102 of the 2,167 complaints about the 2018 Ford Escape are about the other systems — 5% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 14,350 miles.
102
Complaints
6
Crashes
1
Fires
4
Injuries
Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Check engine light would come on vehicle was not running well, seemed to stall. When I turned off the car I could hear liquid moving around from inside the vehicle. I am a Mom so I am driving with my 2 small children constantly and worried about their safety. The problem was confirmed by the dealership as well as an independent service center.
NHTSA complaint #11756696 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2018 Ford Escape. I have had the car since 12/2024. Less then 22000 miles in it. In this time I have had 4 alignment done. First one was 2 day after getting car. I pulls to the left. Second was 2 weeks after the first one. Then drove my car with a trailer on it to [XXX]. I made it [XXX] and dropped my load in a storage because I could not control the car. I was so scared. What should have taken maybe 2 days took a week. That was a nightmare trip. Ok so now in [XXX] took it to car max and explained what happened. Alignment always out. Always pulls to left. Carmax had my car 3 days called me and said I need a Alignment and 4 new tires. I was like what I just drove from [XXX]. Gentlemen told me I shouldn't have drove that car with it like that. I said carmax in [XXX] a load me to. Car repair places just think we can drop of our car and say here. I don't have another car to us will that one in the shop. Now the forth was when I got back into [XXX] which was maybe 2 months later. So my car did a lot of sitting in the driveway when I was in nc. With this car u have to have your hands both on the wheel because if u hit a pot hole the car goes crazy. I have been drive for about 40 yrs and I'm from [XXX] where u can drive not legally but able to drive with your knee,eat with the left hand will putting on makeup with the right. I can't do that. I can't even take my eyes off the road because the car will go to the left and I'm not even steering that way. So anyone out there please help. This is my first Ford and it's been a nightmare. Plus less then 40000 I have had a new battery alternator and start put in. My window wipes don't work. Came on it never rains in [XXX] so what the. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11747057 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Nothing happened I just noticed I have a blind spot in both of my rearview mirrors and I am aware of this.
NHTSA complaint #11745049 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In 2025 I bought this vehicle used at a dealership with 84,000 miles on it. A year later, it’s at 118,000 miles and needs a new engine. Due to coolant leaking into my cylinders and into my engine and mixing with oil and water in my oil pan. The issue it is having is directly caused my ford and the way it has designed this engine. Coolant has leaked into my cylinders causing a check engine light coming on labeled cylinder 3 misfire. I called ford about this to see if they would help, but they told me because my car is over 84,000 miles, they cannot cover the cost of repairs. I am still paying on my car loan, and in addition now, I have to pay even more to buy an engine for 5,000 dollars. This is not okay. Other have this issue as well. It is well documented online. Ford should recall this issue.
NHTSA complaint #11742546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Got vechile 3 months ago. On going issues with coolant,overheating, pull over light coming on. Vechile has been in the shop 4 times for the same reason. Thermostat changed twice. Mechanic said common problem with fors escape.
NHTSA complaint #11741113 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Safety issue involving a 2018 Ford Escape, Shortly after purchase, after approximately 80 miles of use, the vehicle displayed a “Service Transmission Now” warning, entered limp mode, and lost normal power/speed while on the interstate. This created a hazardous situation for me and my passenger because the vehicle could not operate normally in interstate traffic. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed transmission failure requiring replacement and reported that the transmission fluid was black/burnt. The vehicle was later taken to the dealership’s shop after the selling dealer instructed me to bring it there. I understand that the transmission issue was also confirmed there. I am reporting this because the transmission failure and limp-mode event occurred almost immediately after purchase and created a roadway safety hazard. I am requesting that NHTSA log this complaint for defect/safety tracking and review.
