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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 And Engine Cooling complaints

342 reports
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92,000 miles · May 8, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated had observed that the check engine light would illuminate when she would start the vehicle. The contact stated that while merging onto the highway the vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact drove the vehicle to an indep…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated had observed that the check engine light would illuminate when she would start the vehicle. The contact stated that while merging onto the highway the vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, the check engine light was illuminated, and the engine had since started to misfire. The vehicle also failed to accelerate above 40 MPH. Additionally, the engine overheating warning light was flashing. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined there was coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ODI #11587586

90,000 miles · Apr 25, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she observed an excessive amount of smoke coming from the exhaust, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who deter…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, she observed an excessive amount of smoke coming from the exhaust, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant intrusion resulted in engine misfire. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA ODI #11585313

140,000 miles · Apr 24, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the check engine and coolant temperature warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the message "Shut Off for Safety" was displayed. The contact also stated that there was white smoke coming from the rear and the front of the vehicle. The contact turned…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the check engine and coolant temperature warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the message "Shut Off for Safety" was displayed. The contact also stated that there was white smoke coming from the rear and the front of the vehicle. The contact turned off the vehicle and was able to push the vehicle back to the driveway since the failure occurred nearby. The contact checked the coolant level and discovered that the coolant level was low; however, the contact found no evidence of a coolant leak. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ODI #11584899

Mileage unknown · Apr 23, 2024
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

My engine started to slow down while driving down even though gas pedal was to the floor on the road at peak hour of traffic at 4pm and was barely moving then my high temperature alert came on my dash board and told me to pull over as soon as possible. Once I pulled over saw that coolant was leaking from my emergency spot on t…

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My engine started to slow down while driving down even though gas pedal was to the floor on the road at peak hour of traffic at 4pm and was barely moving then my high temperature alert came on my dash board and told me to pull over as soon as possible. Once I pulled over saw that coolant was leaking from my emergency spot on tank. Had to have car towed home and then to deal ship to heritage valley ford in Brooklyn ct. I could have been rear end from the back when the engine started to act up which could have cause a accident and I had my kids in the car with me. The dealership confirmed that their was a recall but not a safety recall on it so did not have to fix issue sense not a safety recall. Ford new about the issue of coolant leaking into engine in June of 2022 and told me they did not need to inform me of this issue and could blow engine but not their problem sense not a safety issue. The recall under their CSP program is 21N12 and Heritage Valley Auto Group confirmed this was the issue with my engine and told me I need a new engine. Yes about two weeks prior my check engine light came on with codes for misfiring in my engine and replaced spark plugs and coil packs and then found out this was a know issue with ford under their CSP program.

NHTSA ODI #11584821

96,400 miles · Apr 23, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 - 70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly shut off. The high engine temperature was displayed with a message to pullover immediately. The contact became aware that there was no coolant in the reservoir. The contact added coolant. The vehicle was towed to an indepe…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 - 70 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly shut off. The high engine temperature was displayed with a message to pullover immediately. The contact became aware that there was no coolant in the reservoir. The contact added coolant. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that there was an internal coolant leak. The coolant had leaked into the cylinders and caused the engine to misfire. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 96,400.

NHTSA ODI #11584711

123,000 miles · Apr 22, 2024
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began to lose power and the vehicle entered LIMP Mode. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that there was a misfire in cylinder #3, and the coolan…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began to lose power and the vehicle entered LIMP Mode. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that there was a misfire in cylinder #3, and the coolant level was low. The mechanic added coolant and replaced all four spark plugs. The contact stated that several days after the repair, the failure recurred, and the check engine warning light and the engine overheating message was displayed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.

NHTSA ODI #11584400

88,000 miles · Apr 17, 2024
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a misfire coming from the engine. Upon starting the vehicle there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the failure was due to t…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a misfire coming from the engine. Upon starting the vehicle there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the failure was due to the cylinder block. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

NHTSA ODI #11583594

Mileage unknown · Apr 12, 2024
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

Engine failure. Coolant leaking into piston 2.

NHTSA ODI #11582544

110,096 miles · Apr 9, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 5-10 MPH, the message "Engine Fault - Service Immediately" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to Firestone, where it was diagnosed that the coolant pump was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred two m…

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The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 5-10 MPH, the message "Engine Fault - Service Immediately" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to Firestone, where it was diagnosed that the coolant pump was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred two months later while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak. The mechanic determined that the head gasket or the engine needed to be replaced; however, the mechanic informed the contact that there was no guarantee that the parts replacement would repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 110,096.

NHTSA ODI #11581995

Mileage unknown · Apr 9, 2024
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ODI #11581944

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.

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