2018 Ford Escape complaints

The car began overheating while in operation. The driver immediately pulled over and shut the car off, and the car was towed to the dealership. It was discovered that there was a crack in the gasket, allowing coolant to slowly leak into the engine over time. The engine seized and is no longer operable. This is, as confirmed by my Ford mechanic, and KNOWN and COMMON issue with this particular year/model. Ford is aware that this is a manufacturing defect and has not issued a recall at this time.

The contact owned a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her son was driving approximately 30 mph, he began to depress the brake pedal and also attempted to use the emergency brakes but failed to stop the vehicle and rear-ended another vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated the front driver-side air bag did deploy. The driver did not sustain major injuries nor sought medical attention. The contact stated the other female driver did sustain unknown injuries and was taken to seek medical attention by an ambulance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was towed to the insurance towing lot. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

The transmission went out while driving down the road and I was barely able to get off the road. According to the dealership the transmission had an internal failure at 61000 miles.

The contact owned a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 12 MPH while approaching a speed bump, the vehicle lost the power steering and the hill assist warning light illuminated. The steering wheel became stiff causing the vehicle to flip completely over onto the roof of the vehicle. The contact stuffed minor injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towed lot and was deemed totally lost. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 53,086.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds the vehicle would overheat and shutoff inadvertently. A message indicating that the vehicle was overheating was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and opened the hood until the vehicle had cooled down. The contact then restarted the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown filter was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred while driving, with the message "Powertrain Malfunction - Reduced Power" displayed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer several times. The dealer diagnosed that the coolant pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Friendly Ford, Inc. (1077 State Route 5&20, Geneva, NY 14456), where it was diagnosed that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to an unknown recall; however, the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall due to the mileage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not exceed 40 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where an unknown repair was completed. The mechanic test drove the vehicle uphill; however, the failure reoccurred. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown repair was completed; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred 8 times within a two-hour drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The dealer advised the contact to purchase an Extended Warranty coverage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,150. The VIN was unavailable.

Coolant leaked into engine causing engine replacement

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after purchasing the vehicle while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side seat pivoted back requiring the contact to stand on her left foot to reach the brake pedal while the seat inadvertently adjusted backward without warning. The contact then stated that the rear passenger’s and driver’s side door failed to open, and the front passenger’s side door intermittently failed to open. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle started to shake, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Midas where it was diagnosed that the air intake tubes were glued together causing a lack of intake air. Additionally, cylinder #3 had misfired. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,918.

In my 2018 ford escape, that I purchased only two years ago, my check engine light came on for the first time. I took my car to the dealership, and they stated that there was a coolant leak and had leaked into my cylinder 4 causing the vehicle to misfire and not function properly. Due to this, the dealership stated that this repair would cost me 8500 dollars to repair this issue and that was by replacing the short block of the engine.

In the past 2 weeks, the check engine light has come on and then turned off several times. April 7 the car overheated and it was found to have no engine coolant and a powertrain warning turned on. After adding coolant, the car ran and errors disappeared. We’ve been checking the coolant every day and have had to continually add coolant although no leak seems to be occurring. Made an appointment at a shop to have it checked out and in the days leading up to that appointment, it started running roughly. April 12 it took several attempts to start and a powertrain warning came on and it wasn’t running at full power. After turning the car off, when re started, error disappeared. Repair shop today said the engine coolant was leaking into the engine cylinders and that the engine needs to be replaced.

The paint on the pillar next to the windshield on the drivers side just bubbled up, cracked and flaked away leaving the body of my car exposed to the weather elements. Searching the internet, I have found this is a common problem with Fords, but Ford won't fix it. Since this is common and obviously a factory defect, I feel a recall should be issued to cover this.

The transmission was found to have a leak by my personal mechanic. The suv does not have a dipstick to check if fluid is low so a few weeks ago it start making noise and running weird. It would hesitate while driving, slow acceleration, even sputtering to the point of possible shutting off. Sometimes I am not able to reverse out of the way of traffic. It is dangerous especially if my children are in the car. My mechanic said that at first he just thought it was low on fluid and then he seen a puddle on the pan that collects underneath but he assumed it was oil but that wouldn't be because I just got an oil change from the dealership. Come to find out the transmission has had a slow leak that I would have never even noticed because there is a collection panel underneath. I've tried to contact the dealership multiple times. No help, we've only had the car for 15 months.

