NHTSA Complaint #11719153 — 2018 FORD ESCAPE

While driving 1,100 miles from Topeka, Kansas to Maryland to spend time with our first grandchild, our trip was interrupted by coolant intrusion in the cylinders of our 2018 Ford Escape SE (ecoboost), which had 78,600 miles on it. Both an independent garage and the Ford dealership in Maryland said the car needed a new engine. The garage put the cost at $16,000; the Ford dealer, $12,200. I quickly discovered online that the problem of coolant intrusion in Ford Escapes from that year was widespread and caused by a design flaw. After purchasing the vehicle used in 2020, I was never informed of any recalls or service announcements about this problem and after the problem was diagnosed, I was told by Ford that recalls had all expired by now. Instead of spending $12,200 for a new engine from an out-of-state dealership I had no knowledge of or past service history with, I decided to use the money I would have spent in repairs and instead use it toward purchasing a used car that hopefully had a better designed engine. I donated the Ford Escape to a charity to sell for parts. Both my wife and I are retired and essentially live on our Social Security, so purchasing a vehicle and losing the re-sale value of the Ford Escape is going to wipe out a lot of our savings. I believe Ford should compensate me for the private party re-sale value of the vehicle, roughly $9,000, plus the $2,000 I had to spend to rent a car while on our month-long visit in Maryland. Businesses should compensate customers for their business mistakes. I bought that car in 2020 and kept it serviced, and at no time did anyone from Ford or the dealership inform me of potential problems with the car that have since been reported. I have contacted Ford and they have told me there is nothing they can do about it. I hope the NHTSA can do something to make Ford stand by its product. Thank you.