What breaks most · 2018 to 2022 model years
Ford EcoSport problems by year
Owners have filed 1,846 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford EcoSport across model years 2018 to 2022. Three years stand out: 2018 for engine complaints, 2019 for engine and cooling complaints and 2020 for engine and cooling complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2018, 2019, 2020
- Complaints on file
- 18462018 to 2022, all trims
- Worst year
- 2018726 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 3813 fires · 24 injuries · 3 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 12Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 726 | 18 | 2 | Engine (355) | |
| 459 | 7 | 2 | Engine and cooling (215) | |
| 394 | 5 | 3 | Engine and cooling (179) | |
| 257 | 6 | 3 | Engine and cooling (134) | |
| 10 | 2 | 2 | Air bags (2) |
What fails on the 2018 Ford EcoSport
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 49% |
355 | 8 | Shop engine parts for the 2018 Ford EcoSport |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 43% |
311 | 2 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2018 Ford EcoSport |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 9% |
67 | 3 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 8% |
61 | 1 | — |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 6% |
40 | 2 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2018 Ford EcoSport |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
35 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2018 Ford EcoSport |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 4% |
29 | 7 | Shop brakes parts for the 2018 Ford EcoSport |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 3% |
19 | 1 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2018 Ford EcoSport |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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While having oil changed at the Ford dealership, I was told there was a small oil leak. I made an appt for a diagnostic test for the following week. I was told the diagnostic test showed a cracked valve cover. I had it repaired while they had the vehicle.
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This is now going to be the FOURTH time we are going to have to put a NEW engine in the same exact car. We just replaced the engine barely a year and a half ago.
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It was a recall oil pump tensor bar. They fixed that blew the engine.I had to wait for them to fix what they messed up with the engine.They fixed that drove forty miles away from the dealer and the engine overheated
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford EcoSport years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2018, 2019, 2020 carry the most filings on the Ford EcoSport. The 2018 alone has 726 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Ford EcoSport problem?
On the 2018 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 355 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford EcoSport problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford EcoSport complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.