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:
8 / 62
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,321 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.
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.
- Cape Coral, FL, USA
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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.
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 previously 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.
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pennsville, NJ, USA