Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
The 2018 Ford EcoSport has 726 owner complaints, the most for engine at 355. It gets 25 to 28 mpg combined on gasoline, with a 5-year fuel cost of $11,600 to $12,990 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives it 4 stars overall. It has 2 recall campaigns covering engine cooling, accessories, and brakes, which may apply to this car.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
25–28 mpgcombined; city 23–27, highway 29; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$11,600–$12,990U.S. average; Ohio $10,370–$11,610 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
Owners have filed 726 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 EcoSport. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Engine
355
8
2
3
Engine and engine cooling
311
2
0
2
Power train
67
3
0
3
Unknown or other
61
1
1
0
Fuel/propulsion system
40
2
0
1
Electrical system
35
2
0
1
Service brakes
29
7
0
5
Vehicle speed control
19
1
0
0
Air bags
10
5
0
3
Wheels
9
0
0
0
Structure
5
1
0
1
Fuel system, gasoline
4
0
0
0
11 more parts
Service brakes, hydraulic
4
1
0
1
Steering
4
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
3
0
0
0
Suspension
2
0
0
0
Back over prevention
1
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
1
0
0
0
Lane departure
1
0
0
0
Seat belts
1
0
0
0
Visibility
1
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2018 EcoSport over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
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.
Risk: A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.
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."
Risk: 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.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake fluid cap and owner's manual kit, free of charge. The recall began on June 21, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18C04.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 95 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2018 EcoSport, the latest on Aug 25, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (53), equipment (29), engine and engine cooling (11), power train (10), communication (4).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2018 EcoSport.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5–6 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
EcoSport Front-Wheel Drive
1.0 L, 3 cyl, turbo
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
27 / 29 / 28
EcoSport All-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
23 / 29 / 25
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data