2021 Ford EcoSport Reliability Report

Most of these filings are about recall repairs that stall for months because parts are unavailable, leaving owners without a car, a loaner, or work income. The failures described are sudden power loss at highway speed, oil leaks, and engine failure, including coolant in the oil at about 9,600 miles with a repair quote of $8816.38. One crash report says the brakes locked up in a driveway. Smaller complaints cover auto stop shutting the engine off while slowing, a blank backup camera, a roof strip falling off, and door seals.

Engines shut off while driving and take power steering with them, often on highways, and some owners report it happening repeatedly. One report describes black smoke, a fire, and a driver door that would not open, with a minor injury. Another describes a fatal crash after the car stopped moving on a major road. Other patterns include false coolant over-temperature warnings that put the car in limp mode, hard starts after refueling, and traction control warnings near 30,000 miles. Several problems began right after recall engine replacements.

Engine stalls, not faults in the steering itself, drive these complaints. The engine shuts off or drops into limp mode on highways and exit ramps, leaving the car without power steering or brake assist. One report includes an injury. A low oil pressure warning comes before the stall in some cases. Several owners report the same failure returning soon after recall work, and one describes a dealer keeping the car for 11 months. Some owners went months without a rental while they waited.

Brakes stop working without warning in a few reports. One describes the pedal and parking brake both failing at low speed, ending in a rear-end crash. Another describes brakes releasing at a traffic light and then working again. One car rolled while in drive with the brake pedal pressed. The rest of the filings concern engine problems, such as a harsh restart and stall from auto start-stop, a fractured oil pump belt tensioner arm, and long waits for recall parts.

Broken or worn parts show up in only two reports. In one, a rear cross arm snapped with no warning, which tilted the wheel and made the car undrivable until it was towed. In the other, front suspension parts and wheel bearings needed replacement, and the car vibrated heavily and made loud noises. That owner also lists transmission, engine, tire, sensor, and brake light failures. With so few complaints, these are isolated reports, not a confirmed trend.

Power cuts out suddenly in traffic, and one report describes losing all power on a busy beltway with a truck close behind. A low oil pressure light that turns on and off, along with a new engine noise, comes before a breakdown within minutes in another filing. Both cars had to be towed. The dealer told one owner the car needed a new engine but had no loaner, and that owner complained that recall parts were still not available.

Airbags may not work when needed. In one report, the airbags did not deploy when a much faster vehicle hit the car from behind on the highway, and the driver was injured. In another, the airbag warning light was on at purchase, the selling dealer dismissed it, and a Ford dealer later found the airbags inoperable. With only two filings, there is no wider pattern yet, but both reports point to a safety system that was not working.