KnownCarProblems2018 Ford Ecosport Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 727 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Ecosport, most often about the engine (88% of complaints, typically around 67,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Ecosport model year since 2000 and has 2 recalls.
Most common 2018 Ford Ecosport problems
Engine
642 complaints · 88%Half of these problems showed up before 67,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while his daughter was driving approximately 35-40 MPH in the rain, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound and lost motive power. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to veer to the side of the…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an engine failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to…
Transmission
67 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized with the low oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v905000 (engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated and jerked abnormally while the transmission was shifting gear. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed there were metal shavings found inside…
Other or unspecified
61 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 18,500 miles.
On thursday july 2 2020 my Ford Ecosport stalled at a stop light. I was pushed into a parking lot by the local police. I got in the car and it started right up. I talked to a Ford service person and he suggested I disable the auto start. I did as he suggested and drove just fine until I got on the expressway. While I…
Check engine light illuminated after a short drive, vehicle was turned off and parked a short time later in a parking lot. A few minutes after that, the vehicle engine compartment caught fire. Vehicle was at the dealer a few days prior to the incident for repair work (coil, spark plug)
Fuel system
44 complaints · 6%The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to accelerate as needed. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact then received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v905000…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon the depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light flashing on the instrument panel. The failure persisted, and the check engine warning light remained solid on the…
Electrical
35 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 43,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, starter assembly, instrument cluster/panel, alternator/generator/regulator.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the thermostat had failed. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic, who made the same…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and turned off, the security alarm erroneously activated and could not be deactivated. The alarm eventually shut off independently. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The cause of the failure…
Brakes
33 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while driving 5-10 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to come to a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. Additionally, the contact stated that the brake pedal fractured, causing her right…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. Additionally, the vehicle lost power braking functionality and engine oil pressure, with the oil pressure warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number…
Speed control
19 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the low oil pressure message was displayed. The oil and engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to accelerate and coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The message that there was âno oil pressureâ was displayed. The vehicle decelerated and stalled. The vehicle was restarted but failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The contact pulled over…
Air bags
10 complaints · 1%The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving on the highway at approximately 70 MPH, there was a mattress on the road. The contact stated that the vehicle in front of her stopped to pull the mattress off the roadway causing the vehicle behind her to crash into the rear…
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Ecosport. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 23v905000 (engine and engine cooling); but the recall repair failed to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated, and the engine failed…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2018 Ford Ecosport recalls
Engine: pump
Risk: A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed august 11, 2025. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23s64.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 ford focus and 2018-2022 ford ecosport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.
Brakes: service brakes
Risk: Owners could be confused by the incorrect label on the brake fluid cap, potentially causing them to replace the brake fluid with an incorrect fluid which could affect brake performance, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake fluid cap and owner's manual kit, free of charge. The recall began on june 21, 2018. Owners may contact ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18c04.
Full defect summary
Ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2018 ford ecosport vehicles sold in the united states federal territiories. These vehicles were shipped with the european brake reservoir pictogram cap label and the european english language owner's manual kits. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 135, "light vehicle brake systems."
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Oil pump failure
Summary
On september 20, 2023, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe23-015 to investigate instances of engine failure due to loss of oil pressure in model year (my) 2018-2021 ford ecosport vehicles. Some consumers reported a low engine oil pressure warning lamp immediately preceding a complete loss or reduction of motive power while the vehicle was in motion. The investigation revealed that the engine oil pump drive belt tensioner arm may fracture, separate from the tensioner backing plate, and/or the oil pump drive belt may degrade and lose teeth, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure. A loss of engine oil pressure can result in engine seizure, which can result in a loss of motiv
Questions about the 2018 Ford Ecosport
- What are the most common problems with the 2018 Ford Ecosport?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (642 complaints, typically around 67,000 miles); transmission (67 complaints, typically around 78,000 miles); other or unspecified (61 complaints, typically around 18,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2018 Ford Ecosport have?
- 2 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from December 22, 2023 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2018 a bad year for the Ford Ecosport?
- It is the most complained-about Ecosport model year since 2000, with 727 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.