10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
22,020 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2018 Ford Escape:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #150

Dec 052022

Escape

  • miles
I was told after only 4 years the car has a major leak into the cylinder and needs a new engine. I have seen this problem online by many consumers and this needs to be corrected. In the last few days the engine light came on and I called and made an appointment. I noticed grey smoke only on start up now that the weather was getting colder.

- Syracuse, NY, USA

problem #149

Jan 162021

Escape

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and attempting to merge onto a highway, the vehicle would not accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that the RPM-??s would rise as he depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle almost stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway and placed the vehicle in park(P). The contact turned the vehicle off and on and was able to shift the vehicle into drive(D) however, the vehicle would not accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer, and it was diagnosed that the turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the engine was replaced; however, the failure was not due to the turbo charger. The contact stated that he had experienced another turbo charger failure a year later. The contact stated that the second engine was replaced. The contact stated that both the replaced turbo chargers had displayed code P0035. The contact was informed by the dealer that the first turbo charger had a valve that became stuck closed and on the second turbo charger a valve had remained in the open position. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Woodstock, IL, USA

problem #148

Sep 012022

Escape

  • miles
Our vehicle started having problems with the coolant appearing to drain to quickly. Having a mechanic check out the system is was diagnosed with the water pump going. We got the vehicle back home, needing to wait to get funds to have the waterpump replaced, when the vehicle shut off on its own in our driveway. The vehicle then wouldn't even turn over. Now having the vehicle checked out we are told the coolant leaked into the engine and has destroyed it. It will cost us over $10,000 to have the engine replaced. The vehicle only has 53,000 miles on it. This is something that should not have happened with a 4yr old vehicle with only 53,000 miles on it. Thankfully the engine didn't go on us while we were on the highway driving home. Ford needs to step up and take care of this serious issue and not leave it to the consumer to be leveled with the cost of their failures in putting out a better product. The seriousness of what may have happened if the engines had caught fire or just died on us while on the highway is too great to consider.

- Pittsville, MD, USA

problem #147

Nov 052022

Escape

  • miles
Piston #2 failed in the engine. The piston head broke and pieces of metal traveled through the engine. It is available for inspection. This occurred at night while driving down a state route at speeds between 50-55mph. The engine immediately began to run extremely rough, check engine light came on and began blinking, the car began to sputter and shake, which caused the car to become unsafe to operate. We had the vehicle towed to avoid causing any damage to the engine. The Ford dealership that we buy our cars from did the diagnosis, performed an engine tear down, and was able to determine the piston was the route cause. The technician confirmed that it was the piston itself that failed, and was not due to any maintenance issues, other part, or driver neglect. It has not been inspected directly by Ford, police, or insurance. It has only been inspected by the Ford certified technicians at the Ford dealership. We contacted Ford Motor Company's customer affairs department, opened a case with them in regards to the faulty part being installed when the the car was originally built. They have the pictures and service departments notes about the piston. There were no warning lamps, notifications, or alerts. The check engine light appeared the moment the failure happened, and began to blink. We did notice that the exhaust would expel a large amount of black smoke when we would need to accelerate the vehicle in areas such as highway on-ramps. That recurring behavior has been documented prior to this incident. Dealer made efforts in the past to investigate that issue but was unable to find a route cause.

- Stow, OH, USA

problem #146

Oct 302022

Escape

  • 107,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the contact became aware of smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to his residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the vehicle had engine block failure and that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 107,000.

- Spokane, WA, USA

problem #145

Nov 132022

Escape

  • miles
There is a coolant leak which is cause the car to make a misfire on cylinder 2. Car is overheating suddenly and can not drive

- Hopewell, VA, USA

problem #144

Nov 012022

Escape

  • 103,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, the vehicle could not be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who indicated that water was present inside the camshaft; additionally, the engine solenoids and engine hoses were worn and damaged. The vehicle was not repaired and later was taken to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,000.

- Danbury, CT, USA

problem #143

Nov 112022

Escape

  • miles
Took Ford Escape to dealer because of service engine alert. Was told it probally needed a tune up or a compression problem. I then got a call back to say coolant was leaking into the cylinders. And they would have to rebuild the block. Seems they would replace the engine since this is a continuing problem for the Ford Escape since 2013. Tech did state this is an on going problems and they get service alerts all the time.

- Millington, TN, USA

problem #142

Apr 212022

Escape

  • miles
On April 2022 my vehicle began to malfunction while I was driving. My car was in drive and when I hit the gas pedal it began moving backwards. Then, the vehicle would not move at all when it was in drive. I turned the car off, restarted, and was able to drive to a safe location. When I tried driving the vehicle again it was moving in reverse even though it was in park. I at that time called AAA and had my vehicle towed to a service center. During this time my safety was in danger as I was on the road and could have been in an accident with the way my car was malfunctioning. Before this problem occurred there were no warning lights, it just happened out of nowhere. I would later learn the engine needed repairs and I needed a new transmission.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #141

Oct 052022

Escape

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, there was a message that cylinder #2 had misfired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and stated that the engine needed to be replaced due to coolant leaking into cylinder #2. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 42,000.

- Earlington, KY, USA

problem #140

Oct 212022

Escape

  • miles
Check engine light came on and went to get it diagnosed. Came back with code PO302 cylinder misfires. Took to Firestone who did a tune up, changed spark plugs and got told the coolant was low. Which was weird because I just filled it. Have never got an alert about any leaks or that the engine was running hot. I always check the fluids and only recently did i notice going thru coolant more. Started to smell something sweet in the car and on my way home today, the car over heated and I got one of those engine alert things. Started researching and here I am.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #139

Aug 152022

Escape

  • miles
The check engine light came on and an engine fault error message come on when you start the car. took the car to my mechanic who couldn't find anything that would cause these. He started looking into issues and found Ford is fully aware there is an engine coolant leak into one of the cylinders, all escapes from 2013 to 2019 could be affected. The only way to fix this is to replace the small block (minimum $6000 repair according to ford)... possible for engine to catch fire according to the information I found). How is this not a recall, that Ford needs to be responsible for? They're aware of the issue and that it's not consumer caused.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #138

Sep 022022

Escape

  • miles
My vehicle is under 80,000 miles. The check engine light came on and the car was not drivable. Fortunetely, I was in my driveway when the check engine light blinked and car did not run. If it was on the road, I would have been in danger. I immediately towed it to the business I have a warranty with. Bill Collins Ford has determined the engine has a cracked cylinder and coolant was leaking in. I now have to have the short block replaced costing near $7,000.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #137

Aug 292022

Escape

  • miles
The engine in this vehicle experienced a loss of coolant into cylinder #3 in late August 2022. This led to white smoke from the exhaust, rough idle and a complete loss of coolant from the cooling system into the engine. This occurred during a trip to Canada and back. After returning from the trip, the check engine light came on. The vehicle was immediately brought to a Ford dealership (Salem Ford NH) where the PCM codes (P0303 and P0316) and engine inspection confirmed engine failure. The dealer confirmed the engine must be replaced.

- Windham, NH, USA

problem #136

Oct 092022

Escape

  • miles
Coolant leaking in to cylinder

- Sleepy Eye, MN, USA

problem #135

Sep 302022

Escape

  • miles
CEL came on and showed code P0302. I replaced the coil pack and spark plug, problem was fixed for a week and then the code came back on. Did research and realized when the car is on the coolant totally depletes and returns after the car is off, the coolant should not deplete like it did. This is a known issue with these vehicles that the coolant goes into the engine when it should not and causes problems with cylinder 2. This is a manufacturing defect and should have a recall so that Ford can fix their mistake. There are no recalls for this problem even though Ford has many customers with Escapes that are having this same exact problem and caused by no fault of our own. Ford will not fix it since it-??s out of warranty so will need to pay out of pocket.

- Cibolo, TX, USA

problem #134

Sep 072022

Escape

  • 18,682 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a rodent-??s nest underneath the hood. The dealer removed the rodent-??s nest; however, the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The dealer determined there was a coolant leak in the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer referred the contact to Dorian Ford (35900 Gratiot Ave, Clinton Twp, MI 48035) and scheduled an upcoming appointment for the service. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 18,682.

- Roseville, MI, USA

problem #133

Jul 282022

Escape

  • miles
Engine possibly could have failed in high volume traffic causing a collision. Check engine light came on 7/28/22 @ approximately 82,500 miles, code PO301 engine misfire # 1 cylinder, cleared trouble code, but problem returned on 8/2/22 @ 82,793 miles same code, 8/5/22 replaced #1 ignition & spark plug, cleared code again, but code returned again on 8/9/22, my local repair facility (Oxford Motors in Oxford NY) diagnosed engine internal coolant leak causing engine misfire on cylinder #1, tested for head gasket failure @ 83,483 miles, coolant recovery tank was low, filled w/engine coolant to specified level, checked engine compression on all 4 cylinders, found #1 cylinder @ 80 psi compared to all other cylinders @110 psi, made appointment (8/29/22) with local ford service center (Matthews Ford in Norwich NY) for further inspection, the dealer recommended replacing engine long block as this is a common problem with this engine. Engine replaced @ a cost of $6011.61 and The Ford Motor Company would not extend the drive line warranty due to the fact the vehicle was purchased used and not serviced by a ford dealer, but if it had been ford in the past has extended the warranty to 100,000 miles. Ford is aware of this problem, but has not issued any recall & is addressing the problem as it occurs with bias.

- Oxford, NY, USA

problem #132

Mar 212022

Escape

  • miles
Vehicle alerted for miss-fire cylinders 1&2. I took to my mechanic and he diagnosed coolant had leaked into the engine fouling cylinders 1 & 2 irreparably and needed a complete engine change. Advised I take it to Ford dealer as this is a known issue. I contacted Ford customer service for advice and was told I needed to take it to a Ford dealership for diagnosis and determination. Towed vehicle to Ford. Same diagnosis with an estimate of $11,154.31 to replace the engine. Requested an adjustment or assistance as this is not an expected failure and there is sufficient evidence of this happening with this engine to many people. Ford refused assistance. Towed back to my mechanic for an OEM engine change. At least two people in my area have had this engine replaced with my mechanic since my occurance.

- Mechanicsville, VA, USA

problem #131

Dec 222019

Escape

  • miles
Ford has a recall on the short block my car has the exact issue and the mechanic at my dealership told me it was the short block the issue was cause engines to be blown which happened got engine replaces and has had problems since then and got a paper stating the short block issue and ford knows about it. But refuses to fix it.

- Leechburg , PA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »