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
1,795 reports, newest first.
Power train, Electrical system, Service brakes, Dec 26, 2025
Multiple failures occurred while driving with my kids in the car from what we can tell an electrical system failure of the parking brake motor as well as a transmission failure it is unknown at this time whether the parking brake motor failed causing stress on the transmission or the transmission fault led to the end Electric motor failure of the parking brake
Engine, Dec 24, 2025
When starting car, rough idle and engine light turns on. Diagnostic trouble codes show P0300, P0301, and P0304. This engine has a known manufacturing defect by Ford and they have some policies for replacement depending on age and mileage. There is no way to prevent this cracked block issue by consumers as it is a design flaw. Engine coolant seeps through the crack into the cylinders. I'm afraid to continue driving it as it may stall in traffic causing an accident or overheat if coolant gets low causing a fire.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Dec 24, 2025
I believe coolant got into the cylinders and caused an engine failure. I had to replace the engine on the vehicle at 58000 miles
Engine and engine cooling, Dec 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated, and there was a misfire coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was covered under the Manufacturer’s Extended Warranty which was related to the failure. The failure mileage was 126,000. The VIN was not available.
Engine, Dec 20, 2025
While driving down the interstate the engine light started to flash and the engine started to stutter. It would rev up and down. This incident occurred while traveling at approximately 70mph with no prior warning. We exited the highway as soon as possible and towed the vehicle to a Ford dealership. They performed a diagnostic and found that a spark plug had broken and that there was coolant intrusion in 3 of the 4 cylinders. There were no prior engine warning lights. The only potential prior warning to this was the coolant was low during a oil change performed 2 weeks before. The dealership informed me that total engine failure was imminent and inevitable. The engine would need to be replaced for $13,000. The vehicle broke down approximately 100 miles from home. It is not available for inspection as bringing it home was cost prohibitive. I've already sold the car to a wrecking company, Peddle, LLC. The car broke down on 12-12-25. The mileage at the time of the breakdown was 74315. This was recorded at the Ford dealership. Car maintenance was up to date and routinely performed.
Engine, Dec 18, 2025
Engine coolant intrusion, confirmed by local mechanic and with Ford dealer technician over the phone.
Engine, Dec 17, 2025
Cracked Cylinder Block - Coolant Intrusion
Power train, Dec 17, 2025
Had vehicle in shop for axle repair, as soon as I got home transmission went out when I was about to turn onto a main road with 2 kids in my car. My car felt like it was in neutral but it wasn’t. Barely got back to my parking spot. Seeing this is a common issue with my car and I think it should be covered under a recall
Engine and engine cooling, Dec 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated on the instrument cluster with a message that the vehicle needed to be stopped due to high engine temperature. The contact pulled into a gas station and observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact checked for leaks but found none. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined there was a misfire in cylinder #4. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and found that the 1.5-liter engine in the vehicle was known for a failure with coolant intrusion into the engine block. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
Engine, Dec 16, 2025
My 1.5L engine in my 2018 ford escape has a coolant leak which is a known problem in these cars according to the internet. There was a CSP from ford (19B37) which I did January 3, 2020 which is supposed to stop this from happening My ca does not qualify for CSP 21N12 according to ford because it is for 84k miles or 7 years. My car has 95k miles but is still in the 7 years but they refuse to help. They have told me to pay for repairs and then submit receipts “IF” there is a recall issued I have just been getting the run around from everyone at ford from customer relations to service departments
Service brakes, Engine, Dec 16, 2025
In November 2024 lost acceleration light popped on the dashboard service now. Was found to have a bad turbo full turbo replacement done July 2025 driving on the highway slow down behind a semi went to pass them. Gas pedal went all the way to the floor would not accelerate Pulled over checked all fluids. Everything was fine. Got back on the road then check engine and oil light came on immediately pulled over checked oil. There was no oil in the car, even though it had been full when I checked fluids put oil in let the car run and cycle through for a while. Oil light went off Got back on the road in half a mile oil light came back on and then stopped driving the vehicle has been sitting at a dealership for five months dealership changed turbo did not do oil change as mandatory part of the replacement. They then drove vehicle now the engine is blown. Was dangerous to myself and my daughters who were in the car losing acceleration on Highway two times. Bad Ford parts or bad mechanic work?
