NHTSA Complaint #11580668 — 2017 FORD ESCAPE

The check engine light came on so we called the dealership. This is a 7.5 year old vehicle with under 50,000 miles. They made an appointment for us to come up over a week later. In the meantime the vehicle started to blow a lot of smoke when starting. Smelled like anti-freeze. We took it to the dealership early. Two days later they told us it needed a new engine. Our extended bumper to bumper warranty just ran out 6 months prior and we were hit with an estimate of $8000. I researched and found that Ford knows about this issue, and has for a few years now. There are recalls for this 2.0L engine in the Fusion, but not in the Escape. From what I read it seems to be a flaw in the design of the coolant channels, which can cause a coolant leak, engine over heating, and possibly a fire. We did not have this happen as we seem to have caught the issue early enough, however at this point we are without the vehicle and waiting for a new engine to be installed. And we are stuck with the bill.