While driving vehicle on highway at highway speeds of 65 MPH. Vehicle check engine light started flashing. Vehicles slowed to 20 MPH. We almost got hit by 6 different vehicles and caused a pile up. Large cloud of black smoke left from tailpipes. Was stranded on side of highway. Was told by Ford that vehicle needed a new short block. This is the 3 engine for this vehicle with only 37000 miles.

I had my adaptive cruise control on while driving on a highway and suddenly lost power/acceleration. I was able to limp the car back home and the check engine light came on. I took it in to get the error code read, which prompted that there was an issue with the high pressure fuel pump. I got that replaced by our normal service provider and picked up my vehicle. While driving the vehicle again (with adaptive cruise on), I lost acceleration/power. Since I wasn't in the area, I had the vehicle towed back to the service provider where the replaced fuel pump had "collapsed onto itself and broke", which luckily didn't cause serious injury. In this state, the service provider told me it was unsafe to drive. With the newest fuel pump, everything seemed fine for a few days in my daily travels. We were on our way to a vacation stay (highway speeds, adaptive cruise, driving for 2+ hours, etc.) when the issue presented itself again. This time when we returned to the service center, they stated that the engine had sludge which was causing the damage to the fuel pump and we would need to replace the engine. Since owning this vehicle, I have had it serviced as stated in the Ford service schedule (90,000 mile service, oil changes, etc.) and have always kept an eye on the temperature gauge. The fact that I have maintained this vehicle well and the engine now needs replacing doesn't seem to add up. I feel like there is a serious flaw with these engines and luckily, they didn't cause any accid

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle made a loud knocking sound. The vehicle was restarted, and the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, whenever the A/C was activated, there was a squealing sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 58,200.

Every morning after starting, a thick cloud of white smoke emits from the exhausts. It clears up after a minute or so but it happens in both hot and cold weather. Took the car to the mechanic and it was determined there is a head gasket leak. Vehicle runs fine and does not overheat. Upon further research, i noticed it is a common occurrence with Ford Escape owners and the manufacturer isn't doing anything about it.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle the contact heard an unknown sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle started to shake, followed by the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and did not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 137,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the tailgate failed to function as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

Engine over heated. Had diagnostics ran on it and it came back with 9 error codes. Then had a block diagnostics done on it and it came back with 4 dealer codes. My 2018 Ford Escape is at the ford dealership as of 3/26/2023. Engine light is on.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the instrument panel registered that the engine was hot. A message to turn off the vehicle was displayed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate, and the engine started to overheat. The contact turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 66,088.

The warning light came on. Car over heated, no steam, but antifreeze leaked by the wheel. There were no leaks to be found, so change the reservoir. Took the car out to test. After 30 minutes of driving car over heated again. I then took the car to the shop. I was told several need a new engine. Several codes showed up on diagnostic test.

After 6 month standard service, had to have 17 lug nuts replaced. All 17 were damaged after 6 month servicing after wheels were rotated.

The vehicle started running rough - thought I had gotten bad gas. Took it and had it scanned and it read #2 ignition coil was bad. Had it replaced and it got worse so mechanic took it off. They found the coolant was low and then discovered blown head gasket. Coolant was running inside of motor and not outside onto the ground. I have found numerous reports on this same failure of the Ecoboost 1.5L engines. Messages came up and I took it to my mechanic.

Pressed gas to move at light and car revved but did not move. Stuck on very busy highway. There was no warning. No warning lights, no weird noises. Nothing. Had car towed to Ford dealership. Advised transmission needs to be replaced. At 63,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle began to overheat. The message "Engine Fault. Service Now" was displayed. The contact pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated upon attempting to restart the vehicle 20 minutes later, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 89,000.

