSTRUCTED TO BY MANUAL AND DROVE CARE ANOTHER HOUR WITHOUT ISSUE. NEXT MORNING COOLANT TANK CHECKED AND NOTED NO COOLANT PRESENT, AGAIN PLACED APPROPRIATE AMOUNT IN TANK AS MANUAL STATES, DROVE VEHICLE ANOTHER HOUR. COOLANT LEVEL CHECKED FOR NEXT FEW DAYS AND HAD NO ISSUE. COOLANT LEVEL CHECK PRIOR TO DRIVING VEHICLE HOME FROM NORTHERN MICHIGAN, AGAIN NONE PRESENT IN TANK, AGAIN ADDED APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF COOLANT, DROVE HOME APPROX. 350MILES WITHOUT ISSUE. NEXT MORNING (SUNDAY, AUGUST 4TH, 2019) STARTED SUV, ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS SHAKING, LARGE AMOUNT OF WHITE THICK EXHAUST PRESENT, SWEET SMELLING. VEHICLE BROUGHT TO LOCAL MECHANIC, STATED HEAD GASKET NEEDED REPLACED AND STATED A RECALL WAS OUT FOR AN ISSUE WITH A SENSOR THAT COULD MALFUNCTION AND CAUSE THIS DAMAGE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO TAPPER FORD DEALERSHIP IN PAW, PAW MI FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. THIS DEALERSHIP TOLD US THAT AN ENTIRE NEW ENGINE WAS NEEDED AND WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY FORD. THE PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE OF THIS VEHICLE IS DUE TO THE RECALL STATED ABOVE. HOW CAN FORD REFUSE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AT A COST TO THEM? WAS GIVEN A PHONE QUOTE OF "$8,000.00" FOR THE NEW ENGINE. I DO HAVE A VIDEO OF THE WHITE THICK EXHAUST.