68 complaints reported

2018 Ford Escape POWER TRAIN,ENGINE

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
68
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Oct 2025

Engine light came on. It came up as misfire cylinder 3 needing spark plugs/Ignition coil so I made an appointment to get that fixed. On my way to my appointment today, the “engine overheating stop vehicle” warning came on. Turns out this is the known coolant intrusion into the engine block problem that has caused the engine to crack and now needs replaced. Called Ford customer service and just like what they are telling everyone else, there is nothing they can do to help. Yes it’s a known problem by Ford but they will not fix it because my car does not meet mileage criteria. It has 130,000 miles.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2025
Oct 2025

My motor had to be replaced due to coolant intrusion. Now my transmission has to be replaced as well. It was definitely faulty. I have letters from the Ford dealership that worked on my car and put the new motor in. It was caused by coolant intrusion.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2025
Oct 2025

To whom it may concern, I am writing to express my deep frustration regarding a serious issue with my Ford vehicle. My vehicle recently displayed code P0302 – Misfire Cylinder 2, which has been diagnosed as coolant intrusion into the cylinder. The recommended repair is a replacement long block, along with new hardware and seals. This is a known issue with certain Ford engines — one that Ford previously covered under warranty or service campaigns prior to 2023. My vehicle has fewer than 60,000 miles, yet it has suffered a major engine failure clearly tied to a manufacturing defect. Ford and even U.S. government agencies are aware of this widespread issue. Unfortunately, Ford is now refusing to take responsibility for a defect they have long known about. It’s extremely disappointing to see such disregard for loyal customers. This experience has completely eroded my trust in Ford. It’s clear why so many Americans are turning to foreign manufacturers — companies that take accountability and fix known problems instead of ignoring them. I will never purchase a Ford again, and I will be sharing my experience so that others are aware of how these issues are being handled.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2025
Oct 2025

I lost engine power trying to accelerate while entering the highway. Check Engine light flashed several times then went steady. I pulled over into the slow lane with my flashers on and with reduced power to get off the highway exit straight to the Dealer. The Check Engine light stayed on steady. This is apparently part of a known issue with the 1.5l GTDI engine. There was a Technical Service Bulletin created for it 22-2322 and a Customer Service Program fix was set up- 21N12

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2025
Sep 2025

Engine failure due to coolant intrusion design defect that Ford DID NOT pay for it. Even though, since Match 1, 2025, there have been over 320 complaints regarding this issue. NHTSA should communicate to Ford, these vehicles should be recalled!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2025
Sep 2025

Coolant leaking into engine. Check engine light on. Codes p0302, p0316, u0140. I was told by the ford dealership that ran codes that the only correction for the issue is a full long block replacement.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2025
Sep 2025

Coolant intrusion . Coolant leak caused the vehicle to overheat and thus making it unable to drive . Had to tow to a repair facility and they confirmed that it’s a coolant intrusion, a common issue with Ford Escape .Engine warning light came up and there were mis fires in engine. In a week , got an engine overheat warning in the morning when I started the car .

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2025
Aug 2025

Blown head gasket which is causing coolant to leak into the cylinders. Check engine light came on at 72,000 miles (leased the car at 71,000) with coolant loss. The problem was diagnosed by an independent service center on 8/19/25, 3 weeks after leasing to buy.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2025
Aug 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the engine block was replaced twice, the transmission was replaced twice, and the front axle was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer it was purchased from, Steven's Jersey City Ford (740 NJ-440, Jersey City, NJ 07304), and the engine block was replaced a third time; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that while one of the dealers was in the process of replacing the engine, the dealer informed the contact that there were metal shavings inside the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2022
Jun 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the transmission was slipping, and the power train malfunction warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact became aware of fluids leaking underneath the vehicle and accumulating on the rear glass. The contact drove the vehicle to a nearby parking space and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a fractured flex plate, a failed torque converter, a failed front pump, a failed crank shaft and engine failure. The contact was informed that the suggestive repairs would be to replace the flex plate, torque converter and the front pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,500.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2025
May 2025

At 46000 miles mileage cylinder 3 misfired. This led to sudden engine slowdown on a busy street. Headgasket broke and coolant intruded into engine causing total engine failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2025
May 2025

