2014 Ford Escape: sudden loss of power

Filed Feb 23, 2026 · Engine · GA

The vehicle has suffered four (4) catastrophic engine failures due to "coolant intrusion" into the engine cylinders, a known defect in this model year. Despite the vehicle’s VIN showing that Ford Recall 17S09 (the federal safety agency 17V209) was previously "repaired" by a previous owner, the engine continues to overheat, crack the cylinder head, and fail. The cooling system and engine block are currently available for inspection. SAFETY RISK: During multiple failures, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of motive power and stalled in active traffic without sufficient warning. This creates an immediate risk of a high-speed rear-end collision. Additionally, the overheating creates a documented fire risk under the hood, as coolant or oil can leak onto hot engine components. CONFIRMATION: The failure has been reproduced and confirmed by both a major national used car retailer’s service department and an independent certified mechanical service center. The independent shop confirmed that the engine block has failed due to coolant entering the combustion chamber. SYMPTOMS: Prior to the most recent failure, the "Coolant Over Temperature" warning lamp appeared briefly before the engine lost power. These symptoms first appeared within 30 days of vehicle purchase and have recurred through four separate replacement engines, proving the manufacturer's recall "remedy" is ineffective at preventing catastrophic engine failure.

Filed Feb 3, 2026 · Engine · CO

The coolant reservoir needs to be refilled on a regular basis even though there is no discernible leak. When it does get low but is not empty, the warning ⚠️ light comes on and if this is not attended to in a matter of days it can lead to the red warning ‼️ light coming on and the car losing power. The warning states a coolant issue and to pull over as soon as possible. Once the reservoir is refilled to max level the engine can be restarted and the car is again drivable. This has happened multiple times while on highways or interstates and can come on quickly. This has happened for years even after repairs have been made to supposedly address the problem I have had to make previous repairs to the engine where I was told that the spark plugs were stuck in place due to a leak from a line that by design is placed next to the engine block and it leaks the coolant into the plug sockets and it causes the plugs to become stuck in place. The last repair involved having to use a specialized tool to remove the plugs because they were not able to be removed normally.

Filed Oct 18, 2025 · Body, Engine · GA · crash

see attached documents: Subject: Ongoing Unresolved Recall Issues and Safety Concerns with My Ford Vehicle I am writing to formally express my deep concern and frustration regarding my Ford vehicle, which currently has 15 open recalls that have gone unresolved for nearly two years. During this time, I have contacted every Ford dealership within a 50-mile radius of my home in repeated attempts to have these recalls addressed. Each dealership has provided a different excuse for not completing the necessary repairs. Some initially allowed me to schedule service appointments, only to cancel them once they realized the work involved recall issues. In several cases, I was never notified that my appointment had been canceled—I only discovered this when no one showed up. Other dealerships claimed they did not have the required parts and assured me they would contact me once the parts became available. To date, none have followed up. One dealership required that I speak with a supervisor before scheduling any recall work, but despite multiple messages, my calls were never returned. On one dealership’s website, I attempted to schedule the recall repairs online. The system showed numerous open appointment dates until I selected “recall service,” at which point all availability disappeared, and I was unable to proceed. Each dealership I contacted referred me elsewhere, passing responsibility without resolution. Ford has been fully aware of the potential safety risks—including the risk of serious injury or death—associated with these recalls, yet I was repeatedly told it was “safe to continue driving.” This was clearly not the case. Recently, while driving, my vehicle suddenly lost all power and stopped moving. I managed to pull over to the side of the road and called for a tow truck. As the tow truck driver prepared to load my car, it unexpectedly lurched forward on its own and crashed into the tow truck. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the incident caused significant front-end damage to my vehicle. It could have easil

Filed Aug 6, 2025 · Engine · OH

The 1.6L EcoBoost engine is leaking coolant into the #3 cylinder. The vehicle lost power while in motion on a busy road. The check engine light came on with a warning that the engine was overheating, and traffic behind me had to slow down, causing a potential rear-end accident. The engine was scanned, and the fault code P1299 was discovered.

Filed Jul 10, 2025 · Engine · CA

Engine overheated, lost power, and smoke came from the exhaust. Mechanics opinion is the engine block is cracked and what had caused the heating is a blown head gasket.

Filed May 3, 2025 · Transmission · TX

My wife was driving the car on the interstate, when suddenly a "TRANSMISSION FAULT SERVICE NOW" message was displayed on the screen. Immediately after the message, the vehicle lost power. She managed to limp the vehicle off the interstate to an access road, and eventually into a parking lot. We had the vehicle towed to a local transmission shop. The independent shop told us that the torque converter had failed, causing damage to the transmission. We paid to have the transmission replaced. Three or four days prior to this event, my wife had noticed that the engine seemed to be revving higher than normal when accelerating. There were no warning messages displayed at that time.

