2018 Ford Escape engine problems
1,499 of the 1,804 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Escape name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 44 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database4 of the 1,499 reports a crash · 4 a fire · 7 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2018: 6 · 2019: 25 · 2020: 27 · 2021: 27 · 2022: 86 · 2023: 219 · 2024: 429 · 2025: 439 · 2026: 241
Half of the 562 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 60,000 and 105,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
1,804 complaints in all about the 2018 Ford Escape, 241 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Ford Escape engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
2018 Ford Escape with around 10,000 miles started having engine trouble while driving on the highway. Engine light came on and was taken directly to a Ford dealership to diagnose the issue. They stated that coolant is leaking into the cylinders. They did a coolant pressure system test and replaced a spark plug.
I got the vehicle back in late january early february of 2019. In april, the check engine light came on for a cylinder 3. Brought the car to get fixed on 4/25 a week after the check engine light came back on in which the Ford dealership was surprised due to the fact that 6 cylinders and sensors were fixed.
With only 18,000 miles on my car, the check engine light came on and it overheated. The dealership misdiagnosed the problem after having the vehicle for 2 weeks. Within a day of me having it back, the same thing happened again.
I leased my first new car on january 29, 2018. Starting in april of 2019 my vehicle has failed to start on numerous occasions. I took it to the dealership where I bought iat and they cannot replicate the issue. It won't start when the vehicle is stationary. Yesterday it happened when I put the transmission in reverse (something new).
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that a number #1 cylinder head was blown on the engine from being overheated. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle hesitated when the contact depressed on the accelerator pedal and the check engine warning light illuminated.
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications44 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
- SSM 52335 Service bulletinMar 6, 2024
- For 2015-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with turbocharged engines and customer concern of an engine oil leak, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-00 for oil leak inspection and testing methods. Ford has evaluated turbochargers replaced for oil leak symptoms and although oil may collect on the external surface of a turbocharger, it is extremely rare for a turbocharger assembly to b
The 1 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P0302 P0316 P0303 P1299 P0300 P0217 P1285 P0301
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2018 Ford Escape names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2018 Ford Escape
Source: the same files- transmission and drivetrain problems 275 complaints
- electrical problems 56 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2018 Ford Escape?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 1,499 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (83% of everything owners filed about it), and 44 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2018 Ford Escape?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 4 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2018 Ford Escape?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 85,510 miles; half of them between 60,000 and 105,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.