CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2013 Ford Escape has been in the news quite a bit and for all the wrong reasons. Within a few months of its release the SUV was recalled three times, twice because of engine fires.
In July 2012, due to a fuel line that could split and leak, Ford told owners to park their cars because even driving to the dealership for repairs was deemed too dangerous. Instead, in a somewhat unprecedented move, Ford sent tow trucks to pick up the affected vehicles and handed out rental cars while the owners waited for repairs.
A few months later the Escape was recalled again because antifreeze could leak out onto the engine due to a freeze plug becoming dislodged. As the coolant hit the hot engine there was, once again, a threat for fire.
The 2013 is the first model year of the Escape's 3rd generation and proves once again that you want to avoid the first model year when at all possible.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
9 / 60
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,186 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I own a 2013 Ford Escape with EcoBoost. I bought it used about 6 years ago and it has been problematic from the start. First the engine coolant and engine light kept coming on with no noticeable leak, had it checked at Auto Zone was told it was the engine coolant bypass valve, had it replaced. The vehicle has run hot twice causing the engine to shut down on me, once on my way to work and once when taking my son to the Doctor. Continued to have the same issue with coolant, had to get the water pump replaced at the dealership last May. The engine coolant warning light started reappearing with leakage issues again and the vehicle began losing power and cutting off about 2 months ago. I took it back to the dealership and all they could find was a valve cover gasket leak. They stated that the oil from the valve cover gasket may be leaking onto other components and causing the car to cut off. They repaired that for a whopping $1150. The car started cutting off on me again about a month after that repair so it is currently at the dealership where they're telling me that the Turbocharger wastegate solenoid valve needs to be replaced for $950 and if that doesn't solve the problem then I will need to replace the engine. Ford should be ashamed! This vehicle should be part of the many recalls regarding these same type issues as I have read. I called Ford customer service, all they did was run the VIN which the dealership and I have done many times, told me that my vehicle did not qualify for any special programs and all warranties had expired, said I could pay for the repairs and hold onto my receipt in case there were recalls later. I am a single parent and I just cannot afford these repairs. Other recalls repaired such as the door latch which is very dangerous as I experienced my left side passenger door opening while driving on the highway with my special needs son in the backseat, before the recall, smh, thought we had done something wrong...this car is a true lemon.
Well I went to start my car after getting gas and it would not start after a few mins it started, but it was trying to lunge forward even though it was in park, after I finally got it going went home and the whole time I smelled gas in my car ? Then I pulled in my driveway and the check engine light was on, had my brother in law do a digital scan on my car and it had PO456 evaporated emissions leak, I don't understand why, I'm scared to drive it now because I don't want to have the cab fill up with gas smell in my car and it's bad for me and my kids
I had a fuel line recall on my vehicle a few years ago but didn't get the notice until my car almost caught fire. The recall melted some coolant components that were replaced free of charge when they replaced the "entire fuel line". Now my car has constant coolant problems, heat and air problems, and suddenly (just started yesterday) it smells of raw gasoline in the cabin of the car and some on the outside of the car near the front. No visible leaks can be seen under the car(coolant or gas). Please help.
Long Block replacement due to design flaw with 1.6L eccoboost engine. Engine failure occurred at 59,000, despite having every safety recall addressed and regular servicing by Ford. The design flaw, as I have leaned is due to a channel carved into the block between the cylinders. The resultant notch in the head gasket, reduced the gasket surface contact. This engine has a history of overheating, subsequent gasket failure, cracked engine blocks and ultimately Ir-reparable cylinder wall scoring. Because the car is no longer under warranty, Ford has refused to cover any part of the replacement cost. This issue has occurred with many hundreds of eccoboost engines--all related to the early defective design in Escape models 2010 - 2021. It took six months for Ford to deliver the new long block. The repair and associated costs to rent a vehicle, prior to the dealer making a loaner car available exceeds $10,000. With so many fatal failures over the entire line of eccoboost engines and several class action lawsuits for this very issue, this should have been a recall.
- Scottsdale, AZ, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while at a complete stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occured on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a local PepBoys, where the failure could not be duplicated. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,900.
