2018 Ford Escape: engine knocking or ticking

Filed May 24, 2026 · Engine · OH

Engine coolant intrusion. Known issue with these cars apparently that Ford needs to step up and fix/replace their design flaw. The fact car dealerships sell these ticking time bombs to unknowing customers is ridiculous.

Filed May 14, 2026 · Engine · NJ

The vehicle has coolant intrusion, and engine has been reported knock. Before the incident, I called the Bloomfield office to book an appointment, I was put on call waiting but no response, I booked the appointment online, no confirmation. I then booked another appointment and went to Springfield, Vauxhall Ford plant when I received the Recall paper. The agent that responded to me told me that the parts are not available and I have to wait for the part. I told them that the engine light is coming up and that maybe it is due to recall issue. They told me that I will pay $275 for diagnosis, and if any part or repair is needed, it will be additional charge. I told them to provide me with the temporary solution suggested by Ford on the paper. The agent told me that if they provide that, I will not get the intended part when it is available . I went to a local shop where they help me to change one of the misfired plug, change the oil, and add to the coolant because the level was low, and asked me to come back few days later to do the proper checking/smoke test. I packed the car, and on the appointment date, I tried to start the car, the car did not work again. I call my local mechanic to check for me, find out that the coolant has went down again! He said that the car has coolant intrusion and has affected the engine. I need to replace the engine now!

Filed Feb 24, 2026 · Engine · MI

After realizing that my issue is not isolated; I decided to report it. I have a 2018 Ford Escape SE with a 1.5L ecoboost engine. From day one, the car had a "ticking" sound - which we were told was normal. Originally, it was leased. Due to Pandemic, there was a shortage of cars. Lease was extended 4 months x 2. Repair facilities not open during most of Pandemic/ we were not working/ so the car was driven about 5 miles/ week. Maintenance has always been kept up/ oil checked. Normal use pattern/ at/ less than 10 - 15 miles per day. Repeated problems with the engine light on. Immediate service. Each time, blame placed on a sensor or valve (more than once)/ hundreds of dollars in repairs. 8/2025 in for another engine light. Mileage 34,976. Code PO496 showed second failure/ purge valve and replaced again. 11/2025, same engine light issue. Mileage 41121 miles. FIRST TIME, the oil was found to be a bit low. VVT Selenoid tests/ negative. Codes indicated problem with the engine's variable valve timing, which can be caused by a faulty VVT solenoid or actuator, worn timing chain/ belt or a bad camshaft position sensor. The OBD-II code P0012 indicated that the intake camshaft position was 'overretarded' for bank 1. Alternator drive belt was replaced/ notes showing that this included R&I of engine mount, replacement Serpentine and V-belt/ belts. On 2/16/26 noticed the "ticking" sound had become louder. The engine light NOT on. Self oil check showed no loss/confirmed. Mileage 41851. Mechanic unable to diagnose noise source. 2/19, mechanic decided valve cover should be removed/interior examined. 2/20/26, Found "worn out cam bearing cap and worn out cam metal on metal grinding due to oil starvation. Recommend replacing engine." Told that the engine had been faulty all along. Ford Motor company will not discuss repair/ engine replacement. (estimate:10K+) After reading that this is a widespread problem for consumers; I felt that a report should be filed.

Filed Feb 19, 2026 · Engine · TX

While driving to work on February 16, 2026 my car started making a knocking noise and had a hard time going. At one point I was in the middle of the road and the car wouldn’t move. I had it towed to a mechanic and they said it needs a new motor. My car is a 2018, just barely 7 years old.

