Skip to content
KickTyres
CriticalCommonCooling

Ford Escape: 1.6 EcoBoost overheating, cracked cylinder head and engine-fire recall

1.6 EcoBoost overheating, cracked cylinder head and engine-fire recall is a common cooling fault on the Ford Escape on the 2013–2016 cars, and we rate it critical. Putting it right costs $4,000 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 21 documented faults on the Ford Escape.

Vehicle
Ford Escape
Engine
1.6L
Years
2013–2016
Fuel
petrol
System
Cooling

This page covers the Ford Escape as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Ford Escape faults21 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

A removed six-cylinder diesel engine cylinder head on cardboard, valve-gear side facing up.Example of the part — not this vehicle

A six-cylinder diesel head off the engine, valve-gear side up. Cracks run between the valve seats on the face beneath.

Ll1324 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

What goes wrong

Early 1.6 EcoBoost engines (sold here mostly as the Kuga) could lose coolant undetected, overheat, and crack the cylinder head — in the worst cases the escaping oil ignited and burned the car. Ford ran multiple recalls (including 17S09) that added a coolant-level sensor and warning rather than fixing the underlying head design, so a car with the recall done can still crack a head if coolant gets low. Any unexplained coolant loss on a 1.6 EcoBoost Kuga/Escape should be treated as a deal-breaker until diagnosed.

What you would notice

  • Coolant level dropping with no visible leak
  • Sweet coolant smell after a drive
  • White exhaust smoke on start-up
  • Temperature gauge climbing in traffic or coolant warning light

How to check it

Where to look. Coolant expansion tank on the passenger side of the engine bay; cylinder head under the cam cover

  1. Check the coolant expansion tank level cold and look for crusty pink/orange residue around the tank and hoses.

  2. After the test drive, let it idle and watch the temperature gauge.

  3. Ask for proof the coolant-sensor recall was completed (a Ford dealer can check by VIN) and for any records of coolant top-ups.

Parts involved: Cylinder head.

What it costs to put right

$4,000 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

  • “Has the coolant-level sensor recall been done?”
  • “Has the engine ever overheated or needed coolant top-ups?”
  • “Has the cylinder head or engine ever been replaced?”

Now check the Ford Escape you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

  • Ford recall 17S09 (1.6 EcoBoost coolant loss/fire — Escape, Fiesta ST, Fusion)
  • The Drive — 'Ford issues recall for 230,000 more vehicles due to fire risk'
  • 8020 Automotive — 5 most common Ford 1.6 EcoBoost problems

Ford Escape buyer questions

Is 1.6 ecoboost overheating, cracked cylinder head and engine-fire recall serious on a Ford Escape?

We rate it critical and common on the Ford Escape. Early 1.6 EcoBoost engines (sold here mostly as the Kuga) could lose coolant undetected, overheat, and crack the cylinder head — in the worst cases the escaping oil ignited and burned the car. Ford ran multiple recalls (including 17S09) that added a coolant-level sensor and warning rather than fixing the underlying head design, so a car with the recall done can still crack a head if coolant gets low. Any unexplained coolant loss on a 1.6 EcoBoost Kuga/Escape should be treated as a deal-breaker until diagnosed.

How much does it cost to fix on a Ford Escape?

$4,000 to $9,000 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Ford Escape years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2013–2016 Ford Escape. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Check the coolant expansion tank level cold and look for crusty pink/orange residue around the tank and hoses. After the test drive, let it idle and watch the temperature gauge. Ask for proof the coolant-sensor recall was completed (a Ford dealer can check by VIN) and for any records of coolant top-ups. Look here: Coolant expansion tank on the passenger side of the engine bay; cylinder head under the cam cover