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.
Purchased vehicle in August of 2014 with 28,000 miles on it. About 2-3 weeks ago the vehicle just stalked, lost all power then died on my wife with my 19 month old baby girl in the car. Vehicle starts right back up when this occurs. It happens a couple of times a week and is very dangerous. Sometimes it will die when you are trying to accelerate or merge into traffic. Took it to the same Ford dealer we purchased the vehicle from and they were able to replicate the problem. However, no codes are present in the vehicle even when it happens. The Ford service writer and technician said that it was the throttle body. The vehicle has 52,000 miles on it however I was told no warranty or recall covered the replacement of the throttle body. I paid for the throttle body repair. Less than 48 hours later the vehicle dies again on my wife while pulling out of our neighborhood. Again with my child in the back seat.
Was in reverse pulling out of drive way, cross traffic indicator went off and car began to shake, put car in drive and drove after it stopped shaking. When I came to the first light the car would not go even as I had accelerator all the way down, the car revved but did not move until a minute later it slowly began to move with accelerator all the way down. Gradually it picked up speed again but kept on shaking. While at the light the car seemed to be loosing electrical power and felt as though it would shut off as it had lost all power before due to the collision indicators sensing a crash.
Fuel tank compressing, causing the vehicle to rough idle, surge or stall while driving with no warning. Has stalled on three different occasions. Unsafe to drive. Check engine light illuminates. Ford requires a $100 fee to check vehicle and stated customer would have to pay for repairs and then see if Ford will reimburse.
I have a 1.6 L Ford Escape. It stalls unexpectedly - usually when I first start the car and begin to move it. Restart is hard. I have pulled out into busy highway and it has stalled several times. The accident potential was great. It may be related to the 2L recall on this vehicle just issued. N0 code was found when a mechanic read the memory. This has happened a number of times. Replaced battery and added gas conditioner. No change
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact noticed that the vehicle was loosing antifreeze. In addition, the contact stated that the engine was running hot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V431000 (engine, engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
- Sandusky, OH, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the engine temperature warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and towed to the dealer. The dealer informed that the fuel pressure sensor and the engine wire harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 41,424....updated 04/19/16
Driving on the interstate when the car lost all power and all warning lights came on. I pulled onto the shoulder and noticed smoke coming from under the hood. Got out to get a better look when the engine compartment burst into flames.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the service engine warning light kept randomly flashing. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a short with the wires and the engine wiring harness. The dealer replaced the parts. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 15V813000 (electrical system) and 14V495000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,612.
Bought car October 2013, in fall of 2014 became aware of first recall for engine, however parts weren't available. By spring 2015, had four or five different recall notices and while waiting to drop car off for scheduled recall maintenance, check engine light came on. Two days before drop off date, engine started overheating. Took car in for recall, after almost a week got it back. Wheel alignment was all out of whack and engine overheating continued intermittently. Took to local mechanic and replaced one of the coil packs, O2sensor, and coolant valve. Have continued to have intermittent overheating issues resulting in multiple trips to mechanic for service. Replaced O2 sensor again. This past time, while on the interstate, car started overheating and resulted in having to back down off the entrance ramp (as I had pulled over to let the car cool) because it went into limp mode almost immediately and stopped accelerating. Instances of overheating occurred while car was either in motion or even when just putting the car in gear. This last time, I had to drive in limp mode to the rental car Agency to rent a car because I was going to miss a flight. My mechanic was able to try and replace some additional parts on the car and enable me to bring it home, but once again, it went into limp mode after overheating while we were driving.
I purchased my '13 Escape SE at the end of Sept 2014. In December '14 it started leaking coolant and oil all over the driveway while it was parked. The weather strip was falling off the door. Then when it was raining, water poured in through the reading light as I was backing out of the driveway. I brought it to the dealer and it took 3 weeks for repairs and recalls to be done. It went back for other recalls twice. In November '15 I got an alert while driving that coolant was low (3 weeks post oil change and "the works") and it was dangerously low. I refilled it and brought it back to the dealer - they were unable to diagnose the issue so it went unrepaired. December '15, I turned my car on and received an alert "engine fault service now" while still in park. I had to move it a few blocks and drove it at a slow rate, the car jerked back & forth while I drove it the 2 blocks before I parked it again. Also brought it to the dealer and they stated the alert code was for a fuel line issue, but when they tested it there was no evidence of any issues.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the coolant bypass valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 12V431000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving, the engine emitted smoke and the vehicle stalled. The contact opened the hood and discovered that flames were releasing from the engine. The contact was able to extinguish the fire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer inspected the vehicle and discovered that the engine oil leaked causing the engine to catch on fire. The manufacturer advised that dealer sold the vehicle without having NHTSA campaign number: 12V431000 (engine and engine cooling) performed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 35,000.
On 10-25-15, I was driving a few miles from my home when a light came on stating "high engine temperature, pull over safely." Within 30 seconds of pulling over, the flames came out frm under the hood near the windshield. Within 5 minutes my vehicle was fully engulfed inside and completely destroyed. I contated the dealership who informed me of a recall that oil could leak onto the engine and start a fire. I was never notified. I was given a number for Ford customer relations. I notified them of what happended and was told they turned my case over to their legal counsel and I would recieve a written response from Ford in 15 business days. Ihave still not recieved a letter and I was told I just have to wait for the letter.
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.
Engine coolant service required, check engine light. Checked coolant low. Added coolant 4 days later the same message appears again. Add more coolant. Take my vehicle to dealership due to the leak. Which is a recall on other 2013 Ford Escape but apparently not mines. I have T replace water pump, gasket, servicing belt and 1 gallon of coolant for over $1100 with no help from Ford. When they know they should due a recall on all 2013 Ford esacapes.
I was driving going 40 mph & car just died, the engine turned off almost got re ended as the car just came to a stop. I was not able to restart for a couple minutes. All the power stayed on but the engine died and the car lost momentum.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While accelerating from a traffic light, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle had to be placed in park to prevent the stalling. On several occasions, the vehicle took several attempts to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact was referred to the dealer because the vehicle was under a manufacturer's warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. On five separate occasions, the low coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the coolant level was low. The mechanic refilled the coolant reservoir, however the warning light remained illuminated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.
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 65 mph, the vehicle decreased in speed and the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when depressed. The failure occurred intermittently. In addition, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on four occasions but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000. The VIN was not available.
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Knoxville, TN, USA