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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

What owners actually said

726 reports
Mileage unknown · Jan 5, 2024
EngineFuel/propulsion System

While driving, the oil warning light came on. I took the car to Firestone where they said the oil was very black, but it had been less than 3,000 miles since it was changed last. They changed the oil and the light went off, but after leaving, I made it barely a quarter of a mile when the engine light came on and the car began je…

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While driving, the oil warning light came on. I took the car to Firestone where they said the oil was very black, but it had been less than 3,000 miles since it was changed last. They changed the oil and the light went off, but after leaving, I made it barely a quarter of a mile when the engine light came on and the car began jerking. I was able to continue driving at a very low speed to pull over safely. After parking, the car shut down and would not start back up. I had to get the car towed to the nearest Ford dealership. They diagnosed the car with an engine failure due to excessive metal debris found in the oil pan as well as in the valve train assembly. Apparently this is a known issue with the EcoSport that I was unaware of until this incident occurred. The fact that Ford knew this was an issue and took no steps to inform me or other consumers is a huge problem. Not only that, I should not have been made to pay for any repairs due to this known issue. It is clear that they went forward with production on this car with faulty parts, including the windshield wiper pump. I can definitely understand why they stopped producing this vehicle and honestly they should all be off the road at this point. I tried to upload the repair invoice, but every time I press the “upload” button, it just disappears.

NHTSA ODI #11563743

63,500 miles · Jan 5, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started making a rattling sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle started making a rattling sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle then failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 63,500.

NHTSA ODI #11563729

76,000 miles · Jan 4, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the low oil level warning light illuminated, and the engine started knocking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the low oil level warning light illuminated, and the engine started knocking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.

NHTSA ODI #11563622

53,000 miles · Jan 4, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling unusually loud and shaking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the vehicle was idling unusually loud and shaking. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

NHTSA ODI #11563481

76,000 miles · Jan 3, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 45-50 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's wife was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed th…

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The contact's wife owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 45-50 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact's wife was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump had seized, causing the engine to seize due to the presence of metal shavings in the engine. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be charged for the repair because the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23015 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

NHTSA ODI #11563296

Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

The oil light kept coming on over the course of a couple weeks. We changed the oil, and it seem to be running better for a few hours. Then the car started beeping at the driver, the acceleration was effected . It was making clicking noises and lots of warning signs. The car would barely move forward and the driver had to pull of…

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The oil light kept coming on over the course of a couple weeks. We changed the oil, and it seem to be running better for a few hours. Then the car started beeping at the driver, the acceleration was effected . It was making clicking noises and lots of warning signs. The car would barely move forward and the driver had to pull off into a neighborhood. We then have the car towed to the Ford dealership where they told us us the engine would need to be replaced due to the timing belt fair and oil pressure issues.

NHTSA ODI #11562770

Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2023
Engine

Engine failed at 61500, regular oil changes, this vehicle is trash.

NHTSA ODI #11562699

Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2023
Engine

Engine failed at 61500 miles. It is hot garbage.

NHTSA ODI #11562698

Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2023
Engine

1. The oil pump is belt driven and located inside the engine. The belt frayed and clogged the oil pump leading to low oil pressure. The car stalled on the interstate and is currently available for inspection at an out of state dealership. 2. The car gave no previous warning before abruptly decreasing in speed while we were dri…

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1. The oil pump is belt driven and located inside the engine. The belt frayed and clogged the oil pump leading to low oil pressure. The car stalled on the interstate and is currently available for inspection at an out of state dealership. 2. The car gave no previous warning before abruptly decreasing in speed while we were driving on the interstate. 3. There have been other incidents, an employee at the dealer insinuated there might be a recall as this issue has been well reported and is under investigation. 4. The dealership has inspected the vehicle and said the engine was damaged due to an oil pump failure. They are requesting $6,500 dollars to repair the engine as it’s 5,000 miles over their powertrain warranty. The car is currently out of state so we had to rent a car to get home from visiting family for Christmas. 5. The first warning was when the car quickly decelerated on the interstate and it said low oil pressure.

NHTSA ODI #11562692

Mileage unknown · Dec 29, 2023
EnginePower Train

While driving on the interstate going 70mph, my Ford EcoSport's Engine oil pump light illuminated. Shortly after, the car began to slow down even though I was attempting to accelerate. This put me at a safety danger due to being in front of another vehicle who was also going around the same speed as I was. I was fortunate enough…

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While driving on the interstate going 70mph, my Ford EcoSport's Engine oil pump light illuminated. Shortly after, the car began to slow down even though I was attempting to accelerate. This put me at a safety danger due to being in front of another vehicle who was also going around the same speed as I was. I was fortunate enough to be able to get off the road without getting in danger. When taken to Ford, they indicated that there was an issue with the motor and that it would need to be replaced.

NHTSA ODI #11562658

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.