I bought my Ford Escape from McDonald Mazda of Littleton in January 2024. They say their cars go through a 121 point inspection. Since I bought a car from them in the past, I went back when I needed another because I had an accident in December 2023.

I should have known something was wrong when they had a hard time getting me financing when my credit score was over 800. They blamed it on the economy. But now I realized the banks that approved me before rejected me because the value of the car was way less than they were selling it for.

Anyway, I got financing and was pressed to buy an extended warranty. I believe that added $3000 to the cost of my loan. The week of April 24, 2024, my car started driving strange, slowing down and even at one time almost stopped when I was on my way to work. After work, I started my car and the check engine light came on. I put on my emergency lights and took local streets until I found an AutoZone to check the codes for the check engine light. The clerk said I need to get my car to a mechanic right away.

I have 2 warranty contracts so I called the one I knew I had satisfied all of the requirements (Endurance) to get repairs done. I used a mechanic from a list of mechanics they have. After the diagnostic, they told me I needed a new engine. Of course I was floored, I had only had the car for a little over 3 months. Luckily, the warranty company I pay for monthly (Endurance) covered the USED engine replacement ($9,569.99). They wouldn't pay for a new one.

There were other issues found in the diagnostic that the warranty company would not cover, so I paid ($1,069.34) out of pocket for those to get fixed. I thought that was the end of my car troubles.

Mid July, my car started driving strange again, I went back to the Import Auto Repair Pros because they said I have a 1 year warranty on the engine. They charged me for a diagnostic and said;

Loss of power was being caused by a clogged and faulty Catalytic Converter My coolant was leaking and needs replacement, the water pump needs to be replaced and the throttle body gasket and engine oil pan gasket was leaking oil (repairs would be $4300).

I took the car back and drove to the dealer that sold me the car, asking for them to cover the repair of the vehicle since there seemed to be so many things wrong in a 6 month time frame. I was actually crying in there. I left with no resolve but a few days later the Manager called and proposed to give me $1000 and explained that I bought the car as is. In exchange for the $1,000, he wanted me to remove my online review, detailing my experiences with the crap car. I have not picked up the money or signed any papers. As I hope to have them buy the vehicle back, pay to get my car in working condition or replace my vehicle. He told me to take the car to Ford and see if some of my issued were covered under the exhaust system warranty so I did that. They charged me $240 for the diagnostic and came up with totally different issues than Import Sports. They said:

Lower cowl pie replacement is needed, and the Turbocharger needed to be replaced. The job would be $4,500.

I gave Barbee's Freeway Ford Service department my warranty information and they told me the warranty company wanted me to commit to $1,700 to take the turbo apart so they can inspect it. I don't have that kind of money lying around, and I was under the impression that my out-of-pocket expense would be about $100. I feel like all of these companies are taking advantage of me. The car is worthless at this point so I can't sell it. I can't drive it and I can't afford to fix it. I am hoping that you guys can get someone to accept responsibility for this junk car. It isn't fair that I have a car note to pay (over 4 years) but can't drive my car. This entire ordeal is stressing me out. Ultimately, I believe Ford itself needs to take some responsibility. As I have searched the internet and come across countless stories of Ford Escape engines going bad before 70,000 miles and in some cases even sooner. What are my options? Also, which mechanic is lying? If they both did diagnostics and came out with completely different results?

Single mother of two, 1 income no extra after paying bills, car payment and insurance, no warranty and can not afford to fix my vehicle. No one willing to make right, ie: finance company, manufacturer etc

Update from Nov 18, 2023: I guess I needed to explain what happened. I had the coolant leaking problem, however everything happened simultaneously. Within a week of issue starting my engine was completely gone. There was absolutely nothing I could have done differently per the mechanic. I’m just lucky that it happened on my driveway. Me and the kids had just gotten home, I went out to get in to leave for the carrot, I had forgotten something small, and that was it. Engine locked up and has never moved since. I can’t get any help, no one wants to make it right and there’s no way o can afford another car and especially another payment .

2017 Escape, 110k miles with regular service, no warning lights prior. Check engine light appears. I took it to a ASE mechanic who concluded seal broke and coolant leaked into cylinders. Advised to take it to dealership. Dealership confirmed. Found this is a known issue with FORD, their software is faulty and will cause the engine to overheat and blow the seals, causing coolant to leak into the cylinder bores. Dealer recommends replacing entire engine. Contacted Ford who was of no help, not even acknowledging the cause on their website. Do all your research on FORD vehicles prior to purchasing...