general problems of the 2018 Ford Escape - part 2

I own a 2018 Ford Escape. Current mileage is 58,847 and was serviced regularly. In July of this year, the transmission failed completely while driving. No warnings or symptoms prior to complete failure. I was very lucky that the highway I was traveling on was not busy and I was able to coast into a parking lot. I had to pay a towing fee to have it taken to my local Ford dealer where they informed me my transmission had failed!! the transmission fluid was found to be burnt and contained a lot of metal shavings in it. The cost to replace the transmission with a remanufactured one was over $9500. My local Ford dealer installed a remanufactured transmission on July 22, 2025. I continued to have issues such as shift hesitation and other error messages. I took it back to the dealer on Aug 25, 2025. I requested to the tech that the transmission fluid be checked. He stated that after only 30 days, the oil was already discolored from being too hot and there were metal shavings in the fluid. Only about 600 miles were put on the vehicle since the transmission repair. The service manager stated that it will surely fail again based on the condition of the fluid. The service manager also stated that it is possible that I will need a third transmission! in doing research, I found that my particular model is prone to premature transmission failure. There are several class action lawsuits against Ford motor CO for 2018 - 2020 Escapes for this defective transmission. And in addition, it states that Ford was aware of the issues and yet continued to manufacture vehicles with this particular transmission in it. Why was there no recall issued? why did Ford motor CO not make consumers aware of the problem in order to be able to take preventative measures? with 700,000 of these vehicles on the road, this is a serious safety issue which could result in loss of control while driving, and possible catastrophic results. Ford motor CO should be liable for the defective transmission.

I am at 123,000 miles, older driver that primarily drives around town. I have been having issues with the transmission lagging, I had the transmission serviced but the problem persists. The transmission shop tried to reset the transmission, however it will not reset. It was diagnosed with an issue with the 3rd/5th gears (related), and suspected to have an issue with the gears plate. Far too few miles to have this happening.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the transmission was slipping, and the power train malfunction warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact became aware of fluids leaking underneath the vehicle and accumulating on the rear glass. The contact drove the vehicle to a nearby parking space and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a fractured flex plate, a failed torque converter, a failed front pump, a failed crank shaft and engine failure. The contact was informed that the suggestive repairs would be to replace the flex plate, torque converter and the front pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,500.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the flex plate had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine was running roughly while driving at various speeds. While driving approximately 40-50 mph and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond and decelerated instead. The contact was able to continue driving off the highway at a slower speed. The following day while starting the vehicle, there was white smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. The “wrench” warning light was illuminated, indicating the vehicle needed to be serviced. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure due to a coolant leak in cylinder #2. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 22v413000 (power train); however, the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and provided a reference number from the dealer for the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Blown engine, misfire cylinder 3 coolant leaking into cylinder 3, block cracked. . . Smuttering. Problem has been identified by our mechanic, and Ford has been called for a replacement engine. Check engine light was on.

Had to take the vehicle into the dealer the end of April 2025 for oil leak that they discovered. It was fixed. Then on may 8 2025 check engine light came on so had it towed to Ford dealer. They couldn't find any thing wrong. Car had white smoke, shaking when starting and smelled like oil. They had it 6 days before returning it. They said the white smoke was normal for an older car because the exhaust ststem is older. Huh??? so then on may 29 2025 the car still had the white smoke when started. Moved car down the driveway into the street and it died. It would not move and was sitting in the middle of the street. Let it sit for a while and was able to move it back into the driveway. Called dealer again and asked them to tow it again. Dealer said the wall was cracked and the coolant had leaked into the cylinders and the engine needed to be replaced at a cost of $10,000. 00. Oh and that was a discounted price. The warranty had ran out 86 miles before. I asked Ford motor CO. If they would do anything about it and they said they had no programs to pay for it. They sold a faulty vehicle and should have to pay for the repairs, not me. It was a danger to drive and we as owners were not told about it.

The vehicle flywheel is currently damaged at around 66000 miles. There are currently no warning lights for it at this time. There is a loud knocking sound that is known to get louder when turning the ac on.

In the middle of driving without warning, the vehicle started accelerating without shifting. It wasn't til I was pulled off the road and had only neutral that the vehicle had indicated a tranmission/power train issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph and approaching a red traffic light, the vehicle began to jerk then suddenly lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the contact stated that upon reaching her destination, the vehicle stalled and had since not been able to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 127,000.

Transmission failed in the middle of me turning and a car almost hit me. Their transmissions should be recalled on all Ford Escapes this is ridiculous.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The service transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred in 2022 and the transmission was replaced under warranty by the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 85,000.

Ford is trying to say that my engine is blown, my check engine light came on at 105,000 miles and it said that my cylinder too was misfiring. I brought it to my mechanic and he replaced the coils and the spark plugs and the check engine light kept coming back on within a few hours I took the vehicle to my mechanic five times in three days the last time I took it to my mechanic the vehicle started overheat, there was no power, the vehicle is shaking, and it left me pretty much stuck on the side of the road with a child in my car.

The vehicle was shaking really bad when started. I took the vehicle to a mechanic since it seemed like it was mis-firing. I was told the vehicle was leaking coolant into the 2nd cylinder causing damage to my engine. I was told I needed a whole engine replacement. I called Ford customer care and was told there is no service programs for my VIN number. I also purchased the extended warranty when purchasing this vehicle which just expired in Nov 2024. I can't believe Ford will not honor this engine replacement when I just saw online this was an ongoing issue and my vehicle was was in the time frame of 96 months or $150,000 mile time frame.

Check engine light first appeared early may 2025 days after the car started running very roughly, then bucking upon startup; local mechanic said may need engine but should go to dealer; dealer towed a couple of days later as engine light had begun to blink and said it couldn't be driven; a few days later dealer reported coolant leaking into combustion chamber and would need a new engine at $12,860. Apparently a known failure as reported in technical service bulletin 22-2229, date 6/9/2022 for vehicles including my 2018 Ford Escape titanium 2. 0 l ecoboost with only 44k miles, final assembly louisville ky. Reported danger of engine failure while driving, possible fire.

At 46000 miles mileage cylinder 3 misfired. This led to sudden engine slowdown on a busy street. Headgasket broke and coolant intruded into engine causing total engine failure.

My short block engine failed in the middle of pulling out onto a 4 lane roadway while my two children were in the vehicle. We were almost hit from behind as I lost power while entering the roadway. The vehicle was taken to and diagnosed by a Ford dealership as needing a short block and full engine rebuild. There was no warning or problems before the failure. My vehicle has 23,000 miles on it and is currently waiting for repairs at an independent shop because I cannot afford another new vehicle at this time.

The contact called for a friend that owns a 2018 Ford Escape. While the contact's friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while the vehicle was driven uphill. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact was informed that the parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The vehicle jerked, and the contact depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed and the vehicle stalled. The contact coast to an oil change business nearby. The contact was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and the transmission failure diagnostic result was confirmed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the dealer a year prior to the failure and the transmission was replaced. The contact was later informed by car shield that, per the pictures submitted, there was engine damage seen. The pictures indicated coolant intrusion into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to a dealer for a routine oil change and the contact was informed that the check engine warning light was illuminated; however, the dealer found no failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the nhsta hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 248,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting the accelerate, the rpm increased quickly but the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact then heard an abnormal grinding noise coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle started to lose motive power, with the transmission slipping. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 22v413000 (power train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 80,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000.

