Problems · by component
2018 Ford Escape engine and engine cooling problems
345 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Escape cite engine and engine cooling, 19% of all 1,823 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
345
19% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine and engine cooling
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine temperature increased, and the vehicle entered Limp mode. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine cylinders. The failure mileage was 110,000.”
“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 tailpipe with a sweet odor during the failure. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was contacted by phone, where a case was opened. The contact was informed that there was no recall or manufacturer warranty on the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. A mobile mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and confirmed that the head gasket was cracked. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.”
“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, transaxle oil cooler, an unknown pump, and flushed and refilled the transmission fluid due to coolant intrusion into the transmission. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was 64,054.”
“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 approximately 30–35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was returned to the independent mechanic, where a it was diagnosed that the canister purge valve had failed. The canister purge valve was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the under-hood canister purge valve and the EVAP canister were replaced, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed that the failure was unknown. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 120,618.”
“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 to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that coolant was leaking into the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.”
“The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine overheated while driving, causing the contact to be four minutes late for work. There was white smoke coming from the exhaust while starting the vehicle. There was an abnormal odor coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was concerned about having to purchase another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was coolant intrusion in the engine block. The contact stated that the purge valve assembly was replaced, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.”
Showing 6 of 345 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.