Check engine light came vehicle began to overheat and shut down to safety operation. Vehicle lost all acceleration and had to be stopped along highway and turned off. Vehicle was restarted and showed normal temperature and acceleration. After short operation vehicle repeated same warning overheating and no acceleration. Took vehicle to dealer who reported anti freeze in motor causing it to over heat. Replaced heat sensors $800. Problem continued new engine needed cost $8,000. Vehicle has 79,000 miles. Currently shopping for used engine
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact inquired about the vehicle possibly being included in NHTSA Campaign Number:?12V431000.The contact stated that while parked there was visible coolant on the pavement under the vehicle and an odor of burnt coolant was observed.The contact stated that coolant is applied to the vehicle on a daily basis and that the check engine safety light was illuminated. The vehicle was seen by an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the coolant hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred twice in less than a month. The manufacture was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,842.
As I was getting to leave for work early in the morning, I had a low coolant light so I added coolant in the reservoir. I drive the car and within 50 ft the panel light up with -??Stop - your engine temperature is high-?? and the vehicle started coasting. I stopped and fortunately I-??m still in my neighborhood so I turned off the vehicle for couple minutes to cool. Then I started and returned to my driveway. But now I noticed the engine light is on. I have been filling up my coolant reservoir every so often but no leaks have been found. Took it to the shop couple of times and did pressure checks but no sign of leaks. Ford needs to do something about this. Thank you.
Vehicle overheating and shutting down creating a hazardous traffic situation and potential for vehicle fire. Coolant level dropping, P1299 diagnostic code displayed on code reader. Vehicle has been inspected by a local repair shop who refused to work on it. I contacted the local Ford dealer in Fort Myers, Florida, and they indicate no open recall for the issue. The consumer should not have to be responsible to pay for costly repairs to maintain safety when Ford is well aware of the design defect that puts people's lives at risk.
My 2013 Ford ESCAPE SE has a motor that will either be replaced or possibly totaled out by insurance because of price of new motor! Coolant leak into the oil caused fatal damage to motor and cylinder #3 is shot and done.Years ago there was a recall for this same motor and make/model but VIN of my car isn-€™t included and now I have a motor that-€™s garbage.
I have coolant leaking into oil-intrusion on #3 cylinder so far and gas into oil and car has been in dealership today and claim started. Ford issued a recall for this issue years ago but my vin isn-€™t included but has all same problems and I want Ford taking accountability and financially paying for new motor! I want a loaner car because mine is too dangerous to drive
My 2013 Ford Escape SE is part of an old recall that is a 1.6 L 4cyl motor and I bought the car used 1.5yrs ago and have coolant leaking into motor and has destroyed it! I wasn-€™t made aware of this when I purchased it!
The engine temp light came on. Checked the coolant level and it was low. Coolant was added to correct the low coolant level. This happened several time and now the engine barely runs. This happened over a period of a week. Dealer stated that the engine needs to be replaced at a cost of approx $8000. The car has only 59,000 miles on it.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that there was a message stating that the engine was overheating and to pull over. The contact was able to pull over safely and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the water pump was replaced, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine). The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 98,256.
Low coolant levels indicated by error trouble code caused by leaking freeze plug on top of the cylinder head. Leak is hard to detect because all coolant is burned on the top of the engine which releases odor into the cabin of the vehicle and could lead to possible engine fire.
On or about June 17, 2022 my suv caught fire as I was driving. I pulled over at a convenience store and someone there had a fire extinguisher and extenguished the fire.
With a cold engine approximately 1-2 miles after beginning driving, the engine coolant low warning comes on quickly followed by the engine temperature rapidly rising, engine overheat warning and engine shutdown. This has occurred periodically since owning the car, 65,000 miles to 85,000 miles. It used to occur only when driving uphill which was mitigated by manually shifting but now occurs on a cold engine. The coolant leaks and requires additional coolant approximately every two weeks but engine shutdowns do not always correlate with low coolant. Mechanic ran a pressure diagnostic for coolant and claimed no leaks (Sept 2022). Problem seems consistent with other NHTSA complaints.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Goldsboro, NC, USA