NHTSA complaint #11740768 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have a paid in full 2018 Ford Escape 1.5L Eco Boost. I am just over the 150k mile mark and out of the blue I was left stranded on the side of a completely dark highway at 4:30AM after working a shift. The car alerted me out of no where with no indication of an issue arising that the engine was overheating and to pull over immediately. The coolant was completley empty even tho I had an oil change and check up the week prior, while getting this done there was no indication of low coolant. I was able to refill the coolant with the help of a friend and make it home that night. 2 days later on the way to work on the same highway it happened again out of the blue with no warning or indication yet again. I was able to get my boss to bring me coolant so I could refill it and get to work and off the highway, the coolant somehow was dry to the bone again. After this second occurrence I took my car to 2 different trustworthy mechanics close to my house to be diagnosed. Both mechanics were able to diagnose that the issue is coming from coolant is leaking into the engine and causing the car to overheat and engine failure. The only option to fix the car is to get a new engine. Currently my car is not drivable and I have no transportation. Ford is aware of the issues with the engine and I have had many phone calls and case numbers with them to try and get my car fixed by them. However I am out of luck because my VIN is not included in the current recall 26S01 EVEN THOUGH they are fully aware this recall affects many makes and models. I've been given no news or time frame on if or when the 1.5L engine will be added to this recall. Again Ford is fully aware of the issue and that it is affecting many makes and models but claim until my VIN is attached to the recall they can't do a thing. I have been without a car since March 23, 2026.
NHTSA complaint #11736458 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
A metallic clinking/rattling noise developed from the engine/transmission area while the vehicle was running. The issue was diagnosed as a failed flexplate. The flexplate is a critical component that connects the engine to the transmission. Continued operation with a failed flexplate can lead to further mechanical failure and could result in loss of propulsion or inability to move the vehicle, creating a potential safety risk, particularly in traffic or when acceleration is needed. The problem was confirmed by a dealership service center. The vehicle was still operable at the time, but the noise was persistent and indicated a failure condition. No warning lights or messages were observed prior to the issue. The noise appeared suddenly. The component was replaced during repair. It is unknown if the failed part is available for inspection. There are reports of similar flexplate failures in comparable vehicles, raising concern this may not be an isolated issue.
NHTSA complaint #11735352 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 3/15/2026 I was on my way home from Massachusetts to Pennsylvania, and about 35 minutes into my drive I got an alert stating "High Engine Temperature Stop Safely", so I pulled over immediately and turned the car off. After allowing the engine to cool down, I opened the hood and started the car to see if I could identify any issues, the "Engine Fault Service Now" alert came up. This was the first time this ever happened, this put me, my two dogs who were in the car with me, and possibly others on the road at risk, had the conditions escalated. (i.e. under hood fire). The vehicle was towed to an Authorized Ford Dealership, Mathieu Ford Sales, Inc. who diagnosed the issue on 3/17/2026. The dealership removed the spark plugs to inspect cylinders and found coolant intrusion into cylinders significantly on cylinder 2. Dealership referenced TSB 22-2322, is recommending short block assembly and related parts to remedy concern. Dealership advised it was safe and okay to drive the vehicle slowly to a nearby residence (to store the vehicle/retain possession), noting to pull over if an alert pops up and to have it towed if I received another message like before. The dealership advised it was not safe to drive the vehicle back to Pennsylvania. There weren't any issues driving the vehicle back on 3/17/2026 following the dealership's guidance; the car hasn't been driven since. The car needed to be jumped to start the vehicle on 4/17/2026 for a tow truck to load the vehicle onto its bed. The vehicle is currently back in possession of the dealership who diagnosed the issue. Upon doing research, this appears to be a widespread manufacturing design defect that Ford has failed to properly address/recall. My vehicle met the criteria under their Customer Satisfaction Program in 2022 - the vehicle is an Escape, 2017-2019, assembled in Louisville, that was Built before April 8, 2019, and which exhibited a covered condition, having low coolant. Ford Motor Co is failing to remedy-cure.
NHTSA complaint #11733916 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Spark plug cylinder 1 gets stuck trying to replace which causes vehicle to misfire
NHTSA complaint #11729174 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle overheated in middle of traffic and immediately went in limp mode due to antifreeze leaking in the internal engine
NHTSA complaint #11723495 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Engine coolant intrusion- I don't feel safe driving this vehicle due to engine problems known to FORD even at/before time of sale. Possible fire hazard. Transmission- I don't feel safe driving this vehicle due to transmission problems known to FORD even at/before time of sale. Vehicle lurched around while backing from my garage. Electronic emergency brake- Occasionally sticks in lock on position not allowing me to operate. Report date is today 02/08/2026 for issues as of manufacture date 12/17/17 I request FORD buy back this vehicle at full purchase price. I'm a single Widow and don't feel safe driving this vehicle alone. FORD selling vehicles with long known problems to unsuspecting customers is shameful.
NHTSA complaint #11716564 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Battery light came on, its a new battery with warning of 12v battery failure. The back camera has been giving blank screen and camera unavailable message.
