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:
3 / 14
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,868 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. While driving approximately 65 mph, the ignition key independently moved into the off position and the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.
Multiple times check engine service engine fault now comes on, killing all power and steering to vehicle. Stalled out in traffic, on highway, at a stop, low speed, no speed, high speed. Lost all ability to accelerate or control vehicle. Traction control sensor light lit up, check engine light lit up, airbag sensor lit up and yet running the check systems on it responds that all systems are normal and no active messages. Previously had issue with a bad wheel sensor affecting RPM's, speed, and acceleration. It took the dealer 4 days to figure that out as no computer codes displayed. When turning the lights on manually, the sensor on the dash doesn't light up and it does not turn the lights on unless it is completely dark outside. Not good for these rainy overcast mornings. The engine stalling happened in all different circumstances and traveling in inner city traffic and losing power has proven to be quite dangerous. It first happened yesterday while traveling short trip turning into parking lot. Today it occurred 12 times in a span of a 25 mile trip with my granddaughter in the car. I read the Ford website and ntsa ones and feel it could possibly be related to recall # 14S17 but when I run the VIN number, it only shows active recall related to airbags. It has had multiple recalls since first 3 months of ownership and dealer where purchased never seems to know or have parts in order to address recall issues. The problem is that when this happens, you lose all ability to control the vehicle and there is no indication of when or where it's going to happen. We were sitting at an intersection and when the light turned green, I accelerated and it lost power and there was nowhere to get the vehicle off of the road as it was traffic all around us. I turned my hazards on and prayed we didn't get hit by the oncoming onslaught of traffic.
Coolant issues, overheating and vehicle stopping completely, this occurred several times; head gasket replaced, turbo replaced, spark plugs coming out on their own, wheel bearing and sensor gone, touch screen gone
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
The body control module and wiring harness has gone bad on my 2013 Ford Escape causing failure in the cruise control, entertainment system, 911 assist system and finally causing the original factory keys to not be recognized by the car (the car won't start with the keys). Costs to repair by dealership $1,800. Further, an injector went faulty a few months ago with a cost of $800 to repair.
- South San Francisco, CA, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving at approximately 5 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and there was an abnormally strong burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the touch screen, radio, and navigation failed. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving at 73 mph, the air bag warning light, traction control warning light, brake warning light, and service engine light illuminated. The contact stated that the anti-lock braking system on the front passenger side was engaged which caused the vehicle to pull to the right and crashed into a concrete pillar. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The front seat passenger sustained injuries that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V495000 (electrical system); however, the vehicle was not repaired due to the part not being available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.
My 2013 Ford Escape sel is equipped with an intelligent key system. This key allows the driver to unlock the car by simply touching the door handle. The system also includes a feature that prevents the doors from locking or unlocks the doors immediately if keys are left inside the car without a driver or passenger present. The car also includes a auto-locking feature that is supposed to lock all doors only when the car is in drive and begins moving above 5 mph. On three occasions, including the last (7/22/2015) this system has malfunctioned to such a degree that its behavior was the exact opposite of its intended design. On two occasions involving my wife, who naturally carries the keys in her purse. She has gotten out of the car or loaded the car from the passenger side and closed the door without locking the car manually. Her keys remained in her bag on the passenger side, while she walked around the car to retrieve them or to enter the drivers side. On these occasions the car has locked itself with the keys inside as soon as she closed the door and she could not get into the car. The first time a window had to be broken to regain access, the second the door was opened by a locksmith. The last time we were at a restaurant I had a key in my shirt pocket and my wife had hers in her purse, we got out to speak with friends before we went in. When my wife turned to get her purse the doors were locked and would not unlock, I walked over to open the door there was no response from any door, pulled the key from my pocket and pressed the unlock button no response, pushed it two more times before the drivers door unlocked. All of these happened in temperatures above 97 there are two major failings occurring. If you get out of the car without the keys and close the door, it can lock itself. Maybe with a child inside. Ford cannot replicate this intermittent problem.
Ford is nothing but a company that is out for money. They could care a less how reliable their vehicles are or about their customer service. Ford Motor Company should stop making vehicles and be sued. They have nothing but faults in their vehicles. In mine, there is multiple transmission problems and the cooling fan runs constantly and this should not happen. I have contacted the Ford dealer that I bought the car from and they could care a less and continue to say nothing is wrong with it. My entire care basically has a seizure when it shifts and when you put it into gear and they say this is normal? these guys are a bunch of fools. Than they proceed to tell me I need to spend $700 on something that wasn't going to fix my car to get more money and to make me believe that they know what they are talking about. I am extremely upset at this company. They will not issue a recall even though I have read many other reviews about people having the same problem with the same vehicle. Ford is nothing but a bunch of crooked people. Never buy a piece of crap Ford. They do not stand behind their vehicles and could care a less about fixing an unsafe vehicle because of a fault in their end. Buy a Chevy or something that is more reliable and a company that has way better customer service than Ford.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving at 3 mph, the horn and emergency flasher independently activated and the vehicle stalled. In addition, post crash was displayed across the message board. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,000.
