NHTSA Complaint #11513692 — 2017 LINCOLN MKZ

I purchased this 2017 Lincoln MKZ 2.0L used on 11/26/22 with 72,400 miles. 2/4/23 I started having a misfire on cylinder 2. Past experience with another Ecoboost vehicle I thought was most likely a failing coil pack. I purchased an OEM coil pack and replaced coil pack 2. The car ran fine for several weeks and I thought my issue was fixed. 3/18/23 I left the house and typically before I get to town I’d have heat in the cabin, that wasn’t the case. I looked at all gauges and everything is normal no lights & engine temp is fine. Pull over and looked at the coolant reservoir… bone dry! I look for external leaks, but there are none. Filled the reservoir and I now have heat again. I got it home and looked all over for a leak again, but nothing. Figured well since I had a misfire and I’m approaching 80,000 miles maybe I should do the spark plugs. Cylinder 1 came out fine, and cylinder's 2,3,4 all seemed to be seized to the point I didn’t feel comfortable using more force and risking them breaking. Checked the oil and the oil looks fine. The engine runs rough upon the first start of the day, and white smoke is released from the exhaust while this is happening. Decided to take it to a local Ford garage and have them do the 3 remaining plugs as well as an oil change as I thought maybe it was a spark plug issue. I explained my experience with the vehicle and the service tech stated they won't touch them because this is a known issue. Most likely I would need a new engine. Apparently, with this gen of the Ecoboost 2.0, there is coolant leaking into the cylinders due to a manufacturer design flaw that Ford knows about. This coolant will cause the cylinder head to crack and fill with coolant. Ultimately the engine will self-destruct. My local Ford garage told me to reference TSB 22-2229. If you research this online you will find many complaints as well as fears of continuing to drive the vehicle as this could cause an accident when the engine completely dies.