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:
85,069 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 at various speeds, the vehicle would overheat with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle would stall and independently enter safe mode as the temperature gauge would indicate that the engine was hot. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who could not determine the cause of the failure. The mechanic then took the vehicle to a dealer where he was instructed on how to repair the failure. Upon return of the vehicle, the contact stated that the vehicle no longer stalled; however, coolant and oil began to leak from the vehicle. The contact then took the vehicle to the dealer where they informed her that they could not service the vehicle in a timely manner. The contact then called the manufacturer who informed her that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact's wife owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a warning alert would frequently chime as the low coolant warning message would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact had to frequently replenish the coolant due to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and provided the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 141,460.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her daughter had to add coolant to the vehicle. The coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic contact who stated the vehicle was leaking coolant internally. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the low coolant warning light was illuminated. The message to -??Pull Over Immediately-?? was displayed on the instrument panel before the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer three times to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact the NHTSA.gov website to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
- Livonia, MI, USA
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The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that she had initially observed spots on her driveway due to an unknown leak. The contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics however, none of the mechanics could find the source of the leak. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began to shake with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. While refilling the coolant reservoir, the coolant spilled out of the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to her residence. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was provided a case number and was referred to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
2nd day I had it temp out side was -15? in Feb. I started my car and warning lamp said low coolant service immediately not even 2 minutes it said pull over safely engine will shut down. dealership came got it said it was a coolant hose.... they lied. it was the coolant bypass valve that was malfunctioning. I got the car back and it was okay for a couple weeks then said low coolant. I've been dealing with pretty significant coolant bypass valve problem since. so I got to researching and found that there was infact a recall on my year, make and model car but yet my vin wasn't included. this is seriously going to cause me or my family serious injury if not fixed and I do not believe I should have to pay for repairs on something that's known to be faulty.
Smelling fuel & coolant leak took to ford & had diagnostic test done they replaced hose's..picked back up drove 1day & started doing same thing saying low coolant pulled over and it was steaming bad.. looked at overflow tank & it was almost full so I just left it in my driveway came out to look at it again and it was empty.... I don't understand why it's leaking coolant and why it's doing this if hose's have been replaced why it loosing coolant where is coolant going doesn't make any sense.... I seen where there was recall on 2013 model with coolant leak / freeze plug & fuel leak in lines??
2013 Ford Escape 1.6 ecoboost engine started to show signs of coolant loss at around 32,000 miles. No visible leaks but coolant level in reservoir was low. Reported this to Ford Dealer service department. They pressure tested system but found no leaks so they just added more coolant. Coolant loss persisted but was very slow. Now at aproximately 53,000 miles, vehicle has been diagnosed by Ford service with an internal coolant leak. Coolant leaking into cylinder 1. Engine replacement needed.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle started to overheat. The message "Check Coolant, Coolant Low" appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was not repaired however, the engine coolant was refilled. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine coolant was leaking. The engine coolant was refilled however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact the vehicle was not included in a recall and offered no further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.
There was a pop noise and then screeching under the hood for a short period & then the noise stopped. Pulled into my garage for the night. Pulled out the next morning to go to work and the car overheated, low coolant warning light came on. I pulled over into a gas station to let it cool down and added coolant. had it towed to a repair shop & diagnosis is: Water pump bearing failed and leaked engine coolant leading to engine overheating and cracked block and is now leaking oil. Car is available for inspection.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the engine started to shake violently and was leaking coolant. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start with black smoke coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was towed and diagnosed with needing a new engine. The vehicle has not been repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the Vin was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the Vin was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
My engine will not hold coolant and apparently has coolant in the cylinders acording to Ford new motors are required for this and it-??s a defect from the way the motor is designed
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that within five minutes of starting the vehicle, the engine overheated with the warning message turn off the engine displayed. The contact indicated that the engine cooling system was replaced by an independent mechanic however, the failure recurred. The local dealer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where he was informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000. The VIN was not included.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his son was driving at slow speeds, the coolant gauge was show a low coolant level before the vehicle stalled. The driver added water to the coolant and drove to his destination. The contact stated the failure occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact was informed the vehicle had been repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 12V551000 (engine and engine cooling) by the previous owner in 2014. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact was driving at an unknown speed, when the overheat and emergency pullover warning lights illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that he poured water into the radiator reservoir and restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The mechanic informed the contact of NHTSA campaign number: 12V551000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact informed capital Ford of lillington (945 N main St, lillington, nc 27546) of the failure and recall but was informed that the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that recalls were VIN specific. The manufacturer offered no additional assistance. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the failure stated in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the vehicle stalled. The engine oil and engine coolant warning lights were illuminated. An audible chime and the message "caution immediate alert chance of fire" was displayed. The contact parked the vehicle and the next day an independent mechanic filled the engine coolant reservoir and drove the vehicle to the shop to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine coolant was over temperature and that the power reduced to temperature as the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact informed the dealer steven's jersey city Ford (740 NJ-440, jersey city, NJ 07305) of the failure but was informed that the vehicle had exceeded the warranty coverage. The contact contacted the manufacturer, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 48,000. Consumer stated recall was done in 2014 but happened again. Consumer stated there is no record of recall being done.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's wife was able to restart the vehicle and drove home. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to heritage Ford (2075 edsel ln nw, corydon, in 47112) for repairs under NHTSA campaign number: 20V331000 (latches/locks/linkages) and an unknown recall, prior to the failure. The contact stated that after the recall repairs were performed, the low coolant warning light and traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was repaired however, the loss of coolant persisted. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and the failure was diagnosed with set cylinder over temperature and engine coolant level low. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 98,000. The VIN was not available.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Stone Mountain, GA, USA