2018 Ford Escape
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 1,795 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 26 Escape model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 25 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 30 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 6, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S01. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V011000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, gear position indication (prndl)Jun 10, 2022
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Campaign 22V413000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsFeb 12, 2018
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC vehicles. These vehicles may be equipped with incorrect front brake hoses that may chafe against other components, possibly resulting in a brake fluid leak.
A brake fluid leak may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the brake hoses, replacing any that are incorrect, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin March 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S04.
Campaign 18V104000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, side/windowDec 18, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Escape vehicles. The side curtain air bags on these vehicles have a component that may detach during deployment of the inflatable curtain air bag.
If the component detaches during deployment, it may enter the passenger compartment and be a projectile within the vehicle cabin, increasing the risk of injury.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver and passenger side curtain air bags, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin January 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S44.
Campaign 17V803000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
1,426 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Engine, May 16, 2025
Ford is trying to say that my engine is blown, my check engine light came on at 105,000 miles and it said that my cylinder too was misfiring. I brought it to my mechanic and he replaced the coils and the spark plugs and the check engine light kept coming back on within a few hours I took the vehicle to my mechanic five times in three days the last time I took it to my mechanic the vehicle started overheat, there was no power, the vehicle is shaking, and it left me pretty much stuck on the side of the road with a child in my car.
Engine and engine cooling, May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first; however, the failure became worse. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine block had fractured, causing the engine to fail. The contact stated that there was coolant leaking into cylinder #1. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Power train, Engine, May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the vehicle began to jerk then suddenly lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the contact stated that upon reaching her destination, the vehicle stalled and had since not been able to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 127,000.
Engine and engine cooling, May 14, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was in for routine maintenance, the mechanic discovered that the coolant reservoir was very low. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and it was diagnosed and determined that the cause of the failure was due to an engine head gasket leak and a cracked engine block. Additionally, coolant had leaked into the engine. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not eligible for the manufacturer's extended coverage related the failure. The failure mileage was 89,600.
Engine and engine cooling, May 9, 2025
The contact's mother-in-law owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her mother-in-law had experienced a loss of motive power while driving at various speeds. The contact was informed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact's mother-in-law had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who replaced the spark plugs, ignition coils, and fuel pump. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same mechanic who was able to diagnose that there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The mechanic referred the owner to a dealer for assistance. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and confirmed that coolant had entered the cylinders and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had researched online and related the failure to a known failure of the 2.0 liter engines. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,090.
Engine, May 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the engine compartment, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated normally, but while the vehicle was idling, the contact observed a rumbling sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred three days later. The vehicle was taken to the same independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the cylinders needed to be interchanged. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred five days later. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Engine, May 8, 2025
Ecoboost 1.8l engine failure due to coolant leaking into the cylinders. Looks to be a very common issue that Ford is very aware.
Engine and engine cooling, May 8, 2025
The contact's son owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact was informed by her son that the vehicle was experiencing excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant leaking into the engine block. The dealer determined that the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under TSB Number: 19-2346. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for information on the reason why the vehicle was not covered under TSB Number: 19-2346. The failure mileage was approximately 76,643.
Engine, May 7, 2025
I purchased this car new [XXX]. It was running rough for some time but now has 90,000 miles on it. I took it in for the shifter cable recall. I told them it was running rough. The Ford dealership here in Arkansas said it was coolant leaking into cylinder #2. By researching, I found that Ford issued a Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12 in June 2022 for this specific issue. I never got a notice in the mail. Ford Motor company says this program stops at 84,000 miles or June 19, 2025 for me so I am out of luck since I have more than 84,000. This is wrong. It should apply to all mileage for such an issue. This should be a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine and engine cooling, May 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was misfiring. Additionally, the contact stated that the check engine warning light was later illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #4. The dealer determined that the bottom part of the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,701.
Engine and engine cooling, May 7, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle experienced rough idling. The vehicle taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed an engine cylinder misfire in cylinder #3. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced due to the same failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 7, 2025
My coolant is leaking into the motor. Shop gave me a quote for a whole new engine. I’ve seen so many posts on forums and many friends who own the same car having the same problem. Please please make Ford issue a recall as this is my only vehicle and I got it hoping to finally not have to worry about car problems for a while. It’s been 2 months since I bought it.
Engine and engine cooling, May 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The contact then discontinued driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion into the cylinders had resulted in damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,000.
Engine, May 6, 2025
Check engine light came on at 103k miles with a P0302 error code. Replaced spark plugs and check engine light went away. 2 weeks later high engine temperature warning came on. Had it towed to a mechanic. Diagnosis was a cracked engine block with coolant leaking into cylinder number 3. Complete engine and turbo replacement is needed quoted at $11k.
Engine and engine cooling, May 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH in a parking lot, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the spark plugs and coil packs. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where a heat test and bore were performed and confirmed there was a coolant intrusion in cylinder #3. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 142,621.
Engine and engine cooling, May 6, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. The failure persisted and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #3, resulting in engine failure. The contact was notified that the failure was linked to Technical Service Bulletin: 212269. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
Engine, May 6, 2025
I have a coolant intrusion in the 1.5L engine and now I have to have the entire engine replaced, and it will cost me more than the car is worth. This is a widely known problem and Ford refuses to include all year/make/models with this issue. I have no way to get my car fixed and it's been down for over a year now because I can't afford to get it fixed.
Engine, May 5, 2025, fire
The car hit 101,000 miles, and the check engine light came on. I do not remember having the spark plugs replaces, so I took the car in to the dealership to have those done thinking that was the problem. They have the car for two days. The dealership replaced the spark plugs and the crank case. The day after the car came back it did not start. Then the next time I drove it, I made it half a mile down the road and it started smoking. After the car was towed to the dealership at 9:57 am, this is the first message I received from the dealership at 4:48pm on Tuesday. "I wanted to inform you the tech did take a look at the vehicle and found a bunch of codes to different parts of the system. The shop foreman, my manager, and my director are all involved to correct this for you. Still performing inspections of different parts of the engine & under the hood." The second message I received was 11:37 Thursday "I apologize, I had to leave office yesterday at 1030 unexpectedly. I have been catching up on everything since returning today. I was informed there is coolant intrusion on the engine after performing the spark plugs. That is what caused the vehicle to start overheating. Our sincere apologies. There is a recall on the vehicle for this exact concern. It calls for an engine replacement. However, your vehicle is outside of the allotted mileage for that recall. I have submitted to both Ford and our rep for assistance to have these repairs taken care of. Per my manager, Jess & director Chris, please stay in the loaner vehicle (our cost) until we can resolve this matter. I should have an answer from our rep/Ford by this afternoon." Then I did not hear from them again until the Monday after at 1:37 pm asking for me to call them. The news on the phone call was that it was an extended warranty not a recall and that Ford was not willing to do anything about it.
Engine, May 5, 2025
The coolant leaked, causing the need for a total engine replacement at only 68,000 miles. This has essentially totaled my vehicle, with the cost of repair exceeding the value of the car. It also placed my family and me at risk if the car had overheated. The vehicle has been inspected and the issue confirmed by my Ford dealer.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, May 5, 2025
The vehicle was shaking really bad when started. I took the vehicle to a mechanic since it seemed like it was mis-firing. I was told the vehicle was leaking coolant into the 2nd cylinder causing damage to my engine. I was told I needed a whole engine replacement. I called Ford Customer care and was told there is no service programs for my VIN number. I also purchased the extended warranty when purchasing this vehicle which just expired in NOV 2024. I can't believe Ford will not honor this engine replacement when I just saw online this was an ongoing issue and my vehicle was was in the time frame of 96 months or $150,000 mile time frame.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, May 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an unknown error message related to the coolant was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local service center, where it was diagnosed with a blown head gasket due to coolant intrusion into the cylinders. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Engine, May 4, 2025
Check engine light came on and car would produce shaking and bumping feeling up on startup Took vehicle to AAA tire and auto Sylvania, Ohio. Service shop performed diagnostic. Used scope to visualize coolant in the third cylinder of the engine. Tech said that the cylinder was almost completely full of coolant and engine would fail soon and would need replaced. A few days later the car is now producing smoke from the exhaust and is now undrivable due to safety concerns from smoke and potential failure while driving.
Engine, May 3, 2025
Vehicle acts like it wants to stall when it starts. I had it checked and it has coolant intrusion on cylinder 3 from engine block. Ford dealer says it does not fall under a replacement campaign. I called Ford consumer support and was told that if the vehicle had been manufactured in building A versus B, it would be fixed by Ford. So, all the same parts are used to manufacture the vehicles................they all will have the same issue. The 21N12 campaign needs to be expanded to cover all vehicles since they have the same motor which results in the same issue. This vehicle has 43,932 miles on it so it hasn't even lasted the 60,000 miles that one would expect the engine to last. I am requesting that the NHTSA assist in getting this engine replaced since it is a known issue. Ford needs to replace all faculty engines.
Engine, May 2, 2025
Ford Customer Satisfaction Program 21n12. Coolant intrusion into one or more cylinders for the 1.5L Ecoboost motor. Ford will not repair this motor under the 21n12 code beyond 7 years or 84,000 miles. CSP 19b37 is required prerequisite prior to performing the 21n12 repair, so the 21n12 repair timeline therefore should start at the date of the 19b37 repair. My vehicle is just 4 months out of the 7 years (in service date) and Ford won’t cover the repair. Vehicle is inoperable and the repair cost will exceed the cars value after repairs are made. The vehicle currently has 79,xxx miles which is unacceptable by today’s vehicle life standards.
Engine, May 2, 2025
This vehicle has a known issue with coolant intrusion into the engine, while driving down the highway this caused my car to instantly send an engine overheating message and send the car into limp mode. While driving in the left lane i quickly lost all power and was limited to roughly 10mph to try and merge across 3 lanes of traffic. There was a customer satisfaction program to fix this but i am 6k miles beyond qualifiying.