2018 Ford EcoSport: common problems and reliability

The 2018 Ford EcoSport has 718 owner-filed NHTSA complaints and 2 recalls on record. The most-reported areas are engine and engine and engine cooling. Owners most often flag catastrophic 1.0l ecoboost engine failure due to oil pump drive belt tensioner failure — leads to complete loss of oil pressure and engine destruction, subject to a major recall. very frequent.

Safety record for the 2018 model year

718
Owner complaints
2
Recalls
18
Crash reports
2
Fire reports

Source: NHTSA complaints and recalls filed for 2018 Ford EcoSport vehicles (US, public record).

Where owners report problems

engine
351
engine and engine cooling
310
power train
64
fuel/propulsion system
39
electrical system
34

Recalls affecting the 2018 EcoSport

equipment:other:labels

Campaign 18V312000

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 Europea…

engine and engine cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pump

Campaign 23V905000

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.

What owners say across generations

Overwhelmingly negative sentiment with a strong consensus on poor reliability, particularly for models equipped with the 1.0L 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine. Owner feedback is dominated by reports of catastrophic engine failures, transmission problems, and signifi

  • Catastrophic 1.0L EcoBoost engine failure due to oil pump drive belt tensioner failure — leads to complete loss of oil pressure and engine destruction, subject to a major recall. Very frequent.
  • Transmission failure — includes complete transmission replacement on automatic models, with reports of failures around 101,000 km (63,000 miles). Codes such as P0700 (TCM) cited. Recurrent.
  • Poor post-repair quality — after engine replacements, owners report issues like engines not bolted down properly, subsequent exhaust leaks, turbo problems, and sensor failures. Recurrent.
  • Poor fuel economy — described as "neither Eco nor Sport," with real-world mileage around 22-25 MPG, considered poor for the segment. Recurrent.
  • General unreliability and multiple major failures — owners report being on their 3rd or 4th replacement engine, or 2nd/3rd transmission, within a short ownership period. Very frequent.

Owner insights cover all generations of the EcoSport.

Typical used price

Used EcoSport listings typically run $10,794–$14,495 across 2018 to 2022 model years.

Other EcoSport model years

2019 EcoSport
Full Ford EcoSport owner reportCompare against another car