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.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Engine, Aug 5, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after twenty-five minutes of turning off and restarting the vehicle several times, the vehicle operated as intended. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the purge valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V735000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and transferred the contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Aug 5, 2025
The contact called on behalf of the owner of the 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was diagnosed that a warp cylinder block had failed, and the dealer became aware of coolant intrusion into the cylinder, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.
Engine, Aug 3, 2025
Coolant leak into the cylinder requiring a complete new engine.
Air bags, Jul 31, 2025, crash
The complaint was submitted on behalf of the contact's daughter. The contact's daughter owned a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the contact's daughter was driving, the contact's daughter's vehicle was involved in a rear end crash where the vehicle was driving at approximately 45 MPH. The contact stated that none of the air bags deployed. The contact stated that the vehicle was crashed into the rear and then the front of the vehicle. The contact stated that the front of the vehicle was damaged to the extent that the driver's and passenger's doors had to be opened with heavy equipment. In addition, the rear of the vehicle crashed in and the rear window fractured. The contact stated that the rear of the vehicle was severely damaged. The contact mentioned that the other vehicle did have the air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The contact's daughter was the only occupant in the vehicle, was transported to the medical center by EMS. The contact's daughter sustained a mild concussion, whiplash and lower back pain. In addition, the contact's daughter sustained additional bumps and bruises to the body. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,365
Engine, Jul 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was flashing. The contact stated that upon scanning the vehicle with a vehicle scanner, the contact retrieved diagnostic trouble codes that indicated a misfire in engine cylinder #2. The vehicle was initially towed to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact related the failure to the Ford Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12; however, both the dealer and the manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a vehicle safety complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 30, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe, and the vehicle experienced a rough idle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into cylinder #2. The contact was informed that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a vehicle safety complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Structure, Jul 29, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while entering and existing the driver’s door, the hinges made a loud popping sound like the door would detach. The contact stated that the hinge on the door need to be reinforced. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the driver’s door hinge needed to be reinforced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 29, 2025
Car sometimes has trouble accelerating Does not want to go over 65 on cruise control for a very long time. Cruise control was shut off by itself. Car doesn’t want to accelerate over steep hills rPMs go up to four
Engine, Jul 28, 2025
2024 Car smoking making a noise. Ford dealer told warranty company it needed a new engine. Warranty company was going to buy a new engine but Ford said the engine was under their warranty and they would replace it. They only replaced the short block. 2025 Ford said no longer under warranty - engine pouring out oil. Now they say it needs a long block cost $14,000. They will not pay for it.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 25, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact received Ford Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that there were no recalls or programs in the system on the vehicle. Recently, the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer was provided Customer Satisfaction Program number. The dealer denied assistance and provided the contact an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 24, 2025
Frequently (not all the time) the motor would shake after filling with the gas in tank when I start the engine and it stops pumping. So It needs to be turned back on and have to use the gas pedal to keep it running during neutral mode. Something is not right. It has to do with fuel pump system issue and engine light would be on when the problem comes.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 24, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the engine failure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with internal engine failure and coolant intrusion. In addition, the contact was informed that the engine had overheated internally. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty or any special programs. The failure mileage was 92,420.
Engine, Jul 23, 2025
I am writing to report a serious and, from my research, widespread issue with my 2018 Ford Escape equipped with the 1.5L EcoBoost engine. My vehicle is currently experiencing a coolant leak into cylinder #2, leading to a significant misfire and severely compromising its driving ability. Upon searching for "common problems with 2018 Ford Escape 1.5 EcoBoost," the first and most prominent result was this exact issue, indicating a systemic design or manufacturing defect rather than an isolated incident. This malfunction presents a significant safety concern. My girlfriend and I had planned a long-distance trip to Los Angeles this September. We are fortunate that this engine failure occurred locally rather than on a major interstate, where the sudden loss of power and severe engine shaking could have led to a dangerous situation, potentially causing an accident. Given the prevalence of this problem among other owners of this engine, I urge the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to investigate this matter thoroughly. A widespread defect of this nature poses a clear risk to public safety. Thank you for your time and attention to this critical issue.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 23, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was determined that coolant intrusion into various cylinders resulted in damage 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 notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 89,000.