NHTSA complaint #11715445 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Blown head gasket, it is available for inspection. The engine overheating could’ve left me and my family stranded. The problem has not been confirmed by anyone. It also has not been inspected yet either. There were no other indicators lit on the dashboard other than the check engine light.
NHTSA complaint #11712741 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased a 2018 Ford Escape from Metropolitan Ford dealership in Eden Prairie, MN on 5/15/2025. The very next day the engine light came on. I called them, made an appointment and brought it in thinking that it was a sensor. They checked it out and tried to charge me $1000 for the fix. I argued with them that I had just bought the car and the should be responsible for fixing it. In end I paid $300 and knew from that point that they would take no responsibility for anything wrong with th car. Fast forward to 12/12/2025 I was driving to work and as soon as I entered the interstate the engine light came on as well as the temperature gage going through the roof. I found that I couldn't accelerate and slowly drove the car off the next exit. I was able to get it to my mechanic right there, where he said I had a slow leak in the coolant and gave me a rough estimate of $1000 possible fix but he couldn't do it then. He advised me to keep the coolant filled and took it out of the "limp" mode so I could drive it. A week later I went out to my car and it was in the "limp" mode again, I had it towed to the nearest service station where they came back with the issue. A coolant intrusion. The engine was no longer functional. I went back to the dealer and they told me it was my problem to deal with and that they had no responsibility to do anything. That's when I found out about the recall that they knew about and ignored and sold me a car that they knew was problematic. I'm hoping to join this class action lawsuit because I'm out $12,000 the largest amount that I ever paid for a car and I don't have a working car. I still owe $5000 on this one. I thought going to a Ford dealership and spending the kind of money I spent would protect me from this exact thing. I'm devastated and really don't know what to do.
NHTSA complaint #11707178 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I believe coolant got into the cylinders and caused an engine failure. I had to replace the engine on the vehicle at 58000 miles
NHTSA complaint #11706980 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car was fine earlier today, but when I drove home and parked, I turned my vehicle off and the fan continued to run. I took my car to Autozone and they ran a diagnostic test with the OEM and no codes came up. They said it’s possibly the motor fan module or some sort of sensor or relay. The car isn’t running hot or anything, but the motor can won’t turn off, so it’s running my battery down. This is the first time this has happened.
NHTSA complaint #11700924 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
leaking coolant. Transmission problem with the shift cable bushing, which caused the transmission to be in a different gear than indicated and lead to the vehicle rolling away.
NHTSA complaint #11699596 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Early May 2025 the check engine light came on. Had towed to my mechanic 95 miles away (I live remotely), they changed the spark plugs. Within one week the check engine light came on a, took to a local garage (inside the national park where my residence is) and they chaned the spark plugs again. The nect week I heard my coolant system making noises (it never made this before), checked and refilled fluids, but it continued and tye check engine light came on again. Had it towed to my mechanic again. They advised me the headgasget blew and the coolant system went with it. Had to pay to have it towed to my home.
NHTSA complaint #11694045 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
We were at a stop on a over crossing, and all of a sudden, the car engine started racing loudly and , even with foot on the brake, hard, it surged forward twice and hit the vehicle in front of us and caused that vehicle to hit the vehicle in front of him.My husband tried to shift gear to park or neutral, but shift was stuck. My husband then turned off the car. The hits damaged our radiator and other components. It is now at the body shop and since, our insurance company deemed, we were at fault, we will be paying a deductible and insurance is taking care of driver #2 who sustained soft flesh injury. We are very uneasy about driving this car again after what happen. So far the body shop has not identified the problem. After looking this issue online, I found, that some 2018 ford escapes have problems with the ETB. I just want to bring this to your attention.
NHTSA complaint #11691280 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
So this morning as soon as I started my 2018 Ford escape up and instantly temp gauge went to hot and threw up a sign stating high temp. Safely stop . I turned it off . And I started googling what was happening and upon doing some searching I started seeing multiple people complaining about the same things that I have going on as well with their 2018 Ford escape having the same problem with their spark plugs and coil packs also they said that they have misfiring in certain cylinders which mine have been in 1 and 3 some of theirs were 2 and 3 also read that the coolant system could be faulty and leaking ( which makes sense on after the car was turned off from driving the night before I heard bubbling sounds and what sounded like a faucet leaking water ) and the leaking could be making it go into where the spark plugs go into . And it could damage the engine. Also I had white smoke that came out of the tail pipe two or three times and it also spoke about the coolant making it's way to the head gasket possibly and all these that I've have read online are just like what ive have been having problems with and identical for the last week or two.and there are quite a bit of people on the Internet complaining these same events going on and no body has found and or not reported of finding any solutions to the problems .
