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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.

About this comparison →

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

What owners actually said

726 reports
50,000 miles · Mar 26, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, but no failure was fo…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, but no failure was found. The contact stated several warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after several days, the vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI #11579579

74,000 miles · Mar 26, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was ma…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the low oil pressure warning light was blinking off and on and the "See Owner’s Manual" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to exit the highway and drive back to the residence. The contact stated that the same warning lights and a chime were sounding. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked and did not attempt to restart the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The contact called a dealer and was advised that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the dealer was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11579544

86,000 miles · Mar 25, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH from a stop sign the oil pressure low message was displayed. There was an abnormal dinging noise detected. The vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an oil light and l…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH from a stop sign the oil pressure low message was displayed. There was an abnormal dinging noise detected. The vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was an oil light and lack of power. There was no oil pressure present. The oil pressure drive belt had failed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ODI #11579318

Mileage unknown · Mar 21, 2024
Engine

While my 17 year old was driving down the highway, the vehicles low oil pressure light came on and just stopped accelerating, he was able to nurse it took it straight to our local mechanic, upon them just looking into it, they referred us to a Ford dealership due to the recall issued.

NHTSA ODI #11578743

Mileage unknown · Mar 21, 2024
Engine

I live in Texas. Our daughter's car is inoperable due to recall from Ford and we have tried to contact ford customer relations and keep getting passed from person to person. The parts are unavailable and they don’t have a definite timeline. The dealership is also unable to get a response from Ford. I have also mailed a formal le…

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I live in Texas. Our daughter's car is inoperable due to recall from Ford and we have tried to contact ford customer relations and keep getting passed from person to person. The parts are unavailable and they don’t have a definite timeline. The dealership is also unable to get a response from Ford. I have also mailed a formal letter. The car has been inoperable since January 26, 2024. What can I do to get Ford to respond and provide a recall refund? They are unable to remedy in a timely manner and we cannot continue with the hardships from not having a vehicle for work, which requires travel.

NHTSA ODI #11578607

Mileage unknown · Mar 20, 2024
EnginePower TrainService Brakes

My engine had blown under warranty. They had replaced the engine, which took two weeks once I got my car back, about a week or two later, check engine, lights and warnings pops back on. I return to Ford to assess the problem and they reassured me that the warnings were just because they replaced the engine and they should disap…

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My engine had blown under warranty. They had replaced the engine, which took two weeks once I got my car back, about a week or two later, check engine, lights and warnings pops back on. I return to Ford to assess the problem and they reassured me that the warnings were just because they replaced the engine and they should disappear shortly. Two weeks have gone by and the warnings were still there and my car had started driving awkwardly again. I returned to forward to get my car, repaired under warranty and receive a loaner vehicle to remain doing my every day job with. They did not have any loaner cars and did not have availability to work on my vehicle for three months. They called me with availability. My warranty was up and they were unable to fix my engine since I have lost the house I was living in. Became homeless. And now I’ve got myself back in a house and working to get my car repaired. This is caused a lot of damage for me and my family as we have still been unable to get the car repaired and it has been almost 4 years since I took my car into ford for the repair. Now that it is recalled, they still do not have a solution, and they will not allow me to return the car to them for a loaner car until they do fix the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11578587

49,000 miles · Mar 20, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the oil pump failure had damaged the engine. The mechanic determined that the engine and the oil pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. No further information was provided. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11578457

164,000 miles · Mar 20, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while her husband was driving 55-60 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle stalled temporarily and then accelerated unintendedly. The contact's husband was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that her husband was able to con…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated while her husband was driving 55-60 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle stalled temporarily and then accelerated unintendedly. The contact's husband was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that her husband was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to exceed 35 MPH while driving. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 164,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11578429

70,000 miles · Mar 15, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The vehicle decelerated and the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed oil pump drive belt tensioner. The contact was informed that the oil pump drive belt tensioner needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed oil pump drive belt tensioner and that the oil pump drive belt tensioner needed to be replaced. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11577680

86,000 miles · Mar 14, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil pressure oil warning light illuminated. Additionally, an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure 86,000. The failure mileage was approximately VIN tool confirm parts not available.

NHTSA ODI #11577416

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.