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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

Engine complaints

355 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2024
EngineUnknown Or Other

First hill start/stop assist stopped working back around may. Then the car started stalling and acting funny. Then in June it said low engine oil pressure. Took it for oil change then the engine blew on my way home on the highway. Had to get the engine fixed.

NHTSA ODI #11564532

Mileage unknown · Jan 9, 2024
Engine

The engine kept staling and needing to be jump started. This happended to the point where I loss all power at a light where I ended up causing traffic. This kept happening until my engine light turned on. After the engine light came on, my car could no longer start eventhough the battery was fine. I had a mobile mechanic look at…

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The engine kept staling and needing to be jump started. This happended to the point where I loss all power at a light where I ended up causing traffic. This kept happening until my engine light turned on. After the engine light came on, my car could no longer start eventhough the battery was fine. I had a mobile mechanic look at the vehicle and they were unable to find what was wrong even after they had done an engine diagnostic where they had a lot of issues detected on the computer. I have been affected with this since October and as struggling college student I cant afford to have it towed to the dealership. As of January 2024 I have not been able to jump start my car at all even with a good battery. My car is now collecting dust parked on the street by my apartment.

NHTSA ODI #11564374

Mileage unknown · Jan 7, 2024
Engine

Low oil light came on. Drove to dealer and they said need new engine. Quoted $9k

NHTSA ODI #11564053

Mileage unknown · Jan 5, 2024
EnginePower TrainUnknown Or Other

Oil pump belt failed and caused engine to be bad, per independent service center. I have copy of the invoice, but it would not let me upload. Car drove like normal, then one day got in the car and "engine oil pressure low" message came on and the check engine light came on. Drove a couple blocks to get gas, car broke down on th…

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Oil pump belt failed and caused engine to be bad, per independent service center. I have copy of the invoice, but it would not let me upload. Car drove like normal, then one day got in the car and "engine oil pressure low" message came on and the check engine light came on. Drove a couple blocks to get gas, car broke down on the way back from gas station (less than half a mile) all warning lights on dash came on and engine shut off. Towed to repair shop, estimated repair cost (engine ruined) is $6,419

NHTSA ODI #11563754

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

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

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.