AutoUtility currently tracks 1771 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2018 Ford Escape. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 1368 complaints (77.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 25 filings cite a crash, 5 cite a fire, 23 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 1771 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (1368 reports • 77.2% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (269), Fuel & Propulsion System (54)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 25 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 5 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 23 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2018 Ford Escape
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 #26V011000 EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
Powertrain & Transmission
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #22V413000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
Fuel & Propulsion System
Electrical System
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #26V011000 EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Ford Escape
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.
Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Engine Overheating / Temperature Warning
Smoke, Burning Odor or Thermal Event
Engine Stalling / Sudden Shutdown
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2018 Ford Escape
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start immediately but started after several attempts. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where diagnostic tests were performed, but no failure was found. While driving 10–15 minutes later at..."
"The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated. A certified mechanic was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with evaporative emission system purge flow performance failure. Additionally, the..."
"A warning light illuminated, so the vehicle was taken to the dealership for inspection. The vehicle has a history of receiving routine maintenance and repairs at this dealership. The 2.0L EcoBoost engine is known to experience coolant intrusion associated with its open-deck engine-block design,..."
"I purchased my vehicle [XXX] from Suburban Chevrolet Cadillac in Ann Arbor, MI. Less than two weeks after purchasing the vehicle, my vehicle information screen informed me that the engine was overheating. My mechanic was able to replicate the issue and informed me I was the victim of a common issue..."
"The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message was displayed to exit the vehicle immediately. The contact pulled over and called someone to add coolant to the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The contact was constantly adding coolant..."
Complaint History for Ford Escape
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Ford Escape | 1075 | 29 | 9 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Ford Escape | 1097 | 36 | 4 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Ford Escape | 2662 | 39 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Ford Escape Current Page | 1771 | 25 | 4 | Current |
| 2019 Ford Escape | 578 | 24 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Ford Escape | 1799 | 21 | 24 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Ford Escape | 355 | 10 | 20 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Ford Escape | 371 | 11 | 21 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Ford Escape | 128 | 4 | 13 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Ford Escape | 85 | 5 | 10 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Ford Escape | 25 | 0 | 10 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Ford Escape | 0 | 0 | 3 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2018 Ford Escape
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 107 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 872 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 261 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 135 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 78 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 36 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 19 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 13 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,POWER TRAIN | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EQUIPMENT,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FIRERELATED | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | 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,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SEATS,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 |
| POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,PARKING BRAKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.