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What 1,734 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ford Escape Gas

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1,734)Crash / fire / injury (38)Engine (1,100)Engine & cooling (338)Transmission & drivetrain (262)Electrical system (53)Fuel system (51)Steering (29)Brakes (26)Wheels (22)Speed control (21)Body & structure (19)

7 of 1,734 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 19, 2024Transmission & drivetrainEngineDriver assistance1 injury

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.

NHTSA ODI 11615323

Jul 25, 2023Transmission & drivetrainCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while parking into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated at high speed. The contact was not sure if a warning light was displayed or illuminated. The vehicle drove over the curb striking several shopping carts and coming to a complete stop, causing front-end damages to the vehicle. The contact suffered a bruise to the chest due to the seat belt but did not seek medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534386

Aug 18, 2022Transmission & drivetrain1 injury

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact had experienced an unintentional rollaway and was injured when the vehicle rolled over her right ankle and calf. The contact was taken to the hospital by a friend to seek medical attention. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11479955

Aug 8, 2022Transmission & drivetrain1 injury

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after driving forward into a parking space and exiting the vehicle, suddenly the vehicle began to roll backward. The contact attempted to get back into the vehicle but fell to the ground causing the front tire to roll over the right leg. The contact was taken to the hospital where medical treatment was provided. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The contact later received a recall notice for the NHTSA Campaign Number 22V413000(POWER TRAIN). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 27,000.

NHTSA ODI 11478205

Jul 25, 2022Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlCrash2 injuries

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at low speeds, pulling into a parking space, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration while the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle drove over a curve and crashed into the corner of a building when it came to a complete stop. There were no air bags deployed. The contact's wife was able to drive the vehicle away from the scene of the collision. No police report was filed. The contact and his wife later received medical attention at the hospital for his neck and back injuries and his wife had fractured and bruised ribs. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The vehicle was then taken to a body shop for front-end damage replacement. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11475699

Nov 12, 2019Transmission & drivetrainCrash

STARTED THE VEHICLE ON LEVEL GROUND, VEHICLE WAS IN PARK, EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS NOT ON, FORGOT SOMETHING IN HOME, GOT OUT OF VEHICLE & PROCEED TOWARDS HOME BUT BEFORE I GOT THERE BACKED UP & HIT HOME, ENGINE THEN STALLED, RESTARTED ENGINE & MOVED VEHICLE BACK TO ORIGINAL POSITION, I THEN TRIED TO REPLICATE EVENTS, VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE, PUT VEHICLE IN PARK, VEHICLE REMAINED STATIONARY, PUT VEHICLE IN REVERSE & VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO MOVE. MY WIFE WAS IN THE VEHICLE & REPORTED THAT VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE UNTIL I WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF VEHICLE & PROCEEDING TO HOME WITH MY BACK TURNED.

NHTSA ODI 11279548

Oct 20, 2018Transmission & drivetrainCrash

I DROVE MY 2018 FORD ESCAPE INTO MY DRIVEWAY WHICH IS ON A SLIGHT HILL. I OPENED THE GARAGE DOOR. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND LEFT THE ENGINE RUNNING TO CHECK OUT SOMETHING IN OUR YARD. I WALKED ACROSS MY SMALL YARD AND THEN HEARD A VERY LOUD BANG. I TURNED AROUND AND THE CAR WAS NO WHERE IN SIGHT. I THEN REALIZED IT HAD DRIVEN ITSELF INTO THE GARAGE. IT RAN INTO MY BICYCLE, A CAR RACK AND SOME PLASTIC CABINETS. LUCKILY THERE IS ONLY A SMALL DENT AND SCRATCH ON THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND NO ONE WAS HIT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT. I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR AGAIN AND DON'T FEEL SAFE IN IT. I TOOK IT IMMEDIATELY TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG.

NHTSA ODI 11141528

Working with the data? Download all 1,734 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2018 Ford Escape Gas verdict →