Engine, Jul 23, 2025
Car has only 49,006 miles on it and the engine failed. It was working and then all of a sudden the check engine light came on and it started to run rough. Checked the spark plugs and they were full of gunk and changed them out. Car was still having problems and so we took it to the Ford dealer. The Ford dealer said that we needed to replace the engine because it was had scored cylinder walls at the number two cylinder and had no specific reason for it. The car was 1 quart low on oil even though it has regular maintenance and oil changes and there was still 38% oil life before we needed to change oil again. The check engine light only came on once it started to fail. Also, the engine compression at that point was only at 10%. Ford has refused to repair anything or pay any of it even though the engine is faulty.
Engine, Jul 23, 2025
We took the vehicle on a road trip from South Carolina to Ohio on July 6th. On [XXX], we started experiencing the issue listed in TSB 20-2100, where coolant was entering the combustion chamber. After making the determination that we could not take it anywhere, least of all back to South Carolina, we took it to a local dealership to where we were, Brondes Ford in Maumee OH. We received a call back from the service writers the next day, stating that the short block had cracked and coolant has infiltrated the combustion chambers. We were told that, with a 2018 Escape with 103,000 miles, we were not under any warranty and TSB 20-2100 would not cover us in terms of a free engine replacement, since we were over the 85,000 mile limit specified in the TSB. It was recommended that we contact Ford Motor Company to see if they could assist. After contacting Ford, was told they could not help us. Moreover, Ford recommended I lodge a complaint with NGTSA while I was on the phone with them. Final quote for the repair was going to be $9,000 to take care of the issue, which is almost twice the resale price of the vehicle at that time. We had to return home to South Carolina, so we opted to take a flight back home to attend to business here at home. That being said, had we known about this TSB, we never would have thought of traveling in this vehicle, and with so many of these vehicles still in service, it is a surprise to me that there have not been any accidents reported due to the possible conditions. Honestly, the thought of this occurring while we were traveling leads me to believe we would have, at least, been stranded on open highway somewhere. How this is not a recall is surreal to me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Service brakes, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 21, 2025
Engine burns alot of coolant. Break time is not where it should be for a car with only 38k miles. The engine intake valves in affected vehicles may crack and break, causing the vehicle to lose motive power. Prior to losing motive power, an engine malfunction indicator lamp may illuminate in the cluster and the driver may notice that the vehicle is running rough. A loss of motive power can increase the risk of a crash.
Engine, Jul 21, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine sputtered and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was driving abnormally rough. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the transmission had failed in 2024 and was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Engine, Jul 20, 2025
My vehicle started overheating as I was driving on [XXX]. A warning displayed on the dash to pull over immediately. I had the car towed my home and after reviewing issues with overheating I believe and was confirmed by my brother with a scan tool to be the head gasket leaking into the cylinders. This is a known issue that Ford is aware of and they even published TSB 20-2100. Request you investigate why this issue hasn't been resolved by Ford via recall. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Jul 17, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to start. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power and failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that coolant intrusion had caused the cylinder and the engine to fail. The failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. An unknown local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to an expired warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,695.
Engine, Jul 16, 2025
Coolant leaking into engine destroying spark plugs and ignition coils and damaging the engine
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, there was an abnormal chugging sound coming from underneath the hood. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with head gasket failure. The vehicle was taken to another local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a cylinder #3 leak and misfire in cylinder #1, #2, and #3. The contact was advised by the local independent mechanic that the failure was related to Ford Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. 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 67,582.
Engine, Jul 16, 2025
Coolant leaked into the cylinder and now my whole engine has to be replaced. It’s was confirmed by a auto shop. I turned on my car, and it started to gurgle and then a message saying “engine faulty, service now.” I took it straight to the repair shop. I’ve only had the car for 3 years.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an auto body repair shop, where it was diagnosed with the cylinder #1 misfire. The contact replaced the spark plugs; however, the failure recurred, and the check engine warning light was flashing. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the coolant level was significantly low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion in cylinder #1. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 16, 2025
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, there was white and bluish smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the cylinder and that the long block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,000.