2018 Ford Explorer engine problems

123 complaints about engine have been filed for the 2018 Ford Explorer, which is 14% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the 2nd most reported problem area for this model year.

Complaints: 123 14% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage: 53,000 miles 52 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires: 3 and 3
Injuries and deaths: 6 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When engine problems show up

Based on 52 complaints that include mileage. 52% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.

View the numbers

Mileage	Complaints
0k to 20k miles	17
20k to 40k miles	6
40k to 60k miles	4
60k to 80k miles	10
80k to 100k miles	5
100k to 120k miles	5
120k to 140k miles	3
140k to 160k miles	0
160k to 180k miles	2
180k to 200k miles	0
200k+ miles	0

What the data shows

Of the 52 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 52,000 miles, and 52% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 3 crashes, 3 fires, 6 injuries.

What owners wrote

We took our 2018 ford explorer into the shop last winter complaining of a bad smell. The shop kept our car for about 5 days and said there was nothing wrong. 2 weeks ago my wife went to the er and was diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning. We began working with for to help get this fixed, 5 days later she passed out at the wheel and wrecked into a telephone poll. While at the er there was carbon monoxide in her blood again. Thank goodness she didn't hit a family or something worse.

Reported at 25,000 miles, December 2020 CrashInjury

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved DTC: P0303 (Misfire in cylinder #3). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, who confirmed the failure. The dealer replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils. The contact stated that the failure persisted.

Reported at 119,000 miles, April 2025

Engine problems in other years

Engine problems across all Ford models