2018 Ford Escape transmission and drivetrain problems
275 of the 1,804 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Escape name the transmission and drivetrain (NHTSA’s “Power Train” heading — the transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading). Filed under the same heading: 30 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall. 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 transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA complaint database4 of the 275 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 6 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2018: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 13 · 2021: 6 · 2022: 45 · 2023: 49 · 2024: 60 · 2025: 61 · 2026: 36
Half of the 94 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the transmission and drivetrain problem between 56,000 and 101,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
1,804 complaints in all about the 2018 Ford Escape, 36 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 “Power Train” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Ford Escape transmission and drivetrain problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the transmission and drivetrain. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Transmission is going bad. The transmission started making noise and stuttering. It was stationary when it was first noticed. As soon as I turned the car on and switched gears the transmission started with a whirring noise. Took it to a garage and they told me it is the transmission pump. Which is a known issue with these vehicles
My 2018 Ford Escape lost the transmission on 24/27 albemarle road. I was taking my son for doctors checkup. I was lucky there was so much traffic on my way. Someone could have hit our vehicle from the rear. I managed to pull off to the road. This would have costed our life's has someone hit US from the ream
Driving with my daughter when my 2018 Ford Escape shook hard and transmission or warning light popped on. We swerved to the side of the road. I pushed it a block back to my house. I notified Ford and they towed it to walt sweeney on glenway in cincinnati.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle on an incline or a decline, transmission fluid leaked from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transaxle was defective. The transaxle was replaced however, the failure persisted.
I was stopped on a side street waiting on traffic so I could pull out onto the main road. There was a break in traffic and when the break came I pressed on gas peddle car too off then stopped pulling car.
What is on file about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall filed under this heading
- 22V413000 HighJun 10, 2022 · 2,925,968 vehicles
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
30 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
- SSM 54366 Service bulletinNov 12, 2025
- Some 2015-2021 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an illuminated MIL with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0011, P0012, P0014, P0015, P0016, P0017, P0018, P0019, P0021, P0022, P0024 and/or P0025. Pinpoint test HK in the Powertrain Control and Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) or in Section 303-14 of the Workshop Manual (WSM) has been updated to address this concern.
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 P0012
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- engine problems 1,499 complaints
- electrical problems 56 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre transmission and drivetrain problems common on the 2018 Ford Escape?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 275 owner complaints naming the transmission and drivetrain on this model year (15% of everything owners filed about it), and 30 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall 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 transmission and drivetrain on the 2018 Ford Escape?
Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 22V413000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do transmission and drivetrain problems show up on the 2018 Ford Escape?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 79,334 miles; half of them between 56,000 and 101,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Power Train" heading cover?
The transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.