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, Engine, Jul 30, 2024
Vehicle has less than 100k miles and has an engine failure resulting from coolant intrusion. Ford support admits this is a known issue but refuses to give any remedial action to solve it because the nhtsa handles recalls not them. They will not tell me anything unless I pay to have it towed to a dealer and pay for diagnostics.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 55 MPH, the temperature gauge became extremely elevated. The contact’s daughter was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway to refill the coolant reservoir and allow the engine temperature to cool down. The vehicle was temporarily repaired. The contact stated that later the same day, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was a coolant leak present inside the engine and there was an abnormal odor coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 91,379.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was drivable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with an internal coolant leak into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 95,000.
Exterior lighting, Jul 27, 2024
Low beam headlights keep burning out, no repair information on Alldata and no recall for this safety problem.
Engine, Jul 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. While the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a blown head gasket. The contact was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle had been serviced by the independent mechanic three times due to the persistent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not eligible for coverage under the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,895.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 26, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 35 MPH, the temperature gauge raised to HOT, and the vehicle started losing motive power. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the cylinder head had cracked and needed to be replaced. No additional information was provided. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 46,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated the vehicle was running rough, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The engine had been repaired. The contact stated that several years later the failure had reoccurred. The vehicle was returned to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that cylinder #1 and #4 were leaking, along with several other possible cylinder misfire. The dealer stated that there was oil covering the engine compartment and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the engine was shuddering significantly. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure and cylinder #3 misfire. The dealer replaced the spark plugs; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
Engine, Jul 25, 2024
Coolant leak into the engine. Problem confirmed by Ford Dealer and repaired.
Engine, Jul 24, 2024
Antifreeze is leaking into the valves. It requires a new engine. The vehicle has 108000+ miles and has regular maintenance. The engine light came on and said the issue was the 2nd valve. Could be a spark plug or coil. On the way to be serviced, very visible white smoke came from the exhaust. Had all spark plugs and coils replaced for an update. Light came on again as did the issue with power train warning. Then the overheating of the car after only driving 2 miles. Further inspection with a camera showed antifreeze in the engine. Ford has already published TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 2.0L EcoBoost - Coolant In Cylinders, White Exhaust Smoke And/Or Illuminated MIL as they recognize it is an issue. chrome [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jul 24, 2024
The check engine light was intermittently on and off for several days in late June. We went to AutoZone to read code, which said Misfire Cylinder 3. So we bought spark plugs and asked our mechanic friend to replace all four of them before our road trip as the mechanic suggested. The safety of the driver and passengers was put at risk due to the high engine temperature warning while driving on the highway, indicating a potential engine overheating issue. We waited till it cooled down and saw the coolant was below the minimum level. So, we drove to a small car care centre. They didn’t find any leak and just added some coolant. And the check engine light was cleared. But it came back on again the next day and we were still loosing coolant. We were too worried to drive too far, so we went to Meineke in New Haven. They checked everything and replaced our four spark plugs again because the former ones were overtightened as they said. They also replaced rear brake pads and rotors, and did tune-up. The light was cleared again. However, the light came back on again on Jul. 12. We’ve kept an eye on the coolant recently. And last week we found it was below the minimum level again. We replaced the cap of the coolant reservoir and added some fuel injection cleaner. We didn’t see any visible leak but are still losing coolant. 5. We don’t know if it’s safe to drive this vehicle even if this is only transport of our family. Ford refused to help even if they failed to disclose that FORD ESCAPES have a defect that causes coolant to leak into the engine’s cylinders, which can cause corrosion, oil dilution and contamination, and engine failure; and failed to disclose these defects create a safety risk, because the lack of coolant created by the leaks causes overheating and can result in the cylinder head cracking, total engine failure, and/or engine fires.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the engine was overheating with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
Engine, Jul 23, 2024
Coolant intrusion caused my engine to have to be replaced.
Electrical system, Jul 23, 2024
This is the third time my lift-gate ( back hatch ) has started working intermittently. I assume the latch is an electromagnet. It is very unsafe as it does not always latch tight and there is no emergency release. Century Ford replaced the first latch on 3/11/21, R.O.342961. It was also worked on 9/15/21. the current incident started on or about 5/20/24
Power train, Engine, Jul 23, 2024
Coolant Leak, engine damage, overheated engine
Engine, Jul 22, 2024
Misfiring, running rough and low on coolant 55,000 miles only.
Engine, Jul 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,320.
Power train, Engine, Jul 20, 2024
FLEX BROKEN AGAIN THIS WILL BE 3RD FLEX PLATE PUT INTO CAR. ALL WORK DONE AT FORD CAR ONLY HAS 80,000 MILES ON IT ABOUT EVERY 20.000 MILES IT BRAKES
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,344.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking fluid. The contact stated that the coolant level was very low, and the engine hot message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to identify the source of the leak. A dye was placed in the cooling system, and the contact was informed not to add coolant. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that there was not enough coolant in the coolant reservoir. The driver added coolant. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was damage to the undercarriage and that air pockets needed to be released from the system. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The contact became aware of a fluid leak. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the water pump, timing belt, and cooling lines needed to be flushed; additionally, the thermostat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
Engine, Jul 17, 2024
Engine light came on. I took it to repair shop, they inspected and told me there is a Coolant leak in the Combustion Chamber and I, eventually will have to replace they engine.Therefore, in the County I currently live in, the vehicle will not pass required Emission Test and I will not be able to renew registration. The car is 2018 Ford Escape with only 46,413 miles with perfect service record.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating, after which the vehicle entered LIMP Mode and lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The contact was informed that a replacement engine was required. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 89,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, there was a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed and determined that the coolant level was low. The contact was informed that the head gasket was leaking coolant into cylinder #1. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 17, 2024
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 lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that coolant was present inside the engine and had caused severe engine damage. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced for similar failure. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 28,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Jul 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact inspected the coolant reservoir and became aware that it was empty. The contact refilled the coolant; however, after attempting to drive the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated again. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the coolant gasket was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.