Used 2018 Ford Escape Consumer Reviews
Used Escape for sale
Engine is toast at 30k
Paul L., 09/12/2019
2018 Ford Escape SE 4dr SUV AWD (1.5L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
66 of 73 people found this review helpful
There is a known design flaw in this engine. Through extensive research I have found that the head gasket blows between Cyls 1 and 2, leaking coolant into the oil and it kills the engine. The problem is so widespread that the new engines are backordered for 2 months. The factory can't keep up with replacements.
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From Honda to Ford
sogo, 04/21/2019
2018 Ford Escape Titanium 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
27 of 29 people found this review helpful
I am a Honda owner. I have a 05 CR-V EX & recently sold my 09 Odyssey EX-L. I have rented Toyota Rav4, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester. I was very impressed with Forester on big island of Hawaii. It was agile & excellent visibility & impressive fuel economy. Draw back is its thin sheet metal. problematic boxer engine head gaskets & piston slap. The 2018 Forester rented in Hawaii seemingly was void of these engine issues, but was new with less than 2000 miles on it. I sold my Honda Odyssey because it was a pain around town. Engine tried & true 3.5V-6 244 hp. driving the odyssey was like riding on a cloud. power when needed there. but at 10 years old & 90k miles it was time to part ways. We of course went to Honda & drove the CR-V LX with reliable 2.4 none turbo. The 2019 CR-V is big and felt clumsy. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. Ride was as expected but handling lacking in driver input. My old 05 CR-V is more engaging the the 2018 CR-V. I think it has to do with the growth of the CR-V. I even drove an HR-V. interior quality fair. Honda seems to be resting on its laurels. I drove a rent Mazda CX-5 for 4 days in Tucson. Very impressed. It was however the Grand Touring. the infotainment system was a pain to learn and often confusing, but power and safety features greatly appreciated in Tucson to Tombstone. Fuel economy impressive @32mpg front wheel drive only. Toyota RAV4 is again like the Honda CR-V, does everything well but nothing outstanding. Again a tried and true reliable engine, great back storage if a bit cave like in black. Mazda was also black. What is with all the black interiors? They get hot, show dirt & dust are bland & apparently cheap to produce. I am looking forward to testing the new Rav4. I then tested a slightly used Ford Escape. WOW. Ford? who knew? I had ruled Ford out. TGFI does not have a stelar history of reliability, yet there are millions on the road. This Ford Escape has 2.0L-4. 240 hp. though it is AWD, it is agile with excellent ride and responsive handling. Quite ride was a nice surprise and was up there with the Mazda CX-5. This was the Titanium model so came well equipped. minus the sun roof. I don't know manufactures fascination with sun roofs. Open them and wind noise makes it impossible to hear. with age they often leak wind and water or worse get stuck open & they are not cheap to make. In Cold climates a sunroof is moot because 90% of the time they remain closed. & if you just want a window in the roof you must deal with sun glare. This escape was beige leather interior which is easy to keep clean. heated seats, no sun roof, suburb handling & excellent ride. not soft and cushy but takes road imperfections very well. My big complaint is lack of cubbies for small items. The Escape cup holders become a cell phone holder. If money was not an issue I would have considered the Mazda CX-5. Mazda storage is less than the Escapes & has not the numbers of the Ford dealerships and service availability. But Mazda like Ford has really stepped up its quality and products. I have yet to drive the new 2020 Ford Escape which like the Honda and Toyota has grown in size to accommodate larger Americans. Subaru has to fix its thin sheet metal problem. I spoke with a fellow who dented the hood waxing his new outback. Ford Escape blew me away. It is fun to drive and with 3 engines available can be made to suit most everyone. Glad I made the switch to Ford as I move driving this Escape.
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2018 Ford Escape for sale near you
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Familiarity breeds content, however...
