2018 Ford Escape Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 1,833 owner complaints for the 2018 Ford Escape.

Recalled components: equipment, powertrain, brakes, and air bags. Most-described problem: overheating or coolant loss (1,014 complaints, 55%). Most-reported area: engine (1,178 complaints, 64%; median mileage when it happened: 78,700).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

4 safety recalls for the 2018 Ford Escape

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2018 Ford Escape.

What owners report

Owners have filed 1,833 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Escape. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Overheating or coolant loss1,014 · 55%
  Median 87,400 miles at failure, from 344 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement675 · 37%
  Median 87,300 miles at failure, from 267 reports with mileage
• Check engine light628 · 34%
  Median 86,000 miles at failure, from 331 reports with mileage
• Misfires or rough running478 · 26%
  Median 88,000 miles at failure, from 143 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell176 · 10%
  Median 81,600 miles at failure, from 69 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode162 · 9%
  Median 83,000 miles at failure, from 78 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration159 · 9%
  Median 86,000 miles at failure, from 74 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off140 · 8%
  Median 90,000 miles at failure, from 67 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine1,178 · 64%
  Median 78,700 miles at failure, from 250 reports with mileage
• Engine and cooling345 · 19%
  Most named: cooling system (4) · Median 89,600 miles at failure, from 313 reports with mileage
• Powertrain278 · 15%
  Most named: automatic transmission (6); automatic transmission, control module (tcm/pcm/tecm) (3) · Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 93 reports with mileage
• Electrical system57 · 3%
  Median 17,300 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system46 · 3%
• Steering32 · 2%
  Median 28,000 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
• Brakes27 · 1%
• Unknown or other107 · 6%
  Median 14,400 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Ford Escape recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2018 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2011 Escape drew the most (451) and the 2018 drew 110.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2018 Escape MPG

Questions