[EscapeTape]

New TSB 19-2172 released today pertaining to coolant loss and misfiring issues with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine. Once the issue is confirmed, the engine will have to be replaced.

Issue: Some 2015-2018 Edge vehicles, 2015-2019 Fusion/MKZ vehicles built on or before 8-May-2019, 2015-2019 Escape vehicles built on or before 15-May-2019 and 2015-2019 MKC vehicles built on or before 17-Apr-2019 equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or a runs rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL). Diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) may include P0300, P0301-P0304, P0316, P0217, P1285 and/or P1299 stored in powertrain control module (PCM). This may be due to coolant intrusion into the cylinder. To correct the condition, follow the Service Procedure steps to replace the long block engine assembly.

Service Procedure

1. With the engine at normal operating temperature, pressurize the cooling system to 138 kPa (20 psi) and hold for 5 hours. Refer to the coolant pressure test in Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-03A and check for cooling system combustion gases.

2. Did coolant system pressure drop more than 27.57 kPa (4 psi) after 5 hours?

(1). Yes - proceed to Step 3.

(2). No - this article does not apply. Refer to the Powertrain Control/Emission Diagnosis (PC/ED) Manual for normal diagnostics.

3. Remove the spark plugs and, using a borescope or equivalent, inspect and determine if coolant has entered the cylinders.

4. Is coolant present in any cylinder?

(1). Yes - remove the engine and replace the long block. Refer to WSM, Section 303-01A.

(2). No - this article does not apply. Refer to WSM, Section 303-01 for normal diagnostics.

 

[HayaiKuruma]

So a customer gets one of the bad ones and is just out of the warranty range. A TSB makes sure Ford doesn’t pay for it. It should be a recall, but Ford can’t identify the range of vehicles affected. Gee, I wonder how many from 2015-2019? Such a load of manure.

 

[KY.BORN]

So a customer gets one of the bad ones and is just out of the warranty range. A TSB makes sure Ford doesn’t pay for it. It should be a recall, but Ford can’t identify the range of vehicles affected. Gee, I wonder how many from 2015-2019? Such a load of manure.

Ford should cover the engine warranty beyond the 5yr/ 60k powertrain one..knowing they cant pin point any production run...Like at least 10yr./ 100kmiles in this case..There should be some info by now on when this might show up, 10k miles , 20kmiles??? or whatever..and what is the actual fault here,, bad blocks, head gaskets, heads,,??? Also,, is this the same bulletin that you mentioned here last April?? Seems similar..

 

[DaBigE]

So much for the theory that the 2.0L had a better design than the 1.5L.

 

[hammer52]

This sounds very similar to what some of us on this Forum have experienced with our 1.5l. Its also noted that the issue can be traced as far back as 2015. 4 years is a long time and a lot of engine blocks among several different models. The end date of the beginning of May is interesting also. Are the long blocks being used from the same block manufacturing facility? Have changes been made there after the beginnig of May? Inquiring minds (we of this Forum) want to know........

 

[DaBigE]

Ford should cover the engine warranty beyond the 5yr/ 60k powertrain one..knowing they cant pin point any production run...Like at least 10yr./ 100kmiles in this case.

If they don't, Ford's hand may get forced by a judge. With how long this covers and how many models this involves, I'd be shocked if a class action lawsuit doesn't occur.

 

[DaBigE]

As I've said in the discussions regarding the 1.5L, I wonder how wide-spread this issue is? Issues with the 1.6L were very publicized and relatively rapidly. Since issues with the 1.5L and 2.0L date back to at least 2015, one would think there would be more widespread complaints. Even sites like carcomplaints.com don't have more than a few issues posted about the coolant problem and engine replacements -- far from the most complained about issues with the vehicle. This may be why it's limited to a TSB, since there is only a small fraction of engines with a flaw.

 

[chrisgb]

This sounds very similar to what some of us on this Forum have experienced with our 1.5l. Its also noted that the issue can be traced as far back as 2015. 4 years is a long time and a lot of engine blocks among several different models. The end date of the beginning of May is interesting also. Are the long blocks being used from the same block manufacturing facility? Have changes been made there after the beginnig of May? Inquiring minds (we of this Forum) want to know........

There could be a revision after May 15th, but also that is a typical time frame for model year-end build out. The 2020 escape will have a 2.0L Ecoboost available, whether it's been revised is another question. There is also a 1.5L Ecoboost, but this one is a 3 cylinder with deactivation-not much there to shut down!

 

[KY.BORN]

What I'm trying to figure out is why the 2.5 non-aspirated engine does not have this problem if they are all manufactured at the same plant as the turbo's..Is it because the of the larger size, the cylinders have a larger space, or gap between them, making a better seal from coolant intrusion.?..The smaller the engine the tighter, smaller space to seal.?. And or the turbos with their higher pressures in time forces the coolant through the gaskets eventually??...Then again they are saying poorly made engine blocks, but why just on the turbos....??.. Isn't there quality control of all these steps in engine building??..Since Ford knew this for the past few years, why has it taken all this time to resolve this problem up to the May 2019 production run??...They could have prevented the last few years of these problem engines to make vehicle production...What if you baby, go easy, on the turbo's, this won't occur, or it's just pot luck....

 

[ralph7up]

What I'm trying to figure out is why the 2.5 non-aspirated engine does not have this problem if they are all manufactured at the same plant as the turbo's..Is it because the of the larger size, the cylinders have a larger space, or gap between them, making a better seal from coolant intrusion.?..The smaller the engine the tighter, smaller space to seal.?. And or the turbos with their higher pressures in time forces the coolant through the gaskets eventually??...Then again they are saying poorly made engine blocks, but why just on the turbos....??.. Isn't there quality control of all these steps in engine building??..Since Ford knew this for the past few years, why has it taken all this time to resolve this problem up to the May 2019 production run??...They could have prevented the last few years of these problem engines to make vehicle production...What if you baby, go easy, on the turbo's, this won't occur, or it's just pot luck....

How do you know they were all manufactured at the same plant. From my perspective we are talking about 3 different engines. Does any single engine design even come from the same plant or are there several?

 

[KY.BORN]

How do you know they were all manufactured at the same plant. From my perspective we are talking about 3 different engines. Does any single engine design even come from the same plant or are there several?

I don't know, that's what we're trying to figure out why just the turbo's??..More on the smaller ones than the larger 2.0..Ford has the larger 2.3 turbo used in the Mustang, does that one have these problems??

 

[ralph7up]

I don't know, that's what we're trying to figure out why just the turbo's??..More on the smaller ones than the larger 2.0..Ford has the larger 2.3 turbo used in the Mustang, does that one have these problems??

Personally, have had the 1.6 and replacing it for the 2018 Escape 2.0, I think we need to be careful in making generalizations. This issue is very complicated at least in part to what we do not know which is a whole lot as noted from my ealier posts. Some other things that we need to be aware of and I have prevously noted in other posts over time on this site are:

1. We know nothing about the manufacture of any of the engines (vendor, time, location, plant).
2. By the nature of this site, we see a lot of folks with problems (looking for solutions) as opposed to folks who have had no problems. In other words the comments on this board are not statistically representative of the fleet base.
3. We know nothing about the details in general of the mode of failure and as others have noted if there are any mileage considerations.
4. Ford plays their cards very close to the vest in this area. None of the above informaiton is shared and known. Believe me, I tried to get at it both from the dealer and calling Ford directly. It was a no go.

Having said that, I beleive, as I have stated elsewhere here, that the 1.6 and 1.5 share a common design that makes theiremanufacture more suseptable to problem (less safety factor for error). This is my subjective opinion but I think is supported by the recall action taken by ford on the engine as well as the report (true v untrue?) that Ford has decided against bringing the 1.5 and 1.6 back and going to another engine.

 

[Helene]

Ha d a coolant leak in my 2013 Escape SE. Two dealers couldn't fix it. We put large cardboard under the car & took it to dealer #1. Heater hose was bad..cost a pretty penny to fix but it was back to normal. Now I have tp replace a rear axle..rusted & a sensor. Why is a 2013 rusting already. This is a mountain car...driven on rural roads. Also the drivers door is rusting on the bottom.