I was driving around 50 mph. A notice popped up that said service engine now. It then started to run hot. I pulled over on the side of the road and the car wouldn’t start. The car had no coolant in it at all when my help arrived. It was empty. I now have a message on my Ford app that says power train malfunction. I haven’t had this car two years. My safety was at risk because my daughter was in the car and it started to run hot. I thought my car was going to catch fire. I can’t afford to fix this when thousands of other people have had this same issue.

The contact's fiancé owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant was intruding into the engine. There was a misfire in cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the coil pack and spark plugs. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the message "Transmission Failure" was displayed, and the vehicle hesitated while responding. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering while driving 35-45 MPH. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the earliest availability for diagnostic test was approximately month away. The vehicle was taken to a transmission specialist, where it was diagnosed that the transmission fluid was abnormally dark, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a local dealer, who had an earlier availability. The contact scheduled an appointment with the dealer for the diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Continuous low coolant level. Every 3 weeks have to replenish coolant. Have seen others having same issue.

Another driver ran stop sign and hit middle of car, mostly the left door behind drivers seat. The back and passager airbags released but the driver side airbag didn't fully release. I didn't know at the time that this was weird and was actually relieved it didn't. Since then, my son's dad drove my suv and told me that the front windshield may not have been bonded correctly, he has to put additional force on the breaks and the engine makes random noises whenever it does, it looses power and he has to put the pedal to the metal. He says since my suv only has 18,000 miles, it shouldn't be doing these things. It also burns through coolant. I don't know if any other fords have issues likes this too.

Wife was driving our 2018 Ford Escape out of a parking lot. Steering wheel locked up and vehicle displayed a “Steering Assist Fault” warning light. She was unable to steer vehicle, which nearly caused accident before she was able to stop vehicle.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an unknown speed, a temperature warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was first towed to an independent mechanic and later to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant had leaked into cylinder #2. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN regarding the engine. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure and remained in the possession of the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 63,500.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle started overheating and the coolant level warning light illuminated. The contact checked the coolant level and noticed that there was no coolant in the vehicle. The contact added coolant, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that coolant was leaking into cylinder #2, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 122,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the hill start assist message was displayed. Additionally, the traction control warning light was illuminated, and the instrument panel was blank. The contact stated that the vehicle temporarily lost motive power however, the vehicle regained normal function minutes later. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the contact was unsure of what repairs were performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.

I bought the vehicle in July of 2019 with approximately 20,000 mi on it. I have never touched or adjusted the steering wheel, and I'm the only one to drive the vehicle. My daughter has gotten her temps and I allowed her to drive the vehicle last night. She adjusted the steering column as she is a bit shorter than I am. When I got back into the driver seat, and move the steering wheel back into the position that I keep it in, and then proceeded to turn out of the driveway And it felt as if all the tires were flat and it was very hard to steer. I assume I lost my power steering abilities. Also the windshield wipers started going off and the washer fluid just started flying out onto the windshield and would not stop. I immediately put the car into park and turn the vehicle off. I turned on the car, proceeded to make the turn again, and the car did the same thing. The only thing I could think of was possibly something got pinched inside the steering column with the wiring harness because that is the only thing that changed between her and I driving. When I started the car up this morning and went to turn out of the driveway it did the same thing. I loosened up the lock on the steering wheel and I moved it up and down and relocked it, and got to my destination without any more issue, but concerned there is something going on with the wiring harness now.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced cold start issues, requiring numerous attempts while starting the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle idled roughly once started. The contact stated that once the vehicle reached approximately 30 MPH there would be a white smoke cloud coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that coolant had leaked into the engine block and that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The engine overheated message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who made the contact aware of TSB: 10156569. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic awaiting the diagnostic test and repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle overheated. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 21N12 (Coolant Intrusion). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle overheated and stalled. The engine misfire warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown, and that antifreeze was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the coils needed to be replaced due to coolant intrusion into the engine. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 113,000.

