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
Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 2, 2022
In April 2022 my 2018 Ford Escape started to malfunction. When in drive it would move backwards, which nearly caused an accident for me as there was a vehicle behind me when this occurred. It also would move forward when in park, and was a huge safety hazard. I had to get the vehicle towed to a service center because of these issues. Ford admits this occurred because of a malfunction but is refusing to pay for the cost to repair it. The Ford service center is estimating repairs to be $8,500. I received a recall notice in July 2022 about a bushing cable in the transmission as well.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle delayed responding. The contact noticed white smoke coming out of the tail pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her nearby residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the engine cylinders. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer who provided the same diagnostic result as the independent mechanic. The dealer repaired the vehicle under Ford Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 19B37; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who informed her that the vehicle could not be repaired under the updated Ford Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the updated Customer Satisfaction Program due to the mileage. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Engine, Aug 1, 2022
Smoke visible when the vehicle is started for the first time in the day or when it's sitting for a few hours then starts later in the day. Auto dealers informed that this is common in Ford "cold starts" but this is not what it is. Was told it was the turbo booster but that has been replaced & still vehicle smokes bad. Huge plum of white smoke from exhaust is visible & is causing some major concerns.
Power train, Engine, Jul 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving 45 MPH, the power train and the engine failure warning lights were illuminated. The driver was unable to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal and the temperature gauge was rising and falling rapidly. The driver was able to park on the side of the road for an hour, until the vehicle cooled down before continuing to drive to a nearby gas station. The driver added coolant to the vehicle and both warning lights turned off. The contact had experienced the failure 3-4 times. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
Engine, Jul 28, 2022
This vehicle has 62,000 Miles on it. The Check engine light came on. The vehicle was taken to the dealer I bought it from. They informed me that the number one cylinder was cracked and leaked antifreeze. 2000 mile over on warranty and they told me they would be very happy to replace the engine for me at my expense. Do not buy this ford.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the message "Engine Overheating - Stop When Safe" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and waited for a few minutes. The contact continued driving; however, the failure reoccurred later that same day. The contact turned off the vehicle, and upon restarting the vehicle the failure persisted. Additionally, the steering wheel started vibrating. The contact drove to her residence and parked the vehicle. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 23, 2022
Came home from work on a Friday afternoon in May. No issues or lights. It stayed parked all night and into Saturday and night. Went to start it on Sunday, temp gauge shot to H, got two messages on the display, 1 - high engine temp, stop safely and 2 - engine fault service now. It only had 102,000 miles so 2000 out of warranty and took to dealership that has been servicing it since purchase and they said it needed a new long block engine. My warrant expired at 100,000 miles. Dealership made me pay for this out of pocket! I was without a car for over 2 months. After an internet search, this model has this problem and Ford is doing nothing to fix it for free! The entire coolant leaked into the cylinders and could have caught on fire! This is absolutely ridiculous for a 4 yr old vehicle I am still paying for! Ford needs to take action immediately and now I have a recall for a possible roll away that can’t be fixed til 4th Qtr 2022???!!!!
Engine, Jul 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while having routine maintenance performed on the vehicle, the head gasket was removed and the certified mechanic became aware that the engine block was fractured. The certified mechanic diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine, Jul 18, 2022
coolant leaking into cylinder heads
Engine, Jul 14, 2022
Took my vehicle to my local mechanic who told me the motor is recalled at the same time another mechanic from another shop said we have seen many of these recalled for the third cylinder I took it to the local Ford dealer they say there’s no such recall and then I have to pay for the repairs
Engine, Jul 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked there was a rattling sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and diagnosed with turbo assembly and engine failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 107,965.
Engine, Jul 7, 2022
The engine head gasket failed relating directly to TSB 19-2346. This is a known problem with Ford EcoBoost engines including those in Ford Escape model years 2017-2019. First, we noticed the rough idle and some exhaust smoke. The check engine light came on after a few days and we had that diagnosed as code P0304 . misfire cylinder #4. The vehicle would no longer start and we had to have it towed to one service shop. They stated per the TSB that we needed to replace the engine. We had it towed to another shop for a second opinion and they came up with the same conclusion, we need a total engine replacement. We had this done for a total cost of $8,721.90 for both the initial diagnosis and the engine replacement, parts and labor. The vehicle mileage was 71,840 when the repair was made. Ford apparently is aware of this situation and has not done anything to compensate owners who have this same problem. Before having the work done, we called the service department of a local Ford dealer and they stated they would not do anything for us on this issue. We would have had to pay Ford the full cost of the repair.
Engine, Jun 24, 2022
My complaint is there is no part available to fix this recall until the 4th quarter. I rent this car on Turo and how can I run my business without this being fixed? I have no choice but to sell this car. I have another Ford with the same recall.
Engine and engine cooling, Jun 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and running rough. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive and electrical power. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer where the failure was diagnosed as engine failure with an internal coolant loss. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. A case was opened with the manufacturer. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
Engine, Jun 22, 2022
Inquiring about recall of Ford 1.5 Ecoboost engine and requesting information about consumers with 2013-2019 Ford Escapes why they have not been informed and are treated differently than the 2020-2022 owners. THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS A FLAW IN THE SHORT BLOCK ENGINE WHICH ALLOWED COOLANT TO LEAK AND INTERFERE WITH THE ENGINE. THE MANUFACTURER COVERED THE REPAIR COST.
Power train, Engine, Jun 15, 2022
Vehicle shakes on acceleration after a complete stop. Not only does it shake, but it is very slow to accelerate, and has put me in a bind during 5 o'clock traffic. The dealership currently has my car as it is still under warranty. The issue started a few weeks ago, and hasn't gone away.
