DRIVING DOWN ROAD WAY APPROX 35-40 MPH, SPEEDOMETER WENT UP TO 50MPH, DOWN TO 30MPH, ENGINE WAS SHAKING AND SOUNDED LIKE A LAWN MOWER, THEN ALL THE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON, OIL PRESSURE, CHANGE OIL, CHECK ENGINE, ABS, ALL LIGHTS, CAR DIED AND WILL NOT START.
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Ecosport years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
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.
Power Train complaints
67 reportsI was traveling on the highway around 60-65 miles per hour, then on my infotainment system I got a notification that said "Low Oil Pressure" the car then started slowing down. Even though I was not needing an oil change, I kept driving looking for a place to see if there was someplace open to let me know what is wrong. Then afte…
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I was traveling on the highway around 60-65 miles per hour, then on my infotainment system I got a notification that said "Low Oil Pressure" the car then started slowing down. Even though I was not needing an oil change, I kept driving looking for a place to see if there was someplace open to let me know what is wrong. Then after getting off an exit I drove about another mile before the car just gave out, would not turn on or anything. After getting my car towed at the Ford Dealership they told me that I was going to need a new engine, they said they found metal shavings in my oil from the engine. The way my safety (and the other passengers) was put at risk is by the car immediately slowing down on the highway without any other warning. They replaced the engine but it is the same old one, it is available for inspection.
Low engine pressure messaged came on and check engine light. Overheating light beeped saying coolant is hot so I turned on heater to cool down and pulled over. Made an appointment with ford dealership for them to tell me cracked cylinder head due to coolant leaking into system. Of course by the time it got looked at the dealersh…
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Low engine pressure messaged came on and check engine light. Overheating light beeped saying coolant is hot so I turned on heater to cool down and pulled over. Made an appointment with ford dealership for them to tell me cracked cylinder head due to coolant leaking into system. Of course by the time it got looked at the dealership it was slightly over 100000 miles. I’ve read along with hearing from ford that this has been common complaint with this model. Then I’m told to get a new engine that it’s on back order for 6 months to a year! This issue is scary and to think of the possibility of car engulfing with ford not doing anything to fix the issue. Now I’m stuck paying $15,000 left on and low chance to get a new engine if that engine doesn’t cause the same issues!
In late August 2023 my wife and I were driving her 2018 Ford Ecosport SE down one of our local highways at approximately 70mph. Without any warning the low engine oil pressure light came on and the car alerted to low oil pressure. The vehicle suddenly slowed down and would not travel any faster than 20mph in an instant. I was ab…
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In late August 2023 my wife and I were driving her 2018 Ford Ecosport SE down one of our local highways at approximately 70mph. Without any warning the low engine oil pressure light came on and the car alerted to low oil pressure. The vehicle suddenly slowed down and would not travel any faster than 20mph in an instant. I was able to pull safely to a side road about .5 miles from where it initially happened. It was a very hot August day and my 18 month old was in the back of the vehicle. When I parked the vehicle it shut off and never turned on again. We waited for upwards of 2 hours on a tow truck while thankfully we were able to get our child into a cool car after about 45 minutes of waiting for someone to get to us. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership where we bought the car new in 2019. The vehicle at the time of incident had just over 70,000 miles. Upon diagnosis Ford stated there was some type of failure that the suggested repair would be a long block assembly 6006 and turbocharger. This service would cost $7,464.61 but they could not do it because the replacement engine is on backorder with no estimated time of when one would be available. We have since had to have the vehicle towed several times back to our place where it sits just waiting to decide what to do with it and have been forced to purchase a new vehicle since. I have noticed after this happening that I am not the only one that has experienced this problem and that it is a known issue and has been for years. One of the remarks I received from a Ford employee is "you should not have bought a throw away car".
Vehicle began making strange noise and losing power while driving, thankfully a few feet from daughter’s home. Made it to driveway, made loud noise and lost all power and control of vehicle. My vehicle had recently been serviced and there were no warnings that this would happen. No lights came on to indicate that there was abo…
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Vehicle began making strange noise and losing power while driving, thankfully a few feet from daughter’s home. Made it to driveway, made loud noise and lost all power and control of vehicle. My vehicle had recently been serviced and there were no warnings that this would happen. No lights came on to indicate that there was about to be a problem. I had just left a major hwy (441) where speeds average 70 mph and there are a lot of log trucks and transit vehicles. Ford agreed to pay a portion of the repair but it took 3 months and my vehicle isn’t the same since picking it up Friday 10/13:23. I feel I paid a lot of money to replace an engine that was nowhere near the end of its mechanical lifespan. I had to refinance my car in order to do loan for the repair which caused me a loan fee and will result in more interest. It is my understanding that a service bulletin was issued on this problem but Ford took no effort to warn us of the danger or repair ahead of time before it cost us thousands of dollars.
Failed oil pump. Driving on highway when engine oil pressure light comes on and car starts misfiring and no acceleration. Car drives completely 5 minutes after.
I was driving on the highway and my oil light came on and it said 'oil pressure low'. I pulled over because the car would not go above 20 mph and the engine was making sputtering noises. Very scary! I had it towed to the dealership who said the oil pump failed and the belt. This was one MONTH after my warranty expired. They quot…
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I was driving on the highway and my oil light came on and it said 'oil pressure low'. I pulled over because the car would not go above 20 mph and the engine was making sputtering noises. Very scary! I had it towed to the dealership who said the oil pump failed and the belt. This was one MONTH after my warranty expired. They quoted me $4,000 as a fix but also said it was not guaranteed it wouldn't happen again. I argued with Ford who agreed to pay some of it. I am very mad that a car I've only had for two years completely died and had no fix. Also very dangerous for a car to completely die while on the highway.
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.
I drove 2 hours to see family. As I was leaving my oil pressure light came on, the first time ever. I pulled over and checked my oil and checked for leaks and everything was okay. I started driving it back and only got around the corner when my car stalled and the engine light, low oil pressure light, and battery light turned on…
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I drove 2 hours to see family. As I was leaving my oil pressure light came on, the first time ever. I pulled over and checked my oil and checked for leaks and everything was okay. I started driving it back and only got around the corner when my car stalled and the engine light, low oil pressure light, and battery light turned on. I had it towed to a dealership and the service mechanic says it needs a new engine. The car is 5 years old and only has 54,000 miles on it.
I got in the car one morning and got a low pressure oil light so I thought it needed more oil so I put more oil in the car and then as I was driving I had low acceleration. Then my brakes started to go out Then my brakes started to go out. Not like they needed to be replaced but they were very hard to press and you needed to pre…
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I got in the car one morning and got a low pressure oil light so I thought it needed more oil so I put more oil in the car and then as I was driving I had low acceleration. Then my brakes started to go out Then my brakes started to go out. Not like they needed to be replaced but they were very hard to press and you needed to press them all the way to the floor but you still didn't have any breaks. My safety and other people safety was put at risk when I was driving the car and my brake started to go out because I didn't have any way to stop my car. The issue has been confirmed by an independent mechanic that I took the car too that I was told I needed to take it to buy my warranty company. It has been taken to a mechanic it's been at the mechanic for 2 plus weeks. I It is currently available to look at but the mechanic is fighting with my warranty company to get a new engine to replace the one I currently have because that's a conclusion that they have come to that i need a new engine. I was told on Thursday the 21st than an inspector from the warranty company was coming out to look at the car to determine whether or not they would approve for me to get a new engine. My check oil light and my check engine light came on as soon as I started having issues and Soon as the check engine light came on as when I started looking in to getting it fixed.
Official recalls
223V905000 · 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
1PE23015 · 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.
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