When starting, car shows "engine fault, service now" light. Took to dealership three times, has not been resolved. Recently, when braking for a stop light, engine fault reappeared and lost all power to the transmission. Huge safety issue.
Issues related per tsb #asi-44451 (NHTSA id #10055312) 2.0L motor lack of air conditioning on idle stuck in Chicago with over heating indicator lamp on display and overheating
The Ford Escape is equipped with an intelligent key system. This key allows the driver to unlock the car by simply touching the door handle. The system also includes a feature that prevents the doors from locking or unlocks the doors immediately if keys are left inside the car without a driver or passenger present. This ostensibly makes it impossible for a driver to lock their keys inside the car. The car also includes a auto-locking feature that is supposed to lock all doors only when the car is in drive and begins moving above 5 mph. On three occasions, including today (6/11/2015) this system has malfunctioned to such a degree that its behavior was the exact opposite of its intended design and it became a safety hazard. Each occasion has involved my wife, who naturally carries the keys in her purse or briefcase. She has gotten out of the car and closed the door without locking the car manually. Her keys remained in her bag on the passenger floorboard or seat, while she walked around the car to retrieve them or to go to retrieve our son out of his car seat in the back. On these occasions the car has locked itself with the keys inside as soon as she closed her door and she was not able to get into the car. There are two major failings occurring. The cars system is supposed to prevent the locking of the doors or immediately unlock them if the car is parked and it fails to detect a driver in the seat. The car has no functionality that auto locks the car when it is off and stationary, yet it is doing this. If you get out of the car without the keys and close the door, it will lock itself. This is a major safety issue because it has resulted in my son getting locked in the car in the heat. I was nearby, and able to come unlock the car, otherwise we would have had to smash a window. Ford dealerships have been unable to replicate this intermittent problem
While traveling down the highway in plover Wisconsin, smoke began to pour into the vehicle via the front vents. I looked forward and saw massive flames coming from under my hood. I quickly pulled over, shut the vehicle off and ran. I call 911, where it took 15 firemen and 500 gal of water to put out the 10ft flames (see fire report). The entire front end of my car has been destroyed along with all the contents. The fire broke through the firewall and melted underneath the dashboard. Front tires exploded
Starting in April of 2014 when the car was only 9 months old the warning light came on "get to safety" overheating engine. It went to pleasantville Ford where they replaced the engine. 1 month later all the transmission fluid fell out of the care. Back to pleasantville Ford where they replaced a part. Over the next 8 months the warning over heating "get to safety" would happen another 7 times. Ford would tow the car to pleasantville Ford they would fix (a sensor, fill fluid, and give me the run around) the final time I filled a complaint with BBB. They got a Ford mechanic from deer born, mi to look at the car. He replaced the radiator and right axial. Only for two weeks later the same "get to safety" and the car dies again.
At start-up, there was an error message on the instrument panel about an engine fault instructing me to seek service immediately. As it was after 6 pm, and the dealer service shop was closed, I drive home. The engine was "sputtering" as if it was going to stall. The car had minimal power and didn't achieve a speed over about 25 mph. I ran a vehicle health report, which indicated a problem in the engine, transmission, or powertrain; it instructed me to have the car serviced. The next morning, there were no problems. At the dealer the following day, no problem codes came up, and the dealer wouldn't replace the etb since there isn't a recall. I believe, however, that the problem is the etb and that I'm being placed in an unnecessarily dangerous situation when the etb can fail unexpectedly. Please issue a recall!
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and the engine failure light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer eights times; however, the remedy failed to the repair the vehicle. The last two times the vehicle was taken to the dealer, the wires to the power train control module were spliced but the failure persisted. The contact found NHTSA campaign number: 14V495000 (electrical system), but the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 14,520. Updated 6/3/15 updated 10/4/2017
Took delivery of 2013 Ford Escape as new car consumer purchase in August 2013. Battery has been biggest issue to date. I have had dead battery on three separate occasions to date, latest being this morning (March 16, 2015). Battery goes dead after as little as 48 hours of non-use. Ford dealers have tested the battery twice during maintenance visits. They say the battery meets minimum test standards. I can't leave the car anywhere for 2+ days w/O disconnecting battery. Google search suggests that this is not an isolated problem. This needs investigation. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle went into power saving mode. The vehicle's speed reduced and the check engine warning light illuminated. The engine was shut off then restarted, and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The failure recurred multiple times intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The mat sensor was replaced, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.
The vehicle had been turned in to brown daub Ford in nazareth, pa where it was reported to have died twice on the road. They then reported it died on them twice also. They replaced the engine fuel pump as this is the ecoboost there are two pumps (one at fueltank one at engine) and returned the car. It drove for 30 minutes and died again in an intersection where it almost caused a serious accident. The dealership wrote up the complaint as car wants to stall which is not what was said. They were told it died and was dangerous, they returned it with the same mileage as they took it in so it was not test driven. This is a very dangerous problem and will cause a death. The none turbo engine has a recall for wireharness splices not done properly and that is what this sounds like. Please look into this.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Niles, OH, USA