2021 Ford Ecosport

Family: EcoSport · filed with NHTSA as ECOSPORT

Summary

Of the 249 complaints that name a component, 87% concern Engine (217).
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Not enough history to compare this year with the rest of its generation.
3 recalls filed for this model year.
1 federal defect investigation covers this model year.

In the news

2013–2018 Toyota RAV4 battery fire recall: what owners should do OCT 18, 2026
Ford 1.0 EcoBoost timing belt failures: Fiesta, Focus, EcoSport OCT 16, 2026

At a glance

Owner complaints: 261
Recalls: 3
Investigations: 1
NCAP overall: 4 of 5 stars
Combined MPG: 25–28
Annual fuel cost: $2,250–$2,500
Median mileage at complaint: 55,000 mi (n = 79)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 7 / 1 / 5 / 2

What owners report

Engine

217 complaints · 87% of complaints that name a component · median 55,000 mi (n = 71)

Owner report Manufacturer has delayed repaired vehicle under campaign 23V905. Loss of use / unable to use this unsafe vehicle. It has been at the dealership and supposedly awaiting parts since September 2025. Manufacturer’s customer service people cannot provide additional details around delivery dates. Customer service both at t…

Owner report Engine failed after repair of15000 miles with same break down The dealership did not clean out shredded timing belt and the second belt was shredded

Powertrain

51 complaints · 20% of complaints that name a component · median 54,606 mi (n = 12)

Owner report XXX: A 2021 Ford EcoSport S (VIN: [XXX]) was towed to Mid-State Ford for the 1.0L EcoBoost Oil Pump Drive Belt Tensioner Safety Recall (Recall 23S64 / NHTSA 23V905). Prior to the tow, the transmission and drivetrain functioned flawlessly with zero slipping, codes, or mechanical noise. XXX: Service advisor [XXX] contact…

Owner report The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly started shaking slowly and felt that the shaking was coming from the rear end. The contact stated that over time, the shaking was felt in the front end of the vehicle, and the steering wheel wa…

Electrical System

23 complaints · 9% of complaints that name a component · median 41,000 mi (n = 8)

Owner report The contact owns a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the traction control and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that a software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired out of …

Owner report The contact owned a 2021 Ford EcoSport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact managed to pull over to the shoulder of the road and the vehicle experience a loss of automotive power. The contact stated that black smoke was leaking from unde…

5% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2018–2022)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
2018	727	25	not compared
2019	461	13	not compared
2020	401	12	not compared
2021	261	27	not compared
2022	12	6	not compared

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

25V442000 · BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Filed 2025-06-27 · 200,237 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.

Risk: A rearview camera that displays a blank image can reduce the driver's view behind the vehicle. A rearview image that continues to be displayed after the vehicle is shifted out of reverse may distract the driver. Both of these situations can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.

25V126000 · POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY:AXLE SHAFT

Filed 2025-02-28 · 18,648 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2021-2022 EcoSport vehicles. The front axle half shafts may disconnect from the transmission, which can result in a loss of drive power.

Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. In addition, a disconnected half shaft can result in a vehicle rollaway if the parking brake is not applied, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the half shafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 29, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S12.

23V905000 · ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP

Filed 2023-12-22 · 139,730 vehicles

Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ford Focus and 2018-2022 Ford EcoSport vehicles. The oil pump drive belt or drive belt tensioner may fail, resulting in a loss of engine oil pressure.

Risk: A loss of oil pressure can result in an engine stall and a loss of power braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the oil pump tensioner assembly and oil pump drive belt, free of charge. If engine failure occurs due to a damaged oil pump belt and/or oil pump belt tensioner, Ford has authorized dealers to replace the engine assembly as an interim repair before the availability of remedy parts for the final repair. This repair will be free of charge (parts and labor). Owner notification letters were mailed August 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S64.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
PE23015	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:PUMP	2023-09-20	2024-02-14	23V905

PE23015: Oil Pump Failure

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
EcoSport AWD	2.0L 4cyl	Automatic (S6)	All-Wheel Drive	23	29	25	$2500
EcoSport FWD	1.0L 3cyl	Automatic (S6)	Front-Wheel Drive	27	29	28	$2250

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2021 Ford EcoSport SUV AWD	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆
2021 Ford EcoSport SUV FWD	★★★★☆	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★☆☆

Service bulletins

Ford issued 42 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about electrical system.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-08-25	ENGINE	Customer Satisfaction Program 26L02 Certain 2014-2021 Model Year Various Vehicles 1.0L Fox Classic Engine Timing Belt and Oil Pump Belt Interval Change
2025-12-02	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Special Field Action 25L02 Certain 2017-2024 Model Year California Emissions-Certified Vehicles Transmission Control Assembly Reimbursement
2025-08-07	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Various 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a partially or fully black center display screen at start-up using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. This does not affect rear camera operation. This may be due to…
2025-05-10	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	CERTAIN 2018-2024 MODEL YEAR VARIOUS VEHICLES — UPDATE SYNC SOFTWARE
2024-12-04	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Certain 2018 - 2024 Model Year Various Vehicles Update SYNC Software
2024-08-23	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Some 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with a telematics control unit module (TCU) may exhibit the Location toggle button in the Connectivity setting menu grayed out with an inability to switch it off.
2024-07-23	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Certain 2018 - 2024 Model Year Various Vehicles Update SYNC Software In all the affected vehicles, due to an error in the SYNC software, you may experience SYNC system instability concerns and/or a failure to preserve certain settings acros…
2024-07-16	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Some 2019-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with SYNC3 may experience various FordPass/LincolnWay connectivity concerns including but not limited to: missing activation prompt (pop-up) on the vehicle's center display screen when attem…
2024-07-09	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Some 2019-2024 vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a programming Error - "INSTL_ERR12" while programming APIM using the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) or experience a frozen screen which says "updating system software" or …
2024-06-28	UNKNOWN OR OTHER	Some 2019-2024 vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 may experience a programming Error - "INSTL_ERR12" while programming APIM using the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System, or experience a frozen screen which says "updating system software" or no pro…

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this EcoSport, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford EcoSport model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.