2018 Ford Ecosport

No clear pattern

1.1% of complaints about the 2018 Ford Ecosport arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2018 vehicle, but with only 970 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is engine (354 complaints), typically at 6.1 yr or about 65,000 miles.

Complaints: 970
Median age at failure: 6.3 yr
Median mileage: 65,000 n=317
Crash / fire / tow: 20.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine

354 reports · 65,000 mi

6.1 yr

12.1%

Engine cooling

314 reports · 70,000 mi

6.6 yr

37.6%

Power train

68 reports · 82,954 mi

6.2 yr

8.8%

Other

61 reports · 19,000 mi

6.1 yr

3.3%

Fuel / propulsion

40 reports

6.4 yr

Electrical system

35 reports · 44,000 mi

6.2 yr

17.1%

Service brakes

29 reports · 12,629 mi

6.3 yr

34.5%

Speed control

19 reports · 62,000 mi

6.3 yr

21.1%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

23V905000 2023-12-22

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.

18V312000 2018-05-14

Equipment:other:labels

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.

In owners’ own words

Other mileage not reported 10 mo in service

SUNROOF SHATTERED. I WENT TO OPEN MY SUNROOF AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY AND NOTICED THAT MY INSIDE COVER WAS WET. I LOOKED UP AND SAW THAT THE GLASS WAS SHATTERED. THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED FROM 7/7-10/2018 IN THE DRIVEWAY.

Other 250 mi 11 mo in service

ON THE HIGHWAY EXCELERATING TO MOVE PAST A SEMI.MY GAS PEDAL GOT STUCK TO THE FLOOR. IT WAS AT NO FAULT OF A FLOOR MAT. I TRIED TO PULL IT UP, PUSH IT DOWN., USE CRUISE CONTROL NOTHING UN STUCK IT. THIS ALL WITH A CRYING BABY AND 2 TODDLERS IN THE CAR. SURROUNDED BY SEMIS.LUCKILY THE BREAKS WORKED AND I WAS ABLE TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE RD. AFTER PUTTING ON HAZARDS AND LEAVING MY FOOT ON THE BREAK I PULLED THE EMERGENCY BREAK PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. THE PEDAL STAYED STUCK.

Other 100 mi 1.4 yr in service

THE TOUCH SENSATIVE DOOR LOCKS DON'T WORK IN THE RAIN. THE KEY FOB MUST BE USED WHEN THE DOOR HANDLE IS WET. THIS OBVIOUSLY A MALFUNCTION AND SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO BY FORD

Speed control 400 mi 7 mo in service crash / fire / tow

MY 2018 FORD ECOSPORT AUTO SHUTOFF/RESTART FEATURE MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING ME TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER CAR. FORD HAS NOT INSPECTED MY CAR AS OF YET BUT THEY HAVE DECLINED MY REQUEST FOR A LOANER CAR CITING THAT THEY HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS NOT DUE TO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. FURTHERMORE THE PARTS THAT MY MECHANIC NEEDS IN ORDER TO FIX THE CAR ARE ON BACKORDER WITH NO ETA PROVIDED BY FORD. ACCIDENT WAS ON 4/30/18. TODAY IS 7/19/18. MY COMPLAINT IS THAT THE CAR MALFUNCTIONED AND FORD WILL NOT ASSIST WITH FURTHER INVESTIGATION, NOR WILL THEY PROVIDE NEEDED PARTS IN A TIMELY MANNER.

Other Ecosport model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.