 

[ralph7up]

Ha d a coolant leak in my 2013 Escape SE. Two dealers couldn't fix it. We put large cardboard under the car & took it to dealer #1. Heater hose was bad..cost a pretty penny to fix but it was back to normal. Now I have tp replace a rear axle..rusted & a sensor. Why is a 2013 rusting already. This is a mountain car...driven on rural roads. Also the drivers door is rusting on the bottom.

What engine?

 

[Cbe3woods]

New TSB 19-2172 released today pertaining to coolant loss and misfiring issues with the 2.0L EcoBoost engine. Once the issue is confirmed, the engine will have to be replaced.

Issue: Some 2015-2018 Edge vehicles, 2015-2019 Fusion/MKZ vehicles built on or before 8-May-2019, 2015-2019 Escape vehicles built on or before 15-May-2019 and 2015-2019 MKC vehicles built on or before 17-Apr-2019 equipped with a 2.0L EcoBoost engine may exhibit a low coolant level, white exhaust smoke and/or a runs rough condition with or without an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL). Diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) may include P0300, P0301-P0304, P0316, P0217, P1285 and/or P1299 stored in powertrain control module (PCM). This may be due to coolant intrusion into the cylinder. To correct the condition, follow the Service Procedure steps to replace the long block engine assembly.

Service Procedure

1. With the engine at normal operating temperature, pressurize the cooling system to 138 kPa (20 psi) and hold for 5 hours. Refer to the coolant pressure test in Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-03A and check for cooling system combustion gases.

2. Did coolant system pressure drop more than 27.57 kPa (4 psi) after 5 hours?

(1). Yes - proceed to Step 3.

(2). No - this article does not apply. Refer to the Powertrain Control/Emission Diagnosis (PC/ED) Manual for normal diagnostics.

3. Remove the spark plugs and, using a borescope or equivalent, inspect and determine if coolant has entered the cylinders.

4. Is coolant present in any cylinder?

(1). Yes - remove the engine and replace the long block. Refer to WSM, Section 303-01A.

(2). No - this article does not apply. Refer to WSM, Section 303-01 for normal diagnostics.

23 Dec 2019 just had same problem with 2017 edge car in shop now for long block replacement

 

[Alex87]

Personally, have had the 1.6 and replacing it for the 2018 Escape 2.0, I think we need to be careful in making generalizations. This issue is very complicated at least in part to what we do not know which is a whole lot as noted from my ealier posts. Some other things that we need to be aware of and I have prevously noted in other posts over time on this site are:

1. We know nothing about the manufacture of any of the engines (vendor, time, location, plant).
2. By the nature of this site, we see a lot of folks with problems (looking for solutions) as opposed to folks who have had no problems. In other words the comments on this board are not statistically representative of the fleet base.
3. We know nothing about the details in general of the mode of failure and as others have noted if there are any mileage considerations.
4. Ford plays their cards very close to the vest in this area. None of the above informaiton is shared and known. Believe me, I tried to get at it both from the dealer and calling Ford directly. It was a no go.

Having said that, I beleive, as I have stated elsewhere here, that the 1.6 and 1.5 share a common design that makes theiremanufacture more suseptable to problem (less safety factor for error). This is my subjective opinion but I think is supported by the recall action taken by ford on the engine as well as the report (true v untrue?) that Ford has decided against bringing the 1.5 and 1.6 back and going to another engine.

I read something very interesting about focus rs head gasket failure mechanism, which, i think it apply to all open deck design ecoboost engines:
"The Focus RS 2.3 Ecoboost engine block is an open deck design. This means that the cylinders are not attached to the outside of the block structure at the sealing surface of the head gasket. This space is filled with engine coolant.
The head and block are secured to each other using torque to yield bolts (which do not require re-torquing the head fasteners after the engine is heat cycled). In spite of this there is inevitable movement between the two sealing surfaces. The two types of movement are vertical movement (which is what causes head lift and a sudden gasket failure) as well as lateral movement. This lateral movement is of most interest in this situation. Minute lateral movement causes what is called gasket fretting/scrubbing. There are two mechanisms that cause this lateral movement:

1. Thermal deformation. As the engine is brought through a range of temperatures (within normal operation), the expansion and contraction of the head and block cause this lateral movement between the two interfaces. The movement caused by this is however low cycle, as the engine is warmed up and cooled down relatively few times compared to the next mechanism.
2. The most relevant mechanism for lateral movement is due to cylinder firing. When a cylinder fires, it applies pressure on the open deck cylinder structure. This in turn causes this minute movement between the two interfaces scrubbing them at a high rate."

