2018 Ford Escape power train problems
265 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2018 Ford Escape — 15% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“After replacing the engine less than a year, driving on I 96 going back to her home. The car starts losing power and shaking and the engine light come on. She almost get re-ended because the car lost powers so quick. She gets off the freeway and makes it to a friends house and parks the car. Called…”
filed Jul 25, 2026
“I have a 2918 ford escape se with what I am now finding has a known flawed 1.5l ecoboost that ford only put a service notice out on long ago. The engine has a know issue with cylinder coolant intrusion problems. I had engine misfire and powertrain code show up and put the car into limp mode while…”
filed Jul 23, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detachCampaign 22V413000 · Jun 10, 2022
Power Train problems in other Escape years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Escape | 3 | 14% |
| 2024 Escape | 2 | 3% |
| 2023 Escape | 19 | 20% |
| 2022 Escape | 30 | 13% |
| 2021 Escape | 39 | 12% |
| 2020 Escape | 231 | 15% |
| 2019 Escape | 121 | 21% |
| 2017 Escape | 386 | 15% |
| 2016 Escape | 319 | 30% |
| 2015 Escape | 284 | 27% |
| 2014 Escape | 479 | 23% |
| 2013 Escape | 399 | 15% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2018 Ford Escape
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.