NHTSA Complaint #11486382 — 2015 FORD ESCAPE

The temperature gauge pegged-out at FULL HOT in a matter of seconds, the engine overheated. The safety risk would be a seized or blown engine while driving. The problem was checked by two independent auto repair facilities and an authorized dealer service department. The authorized dealer representative said the vehicle had a "coolant invasion of the #1 cylinder. The car had a defective block so changing the head gasket was not recommended, replacing the engine was the prescribed fix. Each week for a period of three weeks the 'check engine' light came on. I went to my mechanic and he checked it out with his electronic engine diagnostic port, each time it showed that the #1 cylinder misfired. He could not find any reason/couldn't figure it out. The fourth week when the screen showed red when the engine overheated was the first time there was a light/warning other than the check engine. I immediately stopped, turned the engine off, opened the hood and notice the antifreeze reservoir was empty. Sharing this information helped my mechanic to piece the problem together and said the antifreeze was getting into cylinder #1and that I needed a head gasket, which was confirmed by another mechanic. They both recommended going to Ford for the work since they could get the part(s) quicker and perform the work more timely. Since Ford said the engine was defective then why doesn't Ford assist in the cost of repair and/or replacement?