AutoUtility currently tracks 723 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Ford EcoSport. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 604 complaints (83.5% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 18 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 7 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 723 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (604 reports • 83.5% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (66), Fuel & Propulsion System (44)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 18 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 2 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 7 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Ford EcoSport
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #23V905000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP
Powertrain & Transmission
Fuel & Propulsion System
Electrical System
Brakes & Traction Control
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Ford EcoSport
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Ford EcoSport
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"I had a Purge valve put in about a year ago and was told that that was the problem for my gas gauge going completely to empty while driving and losing power while driving"
"The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V905000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the failure occurred a year after the recall repair was performed. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving..."
"On XXX, my 2018 Ford EcoSport experienced a sudden loss of engine oil pressure and loss of power while driving on [XXX], consistent with the failure mode described in Ford Safety Recall 23S64 / NHTSA Recall 23V905 (engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm fracture and/or oil pump drive belt..."
"The contact owns a 2018 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine, and the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that while slowing down, the RPM became extremely elevated, and the low oil pressure warning..."
"There was a recall on these cars do to timing chain issues but mine was not in the recall with the others but ones not in recall are having same issues. Car is a ticking time bomb I want fixed under the recall."
Complaint History for Ford EcoSport
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2018–2022)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Ford EcoSport Current Page | 723 | 18 | 2 | Current |
| 2019 Ford EcoSport | 457 | 7 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Ford EcoSport | 391 | 5 | 3 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Ford EcoSport | 257 | 6 | 3 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Ford EcoSport | 10 | 2 | 2 | View 2022 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Ford EcoSport
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 73 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 264 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 210 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Oil Pump Failure
On September 20, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-015 to investigate instances of engine failure due to loss of oil pressure in model year (MY) 2018-2021 Ford EcoSport vehicles. Some consumers reported a low engine oil pressure warning lamp immediately preceding a complete loss or reduction of motive power while the vehicle was in motion. The investigation revealed that the engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm may f...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.