2018 Ford Escape Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 344 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2018 Ford Escape, 19% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 89,300 miles. The words owners use most often: “coolant intrusion” (51% of reports).
- 344engine and engine cooling complaints
- 89,300median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 34%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Coolant intrusion: mentioned in 177 of 344 complaints (51%)
- Program 21N12: mentioned in 47 of 344 complaints (14%)
- Spark plugs: mentioned in 44 of 344 complaints (13%)
- Short block: mentioned in 40 of 344 complaints (12%)
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 312 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
None of the 344 complaints report a crash, fire or injury.
Ford Escape engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Escape | 4 | 15% | 5,000 |
| 2024 Escape | 1 | 1% | 4,500 |
| 2023 Escape | 4 | 4% | 4,200 |
| 2022 Escape | 6 | 3% | 49,100 |
| 2021 Escape | 3 | 1% | 37,350 |
| 2020 Escape | 12 | 1% | 85,000 |
| 2019 Escape | 94 | 16% | 81,000 |
| 2018 Escape | 344 | 19% | 89,300 |
| 2017 Escape | 508 | 19% | 82,038 |
| 2016 Escape | 57 | 5% | 95,500 |
| 2015 Escape | 44 | 4% | 114,000 |
| 2014 Escape | 187 | 9% | 100,000 |
| 2013 Escape | 175 | 6% | 105,000 |
| 2012 Escape | 6 | 1% | 23,186 |
| 2011 Escape | 17 | 1% | 44,500 |
| 2010 Escape | 35 | 2% | 49,012 |
| 2009 Escape | 37 | 2% | 55,000 |
| 2008 Escape | 38 | 2% | 42,000 |
| 2007 Escape | 6 | 2% | 61,500 |
| 2006 Escape | 21 | 5% | 45,000 |
| 2005 Escape | 90 | 6% | 89,362 |
| 2004 Escape | 18 | 4% | 96,000 |
| 2003 Escape | 47 | 8% | 53,357 |
| 2002 Escape | 294 | 29% | 32,000 |
| 2001 Escape | 282 | 28% | 41,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 2018 Ford Escape. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the head gasket of the engine cracked and the vehicle stalled. There was coolant leaking into the engine previously, and the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was leaking coolant. There was white smoke coming from…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. While driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown warning light illuminated, and the message to "Pull Over Immediately" was displayed. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the long block, turbo charger…
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 10â15 minutes later at…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2018 Ford Escapes have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 344 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 2018 Ford Escape (19% of the 1,816 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2018 Ford Escape engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 89,300 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 2018 Ford Escape?
The most frequent phrase is “coolant intrusion”, in 177 of 344 complaints, followed by “program 21n12” (47).
Other 2018 Ford Escape problems
- Engine problems (1,164)
- Power Train problems (275)
- Electrical System problems (57)
See all 2018 Ford Escape problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Escape years.