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 / 61
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,975 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.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle almost stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated with a warning light flashing, indicating for the driver to pull over and stop. The contact stated that she was able to coast to into a parking lot with the engine was running; however, the vehicle would not exceed 15 MPH. The contact stated that the engine temperature gauge was in the RED. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and recommended that a valve in the A/C and radiator hose be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle failure had reoccurred. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle had experienced vibration, hesitation, and jumping on several occasions. The vehicle also stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was caused by engine coolant intruding into cylinder #2 causing damages to the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 115,000. The contact stated that the motor was replaced with a Ford factory motor by an authorized Ford dealer. The contact paid out of pocket for these repairs, but they have concerns that they were sold the same exact model that caused the vehicle to have issues.
I would like to report this extremely dangerous incident I had with my 2013 Ford Escape with the 2.0 engine. I parked my car and went shopping. The car was running fine. I returned about a half hour later. When I started the car the engine revved up to 5000RPM all by itself and stayed at that RPM even though I didn-€™t have my foot on the gas pedal. I had to tap the gas pedal to get the engine RPM down to the correct idle speed. I was glad the car was in park and not drive. I could have gotten in a terrible accident and maybe have killed someone. I contacted Ford customer service to see if they had a recall for this problem. My case number is 37993624. They told me there wasn-€™t any recall. They told me that I should take the car immediately to a Ford service center to get it checked out. The agent tried to make an appointment for me at the closest service center near me, Premier Ford located at 1072 East 49 Street Brooklyn NY 11234, but the lines were busy. I told her I would take the car there the next morning. The Ford center did a diagnostic check on the engine and told me they couldn-€™t find the problem or reproduce it and there were no codes in the system. They suggest I change the Throttle Body and the gas pedal assembly. They said it was only a guess but that could have been the problem. I did as they suggested and had the Throttle Body and gas pedal assembly replaced. Since they didn-€™t actually find the problem every time I drive my car I wonder in the back of my mind if it-€™s suddenly going to shoot out into traffic all by itself. 1-The vehicle is available for inspection on request. 2-The engine has not been inspected by the Ford Company. 3-There was no warning of the problem before it happened. service adviser at Ford wrote the problem wrong. He wrote that I shut the engine and restarted it. That-€™s not correct. I just tapped the gas pedal and it went down to the correct idle RPM.
I bought this car two years ago from rodeo Kia in Avondale Arizona and have had some issues with this car which all have been resolved but last year the car has had a major issue that still hasn-€™t been fixed I called numerous mechanics that have a identified the same problem over and over. I was told by repair smith that my car overheated and leaked Freon because of engine block crack that this cars are known for. So my car needs an engine block swap and I was told by the mechanic that this are one of fords cars that have this major problems down the line. So I did my research online and there is a lot of people with this problem with this 2013 ford escapes but when I put my vin number it says no recall for that but other escapes of the same year have that recall why is mine not showing that recall if it does have that diffract and problem and it-€™s the same year but it does not show the recall I think this is extremely unfair to me as a consumer.10
- Phoenix, AZ, USA
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The engine has a coolant leak which is causing smoke to emit from the muffler pipes when started. The vehicle always seemed to burn off coolant in a way that was normal. I purchased the car in 2016. But I never had warning lights. Despite that, we (myself and my mechanics - I have gone to two) have tried to find the leak for several years, including changing hoses & seals. However, now the check engine light is on, and within the same day of the warning light, there is now smoke coming out of the muffler when engine is started. It disperses quickly but I am afraid this is some kind of fire hazard. I do not smell anything burning but this is a hazard I need to report.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle emitted abnormal sounds and surged continuously upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys who retrieve a code for the check engine warning light. The contact then added additives in the fuel tank and the check engine warning light disappeared. However, the failure reoccurred increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause of the failure was not yet determined. However, the dealer informed the contact that the failure could be associated with the engine or the transmission. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle was unable to accelerate to exceed 25 MPH. There was also a knocking sound coming from the engine. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle safely to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
We have had to replace vacuum pump 4xs, had multiple engine repairs done, turbo replaced, jumped time 3xs, replace ABS sensor 2xs, wheel bearings 2xs, CV axels 2xs, since day 1 has been blowing lights in turn signals and brake lights, wiring issue, have replaced control arms, tie rods, tie rod ends, and so much more, have had transmissions since day one, needs evap system repaired again, transmission replaced a second time, having power reductions, and this vechiile has costed us over 12,000, Have been informed of 2 recalls Time frame 12/2015 to current date.