Engine, Dec 13, 2025
coolant intrusion Issues leading to engine failure messages and head gaskets issues
Engine, Dec 11, 2025
TEMPERATURE GAUGE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND TEMPERATURE SHOT UP TO RED LINE. WAITED ON SIDE OF ROAD FOR 20 MINUTES TO COOL DOWN THEN RETSARTED AND DROVE 10 MINUTES BACK TO MY WORK AND TEMP GAUGE REMAINED IN NORMAL TEMP AREA. EXPLAINED TO MY MECHANIC AT WORK..HE CHECKED IT OUT AND SAID IT WAS COOLANT INTRUSION PROBLEM AND ENGINE WAS PROBABLY SHOT.
Engine, Dec 8, 2025
Engine small block cracked causing 2nd cylinder to fill with coolant causing error code related to misfire. Have been told this is a known issue with no recall notice. Ford dealership has confirmed this issue.
Engine, Dec 7, 2025
My car/engine is in need of a head gasket replacement at least if not a new engine based on significant coolant intrusion and malfunctioning. Over a short period of time, the coolant tank was almost nearly drained and the engine started misfiring which lead to shop visits and investigation. Coolant was found in the cylinders and currently it is needing multiple thousands of dollars in repairs due to what mechanics are telling me is a know issue though not a recall for my case (up to 84K miles its covered under an extended warranty but not at 100k like mine). My safety was not necessarily put at risk, though this seems to be a highly common issue I believe Ford needs to reimburse customers for based on the known issue and significant numbers of vehicles this has affected. There were no warnings prior to this event that I would be out an entire engine and I would like this to go on record to show Ford is not doing their due diligence or what is right.
Power train, Dec 6, 2025
This vehicle is driven by my [XXX] 3 things happened the third can cause an accident leading to death or a multi car accident. #1 [XXX] driving on the freeway she heard a squeeling noise like a belt slipping then went away and has not retuned. i checked belts and idlers all ok. #2 [XXX] heard loud ticking under floorboard of car driving on the freeway car seemed to drive normally then ticking went away. #3 [XXX] driving on the freeway steering wheel pulled the car aggressively to left almost causing a multi car accident cars behind and to the left were swerving to avoid hitting other cars. She was able to control the car back straight again luckily the car to her left was not next to her but at her rear bumper or she would have hit that car pushing it into cars in all the lanes to the left. After an internet search I discovered that Ford has had problems with their transfer cases (PTU) and its rare but people have reported issues with the car pulling hard left for no reason. I mention the three steps that happened previous to the steering wheel incident because from my research these are the warring signs before the transfer case goes out. This vehicle is a 2018 Ford Escape AWD 35,000 original miles p.s. Ford customer service was notified of this safety issue on December 6, 2025 my Case# [XXX] Response was not covered i will be repairing this vehicle and I will retain all the old parts for your convenience if you need them for further inspection or investigation. PTU failures are a well know issue with these PTU'S INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Engine, Dec 5, 2025
To whom this concerns: My name is [XXX] and I’m writing this on the behalf of my wife [XXX] , but her last name was [XXX] years ago. My wife purchases a 2018 Ford Escape. Car was working completely fine and there were no problems. As time went on, we had to take our vehicle to Jordan Ford where the car was purchased. The issue with the car was something called Engine intrusion. We took it to Jordan Ford, and they told is this needed to be fixed. The cost was around 5,000 which was a lot for this. Then we found out that this vehicle had a recall on it for the exact same issue that we were having. Looking at the recall, it said that we had to give them this by a certain date. We were too late on that date so the recall could not be honored. We called Ford and told them about the problem with the vehicle and they were willing to knock the price down. I told them that is not fair that we must pay for a problem that is a recall. We did not get the car fixed and they knew about it. Now, it looks like our Ford Escape has the exact same issue, but now they are saying that we must pay over 8,000 to replace the short block because it’s over-heating. Well, we found out that this car was purchased after the recall was in motion and we were not told about it. It is not fair that this vehicle has had this many problems and Ford knew about it. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Dec 4, 2025
My vehicle stooped running. I scheduled maintenance at Metro Ford. According to the diagnostic test completed at Metro Ford, there were powertrain issues. This diagnosis also appears on my Ford Motor Pass app. According to the service department at Metro Ford, coolant was leaking into the engine and that a new water pump and battery needs to be installed to get the car back running. We complied with the cost ($2,400 this included new water pump and battery) and 30 days later the car stopped running again. The car was towed back to Metro Ford and we were told that the engine is dead and that a new diagnostic check will need to be done with an additional $410 on top of the $2,400 which was paid to get the water pump and other items fixed previously. We were never informed that the engine will need to be replaced after the first diagnostic check. That information should have been told first since you are running the same check that now tells you the engine is dead.
