The Lemon Index

All cars · Ford Transit · 2018

2018 Ford Transit. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index15100 = average car
Complaints21NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold137,794U.S. model year
Per 100K sold15complaints
Complaint rank#3 of 8among the 8 scored Ford Transit model years (2015–2022); #1 = fewest complaints per car sold, not the YouTube rank

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 4,500 and 44,640 miles. Median 24,500, from 19 complaints with a mileage.

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Body structure33%
Engine24%
Fuel system14%
Electrical10%
Wheels10%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
2100201

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 14

  • 25V572000 Sep 2025 Back Over Prevention / Sensing System / Camera

    Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Lincoln MKC, Mustang, F-350 SD, F-250 SD, F-450 SD, 2015-2017 Lincoln Navigator, Expedition, 2015-2018 Edge, Transit Connect, 2016-2019 F-550 SD, Transit, 2017-2019 Econoline, and 2019 Ranger vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, inverted, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.

    Risk. A rearview camera that displays an inverted, distorted, or blank image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 13, 2026. Ford owners will receive letters in phases, beginning January 2026 and June 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S89. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 25V270. Vehicle Identificati

  • 21V631000 Aug 2021 Parking Brake / Conventional / Mechanical / Linkage And Cable

    Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Transit vehicles. An incorrect driveshaft torsional damper service kit may have been installed, which can allow the damper shield to contact the parking brake cable, possibly resulting in parking brake failure.

    Risk. Parking brake failure can result in unintended vehicle movement, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will replace the passenger side parking brake cable with a cable that provides sufficient clearance to the damper shield, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on September 24, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 14, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S39.

  • 19V439000 Jun 2019 Structure / Emergency / Escape/Egress/Exit

    Defect. LA West Inc. (LA West) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with glass roof hatches. Temperature and vibration stresses may cause the tempered glass roof hatch to shatter.

    Risk. If the tempered glass roof hatch shatters, glass fragments may fall onto passengers, increasing the risk of an injury.

    Remedy. LA West will notify owners, and dealers will replace the hatch lids, free of charge. The recall began July 11, 2019. Owners may contact LA West customer service at 1-704-498-4940.

  • 19V333000 Apr 2019 Seats

    Defect. New England Wheels (New England) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and 2014-2019 Ram Promaster 2500 and 3500 vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Go-ES Foldaway seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. New England has notified owners, directing them to contact Freedman for repairs to the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began May 27, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or New England at 1-800-886-9247.

  • 19V329000 Apr 2019 Seats

    Defect. Fenton Mobility Products, Inc. (Fenton Mobility) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. Fenton Mobility will notify owners, and a Fenton Mobility technician will repair the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in June 2019. Owners may contact Fenton Mobility customer service at 1-716-484-7014.

  • 19V313000 Apr 2019 Seats

    Defect. Mobility Transportation Services (MobilityTrans) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and Ram Promaster vehicles and 2014-2015 Ford Econoline vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. MobilityTrans will notify owners and Freedman Seating dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began May 19, 2019. Owners may contact Mobility Transportation Services customer service at 1-734-453-6452.

  • 19V252000 Mar 2019 Seats

    Defect. Waldoch Crafts, Inc. (Waldoch) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Transit shuttle vans modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part number 43705. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. Waldoch will notify owners and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began September 25, 2020. Owners may contact Waldoch customer service at 1-651-464-3215.

  • 19V247000 Mar 2019 Seats

    Defect. Cabot Coach Builders, Inc. DBA Royale Limousine (Royale) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit-based mini-coaches equipped with Freedman GO-ES foldaway seats recalled under 18E-076. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. Royale will notify owners and dealers will inspect and repair the seat. The recall began June 6, 2019. Owners may contact Royale customer service at 1-800-544-5587.

  • 19V238000 Mar 2019 Seats

    Defect. Vantage Mobility International, LLC (Vantage) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit Van, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, and 2007 Ford F-250-based shuttle vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-3S foldaway seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. Vantage has notified owners, instructing them to contact Freedman for a repair kit, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540.

  • 19V229000 Mar 2019 Seats

    Defect. TransitWorks is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit, 2018 Ford Transit Connect, and 2016 Dodge Ram ProMaster vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Seating GO-ES seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. TransitWorks has notified owners and instructed them to contact Freedman seats for a repair kit. The recall began December 19, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman Seating customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or TransitWorks customer service at 1-855-337-9543.

  • 19V205000 Mar 2019 Seats

    Defect. Quality Van Sales, Inc. (Quality Van) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit and E-350 vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seat back cushions. The seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. Quality Van will notify owners and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began March 21, 2019. Owners may contact Quality Van customer service at 1-800-408-8550.

  • 19V332000 Mar 2019 Seats

    Defect. Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles (Prime-Time) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ram ProMaster and Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats. When the seat back cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles has notified owners, and Freedman dealers have inspected and repaired the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2018. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles at 1-574-293-9191.

  • 19V103000 Feb 2019 Power Train / Driveline / Driveshaft

    Defect. XL Hybrids, Inc (XL) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with XL's electric hybrid system. The cardan (universal) joint on the front driveshaft may fail, possibly causing the front driveshaft to detach.

    Risk. If the front driveshaft detaches from the vehicle, drive power will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash. The detached driveshaft may also create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash for following traffic.

    Remedy. XL will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front driveshaft with an updated one, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact XL Hybrid's customer service at 1-833-953-5338.

  • 18V782000 Nov 2018 Seats

    Defect. National Van Builders, Inc. (National Van) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ford Transit vehicles equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seating Systems."

    Risk. In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy. National Van will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began November 26, 2018. Owners may contact National Van customer service at 1-508-222-2272.

Manufacturer communications 192

Ford filed 192 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • Unique accessory drive noise characteristics
  • When replacing a 2015-2018 Transit 3.2L Duratorq-TDCi engine assembly or block, two new…
  • Some 2017-2018 F-Super Duty/2016-2018 F650-750 with 6.7L diesel engines and 2015-2018 Transit…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Ford Transit VAN FWDnot rated★★★★☆not ratednot rated
Ford Transit Connect VAN FWDnot rated★★★★☆★★★★★not rated
Ford Transit Connect Wagon FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardNoOptional

Engines and drivetrains 3

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
2.5L 4-cylAuto (S6)FWD20 / 27 / 23Regular$2,700
3.5L 6-cyl turboAuto (S6)RWD15 / 18 / 16Regular$3,900
3.7L 6-cylAuto (S6)RWD14 / 18 / 16Regular$3,900

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

YouTube repair topics

200 videos about the 2015–2025 Ford Transit, 35.8M views.

TopicVideosViews
Infotainment, battery & electrical6710K
Oil changes & service5669K
Brakes & ABS5451K
Starter, alternator & belts1378K
Gauges, lights & wiring3336K
Transmission & shifter4277K
Windows, doors & mirrors2159K
Fuel pump, filter & tank2134K

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
20155260117,577Transmission & drivetrain
20164057143,244Transmission & drivetrain
20172839127,360Transmission & drivetrain
20181521137,794Body structure
20191015153,868Speed control
20204253131,557Seats
2021121399,745Transmission & drivetrain

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data

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