Ford EcoSport: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Ford EcoSport: 5 model years scored from 1,840 NHTSA owner complaints and 12 recall campaigns. Worst year 2018, best year 2021.
Ford EcoSport: which years to avoid
Across 5 scored model years the Ford EcoSport ranges from 70/100 in 2018 to 93/100 in 2022 — a 23-point spread, so which year you buy matters. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (353 of them).
Safest years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
Every EcoSport year is BUY, from 70 for the 2018 to 93 for the 2022, and the trend runs the right way: 723 owner complaints and 90.4 per year on the road for the 2018, then 457, 393 and 257 for 2019 to 2021, and 10 for the 2022. The 2019 to 2021 cars, at 80, 77 and 84, are the ones to buy, provided the oil pump belt campaign has been done. The record is two categories deep: Engine and Engine And Engine Cooling are 353 and 311 on the 2018 and 84 and 134 on the 2021, and nothing else reaches 70 in any year. The campaign that matches is 23V905000, for an oil pump drive belt or tensioner that may fail and cause a loss of oil pressure on every EcoSport from 2018 to 2022. The only safety-critical campaign is 20V791000, for an air bag module missing propellant on the 2020, and 25V126000 covers front half shafts that may disconnect on 2021 and 2022 cars.
Read the guide
Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport and EcoSport: what the first years on record say — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2021 (score 84). Worst: 2018 (score 70, BUY).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 93 | BUY | $3,448 | 10 | 2 |
| 2021 | 84 | BUY | $4,516 | 257 | 3 |
| 2020 | 77 | BUY | $4,924 | 393 | 3 |
| 2019 | 80 | BUY | $5,060 | 457 | 2 |
| 2018 | 70 | BUY | $5,676 | 723 | 2 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the EcoSport, through the years →
What goes wrong on the Ford EcoSport
Across every EcoSport model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine And Engine Cooling839 complaints across all EcoSport years · typical job: Water pump, thermostat and coolant service$600–$1,040
- Engine795 complaints across all EcoSport years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Power Train217 complaints across all EcoSport years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Unknown Or Other148 complaints across all EcoSport years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Fuel/Propulsion System98 complaints across all EcoSport years · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement$680–$1,620
- Electrical System89 complaints across all EcoSport years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Ford EcoSport years to buy?
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2022 at 93/100, on 10 complaints and 2 recall campaigns.
Which Ford EcoSport years should I avoid?
The 2018 is the weakest year we score, at 70/100 (BUY), on 723 complaints and 2 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Ford EcoSport problem?
839 of the complaints filed against the EcoSport across all its model years sit in the Engine And Engine Cooling group — more than any other component.
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Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04