Sync is having issues... No rear camera, only 1 station on radio available, radio stays on when engine off and door is opened. Horn beeps on its own. Doors lock themselves, Sync screen goes blank etc

I took my car into Lugoff Ford, in South Carolina today, because the passenger side dashboard is lifting up near the glove box, and I felt the transmission slip. I noticed this (Dash issue) has happened on the 2020 Fords. I was told today by the dealer that the "The Clips failed to secure the dash, probably because of to much vibration." I would have to pay $298.00 for a new dash, I have 17,279 miles on it, so under 20,000 miles these clips failed? It sat in my garage for the first 4 years of having the car. I'm 68 years old, and only drive to doctors mainly, not sure how much vibration I could cause on this, just concerned how many more people are actually doing the same, and no one is reporting them. Safety issue to me would be if the other clips failed on driver side, and the dash rose up BLOCKING YOUR VIEW WHILE DRIVING. I DO have Premium warranty on my car until 2026, but was told it doesn't cover the dash. Thank you for your assistance.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle nearly to stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing motive power. The driver pulled over and the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that his wife noticed the "Service Engine Soon" light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic who determined that the vehicle was leaking coolant into the engine block. The contact had been advised by the mechanic that the engine failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V209000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with the coolant leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the short block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

The fly wheel broke at the factory welds, and it is not covered by the warranty, but the same flywheel is used in the 2020 Ford Fusion and is being recalled for defects and covered under warranty.

The power steering suddenly stopped working on my 2018 Ford Escape when I turned my car on, with an odometer reading of under 26,000 miles. A "Steering fault" message suddenly appeared. If I had been driving on the highway or interstate at the time, this could have resulted in a serious and deadly accident. I called the Ford dealership and the representative told me it was safe to drive the car, and said that if I wanted to, I could just drive it without the power steering until they had the part in to fix it. I asked if that was safe and they said yes. I asked if they were sure it was safe. Then they went and checked with a tech person and told me it wasn't safe. The dealership confirmed the steering fault message and found codes U3000:49 and U3000:53. Notes from my very expensive invoice indicate "Pin Point test leads to internal fault with steering gear module remove and replace steering gear assy."

The contact called on behalf of a friend who owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his friend was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle emitted an abnormal sound. Additionally, there was significant amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown. The dealer informed the contact's friend that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown recall as the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 81,647.

Dealer recommended lug nuts to be replaced. Called dealer to ask why lugs need to be replaced. Service advisor said lugs swell due to inferior materials. This vehicle only has 50,000 miles. This is not expensive to replace, makes you wonder if they cheap out on lug nuts what else is made cheap.

On Sat, Jan 14, started my car, it misfired on startup. Sun 1/15/23, started it, it misfired again. ‘Ck Engine light’ came on.Went to Advanced Auto Parts- code = P0304, Cylinder 4 Misfire Detected. Immed stopped driving vehicle-scheduled appt w/mechanic. Tuesday, Jan 17, drove vehicle to 1st Stop Auto, they diagnosed it, another code came up=P0316, Misfire Detected on Start-up (First 1000 Revolutions). They pulled all recalls, found out there's Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) on my make and model dated 12/2019. Diagnosis of vehicle from mechanic: “Found coolant was low due to it getting into Cylinder 4. TSB for replacing the engine for this issue.”. I picked up vehicle and drove it to Pinnacle Ford to have them diagnose it. In 12/2019, Ford distributed an INTERNAL Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) to their service departments regarding this major issue, WITH NO RECALL, then in 2020, a Class Action Lawsuit was filed against Ford. Both the mechanic and dealer has told me that my SUV needs a new engine-long block because the EcoBoost engine is defective as coolant leaks into the cylinders, which causes misfires, damage to additional major parts of the engine, AND can cause fire. This is not only a major repair for a vehicle w/less than 68k miles, but also a MAJOR safety hazard and Ford Motor Company IS DOING NOTHING TO REPAIR OR COMPENSATE OWNERS THAT OWN OR LEASE THEIR PRODUCTS/VEHICLES! They're fully aware of problem & have been for close to 10 years. Pinnacle Ford Lincoln dia