Filed Dec 6, 2025 · Transmission · CA

This vehicle is driven by my [XXX] 3 things happened the third can cause an accident leading to death or a multi car accident. #1 [XXX] driving on the freeway she heard a squeeling noise like a belt slipping then went away and has not retuned. i checked belts and idlers all ok. #2 [XXX] heard loud ticking under floorboard of car driving on the freeway car seemed to drive normally then ticking went away. #3 [XXX] driving on the freeway steering wheel pulled the car aggressively to left almost causing a multi car accident cars behind and to the left were swerving to avoid hitting other cars. She was able to control the car back straight again luckily the car to her left was not next to her but at her rear bumper or she would have hit that car pushing it into cars in all the lanes to the left. After an internet search I discovered that Ford has had problems with their transfer cases (PTU) and its rare but people have reported issues with the car pulling hard left for no reason. I mention the three steps that happened previous to the steering wheel incident because from my research these are the warring signs before the transfer case goes out. This vehicle is a 2018 Ford Escape AWD 35,000 original miles p.s. Ford customer service was notified of this safety issue on December 6, 2025 my Case# [XXX] Response was not covered i will be repairing this vehicle and I will retain all the old parts for your convenience if you need them for further inspection or investigation. PTU failures are a well know issue with these PTU'S INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Dec 5, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · TX

To whom this concerns: My name is [XXX] and I’m writing this on the behalf of my wife [XXX] , but her last name was [XXX] years ago. My wife purchases a 2018 Ford Escape. Car was working completely fine and there were no problems. As time went on, we had to take our vehicle to Jordan Ford where the car was purchased. The issue with the car was something called Engine intrusion. We took it to Jordan Ford, and they told is this needed to be fixed. The cost was around 5,000 which was a lot for this. Then we found out that this vehicle had a recall on it for the exact same issue that we were having. Looking at the recall, it said that we had to give them this by a certain date. We were too late on that date so the recall could not be honored. We called Ford and told them about the problem with the vehicle and they were willing to knock the price down. I told them that is not fair that we must pay for a problem that is a recall. We did not get the car fixed and they knew about it. Now, it looks like our Ford Escape has the exact same issue, but now they are saying that we must pay over 8,000 to replace the short block because it’s over-heating. Well, we found out that this car was purchased after the recall was in motion and we were not told about it. It is not fair that this vehicle has had this many problems and Ford knew about it. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 15, 2025 · Engine · PA

2018 Ford Escape. Purchased in 2021with 31,000 miles. vehicle has been maintained in compliance with all Ford standards. at 62,000 miles engine light came on, car slowed to less than 8 miles an hour almost immediately. Was told computer went into some type of safety mode. took to a Ford dealership was told that there was a coolant intrusion into cyl 2 . I was told by the technician that this was a somewhat common issue in these vehicles due to poor engine design. Entire engine would need to be replaced for $13K. Obviously, the safety issue is the car automatically going into a safety mode. If I had been on a highway the immediate stall could have caused a major accident. Thankfully i was on a low travelled road. Researching these issue it looks like there are thousands of buyers with the same problems happening within months of purchase to years, time and mileage doesn't seem to matter. There are tens of thousands of these vehicles still on the road like a ticking timebomb

Filed Aug 30, 2025 · Engine · FL

Had a lot of knocking in the engine on startup and sometimes driving down the road. Engine check light went on, used code reader to diagnose and it said misfire on cylinder 2. Replaced spark plugs and ignition coils to solve problem. Ran well for about a week, week and half before had the same issues pop up again. Then all of the sudden I’m driving down the road and the temp spikes in the engine and warning light comes on about car overheating and to pull off the road . I was on the highway so I let off the gas and the temp came right back down. Took the car to a Tire Kingdom to get it checked out and the coolant is almost all gone, it’s leaked back into the engine and the head gasket needs replaced. Call Ford to see if they would cover service and the dealer and Ford corporate both said it would not be covered, despite TSBs being out about this issue.

Filed Jul 11, 2025 · Engine · 42,577 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that coolant intrusion into the cylinder had caused the engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 42,577.

Filed Jun 1, 2025 · Transmission · TX

The vehicle flywheel is currently damaged at around 66000 miles. There are currently no warning lights for it at this time. There is a loud knocking sound that is known to get louder when turning the AC on.

Filed Mar 18, 2025 · Engine · 76,900 miles · MI

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that while servicing the vehicle, the contact became aware that the coolant level was low. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 30 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an abnormal coolant odor was coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and confirmed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related to the failure of Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not associated with the recall. The failure recurred, and the contact parked the vehicle, and the vehicle was no longer driven. The approximate failure mileage was 76,900.

Filed Oct 1, 2024 · Engine · 130,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud ticking sound coming from the engine. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the timing belt had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant leaking into the engine, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The VIN was not available.