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2018 Ford Ecosport

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Ford Ecosport do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 395.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

267 reports with mileage · 459 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 355 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 311 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 67 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

18 crash reports2 fire reports7 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

311 reports
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41,000 miles · Nov 13, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 60–65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 60–65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. Two days prior to the failure, the vehicle had received a routine oil change and maintenance service at the dealer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The wrench symbol was displayed. The Ford pass indicated there was a power train failure. The oil was changed prior to the failure. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. No assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: PE23015 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 41, 000.

NHTSA ODI #11554807

Mileage unknown · Nov 12, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The car shut down while driving. The tech explained that the oil pump failed and ruined the engine. The tech also alerted us to this being an issue that the NHTSA was investigating.

NHTSA ODI #11554709

68,028 miles · Oct 5, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his son was driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an abnormal, clanking sound was coming from the vehicle. The contact’s son was able …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his son was driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal with the oil warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an abnormal, clanking sound was coming from the vehicle. The contact’s son was able to coast the vehicle off the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the technician discovered metal shavings in the engine. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Action Number: PE23015 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which he linked to the vehicle failure. The engine was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 68,028.

NHTSA ODI #11548418

67,000 miles · Sep 28, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while his daughter was driving approximately 35-40 MPH in the rain, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound and lost motive power. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehic…

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The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while his daughter was driving approximately 35-40 MPH in the rain, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound and lost motive power. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to be restarted but continued to make an abnormal knocking sound. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer who determined that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump pretensioner belt had failed, and the engine long block needed to be replaced; however, the part was on back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23015 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that they would partially cover the repair cost. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

NHTSA ODI #11547091

Mileage unknown · Sep 27, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine CoolingPower Train

I came on the on ramp of the interstate, gained speed up to 65 and began passing a slower vehicle, with another vehicle behind me passing them also. Suddenly my speed slowed, my oil light illuminated and digitally said LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING. I barely made it into the breakdown lane as my vehicle lost all power and the steer…

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I came on the on ramp of the interstate, gained speed up to 65 and began passing a slower vehicle, with another vehicle behind me passing them also. Suddenly my speed slowed, my oil light illuminated and digitally said LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING. I barely made it into the breakdown lane as my vehicle lost all power and the steering wheel seemed to lose power steering also. I had no prior warning of this at all. My mechanic said the engine will have to be replaced due to a broken engine oil pump tensioner belt. There are bits of metal in the engine now so it is unusable. I cannot afford a new motor so the vehicle is sitting on my property currently, since I have 3 more years of payments to make. I have called Ford and was told my VIN number is not included in the current recalls for this issue, even though this is the exact same year and issue I have experienced. My 5 year warranty ended on July 30 2023, and this occurred on September 3 2023, 34 days out of warranty, with 57,365 miles on it. I did cite SSM48093 and SSM49726 which I read to Ford but they will do nothing to issue any sort of recall. I was stuck on the interstate for over 6 hours on a busy Labor Day weekend with the back end of my vehicle within a foot of the white line, every large vehicle coming by would shake the car. It was 94 degrees out, and the vehicle wouldn't run so there was no place to go to get out of the sun or get cooler, and no drink or food for that matter either. I'm so disappointed in Ford for not standing behind their product, now I have seen their are hundreds of people this has happened to also, without a recall.

NHTSA ODI #11546852

Mileage unknown · Sep 27, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

Oil pump caused engine failure. Quote from Ford dealer for engine replacement was $6,000.

NHTSA ODI #11546791

90,000 miles · Sep 25, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost engine power, reducing the speed to approximately 15 MPH. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle lost engine power, reducing the speed to approximately 15 MPH. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the oil pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA ODI #11546430

106,000 miles · Sep 12, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 65 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The engine reduced power warning light was also illuminated. The vehicle decelerated to 5 MPH and the contact was able to pull over. The driver allowed the vehicle to cool do…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 65 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The engine reduced power warning light was also illuminated. The vehicle decelerated to 5 MPH and the contact was able to pull over. The driver allowed the vehicle to cool down. The vehicle was restated; however, the warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

NHTSA ODI #11544076

70,000 miles · Aug 7, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that there was a loud abnormal sound coming from the vehicle at start up. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was discovered that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and there were metal shavings inside the oil pan.…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that there was a loud abnormal sound coming from the vehicle at start up. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was discovered that there was coolant intrusion into the engine and there were metal shavings inside the oil pan. The engine was replaced under warranty. Since the initial failure, the engine had failed twice with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer after one of the failures. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI #11536889

50,000 miles · Jul 31, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact exited the highway and stopped at a service station and had oil added. The contact stated that she drove for several more days and the oil pressure warning again illuminated. The c…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact exited the highway and stopped at a service station and had oil added. The contact stated that she drove for several more days and the oil pressure warning again illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to accelerate above 40 MPH, and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed that the engine and turbo charger were damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI #11535526

Official recalls

2

23V905000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pump

Dec 22, 2023

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.

18V312000 · Equipment:other:labels; Service Brakes

May 14, 2018

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Ecosport vehicles sold in the United States Federal Territiories. These vehicles were shipped with the European brake reservoir pictogram cap label and the European English language owner's manual kits. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Owners could be confused by the incorrect label on the brake fluid cap, potentially causing them to replace the brake fluid with an incorrect fluid which could affect brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake fluid cap and owner's manual kit, free of charge. The recall began on June 21, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C04.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Service Brakes

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Ecosport vehicles sold in the United States Federal Territiories. These vehicles were shipped with the European brake reservoir pictogram cap label and the European English language owner's manual kits. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Consequence: Owners could be confused by the incorrect label on the brake fluid cap, potentially causing them to replace the brake fluid with an incorrect fluid which could affect brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake fluid cap and owner's manual kit, free of charge. The recall began on June 21, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C04.

Equipment:other:labels

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Ecosport vehicles sold in the United States Federal Territiories. These vehicles were shipped with the European brake reservoir pictogram cap label and the European English language owner's manual kits. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Consequence: Owners could be confused by the incorrect label on the brake fluid cap, potentially causing them to replace the brake fluid with an incorrect fluid which could affect brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake fluid cap and owner's manual kit, free of charge. The recall began on June 21, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C04.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE23015 · Oil Pump Failure

Opened Sep 20, 2023 · Closed Feb 14, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pump

On September 20, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-015 to investigate instances of engine failure due to loss of oil pressure in model year (MY) 2018-2021 Ford EcoSport vehicles. Some consumers reported a low engine oil pressure warning lamp immediately preceding a complete loss or reduction of motive power while the vehicle was in motion. The investigation revealed that the engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm may fracture, separate from the tensioner backing plate, and/or the oil pump drive belt may degrade and lose teeth, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure. A loss of engine oil pressure can result in engine seizure, which can result in a loss of motive power and a loss of mechanical vacuum pump required to provide power braking assist, increase the risk of a crash. On December 22, 2023, Ford filed recall 23V-905 for certain MY 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The recall remedy provides the replacement of the oil pump drive belt tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt with redesigned parts to improve robustness. In view of the recall action being taken by Ford, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.