Ford Escape Engine Problems

I don’t believe so.

Take it to a Ford dealer or qualified mechanic. Some Ford models need to have the oil drained and refilled within 10 minutes or they will suffer low oil pressure when trying to restart. It isn't worth risking your engine to save a few dollars by servicing it yourself.

Open the driver's door and look on the side of the dashboard near the door hinges. There should be a bonnet release lever. Pull that and then walk to the front of the car. Stand in front of the middle of the bonnet and lift the bonnet panel while pulling the secondary catch lever, which is near the middle of the Escape, mounted on the radiator top panel to the left of the middle. Hold that lever while lifting the bonnet and it will open up.

Both the 1.5L and 2L Ford Escapes are rated to tow up to 750kg of unbraked trailer, or 1500kg braked. The only Escape I'd try to tow with would be the 2L diesel, which boats 400Nm of torque. Still, the Escape isn't really a good choice for towing a boat as even many small boat and trailer combos will weigh over 1500kg (combined), which is over the Escape's maximum potential tow rating.

All of them would be good choices, but I would prefer the Mazda CX-5 or the Kia Sportage. Either would be fine.

The usual way to detect problems is by using diagnostic equipment to identify the cause, but it's rarely successful when the problem is intermittent. If it's not doing it when the diagnostic gear is hooked up to the car it won't show up. That's the problem you have. Cleaning the throttle body was worthwhile, resetting the computer might have had some effect, the surging at light throttle is probably the best clue to what's happening. Without any guide from the diagnostic gear it becomes a process of trial and error. That it becomes sluggish suggests it's going into limp-home mode as a result of detecting a problem. It could be as simple as a dodgy wiring connection, alternatively it could be a faulty sensor, like a crank angle sensor, or it could be related to the EGR as you have heard. The only way to find the cause is to work through all the possibilities until you find it.

It's unlikely, but you could drain the oil and refill it with the correct volume of oil and see if it goes away. But I would take it to a mechanic and have them tell you what the problem is.

It does seem a lot of money to do the work needed, but before drawing any conclusions, check the quote and establish exactly what it is you are being charged for. With that information you could approach other mechanics and have them quote on the job.

I’d be checking the temperature sensor/switch that controls the fan’s operation. It should be coming on when the temperature rises and go off again when it falls, but it would seem it could be stuck on.

You don't say who replaced the coil in the first instance, but when it showed up as a problem again soon after I would have first checked that the coil had been replaced. Next, I would have asked for a diagnosis of the problem that pointed to a problem with the number four-cylinder before I had them pull the engine down. If you want to pursue the issue get an itemized copy of the invoice and have a trusted mechanic go over it and give you an opinion on the charges. Armed with that information you could then think about going to your state consumer affairs people for their help.