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 / 61
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,047 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.
Vacuum pump seized up causing the bolt connecting it to the camshaft to shear off and damage the turbo's and engine. This happened while going 70 mph on a freeway. I had to use evasive action to get it off the road.
When at a stop light and accelerate to go, the car lost power completely and was in the lane of traffic and couldnt go. Stop and restart and car was able to go. Took to dealer and 1200$ later they said a fuel relay switch was bad and they fixed it, month later starts happening again. Now even more often than before. Now they tell me at Ford that a relay is stopping the computer and they are going to run a wire seperate to bypass the relay to fix the problem.. ive read about the recall of this model in the 2.0 L 2013 Escape of the relay harness no wired corectly and can cause the computer module to reset causing a pause in power from overheating the modem. Its the same symptoms exactly though it may not be the same reason. We cant drive the car this is unsafe it is siting at dealers waiting for repair decision.
The coolant low warning was triggered a few times. I checked and the coolant was really low and had to add a lot to the right level. It might have the coolant leaking problems that is similar to the other 2013 Escapes being recalled. But mine was not included in the recall.
- Mason, OH, USA
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Car will stall at random times with no warning. This can happen while driving or, or just after starting, it is random. It will give a system malfunction/engine failure message but it goes away when the car restarts, which is usually does with no problem. No diagnostic code is logged and the dealer cannot recreate the problem. This happens several times a month now. Symptoms, model, manufacture date & location all match with recall #15V813, but our VIN # does not pull for this recall so dealer will not fix. Dealer will not do anything until they recreate the problem, which they were unable to do. This has been going on for months, but becoming more frequent now. Have called the Ford customer service number and they logged our information, but not sure what that is supposed to do. The questions on this form are for an isolated event, so I am answering them with most recent info, but this has happened many times. Help!
The car is overheating with no warning lights or anything this is not a stand alone problem many people are having this issue I parked the car then went to restart it and the warning sign came up saying the engine was hot an the gauge went to the red
First incident: August 3rd 2016 while driving 50mph car displayed a engine overheating warning message and slowed down as I pulled off the road. After a few minutes I was able to drive again and the message did not reappear, the check engine light was on. I took the car to kearney person Ford 7303 clairemont mesa blvd san diego, ca 92111 they told me they couldn't find anything wrong and turned the check engine light off. Second incident: Driving to work earlier this year 2017 I got the same message that my engine coolant was low, and to slow down because of critical overheating, even though I had just had the car serviced for a regular maintenance check, once again at kearny person Ford. I was driving normally on a road at around 30-40mph but accelerating when the message popped up. I refiled the coolant as the check engine light did not turn on. Third incident: This was the most dangerous time. Critical engine overheating message and low coolant message popped up without warning while driving up hill in traffic going about 20mph on the I-5S at the in California grapevine. The engine nearly shut off and limped on just a couple cylinders as I tried to get to the shoulder. Smoke was coming out from under the hood and the engine was hot. It all happened immediately and without warning, the temp gauge was normal and then bam! overheated with warning messages crippling the car. Driving slowly but the weather was hot it was nearly 110 degrees outside. Seems super dangerous. Because of the lack of warning when these incidents happen. The way that the coolant just disappears, and the smoke and chance of fire.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving 70 mph up an incline, the overheating warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Ford fairfield (3050 auto mall ct, fairfield, ca 94534), but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V583000 (engine). The manufacturer transferred the contact directly to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving 50 mph, the vehicle started overheating and the check engine and low coolant warning indicators illuminated. The contact was able to pull off the roadway and turn off the ignition. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump failed. The water pump was replaced and the coolant was refilled. The next day, while driving 60 mph, the vehicle stalled and thick, black smoke was seen coming from the engine and rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed back to the independent mechanic who diagnosed that the turbo failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was repaired. Two days later, while driving at unknown speeds, a strong fuel odor was detected in the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic. The diagnosis was unknown, but the mechanic stated that fuel leaks were a common issue with Ford vehicles. The manufacturer was notified and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 12V551000 (engine and engine cooling) and 12V336000 (fuel system, gasoline). The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.
Coolant leaking from engine requiring new coolant reservoir, thermostat, belt and pulley. $1500. Check engine light still comes on indicating possible valve issue causing car to overheat. Diagnostic code P26B7
After purchasing a 2103 Ford Escape about six months later I noticed a low coolant light on in the vehicle. I took it to the Ford dealership who reported the coolant bypass valve needed repair. The vehicle was no longer under warranty so I paid out of pocket for the repair. Six months later the low coolant light is on again and heading to the dealership for another repair. There are numerous complaints regarding this issue and the repeated repairs. We as owners of Ford Escape should not be assuming the cost of repair every six months for something that should be on a recall list.
If this happened on the interstate we could be killed(dead). Our Escape has only 10,800 miles on it, and is driven by my wife. She drove it in town for about 15 miles 2 days previously. On this day, she started the car. Idled it for about 3 minutes, put it in gear and 400 ft. Later the dash light said shut down engine, overheat. The gas pedal was in op.. the car would only go about 1 mile per hour. No matter what I did to the gas pedal it would not allow the car to do more than idle. I checked under the hood and saw no leaks, the radiator reservoir was about 1/2 full. We had the car towed to landmark Ford in spfd, il 5 days later they told me that the radiator hose had a hole in it. (they threw the hose away and would not let me see it) we have absolutely no leakage stains on our driveway. They charged me $429.49 to replace the radiator hose. I checked the cost of the motorcraft hose at the autoparts store it was $28.66. I am long ago retired, but was certified in many different engine repair types. The 1st thing we always checked was the thermostat. They did not test or replace the thermostat according to their bill. I suspect fraud from the dealer, but this is not your concern. What is the concern is the probable cause of injury or death when the engine computer lights the dash and stops the accelerator function. On a highway that can and probably will cause an accident.. thank you --[xxx], [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'
Engine caught on fire and was only less than 5 miles from home, no warning signs no computer indicating problems, no oil leaks no coolant problems. Happened on my way to work, driving on a city street going 40mph, happened around 615am. Smoke -was pouring out of the engine compartment, pulled into a 7-11 gas station and a concerned citizen came to help, he opened the hood and removed the engine cover and I saw flames coming from the back of the engine by the firewall, he used an extinguisher to put it out. Car was towed to my house and insurance called, it was sent to a garage per insurance but it was then sent onto a Ford dealership, they are now looking to see if it is caused by a recall.
2013 Ford Escape SE 1.6 L 4cyl I hope there is an investigation that is on going. My Ford is over heating and sometimes it wont start because of a software fix that was supposed to fix the problem. Turns out it delays the inevitable. My car is now at the Ford dealer for the second time. To make things worse, I woke up one day and my power steering didnt work. I go to work with no power steering and when I start it again it works, very weird. All in all, I do not think Ford did enough. The coolant system or the engine needs to be replaced.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving various speeds, the vehicle shook and suddenly stalled. The contact had to place the vehicle in neutral and restart the vehicle before the gear could be switched to drive once the vehicle was started. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer (auto nation) where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be identified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.
Catastrophic loss of braking at 65 mph on highway without warning. Saturday evening April, 29, 2017 on I-85 southbound while slowing from 65 mph to exit at South hill, va driver (daughter) applied brakes and had no power assist. This produced a pedal that was stiff and her entire body weight had to be used to cause any slowing. The vehicle was stopped using the grade of the ramp and E brake. The vehicle had no warning lights or indications of failure. After towing it home Sunday April 30th it was taken to the dealership. They diagnosed a vacuum pump failure. The vacuum pump being solely responsible for the braking system causes immediate loss of braking on failure. The failure was caused by conditions similar to those present in the belt driven vacuum pump on 2011-2012 Ford F-150 ecoboost. Several days later when the dealership attempted to fix the vacuum pump they found that the failure caused the cam core coupler to shear. This allowed metal shards into the oil which then carried them to the engine and turbo damaging both. The dealership came back with an estimate of $6000 for just the repairs with a new engine, however they informed us that the turbo needed to be replaced as well due to the damage. Workers at the dealership reported that the cost to fix the car far outstripped the residual value. Mileage failure was 60,921. Due to the 921 miles Ford has thus far refused to consider any reconciliation. After extensive research we have found that this failure is common among ecoboost engines and may be more prevalent than immediately evident. A braking failure of this magnitude could easily cause serious injuries or fatalities. In the case of most wrecks involving privately owned vehicles thorough investigation of cause is uncommon. If the occupants were unable to recall or communicate the cause of the wreck due to injury or death it would go unreported.
2013 Ford kuga 60,000 km. Automatic transmission. Engine stalls at random while driving. Stalls both at high and low speeds. Has been into dealer for service for two months, for the first 7 weeks they "could not fix it because they could not find an error code". after I drove it in a circle around the dealer for hours I was able to show them the problem and they obtained an error code, 'solenoid'. Ford says "maybe just replace whole transmission because we're not sure of the problem"
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Memphis, TN, USA