Engine, Jun 15, 2022
Long block failure. Car available until June 27th for inspection. Car could have stopped operating on interstate. Confirmed by dealer. Not inspected by manufacturer. Warning light on first inspection by dealer who could not find anything wrong. Second warning two weeks later on the 20th of May. Car shudders and stutters on starting and stopping. Told it was safe to drive by dealer until parts can be obtained. Car worse and not drivable for almost 2 months.
Engine, Jun 14, 2022
The engine light was on and would then go off. For example it was on in late December went off and was not on again until the middle of May. Ford dealer did a pressure test on June 9, 2022 and said coolant was leaking into one of the cylinder in the engine block. I was provided with technical service bulletin 22-2229. I was quoted a repair price of between $8,000 and $10,000. The 2018 escape is 4 years old and has almost 78000 miles. I contacted Ford Motors Monday, June 13 and the representative worked with the dealer and I am going to pay $2,448.28, the remainder is being paid by Ford corporate and the dealer. My repair is schedule June 27, 2022. I have seen many instances on line of this same issue. One even suggested it's a design problem. I hope you look into thus issue. Even though there wasn't a safety issue in my circumstance, who kniws what might happen. I think there should be a recall and all costs should be paid by Ford. I would like to remain anonymous.
Engine, Jun 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to pass another vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed and he saw smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,550.
Engine and engine cooling, Jun 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local mechanic which diagnosed a failure with the ignition coil and spark plugs. The mechanic replaced both the coils and spark plugs; however, the failure continued. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer which diagnosed a failure with coolant leakage into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 77,000
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 8, 2022
Hello, I am submitting a formal complaint on my 2018 Ford Escape. History: It is a Lease Plan vehicle that was assigned to me with 11,000 miles on it in 2018 It has a been maintained per the manufacturer schedule through the Lease Plan App Purchased the vehicle in May 2021 thru my companies purchase program, I have only had the car for 9 months and it is now inoperable It is a primary vehicle for work for a family member Situation Error alert appeared on the console for engine Took the car to Firestone initially as they had done all the maintenance work previously They were unable to look at the car and gave me a time of 5-7 days Took it to Tires Plus, they said they could look at it the next day which was a Sunday I had not heard back from anyone at Tires Plus, so I called, they recording indicated that they were closed. I drove up there and Mathew the Manager said that the mechanics had not shown up for work, it was Mother’s Day. Received call that the car needed 1 coil and spark plugs approved the work The told me to come pick up car, they were still working on it when I arrived and I stood around for 45 minutes waiting When the technician test drove the vehicle it started backfiring again, Diagnosis was a cracked spark plug and another coil. Waited another day for it to be completed Picked up the car to drove fine for two days then more engine error codes, overheating codes and the car went into “Limp Mode” The technicians allowed me to drive the vehicle and did not dive deeper into the codes to determine the root cause of why the car was showing all these engine codes Not until I brought it back 2-3 days later and explained that there was white smoke coming out of the tailpipes that the technician said these Ecoboost engines have a known issue with the computer dumping coolant into the cylinders. This cause the head gasket to blow. When I called Ford, they said there was not a recall for this VIN number even though the error codes and
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 8, 2022
Vehicle shakes badly after100/200 miles at speeds of 60 -70 miles hour
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 5, 2022
Our Ford Escape had a coolant leak causing misfires. After searching online, we see that this is a known problem that Ford hasn't addressed. The repair costs are high and it isn't right that Ford hasn't issued a recall.
Engine, May 22, 2022
I NOTICED THE BATTERY LIGHT WAS ON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF SO WE TOOK SUV TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THAT INSTEAD OF BATTERY LIGHT THAT WAS ON, IT WAS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, AND THAT THE RESERVOIR WAS OUT OF COOLANT, SO THEY WANTED TO KEEP THE VEHICLE OVERNIGHT TO RUN A PRESSURE CHECK ON IT TO SEE IF AND FROM WHERE COOLANT COULD BE LEAKING. THIS SHOCKED BOTH ME AND MY HUSBAND B/C THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE IS SOMETHING THAT WE ALWAYS CHECK AS SOON AS WE START THE CAR, AND EVEN WHILE WE ARE DRIVING, AND AT NO TIME DID THAT GUAGE GO TOWARD THE H TO INDICATE IT WAS RUNNING HOT. THE NEXT DAY, WE WERE TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE CYLINDER WALL AND AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT WAS RECOMMENDED BY THE DEALERSHIP. WE ARE CURRENTLY WAITING FOR AN ADJUSTER WITH THE COMPANY IN CHARGE OF OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY TO SEE THE VEHICLE AND MEET WITH THE DEALERSHIP TO DISCUSS COST AND HOW MANY DAYS THIS WILL LEAVE US WITHOUT A VEHICLE. LIKE I STATED BEFORE, AT NO TIME DID THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE EVER GET NEAR THE H TO ALERT US THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD NOT ONLY B/C THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE FAILED TO DO ITS JOB, BUT HAD I NOT NOTICED A WARNING LIGHT, ALBEIT THE WRONG WARNING LIGHT, THE ENGINE COULD'VE SEIZED UP ON US WHILE OUT DRIVING TO WORK OR RUNNING ERRANDS AND WOULD'VE CAUSED A BAD ACCIDENT.
Engine and engine cooling, May 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and attempting to reverse, the vehicle started to misfire. The check engine warning light was illuminated and the message "Engine Fault, Service Now" was displayed. The contact turned off the vehicle, refilled the coolant reservoir, and was able to drive to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that coolant was leaking onto the engine cylinders. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000. The VIN was not available.