Filed Apr 9, 2025 · Transmission · IL

Was traveling for work in Ohio. On a major highway at night. The road was under construction and therefore had merging lanes and a reduced speed limit coming up. I passed 5 trucks before the merge to get ahead them before the tight lines. As I was passing I was losing power. Very dangerous in the left lane! I eventually was able to cut some people off with my flashers on to get to the right lane. There was no shoulder! My car continued slowing in 55mph construction zone. I was finally able to get on a shoulder. I was able to turn the car on and off around 8 times to limp off the highway to a near by Loves truckstop. No leaks or smoke. There was no warning. The transmission failed. Towed to a local Ford dealer. 370 miles from home. They were zero help. Had it transported to a dealer at home. Total catastrophic trans failure. Around $6700 to Ford with no discounts from them.

Filed Oct 1, 2024 · Engine · PA

Coolant fluid is leaking into engine cylinder #3. Yes, the vehicle would be available for inspection upon request. The coolant leak can cause the car can overheat, leading to a loss of power, poor performance, and potential engine damage An engine coolant system pressurized diagnostic test was performed by Stuckey Ford in Bellefonte, PA. I will have the report from this test when I pick up the car from the shop. Previous owner stated that one of the spark plugs needed to be changed, but did not disclose engine coolant leak. After purchasing, an indicator light came on stating that the coolant level was low. We have been adding coolant as needed.

Filed Sep 23, 2024 · Engine · IL

Hello, I'm writing to see if the Ecoboost lawsuits also include 2014 Ford Escapes? Mine cut off on me while on the highway Saturday (XXX). The Engine failed while driving, no light or warning. This is even after me dishing out a little over $8k in 2021 when I purchased it used from Bommarito Ford in St. Louis. I had transmission/engine issues from the start. When the car stopped on me a few folks that work on cars pulled over to see if they could assist. They all said the same thing... that the engine was done... oil was everywhere. They kept asking if it overheated but my gage always stayed between C and H. No lights or warnings ever. It was horrifying to be going about 60 mph to hear something break and lose power without warning. I'm grateful no accident was caused while I merged over to the exit ramp shoulder. I had the car towed back to my apartment while I try to figure out how to get the engine repaired. I'm currently re-starting after a very messy divorce so I do not have extra funds laying around to have a new engine installed. Currently in Chapter 13 due to issues with the divorce. Now I'm catching the bus and I'm still dealing with his stalking/harassment. I've been told my additional warranty ended in June of 2023. I contacted Ford and they told me I would need to have their dealer look at the car which will be towing plus the $250 fee. But that my car type is not included in the class action. The dealer said the same, but I do have an ecoboost engine and have been having issues with the engine/transmission since I purchased it in 2021. Do you know how I could add my name to the Class Action? Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 11, 2024 · Steering · 143,000 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality inadvertently. The contact was able to drive to the nearby residence. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, a message indicating a power steering assist failure was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

Filed Aug 10, 2024 · Engine · PA

While driving at highway speeds, the engine began to miss resulting in a sudden loss of power that forced me to pull over. I had the vehicle towed to a garage where they found the code for a misfire in cylinder 4. When they looked in cylinder 4, they found coolant intrusion and a crack in the cylinder. I discovered this is a common experience with this engine in Escapes and other vehicles. The vehicle only had around 89,000 miles at the time of the incident.

Filed Aug 2, 2024 · Engine · TX

We had our vehicle engine light come on, vehicle would shake and misfire, we had the spark plugs replaced. No sooner the vehicle light came on again, vehicle still shake and misfire and had it looked at with Ford service Ford service replaced the power packs. No sooner once again, the engine light came on, this time the vehicle over heated. The vehicle would shake and misfire. Took it in again to Ford service, they concluded that it was the throttle body they replaced and fixed. No sooner once again, the vehicle still shooked, but this time the vehicle started to lose power and would not go while driving on the highway, it over heated, misfired. Returned once again to Ford service whom finally revealed the truth and said these vehicles are notorious for a new engine. We were told that the design of the engine revealed that coolant was leaking into the block/heads. It was unsure if the blocked cracked and that we needed a new engine. If we just replace the head gaskets that later down the road we would need to replace the engine. We were left with replacing the vehicle with Ford service in replacing the engine at the mileage of 96,812