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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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70,000 miles · Dec 1, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a coolant odor coming into the cabin while the vehicle idling or running. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant leaking into cylinders #1 and #3. Th…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was a coolant odor coming into the cabin while the vehicle idling or running. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant leaking into cylinders #1 and #3. 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 70,000.

NHTSA ODI #11557825

97,342 miles · Nov 24, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat, and the steering wheel became firm. Additionally, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle eventually became inoperable. The contact pulled over to inspect the vehicle and noticed a fluid leak and smok…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat, and the steering wheel became firm. Additionally, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle eventually became inoperable. The contact pulled over to inspect the vehicle and noticed a fluid leak and smoke coming from the muffler. The triangle master warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure an advised the contact to have a diagnostic test performed. The failure mileage was approximately 97,342.

NHTSA ODI #11556693

112,000 miles · Nov 21, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to indicate that the engine was overheating, displaying a message reading "Stop Vehicle Immediately". The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway to let the vehicle cool down. After restarting the…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to indicate that the engine was overheating, displaying a message reading "Stop Vehicle Immediately". The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway to let the vehicle cool down. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was abnormally low. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion had damaged the engine. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 112,000.

NHTSA ODI #11556329

61,000 miles · Nov 17, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle vibrated and idled very roughly. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the rough idling with…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle vibrated and idled very roughly. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the rough idling with the check engine warning light had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer who determined there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 19-2139 Coolant Intrusion in the Cylinders (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

NHTSA ODI #11555727

109,000 miles · Nov 16, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact opened the hood and became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact's brother opened the coolant cap and topped off the coolant. The contact thought there might have been…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact opened the hood and became aware that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact's brother opened the coolant cap and topped off the coolant. The contact thought there might have been an air in the unit. While her father was driving the vehicle, the engine overheated. The contact was informed by an independent mechanic that the coolant reservoir was empty and topped off the coolant. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine fault service message was displayed. The contact had a friend check the vehicle and had retrieved unknown codes. The contact called the local dealer and was informed there was coolant intrusion and that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.

NHTSA ODI #11555416

Mileage unknown · Nov 11, 2023
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

About 20 months ago and at 120,000 miles my transmission blew and I filed a report with you. This time about 2 months ago my engine started shaking when being started, and according to my local Ford dealership, my engine block is either cracked or has a warped cylinder head. Either way the entire engine needs to be replaced. …

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About 20 months ago and at 120,000 miles my transmission blew and I filed a report with you. This time about 2 months ago my engine started shaking when being started, and according to my local Ford dealership, my engine block is either cracked or has a warped cylinder head. Either way the entire engine needs to be replaced. It now has 140,000 miles on it. In addition to this, I have had several other things go wrong with my vehicle over the same time frame. I cannot afford spend $8,000.000 for a new engine right now, and my experience also tells me that this will not be the end of the major repairs either. Right now I have a $35,000.00 (original price) boat anchor. Repair information to be provided upon request.

NHTSA ODI #11554693

88,000 miles · Nov 6, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and would not properly accelerate. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that there was coolant present inside the cylinders. The contact was infor…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered and would not properly accelerate. The check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that there was coolant present inside the cylinders. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

NHTSA ODI #11553818

102,648 miles · Nov 6, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle and reversing, the vehicle suddenly overheated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the engine cylinders. An unknown dealer was notifi…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle and reversing, the vehicle suddenly overheated. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the engine cylinders. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and declined to repair the vehicle under the Third-Party Extended Warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 102,648.

NHTSA ODI #11553803

66,000 miles · Nov 2, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving on the highway the vehicle failed to exceed 60 MPH. The vehicle then decelerated to 35 MPH independently and was sluggish. The contact veered to the side of the road, turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that she continued driving with the …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving on the highway the vehicle failed to exceed 60 MPH. The vehicle then decelerated to 35 MPH independently and was sluggish. The contact veered to the side of the road, turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that she continued driving with the hazard lights activated because the vehicle failed to exceed 37 MPH. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the vehicle started losing power, and she was able to drive uphill to her residence at 10 MPH. The Hill Assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion into the engine, and that the engine and the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the engine replacement would be covered under Ford Campaign Number: 21N12. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

NHTSA ODI #11553303

148,000 miles · Oct 31, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. The message "Engine Overheated" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and allowed the engine to cool down. The contact then added coolant to the vehicle and continued driving. The contact stated that…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. The message "Engine Overheated" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and allowed the engine to cool down. The contact then added coolant to the vehicle and continued driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had fractured between cylinder #1 and #2, which caused coolant to leak into the pistons. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there would be no assistance because the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

NHTSA ODI #11552868

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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