2018 Ford Escape problems
NHTSA has received 2,234 complaints about the 2018 Ford Escape, and 68% of them involve engine. Next are drivetrain & axles (12%) and electrical system (3%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 2,234 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 68% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 41 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 51 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 800 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 95 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 66 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 93 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 135 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 177 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 134 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 67 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 28 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 800 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 80,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 86,000 miles (561 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 41 complaints mention a crash; 10 complaints mention a fire; 51 injuries reported. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 88% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2018 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 25 model years of the Ford Escape with enough data (801 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
On december 26, 2019, another other vehicle hit this 2018 ford escape, spinning it into another vehicle. This escape caught on fire and was totally destroyed. All involved vehicles (all fords) were in motion traveling about 50 MPH. This escape was traveling north on route 122 near burnt chimney, va. The other two fords were traveling south on this two lane road.
Coming down the freeway in nevada, it began to feel like we ran over something in the road over and over. There was a shaking in the steering/wheels so felt like it keep hitting bumps in the road. It progressively got worse. We finally realized that it may be the traction control system. When it was turned off, it began to correct. But it turned itself back on by itself.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact started that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was vibrating and shaking abnormally before the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the failure the check engine warning light had illuminated; however, the contact was able to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer.