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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

Power Train complaints

269 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2024
EnginePower Train

Coolant intrusion into engine cylinders and other components in the powertrain. Warranties and Ford companies DO NOT cover this. It is a factory flaw.

NHTSA ODI #11613543

Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2024
EnginePower Train

I have coolant leaking into my engine. There are several misfires occurring ans it doesn’t always start. Have replaced spark plugs and a few hoses. Issue still isn’t resolved

NHTSA ODI #11613508

Mileage unknown · Sep 6, 2024
EnginePower Train

I replaced the engine cause the head gasket was blown previously. 2 months later my check engine goes on and Powertrain - ON Powertrain Trouble Code[s]: P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected Code P0301 indicates that Cylinder 1 had too many misfires within a predetermined period of time. P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected P0300 Rand…

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I replaced the engine cause the head gasket was blown previously. 2 months later my check engine goes on and Powertrain - ON Powertrain Trouble Code[s]: P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected Code P0301 indicates that Cylinder 1 had too many misfires within a predetermined period of time. P0301 Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected P0300 Random Misfire Detected P0304 Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected Secondary Trouble Code[s]: P0300, P0304, P0301, P0300, P0304

NHTSA ODI #11613153

Mileage unknown · Sep 4, 2024
Power Train

The torque converter was bad. My car was shaking at stop sign, light, or in traffic jam. Had to put in neutral every time I was in those situations. Car would stall pulling out on a hill or incline. I was in dangerous situations

NHTSA ODI #11612517

Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2024
EnginePower Train

Coolant leak caused engine failure while I was driving. Engine warning came on and alerted me the Engine was overheating and to pull over as soon as it was safe to do so. I did immediately and had the car towed to Ford dealer garage

NHTSA ODI #11608120

Mileage unknown · Aug 12, 2024
EnginePower Train

While driving I received a ‘Engine Failure, Service Now’ notification; however, the check engine light was not on. I immediately called a ford dealership and said it was fine. I did not trust it and took it to an O’Reilley’s store to get a free diagnostics, everything was cleared. The next morning I still went to the dealership …

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While driving I received a ‘Engine Failure, Service Now’ notification; however, the check engine light was not on. I immediately called a ford dealership and said it was fine. I did not trust it and took it to an O’Reilley’s store to get a free diagnostics, everything was cleared. The next morning I still went to the dealership to ask. At this point the notification wasn’t on anymore but I did notice there was no coolant in the tank. They ran a regular diagnostics and told me car was fine. Again, I didn’t trust it and asked for more diagnostics. After charging me $200 they did it and found coolant leaking into the engine and cylinders. Car still runs but it did not make me feel safe driving with the notification and the rest of the diagnostics showing zero issues was extremely suspicious. They told me my engine needed to be replaced. I researched the issue and found Ford notified widely this issue in early 2020 and ford dealership sold me this in late 2020 and never told me about said issue or notification. I was told there is a program to get it fixed but is not active anymore. On too of that, ford had a warning on my car VIN number for two years and they never notified me of it during service appointments for the last 2 to 4 years I have been going there. I do not feel safe driving my car and ford won’t do any repairs about it even after they admitted to me it was a manufacturing fault and my car is under that block/build affected.

NHTSA ODI #11608017

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2024
EnginePower Train

It is a power train failure. Hi my name is [XXX] I bought a 2018 Ford escape SE 1.5L eco boost on 9-3-2022 and it had 75,000 miles on it. I’m now finding out that it had a recall (21N12) when I bought it that expired at 84,000 miles. My car is now at 120,000 miles and my engine needs to be replaced. I was never told about the r…

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It is a power train failure. Hi my name is [XXX] I bought a 2018 Ford escape SE 1.5L eco boost on 9-3-2022 and it had 75,000 miles on it. I’m now finding out that it had a recall (21N12) when I bought it that expired at 84,000 miles. My car is now at 120,000 miles and my engine needs to be replaced. I was never told about the recall and was still sold the car that didn’t even last 2 YEARS!!!!! Now it’s going to be $8,000 to replace my motor. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11607425

115,000 miles · Aug 1, 2024
Power Train

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was a vibrating abnormally with an abnormal sound. The contact stated that after the RPM rose to 3,000 RPM the abnormal sound ceased. The driver pulled over to the side of the roadway and contacted an independent mechanic …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. While the contact’s wife was driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was a vibrating abnormally with an abnormal sound. The contact stated that after the RPM rose to 3,000 RPM the abnormal sound ceased. The driver pulled over to the side of the roadway and contacted an independent mechanic by phone. The mechanic listened to the sound and informed the driver to continue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the same independent mechanic who diagnosed that the flywheel had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the diagnosis was confirmed. The flywheel was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.

NHTSA ODI #11605809

Mileage unknown · Jul 31, 2024
Power Train

Coolant began leaking into the cylinders causing my car to overheat while driving making this dangerous

NHTSA ODI #11605591

Mileage unknown · Jul 30, 2024
EnginePower Train

Vehicle has less than 100k miles and has an engine failure resulting from coolant intrusion. Ford support admits this is a known issue but refuses to give any remedial action to solve it because the nhtsa handles recalls not them. They will not tell me anything unless I pay to have it towed to a dealer and pay for diagnostics.

NHTSA ODI #11605334

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.

Go deeper into Ford Escape problems