NHTSA complaint #11688265 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
OBD trouble code P0302 — cylinder 2 misfire caused by coolant seeping in from a deformation in the block.
NHTSA complaint #11683310 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Engine failure. No engine lights are on and vehicle is driving fine, but engine block could crack due to coolant intrusion problem. Coolant intrusion is a defect in the motor well know to Ford and mechanics.Ford customer satisfaction program:21N12 and 19B37.TSB tech. serv. bulleting 22-2134 and 19-2375. Problem has been confirmed by private mechanic shop and Ford dealer. No warning lights, no messages, no symptoms. Problem appeared scheduled maintenance & multipoint inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11680107 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car sometimes has trouble accelerating Does not want to go over 65 on cruise control for a very long time. Cruise control was shut off by itself. Car doesn’t want to accelerate over steep hills rPMs go up to four
NHTSA complaint #11676871 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Engine overheating due to coolant loss into cylinder through internal leak. Engine and vehicle are available for inspection. Engine overheating due to coolant loss into cylinders can be a risk for vehicle fire. Overheating affected my engine longevity and function and caused my vehicle to stop in an unsafe location (i.e. the highway). This is a serious safety concern for my family since we also live in Arizona where we are highly susceptible to extreme heat. I took the Ford vehicle to a Ford dealer to inspect and they verified that the engine block was warped due to an internal leak of coolant into the engine cylinders through a known recall issue Ford Vehicle has been inspected by the Ford dealership by certified Ford mechanics. Overheating had no warning since internal coolant leaks are not detectable through external means. When car overheated, I took the vehicle to Ford for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11667275 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Check engine light first appeared early May 2025 days after the car started running very roughly, then bucking upon startup; local mechanic said may need engine but should go to dealer; dealer towed a couple of days later as engine light had begun to blink and said it couldn't be driven; a few days later dealer reported coolant leaking into combustion chamber and would need a new engine at $12,860. Apparently a known failure as reported in Technical Service Bulletin 22-2229, date 6/9/2022 for vehicles including my 2018 Ford Escape Titanium 2.0 L Ecoboost with only 44k miles, final assembly Louisville KY. Reported danger of engine failure while driving, possible fire.
NHTSA complaint #11666006 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Check engine light came on ON DAY OF MY FINAL PAYMENT!! Mechanic said there had been issues and possible recall to fix. Antifreeze leaking into engine causing need to replace engine
NHTSA complaint #11665295 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle received a short block repair under CSP 21N12 in 2023 at my ford dealership. Now, less than two years later, the same issue has returned — coolant intrusion into the cylinders, visible white exhaust, and oil leaks, with an estimate for the full repair is $15,000, from this same ford dealership where I purchased the car clearly the recall repair did not fix this issue of coolant intrusion. Dealer diagnosed the issue as long block pressure tested cooling system for over an hour system dropped 8 PSI, Engine consuming coolant into cylinders and burning through exhaust. Dealer Recommends replacing long block with new engine and replacing one time use parts with new turbo at 15k. I still owe on the loan this is the same problem as the recall.
NHTSA complaint #11662930 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have a 2018 Ford Escape that I purchased 2 years ago. Three days ago, it would not start and when we got it to start white smoke came out and there was no coolant left in the chamber. There is no fluid under the car and the car warning light came on saying PowerTrain malfunction, reduced power. The fluid went in the cylinder we believe. We went to a Ford dealership and was told there are no recalls on this vehicle. When we looked up online we see that There was a Program 21N12 for this problem but because it's not a recall we can't use it. How do we get help with this?
NHTSA complaint #11661894 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle was shaking really bad when started. I took the vehicle to a mechanic since it seemed like it was mis-firing. I was told the vehicle was leaking coolant into the 2nd cylinder causing damage to my engine. I was told I needed a whole engine replacement. I called Ford Customer care and was told there is no service programs for my VIN number. I also purchased the extended warranty when purchasing this vehicle which just expired in NOV 2024. I can't believe Ford will not honor this engine replacement when I just saw online this was an ongoing issue and my vehicle was was in the time frame of 96 months or $150,000 mile time frame.
NHTSA complaint #11659026 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.