P0303 on Ford vehicles
133 owner complaints filed with NHTSA about Ford vehicles mention P0303 (Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected) - across 8 models. Below is where it shows up, by model and year.
Can you drive with it? Short careful trips only, and only while the check engine light is steady. A FLASHING light means stop - raw fuel is overheating the catalytic converter, and a glowing converter is a fire risk.
Symptoms, likely causes in order and realistic repair costs are on the main P0303 page - they do not differ much by brand. This page shows what is specific to Ford: which models and years actually report it.
Ford models reporting P0303
The number next to each year is how many NHTSA complaints for that car mention P0303. Owners rarely quote trouble codes when complaining, so real occurrence is many times higher - use these numbers to compare years, not as totals.
What Ford owners report
“Coolant leaking into cylinder confirmed by independent mechanic. Unable to clear code P0303. This is a documented problem with this make model with eco-boost engines but Ford claims my car is not included in recall although i do have the eco-boost and make model and year. Need complete engine replace. This is a major engine design problem”2017 Ford Escape · Jul 2026
“I experienced rough idle and smell of coolant at start up. Engine light came on. Took car to dealership for diagnosis. Dealer verified my concern ran pcm self test, p0300, p0302 p0303 p0316 present, found coolant intrusion into cylinders. Dealer replaced long block per wsm 303-01. Cost to me $8,036.29. My 2017 Edge had 72,177 miles.”2017 Ford Edge · Jul 2026
“The vehicle in question has the coolant intrusion into cylinders 2 and 3 with rough idle on startup, P0300, P0302, P0303, and white smoke on startup. The vehicle now has 111339 miles on it and the out of pocket cost is more than what the vehicle blue books for in excellent condition. TSB 22-2134 speaks to all the issue and what the repair is. If this is a known issue then I feel this should be a vehicle recall by Ford due to the costly repair.”2017 Ford Fusion · Jul 2026
“The engine overheated and went into limp mode while on the busy interstate, we nearly were hit trying to get off the road because we could not keep speed. The car is available for inspection. It has the typical symptoms of the coolant intrusion as acknowledged by Ford in Technical Service Bulletins 19-2139 and 22-2322. These include startup misfires, rapid loss of coolant into the combustion chambers without external leaks, and severe overheating causing the vehicle to enter limp mode. The misfire's are throwing engine codes P0302 (Cylinder 2 Misfire Detected) and P0303 (Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected) This just happened on July 8, 2026 and the car has 105,203 miles.”2017 Ford Escape · Jul 2026
P0303 on other makes
Makes with enough NHTSA reports of P0303 for their own page.
Counts are NHTSA owner complaints whose text mentions P0303 - owner-reported and unverified. Always confirm with a diagnosis of your specific vehicle.