Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
Most reported: 2017 Ford Escape with 1,558 reports. Across the 328 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 13,370.
- 13,370owner reports
- 328model years affected
- 75,000median miles
- 50involved a crash
- 162involved a fire
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
Narrower explainers: Head Gasket Problems (2,012)
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of overheating reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12017 Ford Escape2 crashes4 firesrecall1,55858% of its complaints77k mi
- 22018 Ford Escape1 crash2 firesrecall1,17565% of its complaints83k mi
- 374655% of its complaints71k mi
- 42014 Ford Escape31 firesrecall57128% of its complaints88k mi
- 52018 Ford Edge1 fire51062% of its complaints73k mi
- 62016 Ford Fusion2 crashes36422% of its complaints100k mi
- 72017 Ford Fusion5 fires36433% of its complaints79k mi
- 82018 Honda Accord2 crashes34919% of its complaints95k mi
- 92016 Ford Edge1 crash30934% of its complaints80k mi
- 102019 Ford Escape2 crashesrecall29350% of its complaints70k mi
- 1121449% of its complaints98k mi
- 122015 Ford Fusion1 crash18419% of its complaints89k mi
- 132016 Ford Explorer1 crashrecall1607% of its complaints84k mi
- 142018 Chrysler Pacifica1 crash1 fire15918% of its complaints72k mi
- 152020 Toyota RAV4recall15324% of its complaints42k mi
- 162015 Ford Escape5 firesrecall14513% of its complaints102k mi
- 172019 Toyota RAV41 crashrecall14016% of its complaints49k mi
- 182019 Ford Fusionrecall13643% of its complaints85k mi
- 191329% of its complaints75k mi
- 202016 Ford Escape3 firesrecall12711% of its complaints86k mi
- 212017 Ford Explorer2 crashes1 firerecall1257% of its complaints90k mi
- 222016 Kia Sorento3 fires12010% of its complaints100k mi
- 232014 Ford Fusion1 crashrecall1018% of its complaints99k mi
- 242019 Ford Edge1 crash10113% of its complaints60k mi
- 252019 Honda Accord1 crash1 fire9814% of its complaints94k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe overheating. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12018 Ford Escape1 crash2 firesrecall1,17565% of its complaints83k mi
- 22018 Ford Edge1 fire51062% of its complaints73k mi
- 32017 Ford Escape2 crashes4 firesrecall1,55858% of its complaints77k mi
- 474655% of its complaints71k mi
- 56954% of its complaints76k mi
- 62019 Ford Escape2 crashesrecall29350% of its complaints70k mi
- 75250% of its complaints75k mi
- 821449% of its complaints98k mi
- 92017 Lincoln MKC1 crashrecall8444% of its complaints70k mi
- 102019 Lincoln MKCrecall5244% of its complaints64k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford Escape3,910
- Ford Edge1,764
- Ford Fusion1,378
- Honda Accord512
- Toyota RAV4308
- Kia Sorento219
When it happens
7,382 of the 13,370 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 54,000 and 100,000 miles; the median is 75,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of overheating, grouped by the model year of the car. 50 involved a crash and 162 a fire. 51 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 13,370 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
The cooling system is a loop. A water pump pushes coolant through the engine and out to the radiator, a thermostat decides when it flows, and hoses and a drive belt tie the pieces together. A leak anywhere in that loop can end with the same gauge reading as a pump that stops circulating. Coolant that vanishes with no puddle at all is a different story, because it points inside the engine at a head gasket or a cracked head or block.
This one tends to arrive late. Of the roughly 13,000 complaints in this group, those that give a mileage put the median near 75,000 miles. Fires show up as well, in 162 reports. Two recalls in the data show how coolant can lead to one: Ford's 26V-011 covers engine block heaters on some 2.0L engines that can crack, leak coolant and short circuit when plugged in, and FCA's 17V-562 replaced leaking water pumps on some 6.7L Cummins Ram trucks over fire risk.
A shop will usually pressure test the cooling system first, which finds outside leaks at a hose, the radiator or the pump. If it keeps pressure and the level still drops, the next checks are for the head gasket: a compression or leak-down test, or a chemical test for exhaust gas in the coolant.
Stop driving once the gauge heads for the red or a temperature warning lights up. Pull over, shut the engine off and give it time; Firestone's advice is to wait 15 to 30 minutes before opening the hood and not to touch a hot radiator cap or pour cold water on a hot engine. Driving on while it's overheating can warp the cylinder head or crack the block, which turns a hose repair into an engine repair.
Tell the mechanic how fast the level drops (a number, like a quart a week, helps far more than "it goes down") and what color the puddle is. Mention any white, sweet-smelling smoke from the tailpipe or milky oil on the dipstick, since both push the diagnosis toward the head gasket.
Before you pay for anything, run the VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup, because recall repairs are free at the dealer. If the car is under warranty, get the leak written on a repair order now: the FTC says a defect reported during the warranty period has to be fixed even if the warranty expires before the repair is done. Manufacturers also file their service bulletins with NHTSA, searchable by year, make and model, so you can see whether a known fix already exists.
Sources
- What to do (and not do) when your car overheats, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- What causes head gasket failure?, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- Auto repair basics (leaks and smells), FTC Consumer Advice
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Resources related to investigations and recalls (manufacturer communications), NHTSA
- NHTSA recall 26V-011, Ford engine block heater
- NHTSA recall 17V-562, FCA 6.7L Cummins water pump
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.