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.
Other or unspecified, Jun 2, 2023
Car begin leaking coolent and then check engine light on. White smoke from tale pipe. This car sold to me Jay Hodge Ford Muskogee Oklahoma with open recall and costumer satisfaction recall that expired approx 1 month after purchase. never notified by anyone and maybe 6 months in car not drivable
Engine and engine cooling, May 31, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced rough driving, vibration, shaking with the check engine light remaining illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was notified of a misfire in cylinder #2 due to coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the Extended Warranty had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Power train, Engine, May 31, 2023
2 weeks after our warranty expired for the power train we experienced failure with a misfire of Cylinder 1. We replaced all of the spark plugs at around 41,000 miles. 1 month into replacement cyclinder 1 misfired again, we replaced the spark plug thinking it was that and also the coil. 2 months after we are having the same issue, replaced the spark plug again, and the code will not go away, the check Englishwoman light continues to flash. I brought it to the dealership where it has been preliminarily determined I have a coolant intrusion in cylinder 1 and a new king block will be required at the tune of about 9k. There was tsb 19-2346 on my car and nothing was done to prevent this from happening. We suddenly lost all coolant around the same time we replaced the spark plugs as well. There was no visible leak. Ford needs to cover this repair in full, and issue a recall. My 17 year old drives this vehicle and when she was driving yesterday is when the failure began as she was turning left she had a sudden loss in power, almost getting tboned.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, May 26, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her son was driving 65 MPH, the temperature gauge began to raise quickly. Additionally, the “High Engine Temperature - Stop Vehicle Immediately” message was displayed. The driver parked the vehicle on the side of the road for an hour before continuing to drive to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the thermostat to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Electrical system, May 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 35 MPH, she observed the blind spot detection system had started flashing on both sides off and on. Additionally, the radio was inoperable. The contact stated that the radio functionality returned with the sound blaring. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,661.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, May 22, 2023
The dealership, All American Chevrolet of San Angelo TX, sold me this car 12/14/2022 without fixing the recall that was issued 6/2022. My battery has died 2x within a month, my check engine light came on yesterday but there are only 68k miles on the car. It's against federal law for a dealership to sell a car with an open recall, isn't it?
Engine and engine cooling, May 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving the message "Service Immediately" was suddenly displayed. The vehicle was immediately driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine and that the engine was severely damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 124,000.
Engine, May 18, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the transmission was shifted into Reverse(R) or Drive(D), the vehicle was shaking. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the "Pull Over" message was displayed. Additionally, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact's boyfriend, an independent mechanic, diagnosed that there was a misfire in cylinder # 1. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 93,400.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, May 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH and overtaking another vehicle, the contact heard an abnormal sound before the vehicle started to hesitate. The contact stated that the coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she parked on the side of the road and restarted the vehicle and drove slowly back to her residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the four spark plugs to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the four spark plugs, four coil boots, and the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Engine, May 16, 2023
Purchased vehicle brand new. Transmission light is coming on. There is jerking while driving and hard to put in gear. I have the premium extended warranty on car. At 58,099 miles the light has been on. I travel for work and have tried to get an appointment for repair in GA. FL, and two places in AK no one can get me in in a reasonable time. All a least 3 weeks to a month out which leaves me unable to travel for work because I can't afford to rent a car for a month. This is a inconvenience. They say they have so many cars with engine issues in the shop. Ford needs to take full responsibility for this. There should be a recall on these cars. I am almost forced to buy a new car just to be able to work. Ive called my warranty and Ford head quarter and no one can assist. I'm stuck with this lemon. It's unacceptable. Ford needs to be held accountable!
Engine, May 13, 2023
Defective engine block, getting cooling leaking into the engine causing overheating and creating hazard of starting fire , when got tested in the dealership they found problem and we’ve been told they found a recall on that issue but they cannot fix this right now due to shortage of parts could be months could be years and now car is not safe to drive park at the dealership , Ford dealership can only provide a rental car for the time car being fixed after parts comes in
Other or unspecified, May 11, 2023
Drivers side headlight burned out and had to replace. 3 months later passenger side headlight burned out. While at the shop to replace the passenger side, the drivers side burned out again. 4 months later the drivers side is out again. I'm afraid they are both going to go randomly one night while driving in the dark.
