Ford EcoSport Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Ford EcoSport model year from 2018 to 2022, benchmarked against each other with 2,448 federal complaints, 6 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2018. These years top the EcoSport's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the EcoSport's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Engine tops the Ford EcoSport file with 1,633 complaints, concentrated in the 2018–2020 model years, most often reported around 68,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Few reports | 12 | 2 | — | 1 |
| 2021 | Below average | 361 | 3 | Engine | 38 |
| 2020 | Below average | 521 | 3 | Engine | 56 |
| 2019 | Below average | 589 | 2 | Engine | 63 |
| 2018 | Avoid | 965 | 2 | Engine | 100 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 282 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Ford EcoSport. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Ford EcoSport TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Ford EcoSport years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2018 as the Ford EcoSport years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Ford EcoSport problem?
Engine tops the Ford EcoSport file with 1,633 complaints, concentrated in the 2018–2020 model years, most often reported around 68,000 miles.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Ford EcoSport only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.