The entire article here: Blog : Focus RS Head Gasket Failure Mechanism : Stratified Automotive Controls

 

[ralph7up]

I read something very interesting about focus rs head gasket failure mechanism, which, i think it apply to all open deck design ecoboost engines:
"The Focus RS 2.3 Ecoboost engine block is an open deck design. This means that the cylinders are not attached to the outside of the block structure at the sealing surface of the head gasket. This space is filled with engine coolant.
The head and block are secured to each other using torque to yield bolts (which do not require re-torquing the head fasteners after the engine is heat cycled). In spite of this there is inevitable movement between the two sealing surfaces. The two types of movement are vertical movement (which is what causes head lift and a sudden gasket failure) as well as lateral movement. This lateral movement is of most interest in this situation. Minute lateral movement causes what is called gasket fretting/scrubbing. There are two mechanisms that cause this lateral movement:

1. Thermal deformation. As the engine is brought through a range of temperatures (within normal operation), the expansion and contraction of the head and block cause this lateral movement between the two interfaces. The movement caused by this is however low cycle, as the engine is warmed up and cooled down relatively few times compared to the next mechanism.
2. The most relevant mechanism for lateral movement is due to cylinder firing. When a cylinder fires, it applies pressure on the open deck cylinder structure. This in turn causes this minute movement between the two interfaces scrubbing them at a high rate."

The entire article here: Blog : Focus RS Head Gasket Failure Mechanism : Stratified Automotive Controls

I do not disagree with this mechanism and IMHO a shortcoming of the open block design. I am just saying that there can be many causes of engine failure. Without examining the destroyed engine we cannot know the exact cause. Certainly, the open block is a less robust design but how do we explain the many open blocks EBs that do not fail? There are some threads on this site where there are some impressive miles on that engine.

 

[Alex87]

I do not disagree with this mechanism and IMHO a shortcoming of the open block design. I am just saying that there can be many causes of engine failure. Without examining the destroyed engine we cannot know the exact cause. Certainly, the open block is a less robust design but how do we explain the many open blocks EBs that do not fail? There are some threads on this site where there are some impressive miles on that engine.

Yes, i agree there can be many causes of engine failure, there are many ecoboosts that do not fail and most important is that without examining the destroyed engine we cannot know the exact cause.
I noticed other fords focus with ecoboost engines that experiment slow coolant consumption on other forums or facebook threads. For many of them, the coolant pressure test failed to identify the leak and over time experimented the result of the degradation mechanism (coolant loss/overheat/head warping/block or cylinder crack). For those related coolant loss ecoboost failures (which lately i consider are too many online reporting comparing to other brands / just my findings, i may not be right), in the end stage of failure i don't know how exactly can be determined which was the main cause.

I own a 2017 ford focus, 1.5 ecoboost, 4 cylinders, automatic (i believe the engine was made at Craiova, Romania). The car was driven normally, no high revs. I noticed slow coolant consumption after 22 000 km (09/2019). Firs Ford dealer performed two pressure tests. During the first test performed with the engine at normal operating temperature the pressure dropped but no leak was identified. During the second test performed with the engine cold no pressure drop was registered. I took the car to another dealer this month (had to add coolant from just below min to normal level every month) and performed another pressure test with the engine at normal temperature. Coolant drops were seen on borescope in cylidner no. 2. The engine will be dismantled next week. I will keep you posted (excuse me if my English is bad).

 

[murcod]

Please keep any discussion on this thread on topic. Off topic posts on other engines will be removed.

2.0L EcoBoost 2015-2019 - Low Coolant, White Exhaust Smoke And/Or Illuminated MIL TSB 19-2172

 

[steinerdave]

I have a 2017 escape titatium 2.0turbo. I noticed heater was blowing cool air. Radiator was low so i filled it up. Topped it off couple times then the mill light went off. Took in last week with 64000 miles on it They are ordering me a long block all covered by warranty.