Problems · by component

2014 Ford Escape engine problems

727 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Escape cite engine, 35% of all 2,089 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
727
35% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
74
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the engine

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“At first, I just bought it two weeks ago. It was smoke coming from the engine and there was no coolant. The coolant wasn’t holding in the car now I was driving last night. I had coolant in it and there was just flames coming out by where the Oil is”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 1, 2026Electrical system, EngineFire reportedODI 11768215
“My car warned me via service light that there was low coolant in my car, so I went to go get it topped off but the guys at valvoline said my coolant was almost completely full. I continued to drive it since the service light turned off, but when I drove it a day later, it suddenly warned me that my car was over heating and I needed to stop immediately. A local mechanic said that my head gasket failed and my coolant hose was leaking. My car only warned me once of the coolant being low, then the light turned off until my head gasket blew.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 28, 2026EngineODI 11767575
“My car warned me via service light that there was low coolant in my car, so I went to go get it topped off but the guys at valvoline said my coolant was almost completely full. I continued to drive it since the service light turned off, but when I drove it a day later, it suddenly warned me that my car was over heating and I needed to stop immediately. A local mechanic said that my head gasket failed and my coolant hose was leaking. My car only warned me once of the coolant being low, then the light turned off until my head gasket blew.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 28, 2026EngineODI 11767576
“In the ford escape, when the remote start is activated. The car will show as overheating. I was told it was a known issue with ford. This occurred twice resulting in over 1900 in towing and repairs. Those repairs did not fix issue as 4 weeks later it did it again.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 21, 2026EngineODI 11765816
“Car is eating antifreeze with no visible leaks. The vehicle overheats if not enough antifreeze. I had to use stop leak just to keep the antifreeze from leaking. The vehicle had a recall fix in 2018 for coolant intrusion by the previous owner but problem is occurring again. Have asked multiple ford dealerships to help but they said the warranty is expired but after doing research I saw that even after a recall occurs if the problem was not fixed even after a warranty expires the company is still liable for repairs. I would like to make a complaint because I feel as if Ford is not honoring their recall policy. Even after correct information was given.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 17, 2026EngineODI 11765087
“am reporting a potential safety defect involving my 2014 Ford Escape Titanium 1.6L EcoBoost. While driving, I suddenly heard a pop/burst from under the hood. The vehicle then began producing white smoke/steam. There were no warning lights or temperature warnings before the smoke began. The high-temperature/overheating warning appeared only after the vehicle was already smoking/steaming. I immediately pulled over and stopped the vehicle. Green coolant had sprayed throughout the engine compartment. An independent repair shop confirmed that the plastic return-side heater-hose union/connector broke, causing a severe coolant leak. The shop recommended replacing the connector and coolant, performing a cooling-system pressure test, and a combustion leak test to check for possible engine damage. This failure created a safety risk because the vehicle suddenly lost coolant while being driven and gave almost no advance warning before overheating. The vehicle has not been inspected by Ford for this specific failure. I am concerned because these symptoms appear similar to the coolant-loss/overheating concerns addressed by Ford Safety Recall 17S09 involving certain 2014 Ford…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 14, 2026EngineODI 11764180

Showing 6 of 727 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.