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.
Car went down on Friday. Won't start. Brand-new battery and the starter and alternator was tested and they both are good. Looked up VIN and was not notified that there was a recall on a certain part on my vehicle. I'd like to get this issue fixed because now my windows won't even go up or down.
The engine shut off going down the road. The car started to beep letting me know that my transmission was not in park. I had to put my car in park and proceed to restart it. I could have been rear ended and my life could have been taken. I noticed it in September when I first got the car.
The contact owned a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the repair of three previous unknown recalls. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that while parked, the front of the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the flames and determined the origin of the fire came from the engine compartment. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was then towed back to the dealer, where it remained awaiting further diagnosis. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owned a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the repair of three previous unknown recalls. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that while parked, the front of the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the flames and determined the origin of the fire came from the engine compartment. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was then towed back to the dealer, where it remained awaiting further diagnosis. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
While driving the vehicle it started to overheat and before I could safely pull off the highway and stop it started smoking so I stopped it immediately and when I opened the hood the engine was on fire. Fire department was called a report was filed. I called ford after being informed by the fire department of a possible recall for this issue and ford denied any issues and hung up the phone on me on numerous calls.
- Lorain , OH, USA
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I was on the interstate late, car stopped immediately. warning light said overheated. had vehicle towed. hose in back of motor had to be replaced. This has happened twice. this time water is streaming from lower motor mount was told this is coming from an internal water pump. That this is common for the 1.6 ford eco boost. The antifreeze could also cause a fire on a hot engine. Ford knows of this problem but will not do recalls. to fix this is very costly.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his brother was driving at an undisclosed speed, he depressed the brake pedal however, the brakes failed to engage. No warning lights were illuminated. As a result, the contact-€™s brother swerved off the road but was able to engage the parking brake. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 161,905.
Around 6,000 2013 Ford Escapes were recalled for a coolant leaking / hose issue that could cause a fire in the engine. My car, according to your site, was not one of them. However, I have experience the coolant issue and tried to repair it on multiple occasions, but yesterday the issue caused my car to leak coolant all over the engine and shut down completely. I am confident this is the same issue the other cars were recalled for.
I took my car to Ford they said it was leaking oil into the turbo and I will need a total engine replacement no oil low indicator light came on my car started knocking and I shut it off right away at the dealership they said oil was leaking into the turbo and when they drain the oil there was metal in my oil plan total engine replacement will cost me $10,000
Our 2013 Ford Escape was recently taken in to a Ford Dealership for recall 22s43 transmission shifter cable bushing. The service team performed a replacement of shifter cable bushing, installed a protective cap, and adjusted the shifter as per recall. A few weeks later the transmission fault signal came up on our dashboard and the car would not shift into gear and it had to be towed home. Could the replacement have been faulty or not installed correctly, considering there were no reports of transmission issues when the vehicle was taken in to the dealership.
The fuel line caught fire while driving under normal load. There is no active recall on this model any longer, but had one years ago for same issue. This vehicle has 89k miles, serviced regularly, and fire
My wife and I bought 1 new 2013 Ford Eco Boost 1.6 liter Ford Escape in 2013. In the last 2 weeks the engine/ cylinders went bad. upon further investigation, I found numerous online complaints and a Class action Lawsuit filed against Ford for coolant leaks that infiltrated the motor and destroyed #2 and #3 cylinders. The cost of repair is more than the value of the car. Ford has known about this problem according to the online articles and has failed to fix or recall the engines based upon this problem. My engine experienced the same problems posted online. Ford told me nothing about the engine except for the cylinder failure but not the possible causes. I had to walk away from the car, Both my wife and I are retired and on a fixed income. I think Ford should bear some responsibility for thier lack of concern over the quality of these engines! There were no prior warnings to this engine failure until the actual incident occurred!
This vehicle is a 2013 Ford Escape with a 1.6 Turbo Engine. This vehicle has coolant leaking into cylinder number 4. Ford Motor Company has recalled other 2013 Ford Escapes and Fusions with this same engine for this same problem but refuse to recall my vehicle. The engine runs ruff and has quit on occasion. This is a dangerous situation if I am driving in traffic and could cause an accident.
Engine coolant low message has continually been an issue with this car since it was purchased used at the end of 2013. It got so bad that at one time I would have to carry antifreeze with me. I have replaced the water pump, hoses, thermostat housing, and other parts at considerable expense. I noticed that NHTSA ID # 10218621 refers to 1.5L EcoBoost engines built before June 10, 2019 in 2017 thru 2019 Ford Escapes does not pertain to my car because I have a 1.6L EcoBoost engine, but what is described in that notice and the Ford Technical Service Bulletin 22-2322 is exactly what is happening to my car. I believe Ford has the same problem with this 1.6L EcoBoost engine. My problems began in 2016 and twice since the engine temp spiked to extremely hot without warning and the car had to be shut down while driving causing extreme safety issues.
Losing antifreeze but it's not leaking from underneath, I'm not sure where it's going my car smells like it's burning some where, and under my car on my muffler there is burnt looking marks on the muffler underneath I'm not sure why, I have my car since November 20th 2021, I bought it from Auto wholesale in Gladstone, I have appointment for the recall on the bushing Dec. 20 th, I called Ford in Sandy Oregon talk to the guy about my car is not acting right and I'm not sure on what to do, he said that I should not drive it very much, I said well do you guys provided a loaner car because I work everyday and have to drive up into the Mt. Hood everyday if I can't get to work then I will lose my job, he like sorry we have enterprise if you need to rent a car, I don't think it's really fair I have done everything wright for my car and it be there doing when they built my car, you think they would help there customer with proper care until they fix the wrong on my car that was there doing not mine, there are burnt marks on the muffler underneath
UNKNOWN, There are not any warning lights on, my cars rpm jumps when I try to accelerate. As I push the gas it acts as if it does not want to drive and won-€™t. I-€™ve had to pull over with hazards and wait for someone to come assist.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an unknown speed and approaching a traffic light, the vehicle began decelerating independently. The contact stated the engine started overheating and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to park safely at a nearby parking lot. The contact added coolant and continued driving the vehicle to her destination. The contact stated that the coolant was leaking into cylinders #1 and #2. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Jacksonville, FL, USA