Ford is trying to say that my engine is blown, my check engine light came on at 105,000 miles and it said that my cylinder too was misfiring. I brought it to my mechanic and he replaced the coils and the spark plugs and the check engine light kept coming back on within a few hours I took the vehicle to my mechanic five times in three days the last time I took it to my mechanic the vehicle started overheat, there was no power, the vehicle is shaking, and it left me pretty much stuck on the side of the road with a child in my car.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2025
May 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the vehicle began to jerk then suddenly lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the contact stated that upon reaching her destination, the vehicle stalled and had since not been able to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 127,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2025
May 2025

To whom this concerns: My name is [XXX] and I’m writing this on the behalf of my wife [XXX] , but her last name was [XXX] years ago. My wife purchases a 2018 Ford Escape. Car was working completely fine and there were no problems. As time went on, we had to take our vehicle to Jordan Ford where the car was purchased. The issue with the car was something called Engine intrusion. We took it to Jordan Ford, and they told is this needed to be fixed. The cost was around 5,000 which was a lot for this. Then we found out that this vehicle had a recall on it for the exact same issue that we were having. Looking at the recall, it said that we had to give them this by a certain date. We were too late on that date so the recall could not be honored. We called Ford and told them about the problem with the vehicle and they were willing to knock the price down. I told them that is not fair that we must pay for a problem that is a recall. We did not get the car fixed and they knew about it. Now, it looks like our Ford Escape has the exact same issue, but now they are saying that we must pay over 8,000 to replace the short block because it’s over-heating. Well, we found out that this car was purchased after the recall was in motion and we were not told about it. It is not fair that this vehicle has had this many problems and Ford knew about it. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2025
May 2025

It started out as a misfire which can be caused by multiple issues, after changing spark plugs and coils, noted low coolant (no visible leaks), white smoke, running rough. Ford dealer diagnosis as coolant intrusion and states a complete long block needs replacement. The cost of this is more than the market value.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2025
May 2025

Blown engine, misfire cylinder 3 coolant leaking into cylinder 3, block cracked...smuttering. problem has been identified by our mechanic, and Ford has been called for a replacement engine. Check engine light was on.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2025
Apr 2025

My short block engine failed in the middle of pulling out onto a 4 lane roadway while my two children were in the vehicle. We were almost hit from behind as I lost power while entering the roadway. The vehicle was taken to and diagnosed by a Ford dealership as needing a short block and full engine rebuild. There was no warning or problems before the failure. My vehicle has 23,000 miles on it and is currently waiting for repairs at an independent shop because I cannot afford another new vehicle at this time.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2025
Apr 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the transmission became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission shifted hard while changing gear and the transmission was also slipping. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired. On a separate occasion, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken for maintenance, and the contact was informed that one of the cylinders was stuck. The vehicle was diagnosed with head gasket failure due to coolant intrusion. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,500.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2022
Mar 2025

UNKNOWN: Engine shakes and rumbles when going 35-45 miles per hour. Originally smooth when starting, now rumbles and shakes when started. Check engine light goes on and off. Engine kicks or jumps when accelerator is pushed... Not smooth, jerks very hard. Engine/starter/transmission issues. Available for inspection at dealership doing repair. Shakes and jerks going down the road. Feels like it's going to shake apart. Currently at the dealership for repair and they diagnosed there is "Coolant entering into the cylinder" Check engine light came on then went off. Did this about 3 times and is currently still on.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2025
Feb 2025

HAD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER THE END OF APRIL 2025 FOR OIL LEAK THAT THEY DISCOVERED. IT WAS FIXED. THEN ON MAY 8 2025 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON SO HAD IT TOWED TO FORD DEALER. THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY THING WRONG. CAR HAD WHITE SMOKE, SHAKING WHEN STARTING AND SMELLED LIKE OIL. THEY HAD IT 6 DAYS BEFORE RETURNING IT. THEY SAID THE WHITE SMOKE WAS NORMAL FOR AN OLDER CAR BECAUSE THE EXHAUST STSTEM IS OLDER. HUH??? SO THEN ON MAY 29 2025 THE CAR STILL HAD THE WHITE SMOKE WHEN STARTED. MOVED CAR DOWN THE DRIVEWAY INTO THE STREET AND IT DIED. IT WOULD NOT MOVE AND WAS SITTING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. LET IT SIT FOR A WHILE AND WAS ABLE TO MOVE IT BACK INTO THE DRIVEWAY. CALLED DEALER AGAIN AND ASKED THEM TO TOW IT AGAIN. DEALER SAID THE WALL WAS CRACKED AND THE COOLANT HAD LEAKED INTO THE CYLINDERS AND THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $10,000.00. OH AND THAT WAS A DISCOUNTED PRICE. THE WARRANTY HAD RAN OUT 86 MILES BEFORE. I ASKED FORD MOTOR CO. IF THEY WOULD DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NO PROGRAMS TO PAY FOR IT. THEY SOLD A FAULTY VEHICLE AND SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS, NOT ME. IT WAS A DANGER TO DRIVE AND WE AS OWNERS WERE NOT TOLD ABOUT IT.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2025
Jan 2025

