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:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
87,994 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 that while driving approximately 40 MPH the messages "Engine overheating" and "Coolant level low" were displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated from 40 MPH to 5 MPH. The contact had coasted to the side of the roadway and waited for approximately an hour for the engine temperature to cool down before continuing to drive. The failure had occurred 3 times. The contact stated that during one failure, in addition to waiting, the coolant level was refilled above the suggested fill line and the vehicle regained proper function. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that coolant was leaking into the engine. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact was referred to the dealer. The dealer was contacted and it was confirmed the VIN was not included in the recalls. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated after starting the vehicle, he noticed that coolant was leaking significantly onto the ground. The contact stated that he added coolant to the vehicle and drove to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cylinder head plug was fractured. The mechanic determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the NHTSA was responsible for the VIN selection. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the engine was running rough. Additionally, the contact stated that she was continually refilling the coolant reservoir due to an excessive coolant consumption. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with an internal coolant leak. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be taken apart for a full diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the "Coolant Level Low, " message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and it was discovered that there was a hairline crack in the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that there was blueish-colored smoke coming from the vehicle upon a cold engine start. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
- Kenai, AK, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the engine was misfiring, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he drove to the residence. The contact stated that he used an OBD reader and retrieved DTC code: P0304 (Cylinder #4 Misfire). The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 144,618.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle overheated. Additionally, a message indicating a low coolant level was displayed, and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the coolant temperature sensor housing was replaced; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where the coolant temperature sensor housing and coolant hoses were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the oil reservoir. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the recall repair was performed in 2014. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked outside the residence, and she noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The contact stated that she added coolant to the vehicle, but the coolant continuously leaked onto ground. The contact started driving the vehicle however, the vehicle started overheating and a message advising to pull over was displayed. The contact reversed to the front of the residence and parked the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the vehicle overheated and shut off. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer several times, and the dealer diagnosed that coolant was leaking from the coolant hose, and the engine coolant temperature sensor housing was cracked. The dealer repaired the vehicle twice; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the coolant hoses were repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 47,841.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal coolant consumption. The contact stated that she placed a cardboard underneath the vehicle to check for coolant leaks; however, there was no leak. Additionally, the contact stated that she had noticed that there was oil intrusion into the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted. Additionally, the contact observed condensation under the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on several occasions where it was diagnosed that unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired over 20 times, but the failures persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The contact added coolant, but the coolant continued leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic could not find a coolant leak. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was 113,000.
The contact's granddaughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his granddaughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed then the vehicle overheated. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that his granddaughter stopped the vehicle and then turned off and parked the vehicle to allow the engine to cool down. The contact's granddaughter was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine short block had cracked, and coolant had leaked into the combustion chamber and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the low coolant warning light was displayed on the instrument panel with heavy white smoke coming from the tailpipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3, causing engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was given a case number and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally before stalling. The contact waited for a while before restarting the vehicle; however, while driving, the failure recurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that coolant was leaking into cylinder #3 due to a fractured gasket, causing the engine to fail. The vehicle had since become inoperable. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 126,724.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and rumbling. The engine coolant message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the coolant standpipe needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the odor of fuel was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local automotive service center who diagnosed that the coolant reservoir and engine belts were faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact was advised to contact the local service center for repairs to be performed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 165,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Engine Overheated" displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where an engine sensor was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the engine head had cracked and coolant had leaked into the engine cylinders. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality. The contact stated that the failure had become more frequent over the past two years. The contact stated that during the failure the check engine and low coolant warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was a crack in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 97,612.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine was overheating. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that there was coolant mixing with the engine oil. 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 provided. The failure mileage was 110,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was towed the local mechanic how diagnosed that a engine coolant leak had occurred which caused severe damage to the engine and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 120.000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Feeding Hills, MA, USA