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2018 Ford Escape

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Ford Escape do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 996.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

668 reports with mileage · 1,123 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 1,145 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 342 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 269 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

25 crash reports5 fire reports23 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

342 reports
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112,000 miles · Feb 13, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the cylinders, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be re…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked into the cylinders, causing engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 112,000.

NHTSA ODI #11642462

92,200 miles · Feb 5, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that several days later, the vehicle was difficult to start. The vehicle was started after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, to be diagnosed…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that several days later, the vehicle was difficult to start. The vehicle was started after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, to be diagnosed and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact the vehicle was not covered because the vehicle had exceeded the mileage limit. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 92,200.

NHTSA ODI #11640942

87,000 miles · Jan 27, 2025
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was a coolant intrusion in the engine, and there was a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ODI #11638942

101,000 miles · Jan 27, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-45 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was coolant leaking into the cylinder head, and the short block engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was co…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-45 MPH, the engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was coolant leaking into the cylinder head, and the short block engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.

NHTSA ODI #11638846

22,000 miles · Jan 27, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the engine failure, auto park, and restart engine messages were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle had lost motive power. The contact pulled over and stopped the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; howev…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the engine failure, auto park, and restart engine messages were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle had lost motive power. The contact pulled over and stopped the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, after shifting into drive(D) and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the warning lights were illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local auto parts store where the techni8cian used a handheld diagnostic scanner and determined that there was no compression in cylinder #1 and cylinder #2 and there was a misfire in the engine. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.

NHTSA ODI #11638758

97,000 miles · Jan 10, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the "Engine Overheating" message was displayed on the instrument panel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak intrusion into the cylinder and …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the "Engine Overheating" message was displayed on the instrument panel. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI #11635294

108,000 miles · Jan 9, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the "Engine Overheated" message was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle shut down. The vehicle failed to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic wher…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the "Engine Overheated" message was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle shut down. The vehicle failed to return to normal operation. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an internal coolant leak intrusion into the cylinder and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

NHTSA ODI #11635040

85,000 miles · Jan 8, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, wh…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that coolant intrusion into cylinders one and four resulted in damage to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ODI #11634844

87,800 miles · Jan 7, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The engine fault service immediately message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cylinder had misfired. The coolant was flooding the engine. The dealer …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The engine fault service immediately message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cylinder had misfired. The coolant was flooding the engine. The dealer recommended an engine replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 87,800.

NHTSA ODI #11634680

Mileage unknown · Jan 3, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving up a hill at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact pulled over and waited for the engine to cool down. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving up a hill at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact pulled over and waited for the engine to cool down. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and it was determined that there was coolant leaking into cylinder #2, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11633976

Official recalls

4

26V011000 · Equipment:electrical:engine Block Heater

Jan 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: 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.

22V413000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl); Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

18V104000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:hoses, Lines/piping, And Fittings

Feb 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A brake fluid leak may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

17V803000 · Air Bags:side/window

Dec 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

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