Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2018 Ford Escape submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
No dummy lights show. Drivers low beam wiring connector melts and burns out headlight bulb. I have had it replaced by Ford dealer RT 2, Dixon Il on 12/20/24 but again the same thing occurred again 01/03/26. I believe bad wiring or module. When asked dealer what caused the melting was told "We fixed it, it's good now". The bulb burnt out while driving on a rain dark night. My visibility was extremely low.
I have had to replace one or both headlights about every 14 months. The date below represents the latest time this has happened.
Headlights continue to go out causing reduced visibility. Google search shows a lot of people having the same issue. Available for inspection. Driving during dark hours puts myself and others at risk when the light randomly goes out. I have consulted local shop and they confirm it's a common problem and unsure of a fix besides guessing and replacing parts. No warnings or notifications that the light is out.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to turn on the low beam however, the low beam was inoperative. No warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the pigtail connectors and bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the headlights needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
I have had to replace multiple headlight bulbs every few months. The bulbs and fuses are working fine. Sometimes one side will work and the other side will turn off without warning. I have been stranded on the side of the road multiple times. It is unsafe to drive this way. Finally today both lights just stop working without any warning. This is why I came to this page to see if I was the only one having this issue and it looks like I'm not. I have made an appointing to take it in to the dealer hopefully they can find the problem.
My headlights will not turn on, and will not stay on. No I have not taken it to dealer as of yet. I do not feel safe driving at night. Roads are too dark, not enough illumination coming from the car. There was no warning. Member of my family pointed out headlight not working.
I have had to replace multiple headlight bulbs every few months, but recently both headlights just stopped working. The bulbs and fuses are fine. If this had happened at night, I would not have been safe driving this car.
Low beam headlights keep burning out, no repair information on Alldata and no recall for this safety problem.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned. Flexplate cracked at 62037 It is available for inspection upon request. I have the dealer's invoice. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? There was a knocking noise in the motor while i was on the highway with my kids. no Warning lights. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, The dealer. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, the Wayne Ford service center. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No there was no warning lights. No symptoms.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH at night, the low-beam headlights turned off inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact immediately veered to the side of the road and parked the vehicle. The vehicle remained on the side of the road while the contact returned to his residence with the assistance of his fiancée. The contact returned to the vehicle during daytime and drove to his residence. The contact replaced the headlight bulbs with H9 headlight bulbs himself; however, the low-beam headlight bulbs remained inoperable. The high-beam headlights operated as needed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 49,850.
THERE IS NO ILLUMINATION ON THE GEAR SHIFTER (PRNDL) WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON OR OFF. EVERY VEHICLE I HAVE HAD, HAS HAD THE ILLUMINATED GEAR SHIFTER. I HAVE READ REPORTS THAT SAID FORD DID NOT INCLUDE THIS FEATURE IN CERTAIN TRIM LEVELS, AND THE ILLUMINATION IS IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER NOW. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO DRIVE AT NIGHT OR LEAVE EARLY IN THE MORNING. I AM A FORD OWNER AND FORMER FORD CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN AND I CANNOT GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER FROM ANYONE AT THIS POINT. I DO NOT HAVE DOCUMENTATION AT THIS TIME OF THIS CONCERN EXCEPT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR THIS CONCERN. IF NEEDED I CAN TAKE PICTURES AND DOWNLOAD THEM. THANK YOU.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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