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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 · Nov 4, 2023
Engine

Driving and oil light came on suddenly pulled over asap then check engine light and battery light came on car quit working. Checked oil and was filled to line on dip stick. Tried restarting engine wouldn’t start. Towed to repair shop engine seized up needs new engine.

NHTSA ODI #11553563

Mileage unknown · Nov 3, 2023
Engine

Never had a problem with car. Driving from Omaha to Austin tx and on the interstate outside of Ft Worth, oil pressure light came on and started dinging and I lost my ability accelerate. Thankfully was able to get off interstate safely. My car was towed and I was told by repair shop that I need a new engine. Ford knows that th…

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Never had a problem with car. Driving from Omaha to Austin tx and on the interstate outside of Ft Worth, oil pressure light came on and started dinging and I lost my ability accelerate. Thankfully was able to get off interstate safely. My car was towed and I was told by repair shop that I need a new engine. Ford knows that these engines are bad and refuses to recall the vehicle. I just want my voice to be heard!

NHTSA ODI #11553460

Mileage unknown · Nov 3, 2023
EnginePower Train

I was traveling on the highway around 60-65 miles per hour, then on my infotainment system I got a notification that said "Low Oil Pressure" the car then started slowing down. Even though I was not needing an oil change, I kept driving looking for a place to see if there was someplace open to let me know what is wrong. Then afte…

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I was traveling on the highway around 60-65 miles per hour, then on my infotainment system I got a notification that said "Low Oil Pressure" the car then started slowing down. Even though I was not needing an oil change, I kept driving looking for a place to see if there was someplace open to let me know what is wrong. Then after getting off an exit I drove about another mile before the car just gave out, would not turn on or anything. After getting my car towed at the Ford Dealership they told me that I was going to need a new engine, they said they found metal shavings in my oil from the engine. The way my safety (and the other passengers) was put at risk is by the car immediately slowing down on the highway without any other warning. They replaced the engine but it is the same old one, it is available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI #11553441

65,000 miles · Nov 3, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that th…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that there were metal shavings in the pan, and that there was no oil in the engine. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI #11553360

59,000 miles · Nov 2, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound and the vehicle decelerated to 40 MPH unintendedly. The vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The wrench and low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound and the vehicle decelerated to 40 MPH unintendedly. The vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The wrench and low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty engine. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

NHTSA ODI #11553163

Mileage unknown · Oct 31, 2023
Engine

The car, (oil pump), stopped pumping oil to the engine. Was driving along, the check oil light came on, then it stopped moving. All the warning lights lit up. There was plenty of oil in the car.

NHTSA ODI #11552888

69,000 miles · Oct 25, 2023
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine started to make an abnormal rattling sound which made the vehicle vibrate. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the …

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the engine started to make an abnormal rattling sound which made the vehicle vibrate. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced engine failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the engine was replaced March 13, 2023, due to an oil pump failure that damaged the engine block. The contact stated that she researched online and related the failure to the Eco Boost engine design. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

NHTSA ODI #11551905

100,000 miles · Oct 24, 2023
EnginePower Train

Low engine pressure messaged came on and check engine light. Overheating light beeped saying coolant is hot so I turned on heater to cool down and pulled over. Made an appointment with ford dealership for them to tell me cracked cylinder head due to coolant leaking into system. Of course by the time it got looked at the dealersh…

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Low engine pressure messaged came on and check engine light. Overheating light beeped saying coolant is hot so I turned on heater to cool down and pulled over. Made an appointment with ford dealership for them to tell me cracked cylinder head due to coolant leaking into system. Of course by the time it got looked at the dealership it was slightly over 100000 miles. I’ve read along with hearing from ford that this has been common complaint with this model. Then I’m told to get a new engine that it’s on back order for 6 months to a year! This issue is scary and to think of the possibility of car engulfing with ford not doing anything to fix the issue. Now I’m stuck paying $15,000 left on and low chance to get a new engine if that engine doesn’t cause the same issues!

NHTSA ODI #11551661

Mileage unknown · Oct 23, 2023
Engine

On Saturday my low oil pressure light came on suddenly as I was pulling into my driveway. I had just gotten my oil changed 2 months ago. The next day I took my car to Jiffy Lube, and as I was getting there the check engine light came on. The mechanics at Jiffy Lube stated it could be the oil pump valve. After that I decided to h…

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On Saturday my low oil pressure light came on suddenly as I was pulling into my driveway. I had just gotten my oil changed 2 months ago. The next day I took my car to Jiffy Lube, and as I was getting there the check engine light came on. The mechanics at Jiffy Lube stated it could be the oil pump valve. After that I decided to have my car towed to the local ford dealership to have it checked out. Today the dealership called me to inform me that my engine needed to be replaced and the cost would be $7500. The car is only 5 years old and has 84K miles. I am an extremely good driver with a clean record, and I also get my oil changed at the recommended interval at the ford dealership, so I do not believe that it is a driver issue.

NHTSA ODI #11551485

Mileage unknown · Oct 20, 2023
EngineUnknown Or Other

-Oil pump failed causing complete engine and turbo failure. It can be inspected. - I was driving at interstate speed in traffic on the interstate and the engine lost power. - Independent service center looked at it and suspected oil pump as issue and sent it to ford dealer and they confirmed oil pump failed and caused total e…

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-Oil pump failed causing complete engine and turbo failure. It can be inspected. - I was driving at interstate speed in traffic on the interstate and the engine lost power. - Independent service center looked at it and suspected oil pump as issue and sent it to ford dealer and they confirmed oil pump failed and caused total engine and turbo failure. - Ford Dealer has inspected - after the failure occurred, the low oil pressure light came on. after adding oil and restarting the engine, the light remained on.

NHTSA ODI #11551068

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.