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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 complaints

1,145 reports
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Mileage unknown · Feb 24, 2024
Engine

Car is experiencing coolant intrusion into cylinder of engine. Ford dealership in Orlando Florida is saying engine needs to be replaced. I'm reading that this issue is very common with this car. It was a safety hazzard for us because the car was running rough on a very busy highway. Had it towed to dealership.

NHTSA ODI #11573808

Mileage unknown · Feb 23, 2024
EnginePower Train

The flex plate cracked in four places. I have images showing the cracks on the flex plate. The problem was confirmed by an independent service center. There were no warning lamps or messages, only a percussive tapping sound caused by the cracked flex plate. This issue could cause loss of control of the vehicle leading to an acci…

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The flex plate cracked in four places. I have images showing the cracks on the flex plate. The problem was confirmed by an independent service center. There were no warning lamps or messages, only a percussive tapping sound caused by the cracked flex plate. This issue could cause loss of control of the vehicle leading to an accident.

NHTSA ODI #11573672

100,000 miles · Feb 20, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced rough idling, with white smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light remained illuminated while driving. The vehicle was examined by the local mechanic who determined there was coolant inside the cylinder #3, which caused s…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced rough idling, with white smoke coming from the exhaust. The check engine warning light remained illuminated while driving. The vehicle was examined by the local mechanic who determined there was coolant inside the cylinder #3, which caused severe engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and the local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI #11572979

Mileage unknown · Feb 19, 2024
EngineVehicle Speed Control

I have ford escape 2018 S and I bought the car from koons ford silver spring MD. It is unfortunate whenever I drive the car for long hours ; suddenly the acceleration declines and the vehicle loose its power. And a strange click sound comes up and the check engine light on. Once I parked the car and the car cool down --the warni…

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I have ford escape 2018 S and I bought the car from koons ford silver spring MD. It is unfortunate whenever I drive the car for long hours ; suddenly the acceleration declines and the vehicle loose its power. And a strange click sound comes up and the check engine light on. Once I parked the car and the car cool down --the warning system disappear. I tried to contact the dealership and I was told my vehicle is not on recall list despite my vehicle have the same symptom--I bought this car very expensive and handle it with care and the car has only 5900 miles on it. Appreciate if you guys could investigate the case .

NHTSA ODI #11572771

Mileage unknown · Feb 19, 2024
Engine

COOLANT LEAKING INTO ENGINE - I've owned this car for exactly 6 years tomorrow (2/20/24). It has 106k on the odometer. It's almost paid off and Ford tells me the coolant issue will be $10k to repair which is more than the car is worth, more than I owe on the car. They'll give me $500 to salvage it. Ford knows about this issue…

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COOLANT LEAKING INTO ENGINE - I've owned this car for exactly 6 years tomorrow (2/20/24). It has 106k on the odometer. It's almost paid off and Ford tells me the coolant issue will be $10k to repair which is more than the car is worth, more than I owe on the car. They'll give me $500 to salvage it. Ford knows about this issue but won't cover it because my car is over 80k. Ridiculous. I will never buy another Ford product again.

NHTSA ODI #11572702

Mileage unknown · Feb 16, 2024
Engine

this car had an engine light go off and there was a cylinder 2 misfire. When I brought it into the dealership they said that there is a known issue that the coolant is intruding into the motor. Ford knows about this as a problem and has a faulty design and avoided telling people about it. I only realized the thousands of people…

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this car had an engine light go off and there was a cylinder 2 misfire. When I brought it into the dealership they said that there is a known issue that the coolant is intruding into the motor. Ford knows about this as a problem and has a faulty design and avoided telling people about it. I only realized the thousands of people who are being put at risk of the engine blowing while driving it down the road. My car was not the only one at the dealership with the same exact problem. These cars need to be recalled and corrected

NHTSA ODI #11572404

Mileage unknown · Feb 15, 2024
Engine

Prior to this, my had no issues and I had been driving it all day. When coming home from some errands, the engine light suddenly came on and and then my car began shutting off on the highway. We were in the middle lane with cars going 70 miles a hour with no power in our own car, putting us in extreme danger. We were able to get…

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Prior to this, my had no issues and I had been driving it all day. When coming home from some errands, the engine light suddenly came on and and then my car began shutting off on the highway. We were in the middle lane with cars going 70 miles a hour with no power in our own car, putting us in extreme danger. We were able to get it to the side of the highway and go through a series of starting it, having it run for a mile or so, and then having the engine shut down again. We were able to get it to a Ford dealership and it was inspected. Our garage immediately knew to look at the coolant cylinder to see if it was cracked and leaking as they have seen this issue multiple times. It was, in fact, cracked and coolant was leaking into our engine. Both a Ford representative and the dealership confirmed this is an issue with multiple of these engines but no recall has been enacted. They suggested we write a complaint to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA ODI #11572125

Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2024
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

Coolant intrusion into motor. Coolant leak causing multiple misfires and my vehicle to lose power while driving and not to over 30mph. I have had the spark plugs, injectors, and coil packs all changed and problem persisted. Taking my car back to mechanic a test was done and there is coolant in the pistons.

NHTSA ODI #11571976

Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2024
Engine

Coolant has leaked into my engine block causing damage to the engine. I have brought my car into the dealership on 3 different occasions with the same issue only to be told that something else was wrong with my vehicle. The first time I brought my vehicle in, it was covered (unknown to me) by a special service bulletin. I believ…

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Coolant has leaked into my engine block causing damage to the engine. I have brought my car into the dealership on 3 different occasions with the same issue only to be told that something else was wrong with my vehicle. The first time I brought my vehicle in, it was covered (unknown to me) by a special service bulletin. I believe that I was intentionally misled so that the repair would not have to be covered. The first incident was on or around 2/1/23, the second incident was on or around 5/1/23, the third around 10/1/23 and most recently on 2/13/24

NHTSA ODI #11571942

Mileage unknown · Feb 12, 2024
Engine

I bought this car 8 months ago and one day it just wouldn’t start. the coolant leak has caused my engine to quit. I cannot afford to replace the engine, especially when ford knows this is an issue. My extended warranty also won’t cover it, the dealership said this is fords issue and they need to cover it. Ford has not issued a …

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I bought this car 8 months ago and one day it just wouldn’t start. the coolant leak has caused my engine to quit. I cannot afford to replace the engine, especially when ford knows this is an issue. My extended warranty also won’t cover it, the dealership said this is fords issue and they need to cover it. Ford has not issued a recall even though there is a service bulletin about it.

NHTSA ODI #11571444

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