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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 · Sep 23, 2023
Engine

The oil pump failure lead to complete engine failure without any warning while driving

NHTSA ODI #11546159

Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 2023
EngineFuel/propulsion System

Oil Pump has failed. Has taken the car to 2 different dealerships and was told the repair would be over $8,000 to repair or replace the engine. Prior to oil pump failure I had no issues in fact I had just gotten an oil change 2 weeks previously. When they check the oil pump the had oil in it however there was no flow to the engi…

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Oil Pump has failed. Has taken the car to 2 different dealerships and was told the repair would be over $8,000 to repair or replace the engine. Prior to oil pump failure I had no issues in fact I had just gotten an oil change 2 weeks previously. When they check the oil pump the had oil in it however there was no flow to the engine it had low oil pressure.

NHTSA ODI #11546117

Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 2023
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

Brakes were squeaking when I brought vehicle off lot initially. Santa Monica Ford Lincoln Dealership notified me it is likely "dust on the tires, and would wear off in time." It never did. Later, vehicle was stalling in middle of intersections. Starter was replaced. Vehicle began lagging again to restart after idle at lights. Di…

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Brakes were squeaking when I brought vehicle off lot initially. Santa Monica Ford Lincoln Dealership notified me it is likely "dust on the tires, and would wear off in time." It never did. Later, vehicle was stalling in middle of intersections. Starter was replaced. Vehicle began lagging again to restart after idle at lights. Disgusting smell coming from vents described by dealership as "old socks." Brought it in, filter replaced. Smell continued. Brought it back again, issue was never fixed. They told me to run the vents. Shortly after, check engine light appeared with note "Low Oil Pressure." Car began making loud sounds. Brought car to dealership, has been 2 weeks with no diagnosis. Was notified of a rodent infestation. Dealership asked me to get approval from Ford for an engine tear down to find the root of the issue. Ford corporate was notified of this issue and is working with me on repairs. All repairs of past were under warranty. Current issue should be under power train, however, failing to give diagnostic after 2 weeks. I have covered 2 weeks of rentals out of pocket- Ford told me to go through Enterprise which I did. One week in, they notified me it has to be from their preferred Enterprise location. Nothing has been diagnosed or covered, dealership is stalling the issue.

NHTSA ODI #11546111

Mileage unknown · Sep 22, 2023
Engine

The oil pump belt tensioner locked up and caused an oil pump failure. The low oil pressure light was the only indication of a problem. I had the car toed to a Ford dealer. The extended warranty paid for most of the repair. I had to pay about $300 out of pocket and was without a vehicle for about three weeks due to having to figh…

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The oil pump belt tensioner locked up and caused an oil pump failure. The low oil pressure light was the only indication of a problem. I had the car toed to a Ford dealer. The extended warranty paid for most of the repair. I had to pay about $300 out of pocket and was without a vehicle for about three weeks due to having to fight with warranty company.

NHTSA ODI #11546052

46,700 miles · Sep 20, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard however, the vehicle struggled to reach 40 MPH while driving. Th…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard however, the vehicle struggled to reach 40 MPH while driving. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,700.

NHTSA ODI #11545690

54,600 miles · Sep 20, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow down, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow down, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the oil pump, resulting in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to SSM 48093. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 54,600. The contact stated he is being charged $7500 for a new engine because the warranty for the vehicle expired a couple of months previous and leaving his daughter stranded on the side of the road.

NHTSA ODI #11545638

Mileage unknown · Sep 12, 2023
Engine

Oil pressure light came on and immediately the engine was blown. it has been at the dealership for 4 months now, they replaced the engine, then it was the throttle. now it is something else. Obviously, this car is not repairable and this and all cars like it should have a recall. there are WAY TOO MANY with this issue to i…

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Oil pressure light came on and immediately the engine was blown. it has been at the dealership for 4 months now, they replaced the engine, then it was the throttle. now it is something else. Obviously, this car is not repairable and this and all cars like it should have a recall. there are WAY TOO MANY with this issue to ignore this any longer. there have even been class action lawsuits.

NHTSA ODI #11544092

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

Mileage unknown · Aug 31, 2023
Engine

Was driving when my car low engine pressure started alarming. Slowly drove to the dealer and was told this is a known issue with the engine and that unfortunately my whole engine would need to be replaced.

NHTSA ODI #11541861

Mileage unknown · Aug 29, 2023
Engine

I was driving on the highway to work and the "low oil pressure" alarm went off and I immediately noticed my car would not accelerate so I pulled over. I had it towed to the place I had the oil changed recently thinking it was something they might have done. They told me the oil was full and it seemed like an engine failure. I ca…

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I was driving on the highway to work and the "low oil pressure" alarm went off and I immediately noticed my car would not accelerate so I pulled over. I had it towed to the place I had the oil changed recently thinking it was something they might have done. They told me the oil was full and it seemed like an engine failure. I called my Ford dealer and they had me tow it to them to confirm whether that was the case. I received a call today that said yes, it loomed like the engine would need to be replaced. My car is 5 years old with 62000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI #11541533

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.