Engine, May 9, 2023
The check engine light came on so I checked the code and it indicated a misfire in cylinder 2. I was headed to the shop for a tuneup when the temperature gage shot up to hot and the engine lost power. It's pouring white smoke from the exhaust and is not drivable. The coolant was completely gone but no leaks found. It's running hot on startup and won't go over 10mph. There was no warning lights until it was too late. The vehicle stalled in the middle of the road and a car almost wrecked into me and my daughter.
Power train, Engine, May 5, 2023
The antifreeze is leaking into the cylinders. My car has been diagnosed as being HYDRO-LOCKED. This happened in March. I took the car to REA Ford in Monticello where it was diagnosed. A claim was submitted to the warranty company who said they are not responsible for the repair because the manufacturer knew of this defect and had a Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12 - Short Block Replacement After Coolant Intrusion. This is dated June 09, 2022. There were program limits set in place which ended on November 30, 2022. This issue occurred with my car after this date. It is the same issue and I am being told by everyone that they are not responsible for the repair. The car will not start and had to be towed to REA Ford in Monticello where it is currently sitting. The check engine light came on. I took it to be diagnosed and was told this is the issue. I was told that they could not identify where the leak was until it got to the point that the car was having more difficulty starting and running. The car is now unable to start. My safety was impacted because I was told it was safe to drive but around March 15th, the vehicle would not exceed 6 miles per hour and just stopped moving. It had to be towed to the dealer's garage.
Power train, May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 95,202.
Engine and engine cooling, May 1, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after the vehicle was started, the vehicle idled roughly and started to shake. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the engine cylinder, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that she would be transferred to the recall department; however, the contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
Engine, Apr 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was delayed response while starting the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle sputtered while driving; with the failure recurring increasingly while in reverse(R). The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the battery, the starter, the spark plugs, and the ignition coils needed to be replaced. However, after further inspection of the vehicle, the dealer determined that coolant was leaking into the engine, and the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Numbers: 19B37 and 21N12; however, the service campaigns had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 125,800.
Power train, Apr 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the RPM gauge was fluctuating however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced, and that there were metal shavings inside the torque converter. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Engine, Apr 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at speeds of 35 MPH or lower, the vehicle was hesitating and jerking. The RPM’s would erroneously be reduced. The failure also occurred while the vehicle was idling. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into cylinder #1. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,915.
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 24, 2023
The car began overheating while in operation. The driver immediately pulled over and shut the car off, and the car was towed to the dealership. It was discovered that there was a crack in the gasket, allowing coolant to slowly leak into the engine over time. The engine seized and is no longer operable. This is, as confirmed by my Ford mechanic, and KNOWN and COMMON issue with this particular year/model. Ford is aware that this is a manufacturing defect and has not issued a recall at this time.
Power train, Apr 20, 2023
The transmission went out while driving down the road and I was barely able to get off the road. According to the dealership the transmission had an internal failure at 61000 miles.
Service brakes, Apr 20, 2023, crash
The contact owned a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her son was driving approximately 30 mph, he began to depress the brake pedal and also attempted to use the emergency brakes but failed to stop the vehicle and rear-ended another vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated the front driver-side air bag did deploy. The driver did not sustain major injuries nor sought medical attention. The contact stated the other female driver did sustain unknown injuries and was taken to seek medical attention by an ambulance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was towed to the insurance towing lot. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Engine and engine cooling, Power train, Apr 19, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds the vehicle would overheat and shutoff inadvertently. A message indicating that the vehicle was overheating was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and opened the hood until the vehicle had cooled down. The contact then restarted the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown filter was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred while driving, with the message "Powertrain Malfunction - Reduced Power" displayed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer several times. The dealer diagnosed that the coolant pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Friendly Ford, Inc. (1077 State Route 5&20, Geneva, NY 14456), where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to an unknown recall; however, the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall due to the mileage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
Steering, Apr 19, 2023, crash
The contact owned a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 12 MPH while approaching a speed bump, the vehicle lost the power steering and the hill assist warning light illuminated. The steering wheel became stiff causing the vehicle to flip completely over onto the roof of the vehicle. The contact stuffed minor injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towed lot and was deemed totally lost. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 53,086.
Engine, Apr 18, 2023
Coolant leaked into engine causing engine replacement