Gene O., 08/07/2018
updated 11/20/2024
2018 Ford Escape Titanium 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
33 of 36 people found this review helpful
This is my second Escape (third if you count my 2005 Mazda Tribute, which was basically a re-branded Escape), so I guess the vehicle design suits me. I've owned this one since July 2018 and I'm updating my review regularly to reflect those years of ownership. The Escape is more utilitarian for me as it is Sunday drive vehicle, and the cargo space meets my needs due to the rear seats folding down flat. I can easily fit lots of music gear, 6' long folding tables (with the passenger front seat moved forward), recyclable materials, etc in the back. The rest of the interior seems to be well constructed and has plenty of personal storage for my needs (the newer design is much better than my 2014 Escape SE). I don't know what it is, but the leather seats are more comfortable that the cloth seats in my 2014 Escape, even though they are essentially the same shape. My Escape has just enough tech and comfort features without being ridiculous. It has the little wide-angle mirrors in the corner of the side view mirrors to check my blind spot rather than idiot lights that tell me a car is right there. I like the mirrors, but now I'm starting to think that both would be nice. The automatic rear view mirror nighttime sensor is interesting and works well, and the foot-actuated rear hatch lift comes in handy. The controls on the steering wheel work well, but some of the menus are a little confusing when I haven't accessed them in a while. The remote start (whether using the key fob or the FordPass app) is great when it's really cold out and I want to warm up the car before driving. One design flaw that I noticed shortly after taking delivery of the car was the lack of insulating material in the roof where the sunglasses storage is. After sitting in the sun on an 87 degree day for a few hours I found that the metal stems on my sunglasses were VERY hot to the touch. A little bit of extra insulating material in that roof area sure would help. I haven’t tried the parallel parking feature yet. I guess I’m old school and prefer to do that myself. My iTunes plays well via bluetooth, and the sound system has more than adequate power and fidelity. Apple CarPlay works well, too, and I'm using it a lot now. Reaching the touchscreen requires a little bit of a stretch, so accessing menu options while driving is a little iffy. Fortunately, Siri comes in handy while driving to make a call, send a text, get directions, etc. The navigation seems very accurate, but I usually use Google Maps. Besides, I don't know if the onboard nav gets updates (???). The 2.0L EcoBoost engine has more than enough power for me (even the 1.5L was plenty) and operates very smoothly. The engine auto-stop feature is new to me and took a little time getting used to, but it seems like it barely works now as the engine rarely shuts off at stops. I noticed that if I run the gas tank down to just a gallon or two, the gas mileage calculates almost exactly as advertised 28 Hwy, 21 City, although I live in the suburbs and rarely drive actual "city" miles. It's always a combination, so the low side will be 24 in the summer and 20-23 in the winter. I took the Escape to the dealer after 2 1/2 years because of a high-pitched noise I was hearing. I thought it might be a wheel bearing failure, but it was the drive shaft failing. I wasn't too happy about that, but 5 1/2 years later all is good. Time will tell whether mechanical problems are chronic or not. At the same visit the service rep noticed a nail in one tire. This was the 2nd tire in 2 months to have a puncture. The rep mistakenly told me the punctured tires were covered under a hazard warranty, but that was not the case. He still honored whats he told me, and since the tires were showing considerable wear (at 22,700 miles). So I had a new set of Coopers installed (and only had to pay for 2 of them). With a fresh wheel alignment and new tires it felt like brand new again, but the Coopers are getting close to the end of their lifespan and will be replaced in the spring. The original tires were Michelins, and I was told that they were their "bottom of the line" model. I would expect more from Ford's "Titanium" level. I recently thought I saw the beginning of what appears to be some surface rust on the bottom edge of 2 front doors. But a closer inspection showed that I was seeing things. However, that was indeed a trouble spot on my 2014 Escape, so I'll keep a close eye on those areas. I drove a few compact SUVs before purchasing another Escape. They were all just fine and I could've bought any one of them. But it came down to the price for the trim I wanted, familiarity of the model, and my positive relationship with the dealership that sold me on another Escape. EDIT 11/20/24: Just a few very minor tweaks to my review. In general, all is still good.
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Buy a new one, not a used one
Stephen D., 01/17/2019
updated 01/24/2022
2018 Ford Escape S 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
17 of 18 people found this review helpful
While perhaps not the best compact SUV on gas, the Ford Escape has consistently been rated overall as one of the best compact SUVs on the market. Initially, I planned to buy a used one as the new ones were considerably more expensive. I purchased a used Escape for $15,000 with 34,000 miles on it that had been part of a rental fleet and within 2 hours after driving it off the lot, it started making noises. I brought it back to the dealership the next day and subsequently drove two more that had also been part of a rental fleet. Each one had issues. That same day, however, the dealership had decided to liquidate what new 2018s there still were on the lot to make room for the 2019s. For just $4,000 more, I bought a brand new 2018, last year's model, and I LOVE it! I got $7,000 off the list since it is last year's model, but it's still a brand-new automobile. The car drives like a dream. My advice to anyone in the market for a new vehicle is to wait until a year end's liquidation sale at the dealership on last year's models. This is when you'll get the most for your money. People don't buy cars in January. Be wary of cars that have been part of a rental fleet. You might get lucky and get a good one, but even though they may have been well-maintained, you don't know how they've been driven. Plus, late model, low mileage vehicles aren't that much less expensive than a new one at year's end. Update: It's been over 3 years since I purchased my Ford Escape and it continues to be a great-driving and reliable vehicle.
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My third Escape!
Niko, 12/19/2018
2018 Ford Escape S 4dr SUV (2.5L 4cyl 6A)
10 of 10 people found this review helpful
I've leased two Ford Excape and this third one I've purchased. I love this little SUV. Handles great, comfortable seats, great interior, great extras and features. I bought it from Rusty Wallace Ford in Dandrige TN and they are a wonderful dealership to work with both in sales and service. The only thing that was wrong with this car was that the tires felt out of balance and got worse so I took it in and their service dept found that the Michelin tires on it (all four of them) were flawed! Wow! I love Michelin tires so that surprised me. But they ordered 4 new tires and they were there the next day and replaced. Car runs perfect and tires are good, no road noise or vibration. This is a wonderful car for the money.
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