This is a lot of Ford and Lincoln EcoBoost engines. A class-action lawsuit just filed says that the 1.5-liter, 1.6-liter, and 2.0-liter EcoBoost engines leak coolant into cylinders. It accuses Ford of selling cars with cracked heads, seals not sealing, and catastrophic engine failures. 

The lawsuit alleges that the leaking of coolant into the cylinders causes corrosion, dilution of the oil, and contamination. All of this leads to engine failure or at least expensive repairs. It goes on to say the problems have existed since the EcoBoost engine came out in 2010. Ford supposedly knew about the issue from the beginning, concealing it from buyers and media. 

The lawsuit, which first was revealed by Carcomplaints, also alleges that Ford failed to actually fix the issues, offering instead “temporary stop-gap remedies such as installing coolant level sensors.” These warn the driver when there is no more coolant in the engine. It doesn’t stop coolant from leaking into the cylinders. 

The lawsuit places the issue with grooves where the cylinder heads bolt up to the engine block. Coolant gets into the grooves where it pools and then starts degrading the gasket seals. It is only a short time before coolant starts entering the cylinders. 

Here’s the list of affected vehicles:

2013-2019 Ford Escape, 2013-2019 Ford Fusion, 2015-2018 Ford Edge, 2017-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2017-2019 Lincoln MKZ. 

Because there were so many technical service bulletins issued the plaintiffs say that proves Ford knew there was an issue.

Here’s the list of technical service bulletins:

SSM 47204 for 2015-2018 Fusion/MKZ/MKC/Escape/Edge,  SSM 47462 – 2015-2018 Edge, Fusion, Focus, MKZ, MKC, Escape,  SSM 47625 – 2014-2019 Fusion and 2017-2019 Escape,  SSM 47849 – 2014-2019 Fusion and 2017-2019 Escape,  TSB 19-2375 – 2017-2019 Escape; 2014-2019 Fusion,  TSB 19-2346 – 2015-2018 Edge; 2017-2019 Escape, Fusion; 2017-2019 MKC, MKZ,  TSB 19B37-S1 – 2017-2019 Escape, Fusion,  TSB 20-2100 – 2014-2019 Fusion, 2017-2019 Escape,  TSB 19B37-S3 – 2017-2019 Fusion, Escape,  SSM 48991 – 2015-2020 F-150/Edge/Fusion, 2016-2018 MKX, 2019-2020 Nautilus, 2017-2020 Continental.

A specific example of what owners have gone through was illustrated by one plaintiff that purchased his used 2016 Ford Edge with 36,000 miles. About eight months after purchase and an additional 29,000 miles the engine warning light lit up. An independent flashed codes P0303 and P0316 related to misfires. 

Coolant was found leaking into the number three-cylinder

After both the fuel and ignition systems, the technician performed a block test and pressure test of the cooling system. Coolant was found to have been leaking into the number three-cylinder. There were also gases detected in the cooling system. 

Based on technical service bulletins it was recommended that the engine short block be replaced. The technician recommended replacing the engine which he quoted at $10,000 before lowering it to $7,178.62. When the owner called Ford’s corporate customer service number he was told that it wouldn’t cover any part of the repair bill. The firms representing the plaintiffs are Berger Montague PC and Capstone Law APC.