NHTSA Complaint #11616688 — 2017 FORD ESCAPE

The head gasket of the engine failed, allowing the intrusion of coolant in to the combustion chamber as well as exhaust gas entering the cooling system. After starting up the engine there is white smoke exiting the exhaust pipe. If you open the coolant reservoir you will also see bubbles coming up (exhaust gas). The issue was diagnosed by a machine shop with pressure testing. The report is attached. The issue was noticed because the car showed a low coolant check light. The car was immediately pulled over without the engine overheating. The ODB2 scanner also showed an engine misfiring for the first 1000 revolutions. This is a known Ford issue and design flaw in the 1.5L engine built between 2017 and 2019. Being a small, high powered turbo engine the engineers needed a better cooling capacity and added a channel between the cylinders to allow for more surface cooling. This channel significantly lowers the ability of the head gasket to perform for the expected life span of the engine. The surface area between the combustion chambers is way too small. Ford addressed the coolant intrusion issue and mitigated it by a change in the coolant passages. It was introduced in early 2019. The issue is confirmed by Ford as well as the dealership where we purchased this car. The issue can only get permanently fixed by replacing the engine block. Only changing the head gasket means the issue can reappear any time, making the car unsafe to drive. Living in Arizona, we feel that it is unsafe to drive a car like this. The desert heats up to 120 degrees over the summer. If your car breaks down in an area without cell phone coverage you have a huge problem. Your car should only break down because parts get old and worn out rather than a design flaw by the manufacturer. If you are selling a baby crib that possibly fails because of a design flaw there would be an immediate recall. I feel that Ford should address this issue again and offer its customers a reasonable to feel safe.