NHTSA Complaint #11503985 — 2018 FORD ESCAPE

The contact called on behalf of a friend who owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his friend was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle emitted an abnormal sound. Additionally, there was significant amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown. The dealer informed the contact's friend that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown recall as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 81,647.