2019 Ford Escape Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2019 Escape most often report engine trouble, and the dominant theme in the sample is coolant getting into the cylinders, which frequently leads to rough running, white exhaust smoke, overheating messages and, in many cases, a replacement engine. Transmission complaints also appear regularly, with reports of hesitation, stalling and loss of power, and some owners tie these to the shifter-cable recall. Reports span a wide mileage range, from a few thousand miles up to well past 100,000, so this is not confined to high-mileage vehicles.

1. 1
   Engine

   Coolant intrusion into cylinders / engine failure

   • 298 complaints (50%)
   • median 74,718 mi at 6.0 yrs old (102 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $8,572 (median of 40 quotes)
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners describe low coolant levels with no visible leak, white smoke from the exhaust, rough idling, misfires and the check engine light, often with an overheating message. Many say the dealer diagnosed coolant inside one or more cylinders and told them the engine or short block needed replacement. Several mention the repair was not covered and that Ford referred them back to NHTSA. Reported across the sample from roughly 8,000 to over 160,000 miles, with many between 30,000 and 90,000 miles.

   10 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the coolant reservoir level and look for white smoke or a sweet smell at the exhaust; ask whether the engine or short block has been replaced and whether any related service bulletin or customer satisfaction program was applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Purchased vehicle april 2019. Almost immediately heard coolant gurgling sound coming from engine when engine auto turned off at stop light. I was told that this sound was normal. January received notice from Ford that my vehicle need PCM reprogramming. Day after reprogramming I began to receive check engine warnings. Soon after the heater would not work when car was not in gear. Took vehicle to dealer and was told that the engine needs to be replaced due to coolant leak in to valves. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11307636, filed 2020-02, 20,000 miles

   “My 2019 Ford Escape has less than 20,000 miles and is already having coolant leak issues into the engine. Cylinder 3 issue and the dealership is telling me that the engine will likely need to be replaced. As I read more about this I am seeing thousands of vehicles affected, back order on engines, and a likely long wait period for this to be resolved. After spend almost $30,000 on my vehicle this is absolutely unacceptable business practice! I am also reading that a law firm in tennessee is collecting clients for a lawsuit.”

   NHTSA complaint #11323757, filed 2020-05, 19,000 miles
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission hesitation, stalling and loss of power

   • 115 complaints (19%)
   • median 69,559 mi at 5.7 yrs old (66 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $8,000 (median of 11 quotes)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle hesitating or failing to accelerate, revving without moving, stalling at speed and abnormal noises from the drivetrain. Some owners were told the transmission needed replacement, and several mention an outstanding shifter-cable recall where parts were not yet available. Mostly reported between about 45,000 and 130,000 miles, with a few much earlier.

   Recall 22V4130002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test-drive at highway speed and from a stop, listening for clunks or hesitation, and check whether recall 22V413000 for the shifter cable bushing has been completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle lost motive power with the engine revving abnormally. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle however, after driving 100-feet, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,133.”

   NHTSA complaint #11663077, filed 2025-05, 80,133 miles

   “The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the torque converter. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 66,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11595735, filed 2024-06, 66,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Overheating and coolant warnings while driving

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report high-temperature alerts and messages telling them to pull over, sometimes with the temperature gauge swinging to hot and then dropping. Some describe steam or smoke from the front of the vehicle and low coolant found on inspection, with dealers diagnosing cracked blocks or coolant leaks. Spread from very low mileage (around 4,000 miles) to over 130,000 miles.

   Recall 26V0110002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask about coolant loss history and check the reservoir and block heater area for residue; confirm whether recall 26V011000 for the engine block heater has been addressed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driving 70+MPH on freeway and the acc went out with an alert. Continued driving and the lanekeep assist had an error and ceased working, followed by an error for collision avoidance. Shortly after the speedometer and odometer went to 0 and several other errors for ABS, ESC, and others went off. This felt like the scene from apollo 13 where everything was going wrong at once. I noticed the power steering was not working and it was much more difficult to turn the wheel as I pulled into the Ford dealer. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11319033, filed 2020-03, 14,100 miles

   “Driving on the highway, all of a sudden warning comes on stating, car is overheating stop engine now. Car started to shake and steering wheel started to shake. Pulled to the side of the highway. Check engine light is red. Police officer pulled aside to assist. Opens hood of the car. Officer visibly sees coolant is below the minimum line. The officer goes to his car to retrieve coolant. When the officer unscrewed the cover of the coolant fluid holder, the fluid raised by itself to maximum line. Officer did not add more coolant. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11330042, filed 2020-06, 4,100 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine misfires and faulty ignition coils

   • 117 complaints (20%)
   • median 74,800 mi at 5.6 yrs old (33 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $8,000 (median of 17 quotes)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the engine shaking, rattling or running rough with the check engine light on and misfire codes stored. Some owners had spark plugs or ignition coils replaced with only temporary improvement, and others were later told the underlying cause involved coolant or a damaged engine. Reported from under 10,000 miles to about 100,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Have a scan tool read stored misfire codes on a test drive and ask about recent coil, plug or engine work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Bought this car as certified pre owned from a Ford dealer with 28k miles. Approx. 4 weeks after purchase the engine starts running rough and check engine light came on with an error code p0303 misfire. Took it to dealer and they diagnosed coolant in cylinder 3 with the fix being a new short block engine replacement. It was still under warranty but very frustrating this happened to a car with low miles. After doing research this is a very common problem with the Ford 1.5 liter engine.”

   NHTSA complaint #11385495, filed 2020-12, 28,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2019 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was running rough, with the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that there was a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11661917, filed 2025-05, 50,000 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Battery drain and multiple electrical warnings

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe several warning lights appearing at once, remote features or app commands failing, and the vehicle not starting without a jump. Some report that the battery was replaced but warnings returned, and dealers had difficulty reproducing the faults. Mostly reported under about 20,000 miles, including within the first few thousand miles.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check for a recent battery replacement and any stored warnings, and ask whether software updates for the modem or battery-drain service bulletins were applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased my 2019 Ford Escape brand new in early spring of 2019. Shortly after purchasing my Escape I did notice some slippage of the transmission. I planned on going back to the dealer so they could check it out, but unfortunately I became ill, and therefore it slipped my mind. I was in and out of the hospital for the next several months, but as soon as I felt well enough I could not wait to drive my new car again. My first trip was actually to my oncologist office, but I was excited just to be driving. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11389410, filed 2021-01, 3,400 miles

   “Since buying my Escape brand new with 1 mile on it, it has been plagued with issues, engine shuts off while driving can be going 30 MPH or 70 MPH, while driving on the interstate at 70 bad smell from catalytic converter seeps in through vents. Passenger side tire wall blew while turning out of a parking lot. License plate light out and unable to remove to change. Dealership has had car several times claiming nothing is wrong with it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11315469, filed 2020-03, 11,000 miles

Buying note. A 2019 Escape can be a reasonable used purchase, but given how often coolant intrusion and engine replacement come up, a pre-purchase inspection focused on coolant level, exhaust smoke and stored codes is worth the cost. Also confirm that open recalls for the shifter cable and block heater have been completed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.