ford escape 2013 recall #14S17-S1 problem with electrical signal connections that causes car to stall when coming to stop, ford says not applicable with my car
On 06/21/2022 I took my 2013 Ford Escape to a Ford dealer because my check engine light was on. I was informed that a Evap Tube was needed and the part was ordered. A few weeks later I checked with the dealer and was told the part was on back order. 08/01 I checked again and was told that there were 3,000 people waiting for the part and there was no estimate on when it would arrive. Whenever I start the engine after getting gas the engine does not start right away. It takes several times to start. I am always worried that the engine will not start or there could be a fire.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated with the engine overheating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall and would be repaired pay out-of-pocket. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was 108,000.
Due to leaking coolant and overheating. I had to get engine and transmission work done that totaled over $10,000 worth mechanical work. I also had to get suspension work which is also include it the total of being over $10,000.
The transmission failed at an intersection. The car wouldnt go into gear, the car would start to shake, care has gone backwards & having to use to E-brake to ensure vehicle is parked. My safety was put at risk at a intersection and the vehicles behind and in front of me were at risk of accident. Not safe to drive. The dealership sent out a recall on that vehicle and on NHSTA you can also see the recall and affected parts. Same issues experienced stated in the recall. Vehicle was brought to dealer ship but not inspected due to dealership waiting for part. No previous warnings. Just the incdent that put people at risk.
This was taken to Kendall Ford of Anchorage. The check engine light come on and start running bad. I immediately took it into the dealership they said I just needed new spark plugs and turn up. But in the note it says there was leaking out of cylinder two and three. No recommendations were given to me. They change the spark plugs and gave it back. Then again it started running bad April 2022. I took back to the dealership in April 2022 and they said it was misfiring but no longer was. I took it back to the dealership again when coolant light started coming on. They gave it back to me and said nothing was wrong. Now because of the leak into the cylinders it-€™s started overheating due to an internal coolant / antifreeze leak that allows coolant to enter into the cylinders of the engine. The dealership is now stating the engine is flooded with coolant which caused total engine failure and now require replacement of the engine block. My car only has 52,000 miles.
We were experiencing the engine cutting out and dying very rarely for about 2 years. One day while driving the vehicle, I hit the accelerator and the car started to engage the drive train, but then cut out and died. I was able to restart the vehicle and put it into drive. It would accelerate but once it got to the correct RPM and tried to shift the engine would cut out again. Ford said that it was a transmission failure and because it wasn't under warranty it was our responsibility to replace it at our cost if we decided to do the repair. Now a year later, the exact issue that we were experiencing is beginning with the replacement transmission. If this is a recall is it the responsibility of Ford to reimburse me the cost of replacing the transmission and complete the recall repair for the transmission that they put in.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission became inoperable. The transmission malfunction warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission and engine failure. The transmission and engine were replaced. The failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Vehicle was taken in for diagnosis as it kept alerting that coolant was low and shutting off due to over heating alert. Coolant reservoir ans sensors were changed prior to that date. I was advised that the vehicle needs the engine short block replaced. The repair of the vehicles along with the quote exceeds the vehicle value.
While merging onto the highway, I got into the right lane. While in motion my car stalled and went from 70 mph to 40 mph almost instantly. There have been many other times of engine stalling that has made me fear to drive this vehicle with my child. I noticed that " engine stalling" and the engine in general have been a common issue specific year make and model while researching this vehicles history. There have also been many major repairs and more needed repairs that will cost more than the vehicles worth. The turbo was recently repaired, water bypass valve, valve cover, spark plugs. With more repairs to be made due to fluids still leaking, and a certified mechanic noting that the catalytic converter will need to be replaced. The repairs done and the repairs needed will greatly cost more than the vehicles worth. I'm asking that you guys take into consideration that im still paying on this vehicle and a single mom who cannot keep putting repairs into a vehicle that i desperaetly need for transportation.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fairlawn , OH, USA