NHTSA Complaint #11330909 — 2014 FORD ESCAPE

IN 2017 I TOOK MY CAR IN TO GET SEVERAL RECALL ITEMS FIXED AND I WAS TOLD THERE WAS A COOLANT ISSUE BUT IT'S OKAY TO DRIVE AND JUST MONITOR THE COOLANT. EARLIER THIS YEAR THE ENGINE LIGHT STARTED TURNING ON AND I WOULD GET A "LOW COOLANT" MESSAGE. DUE TO COVID I DID NOT TAKE THE CAR IN IMMEDIATELY. I ENDED UP HAVING TO FILL THE COOLANT THREE TIMES IN ONE MONTH EVENTUALLY LEADING TO WHITE FUMES COMING OUT THE EXHAUST. WHEN MY CAR FINALLY STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION DUE TO "LOW COOLANT" (WHICH WE HAD REFILLED 5 DAYS PRIOR) I FINALLY TOOK THE CAR INTO FORD AND THEY IMMEDIATELY KNEW WHAT THE ISSUE WAS AS I PULLED UP SAYING THEY COULD "SMELL IT." SAID I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO DRIVE IT HOME AND IT WAS MOST LIKELY NEEDING TO RESULT IN A NEW ENGINE. IT WAS A COOLANT LEAK THAT COULD RESULT IN THE ENGINE OVERHEATING AND BREAKING DOWN, WHICH WAS TOO DANGEROUS FOR ME TO DRIVE. THE SERVICE GUY SAID THIS WAS ABOUT THE 20TH VEHICLE HE HAD TO DEAL WITH THIS ISSUE ON BUT SAID THEY WEREN'T GOING TO COVER IT. SAID THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE BUT ONLY FOR 2014 ESCAPES MANUFACTURED AT TWO LOCATIONS. I ASKED WHY THOSE TWO WHEN THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO BE HAPPENING WITH SEVERAL VEHICLES AND HE HAD NO ANSWERS. LUCKILY I HAD A WARRANTY THAT COVERED THE NEW $8000 ENGINE BUT WE WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEDUCTIBLE AND A MAJORITY OF THE RENTAL CAR. IT TOOK 8 WEEKS FOR THEM TO REPLACE THE ENGINE SO THE RENTAL WAS NOT CHEAP. *TR