NHTSA Complaint #11601237 — 2017 FORD ESCAPE

At 37,775 miles on Aug 23, 23; 1st check engine light. The cause was unclear, possibly an intermittent purge valve, which was replaced. The second check engine light was at 46,919 miles on Jul 03, 24; and that's when it was noted the coolant level had dropped a little bit. Excessive carbon was also seen in the #1 cylinder and the shop suspected a coolant leak. A pressure test was performed but the result was negative...so all the required and recommended maintenance was performed. The next day, the engine light came back on. On Jul 09, 24; the shop then performed an overnight coolant pressure test, and it showed that coolant was indeed leaking into the #1 and #2 cylinders. This could be a fire hazard and could also lead to a catastrophic engine failure. My autoshop (Accurate Automotive, in Yuma AZ) pointed out the Ford bulletin for my engine...a block defect, (Reference# 22-2229, issued Jun 09, 22) and recommended I take the vehicle to the Ford dealership in Yuma... which I did on Jul 10, 24. The service representative (Jesse) did not accept the finding of my shop and said Ford will perform their own assessment. No Ford recall has been issued for this defect. There should be, though. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.