There are 20 owner-reported tires & wheels complaints for the 2018 Ford Escapein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
After removing the lugnuts so many times, they no longer stay tighten. Eventually, the bolts will wear out causing your nuts to continuously come loose. I got new tires not even 2 weeks ago and ever since, they won't stay tightened. One of them won't tighten at all, it's striped out. This is not normal wear and tear. I didn't start experiencing issues with it until I had my tires removed 6 times in less than 6 months for suspension repairs, new tires, and regular maintenance. This isn't even this first I'm hearing of this issue with this same car. I've had several mechanics ask me if I've ran into the issue yet since it's so common. This on top of the 6f35 transmission failures in this car (amd other things) these things aren't safe to drive.
While driving approximately 70 MPH on the highway, the rear passenger-side wheel rim suddenly failed and blew out, causing the tire to also blow out. The incident caused a sudden jolt and I nearly lost control of the vehicle. Thankfully, I was able to steer safely to the shoulder without crashing, but it was an extremely dangerous situation. The failure of the rim caused significant damage to the rear suspension. The vehicle required the following repairs: New rim Two new tires Right Rear Control Arm – Forward Right Rear Control Arm – Adjustable Right Rear Trailing Arm Lower Rear Lateral Link Rear Suspension Shock Absorber All of this stemmed from the catastrophic failure of the rim at highway speed, which I believe should never occur on a properly maintained vehicle with no prior wheel damage. The failure occurred without hitting debris or a known pothole and was not due to a slow leak or flat—it was a sudden rim failure. This presents a major safety hazard not only to drivers of Ford Escapes but to others on the road. I urge the NHTSA to investigate whether other similar failures have occurred in 2018 Ford Escape models. A recall or formal review may be warranted.
Lug nuts are swollen and need to be replaced. It seems like this is an issue with Fords.
Took vehicle my 2018 FWD SUV Ford Escape to Ford dealership for routine oil change service including tire rotation with 34,250 mileage on vehicle. Was told could not rotate tires as lug nuts were swollen/distorted and needed to get new ones for replacement and that my vehicle's tire iron or other conventional wrench will not fit when this happens and equipment can break, etc. Ford DID NOT have a recall for this problem. Was told the original Ford lug nuts poor quality and design so bought new better ones from different manufacturer. I believe this should be a covered recall issue. Ford service code from invoice: ACPZ1012HX (I am unable to upload/attach invoice)
Lug nuts have deformed and cannot be removed with standard lug nut wrench supplied with car. Have to be removed by a mechanic and replaced with new lug nuts which if from Ford only bend again.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle in for service, the contact was made aware that the lug nuts were damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the lug nuts were damaged due to the manufacturing installation process. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 95,000.
Today, the shop I took my vehicle to for oil change and tire rotation, could not complete the tire rotation due to many lug nuts being swollen and unable to be reinstalled safely. I had to purchase seventeen new lug nuts costing several hundred dollars to make the vehicle safe again. This flaw in lug nut selection by Ford is widely known and this is not my first encounter with swollen lug nuts. Previously, I had a flat tire on a local highway. When I attempted to change the tire, the provided lug wrench would not fit the lugs. A wrecker was summoned and the driver was also not able to remove the lugs with any sockets he had. The vehicle needed to be towed to my Ford Dealer. Lug nuts were replaced at that time as well. My concern is the safety of the lug nuts since heating can caus them to swell and distort. Are they also being prematurely weakened due to inappropriate materials being used?
Poor lug nut design I’m sure the dealership impacted these nuts on and did follow proper torque recommendations. Had a flat and can’t remove the tire without having to destroy the lug nut or pay a big expense to tow and fix it outrageous this is a known issue with these nuts I promise the dealership doesn’t follow proper procedures torque wise.
Dealer recommended lug nuts to be replaced. Called dealer to ask why lugs need to be replaced. Service advisor said lugs swell due to inferior materials. This vehicle only has 50,000 miles. This is not expensive to replace, makes you wonder if they cheap out on lug nuts what else is made cheap.
swollen and deformed lug nuts told to me by ford dealer. They need to be replaced.
After 6 month standard service, had to have 17 lug nuts replaced. All 17 were damaged after 6 month servicing after wheels were rotated.
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for tire rotation, the mechanic informed her that the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was unknown.
Lugnuts are aluminum and expand in the heat of Florida. It is impossible without pounding a lug nut wrench on the lugnut to get said lugnut off of the wheel.
Had vehicle at the dealership for standard oil change and tire rotation. Service member included a note that says "Replace 12 swollen lug nuts next visit." This seems like a dangerous situation to me and Ford Motor dealer should have automatically replaced them.
Lug nuts swelled and were replaced at my expense by a Ford dealership. There were no warning messages. Problem found at routine tire rotation.
A set of four (4) tires were purchased on 09/07/2021. The cars mileage was 30,389 at time of purchase. On 11/09/2021, I discovered two dollar size bulges on the sidewall outside of the front passenger tire. These bulges were protruding about 3/4 of an inch. I reported the defect to Firestone and on 11/15/21, the tire was replaced and remaining three were examined with no defects found. The mileage on the car when defect was found was 33,558. My concern is that if I had not discovered this defect, a possible front tire "blow-out" may have occurred and because my vehicle is an SUV, a "ROLLOVER" at highway speeds if likely. I am reporting this in the event that Firestone fails to make proper reports & notifications.
Got a flat tire. The lug wrench that came with the vehicle was too small. I tried a lug wrench that had four sizes. Three were too small and one was too big. I had to call a tow. The driver had a lot of tools and tried to change the tire. He wasn't able to, so I had to get it to a tire shop. When I called in advance, they asked if it was a Ford. They informed me that there was a defect with their lug nuts that causes moisture and dirt to get in between two layers and the result is swelling. I had them replace all twenty lug nuts. A simple 5 minute tire change turned into a 4 hour ordeal and added expense.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HIS WIFE WAS AT A STAND STILL AT A GAS STATION, THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER CONTINUED TO DRIVE TO HER WORK AREA. THE DRIVER PARKED THE VEHICLE AND WHEN EXITING SHE HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND SAW THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE HAD A PIECE OF METAL INSERTED. THE DRIVER CALLED AAA AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRE DUE TO THE LUG NUTS. THE CONTACT STATED AAA HAD TO CALL A THIRD PARTY TO ASSIST WITH CHANGING THE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL DEALER MULLINAX FORD OF CENTRAL FLORIDA LOCATED AT 1551 E SEMORAN BLVD, APOPKA, FL 32703, (407) 890-0557, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING LUG NUTS TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,002.
WHEN TRYING TO CHANGE A FLAT TIRE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE LUG NUT WRENCH WOULD NOT FIT. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER, AND LATER THE FORD DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT, CONFIRMED THAT FORD HAS AN ISSUE WITH LUG NUTS "SWELLING' WHICH RENDERS YOUR FACTORY ISSUED WRENCH UNUSABLE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM TO FORD YET THEY WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT IT.
2018 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE TIRES ON VEHICLES. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE TIRES FAILED AND IT DID NOT APPEAR TO BE BY FAULT OF THE TIRE MANUFACTURER, BUT THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE ELECTRONICS IN THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT POWER OFF, DRAINING THE BATTERY. THE VEHICLE OVER-HEATED AND WENT INTO LIMP MODE; THE ENGINE WAS REPLACED.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026