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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,473 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Ford Escape drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2018 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 1 of 9)

problem #171

Jan 142025

Escape

  • 93,385 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the transmission fluid warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH to the dealer the following day, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond upon shifting to drive(D) or reverse(R). The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer ordered the part for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 93,385.

- Rock Hill, NY, USA

problem #170

Jan 092025

Escape

  • miles
Transmission is not going into fifth gear correctly.

- Hardinsburg, KY, USA

problem #169

Dec 272024

Escape

  • 114,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH in the rainy weather, the vehicle lost motive power. The "Transmission Failure" message was displayed. The vehicle coasted to the side of the road. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that transmission fluid was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission shifter cable bushing listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) for which the VIN was included, had failed along with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission shifter cable bushing had not caused the transmission to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #168

Dec 092024

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Purge valve stuck open causing check engine light to come on. Same as current recall on Ford Focus 2012-2018 vehicles. Ford Escapes within the same time frame should be included in the recall. Every time I fill gas there is a hard turn on since beginning of December. Then check engine light came on and code P1450.

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

problem #167

Dec 122024

Escape

  • 117,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH, the transmission hesitated, and the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.

- Edison, OH, USA

problem #166

Jan 022024

Escape

  • 105,169 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Focus. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the torque converter had disintegrated and there were metal fragments inside the transmission, causing transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,169.

- Norwood, OH, USA

problem #165

Nov 222024

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

With 125,000 miles the engine has coolant leaking into it with a possible blown head gasket.

- Ann Arbor , MI, USA

problem #164

Nov 122024

Escape

  • 141,069 miles
I have the 6F35 transmission in my 2018 Ford Escape. On 11/12/24, while driving, the transmission had a catastrophic failure. The vehicle started jerking, it would not move when giving it gas, and the transmission was whining loudly. After taking my vehicle to a Ford dealer, I learned that the pump inside of the transmission flew apart, causing the transmission to fail and to get metal shavings throughout the transmission and oil cooler system. There was no warning. The vehicle drove normal until it didn't. I never got a warning light, even after the transmission completely failed. I believe this to be a catastrophic failure because I had the transmission fluid changed at a Ford dealership about a month ago and I was not told there were any metal shavings in the fluid and the vehicle drove normal after this service. For a new transmission and oil cooler, Ford is quoting me ~$7,000.

- Jefferson City, MO, USA

problem #163

Dec 182023

Escape

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (POWER TRAIN) however the contact stated that the remedy completed was not correctly addressed which had a lead coolant leak into the vehicle transmission. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was advised that they would have to replace the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Taylor, MI, USA

problem #162

Nov 052024

Escape

  • 115,572 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle suddenly lost motive power. Additionally, there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 115,572.

- North Adams, MA, USA

problem #161

Oct 272024

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2018 Ford Escape engine coolant leaking into engine oil. 88,000 miles. Car well taken care of. White smoke coming from exhaust. Ford knows of this defect. I am a poor student and owe 8k on this vehicle. This defect should be a required recall.

- Exeter, RI, USA

problem #160

Jul 152023

Escape

  • miles
2018 Ford Escape started jerking when first accelerating. Had it looked at by a service shop and they said they found metal filings in the transmission fluid and it should be replaced. Instead of replacing I decided to try to change the fluid to extend the life. But about 1 week later it completely went out at a stop light and it would not move. It was a very dangerous situation since the car would not move at a busy intersection.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #159

Jun 012023

Escape

  • miles
Total engine failure and rebuild due to faulty head gasket component from ford. Vehicle went from running good to all of a sudden having smoke when starting, engine light came on. Immediately had inspected and was told total head gasket/engine failure.

- Geddes Sd 57342, SD, USA

problem #158

Aug 012024

Escape

  • 66,018 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered, jerked, and felt bouncy. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 66,018.

- Havelock, NC, USA

problem #157

May 232024

Escape

  • 82,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle functioned normally. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission was hesitating while shifting to the next gear, and occasionally slipped out of the intended gear while driving at various speeds. The contact stated there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from under the vehicle whenever the transmission slipped out of gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the coil packs and spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer however, the dealer was unable to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

- Labelle, FL, USA

problem #156

Aug 312024

Escape

  • 37,800 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20-30 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond, shuddered, and made an abnormal grinding sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving and exceeding 30 MPH. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The recall repair was previously performed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with the cost for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 37,800.

- Winter Haven, FL, USA

problem #155

Sep 182024

Escape

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, there was an abnormal clicking sound detected. The transmission default warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that there was no recall coverage for the vehicle. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- East Orange, NJ, USA

problem #154

Aug 072024

Escape

  • miles
I bought a 2018 Ford Escape 1.5L ecoboost as the 2 or 3rd owner. There were no recalls I checked and also did a carfax when I bought the car 7/4/2024. I was driving the car and all of a sudden the car slows itself down from 50mph to 5mph and give me a warning car is overheating. Got to side of road safely and took to the mechanic he then told me about fords customer satisfaction program but since I have 95k miles my car does not qualifiy as they only gave 4 months to people with 84k miles to get fixed free if you are over they will nto fix. I did not own the car when they sent this out in 2022 and there was nothing made public about this engine isssue they are aware of. I am still sore from the seat belts locking up and have neck issues. this car sits in my garage as a paperweight now.

- Texas City, TX, USA

problem #153

Sep 012024

Escape

  • miles
Coolant intrusion into engine cylinders and other components in the powertrain. Warranties and Ford companies DO NOT cover this. It is a factory flaw.

- Temple, TX, USA

problem #152

Aug 072024

Escape

  • miles
I have coolant leaking into my engine. There are several misfires occurring ans it doesn-??t always start. Have replaced spark plugs and a few hoses. Issue still isn-??t resolved

- St Augustine , FL, USA

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