Engine
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Escape, and 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which can cause the ball plugs to fail, resulting in an oil leak.
28 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2023 Ford Escape cite engine, 27% of all 102 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 3 recalls on this component.
“[Recurring No-Start Issue with Multiple Warning Alerts – Safety Concern] I am reporting a recurring vehicle issue involving failure to start, which I believe may pose a safety risk. The issue has occurred five times: August 11, 2023 April 12, 2025 June 13, 2025 December 12, 2025 April 1, 2026 During these incidents, the vehicle failed to start and displayed multiple warning messages on the dashboard. On some occasions, the vehicle only started after several hours. The vehicle becomes completely inoperable when this issue occurs. After the third occurrence, I brought the vehicle to an authorized service center. However, the issue was not resolved and has continued to occur. This repeated failure raises serious concerns about vehicle reliability and safety, as the vehicle may become inoperable without warning. I have attached documentation, including repair records and photos of the dashboard warnings. I am submitting this report so that this issue can be properly investigated.”
“I am reporting a recurring safety issue involving sudden loss of power while driving in my 2023 Ford Escape. The vehicle has experienced multiple incidents where, while accelerating or pulling into traffic, it suddenly loses power, hesitates, or fails to respond to the accelerator. In some cases, the RPM drops unexpectedly, and the vehicle will not move or respond for several seconds. After this delay, the vehicle may jerk or surge forward suddenly. This creates a dangerous situation, especially when entering busy roads or intersections, as it puts me at risk of being struck by oncoming traffic. This issue has occurred multiple times and has been brought to the dealership on several occasions. The vehicle has undergone multiple repair attempts, including major engine-related repairs such as cylinder head and cooling system work, as well as a fuel system component replacement. Despite these efforts, the problem persists. On multiple visits, the dealership has stated they were unable to duplicate the issue, even though the condition continues to occur during normal driving. The vehicle has been out of service for an extended number of days due to these ongoing…”
“My vehicle has stalled several times in the last couple of months. I go to accelerate and the vehicle suddenly stops out of no where. This has almost caused me to get into an accident. I see there have been several recalls on ford escapes and this issue should be looked into for my 2023 escape.”
“My 2023 Ford Escape acts like it is about to stall out once I hit the gas from a stop. It has happened multiple times. After idling for 10 minutes when I go to take off it will shift so hard that it pushes you forward in your seat. It has not been taken to a dealership yet since no light comes on and it doesn’t happen all the time. It has put my safety at risk since I was turning on the highway and it took 10-15 seconds to get up to speed.”
“Symptoms appeared in January 2026. Check engine light is on-HAD P0301 & P0316. Ran misfire monitor & Relative compression and cylinder 1 is the issue with 70 PSI. Performed cylinder head leak down test- exhaust valve leaking replace cylinder head assembly. Problem confirmed and diagnosed by Ford dealership. The safety issue associated with the car are: sudden jerking or hesitation, loss of acceleration when merging or crossing traffic, unpredictable throttle response, sudden loss of power. Symptoms appeared in September 2025. In October 2025, the car required a turbo repair, which cost a total of $1,600. The safety issue associated with the car are: air-fuel balance, engine misfires, complete stall, loss of power. This was diagnosed by certified repair show. Similar recalls have been made to other Ford Escape cars and I believe my VIN number should be included.”
“I drive a 2023 Ford escape active, 8F35 transmission, with 111,114 miles on it. I purchased my car in July 2025 from truauto of Ladson SC with 93,000 miles on it. Had a transmission complete failure in December 2025 (5 months after buying). Ford dealership in Valdosta Georgia (where I lived) was no help in trying to get it fixed and it sat on there lot for a months or so, because it was undriveable. I got it towed back to SC to get it fixed by a local transmission shop and it is being halted due to a current planetary lawsuit with these cars for parts. I have now been without a car for 2-3 months and have forked over $6,000+ to get this car fixed. I was not told about any known transmission issues when I bought this car (verbally or written) from Truauto, nor was I contacted about any recall from Ford and I was denied a Remanufactured transmission at the dealership that I went to to get the car fixed. I am out of warranty but that still doesn’t explain a transmission failure in a close to brand new car regardless of miles. I have already paid the $5400 or so for the repair at the local shop and it has yet to be fixed due to lack of availability of parts.”
Showing 6 of 28 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Escape, and 2025 Bronco Sport vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which can cause the ball plugs to fail, resulting in an oil leak.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Escape, 2021-2023 Corsair, and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles equipped with 2.5L HEV or PHEV engines that were repaired incorrectly under recall 23V380. In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel vapor may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine or exhaust components, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Escape, 2022-2023 Maverick, and 2021-2023 Corsair vehicles equipped with 2.5L HEV or PHEV engines. In the event of an engine failure, engine oil and fuel vapor may be released into the engine compartment and accumulate near ignition sources such as hot engine or exhaust components, possibly resulting in an engine compartment fire.
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.