Engine, Dec 4, 2025
Coolant loss with no visible leaks; idling roughly and misfiring Mechanic stated that coolant loss and appears to have intruded into the cylinders
Engine, Nov 29, 2025
Check engine light came on, took it promptly for service and was told coolant leaked into the cylinders and I need a new motor. Ford told me this is s a common issue and to report it to Ford for assistance in repair as it is a known issue.
Engine, Nov 26, 2025
The vehicle experienced a catastrophic engine failure due to a known defect in Ford’s 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine (coolant intrusion into the cylinders). The component that failed was the engine itself, specifically internal cylinder damage caused by coolant leaking into combustion chambers. The vehicle is in my possession and available for inspection upon request. The failure created a serious safety risk. Prior to the engine failure, the vehicle began stalling at low speeds, idling roughly, losing power, and the check-engine light came on. The stalling occurred while driving, which could have caused an accident in traffic. The engine ultimately became inoperable. The issue was evaluated and confirmed by an independent repair facility: Dobbs Tire & Auto in Eureka, MO, on September 18, 2025. They diagnosed complete engine failure and stated it was consistent with the widely reported coolant-intrusion defect affecting this engine type. Replacement cost was quoted at approximately $11,000. The vehicle has NOT been inspected directly by Ford, but the defect is documented in Ford’s own Technical Service Bulletin (TSB 22-2229). According to the TSB and Ford’s internal guidance, coolant intrusion can cause misfires, stalling, and eventual engine seizure. The mileage at failure (110,764) placed the vehicle outside the limited mileage window in which Ford sometimes performs goodwill replacements. Before failure, the warning indicators included: • Check engine light illuminating • Intermittent stalling • Rough idle • Noticeable loss of power These symptoms began within only a few weeks of purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle is currently inoperable. It cannot be driven safely and cannot be titled due to additional issues with the title that were discovered afterward.
Engine, Nov 25, 2025
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the head gasket was blown. Upon further research, the contact related the failure to an undisclosed recall; however, the model year was not included. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.
Engine, Nov 25, 2025
This car has a known issue with the engine. Coolant leaking into cylinder 3 Caused by faulty design. This leak causes a cylinder misfire. And the coolant leak can cause the whole motor to seize. Reputable mechanics state the engine needs to be replaced after only 50,000 miles.
Engine, Nov 24, 2025
My 2018 Ford Escape SE is on its SECOND engine and has started with coolant intrusion AGAIN. The same issue has doomed the same car twice.
Engine, Nov 24, 2025
Any ford car with the Eco boost 2.0 motor could have coolant intrusion causing the car to miss fire, burn coolant and overheat. this is not only bad for the environment but also dangerous for the roads. How many of these cars are on the roads and could cause traffic and or accidents? This problem is noticed by ford but not recalled TSB 22-2229