I had to replace the engine May 28, 2024. The coolant started mixing with the oil based on the poor design of the engine. Then December 16, 2024, I had to replace the transfer case. Now my transmission has gone out on January 22, 2025. All of this has been out of pocket because I was out of the warranty mileage range. I'm still currently financing the vehicle and have to make all these costly repairs. I'm trying to see what can be done? There is no way a new vehicle like this should be having all these problems especially when it was bought new off the lot.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2025
Dec 2024

While driving I received a ‘Engine Failure, Service Now’ notification; however, the check engine light was not on. I immediately called a ford dealership and said it was fine. I did not trust it and took it to an O’Reilley’s store to get a free diagnostics, everything was cleared. The next morning I still went to the dealership to ask. At this point the notification wasn’t on anymore but I did notice there was no coolant in the tank. They ran a regular diagnostics and told me car was fine. Again, I didn’t trust it and asked for more diagnostics. After charging me $200 they did it and found coolant leaking into the engine and cylinders. Car still runs but it did not make me feel safe driving with the notification and the rest of the diagnostics showing zero issues was extremely suspicious. They told me my engine needed to be replaced. I researched the issue and found Ford notified widely this issue in early 2020 and ford dealership sold me this in late 2020 and never told me about said issue or notification. I was told there is a program to get it fixed but is not active anymore. On too of that, ford had a warning on my car VIN number for two years and they never notified me of it during service appointments for the last 2 to 4 years I have been going there. I do not feel safe driving my car and ford won’t do any repairs about it even after they admitted to me it was a manufacturing fault and my car is under that block/build affected.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2024
Dec 2024

Coolant leak caused engine failure while I was driving. Engine warning came on and alerted me the Engine was overheating and to pull over as soon as it was safe to do so. I did immediately and had the car towed to Ford dealer garage

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2024
Dec 2024

I received my car back from All Star Ford on [XXX] with a rebuilt transmission installed. Since the repairs were under warranty I only had to pay $100 out of pocket. The following week I took the car in to have an oil change. The car seemed to run fairly well until [XXX]. The car started to make a strange rattling noise and a notification popped up saying that I needed to get an oil change soon. I thought this to be pretty strange as I had just got an oil change in April 2024 after I received the car back. I decided to take the car to get an oil change on [XXX] in which comments were noted that there was a major oil leak present and transmission fluid leaking as well. The following day on [XXX], as I was out and about, the car started to make the rattling noise louder as I started the car. I shifted the car in reverse to back out of a parking spot and then when I shifted into drive the car would not accelerate. I shifted into park and attempted to start the car again and it shut off and would not move. I had the car towed to All Star Ford same day and dropped the keys in the drop box because they were closed. I called again on [XXX] and was informed that the system had shut down at the shop and they could not get the approval from Ford Corporation to fix the issue. He stated that the mechanic diagnosed that the plate between the transmission and the engine was cracked and needed to be replaced. He estimated that he would be able to get the approval by 07/05/2024 and order the other parts since the shop had majority of the parts to replace again. He informed me that the repairs were still under warranty. I called on 07/10/2024 to check the progress of the repairs and Frank informed me that they are currently working on vehicle and will update me. I called on 07/12/2024 and left Frank a message for follow-up. Frank called me back and stated that there are more issues with the car which includes fixing additional items such as the torque. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2024
Sep 2024

I have coolant leaking into my engine. There are several misfires occurring ans it doesn’t always start. Have replaced spark plugs and a few hoses. Issue still isn’t resolved

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2024

Trend Over Time

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Quick Summary

The 2018 Ford Escape has 68 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.