Your vehicle report
2018 Ford Ecosport
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 727
- Received Jul 2018 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion42 complaints · 5.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates37 complaints · 5.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Serpentine belt breaks or slips off19 complaints · 2.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #23V905000Ford 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.
- Recall #18V312000Ford 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."
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 18 crashes, 2 fires, 10 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion
- Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates
- Serpentine belt breaks or slips off
11 more problems
- Unintended acceleration despite braking
- Engine stalls and loses power while driving
- Check engine light comes on repeatedly
- Engine suddenly shuts off while driving
- Engine knocking from rod or main bearings
- Fuel pump fails and engine stalls
- Engine burns excessive oil between changes
- Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed
- Head gasket leaks coolant into engine
- Transmission fails or loses power while driving
- Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 9 |
| 2022 | 48 |
| 2023 | 169 |
| 2024 | 313 |
| 2025 | 131 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 32 |
| Total | 727 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion | 42 | 5.8% | 3.5× | |
| Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates | 37 | 5.1% | 4× | |
| Serpentine belt breaks or slips off | 19 | 2.6% | – | NHTSA recall #23V905000 |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 19 | 2.6% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 15 | 2.1% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 14 | 1.9% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 12 | 1.7% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 12 | 1.7% | – | NHTSA recall #23V905000 |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 12 | 1.7% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 8 | 1.1% | – | |
| Engine burns excessive oil between changes | 8 | 1.1% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 7 | 1.0% | – | |
| Rearview backup camera fails or goes black | 5 | 0.7% | 0.5× | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 5 | 0.7% | – | |
| Brake booster fails, leaving stiff pedal | 5 | 0.7% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 5 | 0.7% | 0.8× | |
| Door ajar light stays on when closed | 4 | 0.5% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 4 | 0.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 4 | 0.5% | 0.6× | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 3 | 0.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #23V905000December 22, 2023139,730 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling: engine: oil/lubrication: pump
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.
A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
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.
NHTSA recall #18V312000May 14, 2018273 vehicles affected
equipment: other: labels; service brakes
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."
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.
Remedy
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2018 Ford Ecosport.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN