P26B7 fault code: what 18 Ford owners reported

…The following was also on the invoice, "accessed diagnostic port and performed scan to find trouble code P26B7 which is related to Coolant Bypass." My car still dies upon take off. I have faithfully taken care of this car, having oil changes and multi-point inspections done every 3000 to 5000 miles. I cannot afford a new car at this time.

TAKATA RECALL CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON ABOUT 10 MONTHS AGO AND VEHICLE OVERHEATS FROM TIME TO TIME. RETRIEVED CODE FROM OBDII P26B7 AND TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY NEAREST DEALER WHERE THEY SAID THEY WERE AWARE THERE WAS A RECALL IN REGARDS TO THAT ISSUE BUT THEY COULDT FIX IT.

Coolant bypass valve has failed for a third time now in my 2013 escape since I bought it in 2016. First time in 2017. Was told this was not covered under my warranty by ford and no recalls (for my specific vehicle). The bypass valve, from recall reviews i've read online, could stuck closed not allowing antifreeze to pass into the engine. This could cause engine to overheat and catch fire. Other recalls have noted possible engine fire from coolant leak. The check engine light has come on in all three instances. The diagnostic code is the same this time as the last two-P26b7. No recall for my specific vehicle because it wasn't built in the factory that the recall vehicles, with same problem…

Check engine light soon light appeared in the morning. When accelerating up a steep incline, the engine temperature rose to the level of overheating within ~30 seconds and displayed the pull over immediately warning. At this time the engine began to emit a burning smell The check engine light went off but when I took the vehicle to a garage the next day, they were able to pull code P26B7, related to the engine coolant bypass. There is a TSB 13-2-15 related to this issue. The vehicle has less then 38,000 miles on it

Code P26B7 Engine Bypass Coolant is shown when diagnostic is performed. I have to add coolant on a regular basis (1-2 x’s a week) My VIN has not been included in SAFETY RECALL 13S12 or any other pertaining to engine/coolant issues. My year model, date manufactured which is 1/13, engine type (1.6L) should qualify for this type of recall. This has been an ongoing problem for 3 years plus. I always check my coolant levels before I leave to see if I need to add coolant and I keep extra coolant in my car to add whenever warning light “coolant low” warning appears (which I never know when that will happen). The first incident I did not have coolant in my car and it overheated and engine shut down…

FORD has recalled certain 2013 Escape's for the Engine coolant bypass solenoid. My 2013 Escape has failed(check engine light code P26B7) but is not covered. The Ford dealer wanted to charge $550 to fix it. I declined as the part is $59 and labor at 2 hours is $120 in my area.

FEBRUARY 2019 I HAD MY WATER PUMP, WATER GASKET, AND HEATER HOSE REPLACED BY FORD BECAUSE THEY FOUND COOLANT PUMP AND HEATER HOSES WERE LEAKING. BEFORE THEY FIXED THIS ISSUES I WOULD SMELL A HORRIBLE SMELL WHEN I USED MY HEATER. LATELY, I HAVE BEEN SMELLING THE SAME SMELL FROM THE COOLANT LEAKING WHEN I USE MY HEATER, THIS SMELL GIVES ME HEADACHES EVERY TIME I DRIVE MY CAR. MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON DECEMBER 29TH 2020. I HAD TAKEN IT TO AUTO ZONE TO CHECK THE CODES. THEY DETECTED THE CODE P26B7 -REPLACE COOLANT BYPASS VALVE AND THE SMELL IS INCREASING WHEN I DRIVE MY CAR AND USE MY HEATER. NOW I AM GOING TO BE OUT MORE MONEY FOR THE SAME ISSUE THAT LOOKS LIKE TO BE HAPPENING FOR YEARS…

DRIVING MY 2015 FORD ESCAPE 1.6 TURBO ON INTERSTATE, STARTED TO FEEL LIKE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING BUT A FEW DAYS LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON CODE P26B7 AT DEALER (CODE P0012 AT O'REILLY AUTO PARTS). O'REILLY SAYS IT WAS A GENERIC CODE FOR "CAM SHAFT SENSOR" BUT FORD SAYS THE CODE P26B7 IS COOLANT BYPASS VALVE C NEEDS REPLACED COSTING ABOUT $500. I NOTICED THERE ARE A TON OF OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS SAME 2015 ESCAPE AND EVEN A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM ON THE 2014 FORD ESCAPE 1.6 TURBO. OBVIOUSLY THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THE 2015 AS WELL! ALSO FORD DEALER MIKE MURPHY FORD IN MORTON IL SAYS MY TRANSMISSION IS FINE THOUGH I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT IS.

VEHICLE GOES INTO LIMP MODE DUE TO OVERHEATING FROM THE FAILURE OF THE COOLANT SYSTEM. IT HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 70MPH DOWN TO 15MPH IN A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS WITH NO WARNING. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM WORKED ON 5 SEPARATE TIMES, TWICE AT THE DEALERS EXPENSE AND THREE TIMES AT MY OWN EXPENSE. THE CODE GIVEN FROM THE OBM IS P26B7, THAT POINTS TO A COOLANT SOLENOID C PROBLEM. I HAVE REPLACED THE PCM, RESET THE NEW PCM, COOLANT RESERVOIR, AND HEATER HOSE TWICE. I SMELL BURNING COOLANT WHEN EITHER THE AIR CONDITIONING OR HEATER IS ON ONCE THE ENGINE WARMS UP. THIS COOLANT ISSUE HAPPENS ABOUT ONCE EVERY 3-4 MONTHS. I HAVE ATTACHED ONE SERVICE RECORD FROM NOV 2019. THE NEWEST SERVICE…

I HAVE A 2013 FORD ESCAPE 1.6 ECO BOOST. FIRST ISSUE WAS A FAULTY WATER COOLING VALVE CODE P26B7. REPLACED THE VALVE AND 2 DAYS LATER THE LOW COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON. TOPPED OFF THE COOLANT LEVEL AND ABOUT 2 DAYS LATER THE COOLANT LEVEL LIGHT COMES BACK ON. MY VIN ISN'T COVERED BY THE RECALL, BUT THE SYMPTOMS ARE THE SAME AS MULTIPLE COOLANT LEAK RECALLS .