Unknown: engine shakes and rumbles when going 35-45 miles per hour. Originally smooth when starting, now rumbles and shakes when started. Check engine light goes on and off. Engine kicks or jumps when accelerator is pushed. . . Not smooth, jerks very hard. Engine/starter/transmission issues. Available for inspection at dealership doing repair. Shakes and jerks going down the road. Feels like it's going to shake apart. Currently at the dealership for repair and they diagnosed there is "coolant entering into the cylinder" check engine light came on then went off. Did this about 3 times and is currently still on.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle jerked. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle was still jerking and failed to accelerate as needed. The "transmission failure warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on another occasion, the gear shifter was stuck in park(p). The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission and flywheel had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,184.

I had to replace the engine may 28, 2024. The coolant started mixing with the oil based on the poor design of the engine. Then December 16, 2024, I had to replace the transfer case. Now my transmission has gone out on January 22, 2025. All of this has been out of pocket because I was out of the warranty mileage range. I'm still currently financing the vehicle and have to make all these costly repairs. I'm trying to see what can be done? there is no way a new vehicle like this should be having all these problems especially when it was bought new off the lot.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50-55 mph, the transmission fluid warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for diagnostic testing. The contact stated while driving 50-55 mph to the dealer the following day, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond upon shifting to drive(d) or reverse(r). The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer ordered the part for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 93,385.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed while driving at various speeds. The rpm failed to immediately lower when the accelerator pedal was released. The failure was intermittent. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph and releasing and depressing the accelerator pedal off an exit to the right, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was pulled into a nearby parking lot and parked. The “transmission fault – service” warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

My transmission started slipping while driving on a main street. It barely moved, less than 1 mph, while accelerating to get to a safe place and not rear ended. This was very dangerous for me and the car behind me. There was no warning prior to this happening and the engine light never came on even after the transmission “slipped”. I had a mechanic check it out and he couldn’t find any codes. It ran decently around the neighborhood but then the next day it started slipping again. Took it Ford because this time it said power train failure. Turns out my 2018 Ford Escape, around 105,00 miles, needed a new transmission with no prior signs of distress. I was quoted 10,000. Ford knows about this problem with their 2018 Escapes for a while and has not recalled them. Unacceptable.

Transmission is not going into fifth gear correctly.

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while in a parking lot, the vehicle failed to shift into gear without warning. A tow truck driver was able to temporarily repair the vehicle and instructed the contact to drive the vehicle straight to the residence. The contact's grandson was able to reconnect an unknown part on the transmission which temporarily fixed the transmission. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle shut off with the "transmission fault service now" message displayed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was under NHTSA campaign number: 22v413000 (power train); however, the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50-55 mph in the rainy weather, the vehicle lost motive power. The "transmission failure" message was displayed. The vehicle coasted to the side of the road. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that transmission fluid was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission shifter cable bushing listed in NHTSA campaign number: 22v413000 (power train) for which the VIN was included, had failed along with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission shifter cable bushing had not caused the transmission to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the transmission hesitated, and the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 117,000.

Purge valve stuck open causing check engine light to come on. Same as current recall on Ford focus 2012-2018 vehicles. Ford Escapes within the same time frame should be included in the recall. Every time I fill gas there is a hard turn on since beginning of December. Then check engine light came on and code p1450.

Transmission failed at 42,000 miles.

With 125,000 miles the engine has coolant leaking into it with a possible blown head gasket.

I have the 6f35 transmission in my 2018 Ford Escape. On 11/12/24, while driving, the transmission had a catastrophic failure. The vehicle started jerking, it would not move when giving it gas, and the transmission was whining loudly. After taking my vehicle to a Ford dealer, I learned that the pump inside of the transmission flew apart, causing the transmission to fail and to get metal shavings throughout the transmission and oil cooler system. There was no warning. The vehicle drove normal until it didn't. I never got a warning light, even after the transmission completely failed. I believe this to be a catastrophic failure because I had the transmission fluid changed at a Ford dealership about a month ago and I was not told there were any metal shavings in the fluid and the vehicle drove normal after this service. For a new transmission and oil cooler, Ford is quoting me ~$7,000.