AutoUtility currently tracks 257 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2021 Ford EcoSport. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 205 complaints (79.8% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 6 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 3 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
205 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
49 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
23 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
14 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
28 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Formal engineering analyses and preliminary evaluations opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly started shaking slowly and felt that the shaking was coming from the rear end. The contact stated that over time, the shaking was felt in the front end of the vehicle, and..."
"For 14 months, I attempted to get active recalls fixed on the car at Downtown Sacramento Ford, which claimed to be certified pre-owned per Folsom Lake Ford but had existing recalls and issues when I bought it in March of 2024. My car finally broke down on 07/11/26 and was towed on 07/12/26 to the..."
"Unknown how it happened. After parking noticed back driver side tire was tilted. Took picture next morning under car to see that the cross arm was broken in half. Car was not drivable and was towed to a Ford dealership Seems like arm just snapped without notice."
"Oil low pressure,oil pump is not working"
"Manufacturer has delayed repaired vehicle under campaign 23V905. Loss of use / unable to use this unsafe vehicle. It has been at the dealership and supposedly awaiting parts since September 2025. Manufacturer’s customer service people cannot provide additional details around delivery dates...."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2018–2022)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Ford EcoSport | 723 | 18 | 2 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Ford EcoSport | 457 | 7 | 2 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Ford EcoSport | 391 | 5 | 3 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Ford EcoSport Current Page | 257 | 6 | 3 | Current |
| 2022 Ford EcoSport | 10 | 2 | 2 | View 2022 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 49 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 107 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 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 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,WHEELS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2021 Ford EcoSport
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2021 Ford EcoSport is Engine & Cooling, appearing in 205 records (79.8% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Powertrain & Transmission (49) and Electrical System (23).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 257 consumer defect complaints and 3 safety recall campaigns for the 2021 Ford EcoSport.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Ford EcoSport, 6 filings cite a crash, 1 cite smoke or fire, and 3 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
NHTSA ODI records list 1 formal defect investigation involving the 2021 Ford EcoSport (all closed).
Federal defect investigations are formal engineering evaluations opened when safety defect trends emerge, and do not by themselves establish a confirmed defect or mandatory recall.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.