Print this page

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.

8.7

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$510
Average Mileage:
51,300 miles
Total Complaints:
46 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (37 reports)
  2. replace fuel sensor (2 reports)
  3. replaced coolant bypass valve (2 reports)
  4. wiring harness repair (2 reports)
  5. repaired main wiring harness (1 reports)
  6. replace electronic throttle body (1 reports)
2013 Ford Escape engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Ford Escape:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2013 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 3 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #6

Apr 102013

Escape 2.0T

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,300 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Within months of purchasing this car new it started stalling at stop lights and while driving.. I am tall and thought maybe my knee was hitting the key or something to cause the car to shut off. One of the weird things is that sometimes we do not get any indication that the car has stopped running until we either let off the brake and either roll backwards with no power brakes or you just hit the gas and go nowhere.

My 18 year old daughter has been driving the car the majority of the time and had mentioned that she was having stalling problems and at first I didn't put 2 and 2 together until recently because this happening more regularly and has left her stalled in intersections and she is now afraid to drive it on the freeway for fear of it stalling.. The car is in the shop for the 3rd time and I told them I do not want it back until they find something to fix this but to this point they say the cannot find any error codes.

I am very concerned about to proceed b I not trust the car and do not feel confident that they will find the problem.. Has anyone found a fix ?

- jeromewa, Kent, WA, US

problem #5

Jun 032014

Escape SEL 2.0L 14 Gtdi Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 22,500 miles

OK...so this is the FOURTH time my 2013 Ford Escape went into "limp mode" ....again - just as I was trying to enter the 70 MPH Interstate 35 near Austin. It again lurched, bucked and would not go over 40 MPH as I was entering the highway. (People zooming around me giving me "the look" wondering why this idiot is driving so stupid on the interstate!!) I got back off onto a 60 MPH highway and immediately called my mechanic at the Ford Dealership (oh, yes - they are now in my list of contacts as they get frequent calls from me.) Explained that, yet again, my Ford Escape does not want to go forward and I am scared to death that I am going to get hurt or killed in this vehicle. How can a person plan any trip anywhere if you cannot rely on the vehicle to go over 40 MPH??? So it is now at the dealership where they are really backed up and I am waiting to see if they are able to get to it today (if not, they will provide me with a rental ....again.) When they hooked my car up to the computer, it was registering all kinds of problems....brakes, ABS fault, defect with the rear door not opening (I have the option of waving your foot under the back door to open it but that hasn't been working all the time)....the car idles like a truck....VERY ROUGH....have had problems with the lift gate handle coming loose (it's been in twice now for that problem.) I really hate this car and want Ford to take it back at this point. Why would I want a car that I am afraid to drive and is so unreliable. This one is a real safety issue that needs to be addressed RIGHT NOW. My family and friends think this car needs to go to a final resting place before I do.

Update from Aug 20, 2015: Here is what has happened since my 2013 Escape started the shut-down problem. The original surging and going into limp mode was only the beginning of my problems with this car. It was in the shop a number of times for the (very dangerous) limp mode ordeal. It was finally fixed (?) and ran OK for a couple of months, then started the whole new issue of stalling out. The stalling out would happen when I would approach a stop light and as soon as I took my foot off the accelerator, it would just die. This happened time and again on roads where the speed limits were anywhere from 60 MPH to 75 MPH.....certainly a very dangerous situation. (AGAIN!!!) The car would restart, but I hated going anywhere in the vehicle as I was very afraid of getting rear-ended on one of our Austin area highways. Again - I took it in to the service department of the dealership where I purchased the Ford Escape but they never got a reading on the computer, so I was always told "sorry - if we don't get a code, we don't know what's wrong." And they would give the car back to me and within a day or two, it would die again. Back in the shop - back on the road - back in the shop - back on the road. You get the idea by now! None of my co-workers, friends or family wanted to ride with me as they were afraid of getting hurt in this car. I finally filed a complaint with Ford which I had tried to do when it was doing the "limp-mode" thing but never heard back from anyone on that first try. I did get to talk with someone from Ford on this new (and just-as-irritating-and dangerous) engine killing problem. I took it to a different Ford dealership in Austin that I was told had a good reputation for service. First time around, they kept the car for quite some time and finally ended up cleaning the wiring connections and said it was fixed. It worked for exactly 30 days and then started killing out very frequently. It also starting idling rough. So-o-o....back in the shop while I was given a tiny piece of junk to drive for almost 30 days while they waited for a Ford engineer to look at the car. During this time, they were driving my Ford to try to get it to replicate what it was doing to me. I never received any calls from the dealership during this time period to know what they were doing, but I got voicemail messages from the person at Ford who was handling my warranty complaint. Here's the real kicker......I received a phone call from the Ford representative stating that she had "good news and bad news"......they had finally gotten the car to kill on them when they were driving it, BUT DID NOT HAVE IT HOOKED UP TO A COMPUTER OR A MONITOR AT THE TIME, SO THEY GOT NO CODE WHEN IT KILLED OUT THAT WOULD TELL THEM WHAT WAS WRONG! Finally, from what I know, the Ford Engineer had them replace the entire wiring harness in the car which they said fixed it. Well.....I have had the car now for a little over a month and it has NOT killed out once but.......it idles like a dang lumber wagon!! I am so sick and tired of going back-and-forth with this Ford Escape but still have to take it back in before the original warranty expires. NEVER AGAIN would I drive a Ford product.

- Peggy D., Round Rock, TX, US

problem #4

Apr 212014

Escape SEL

  • Automatic transmission
  • 34,000 miles

I bought the 2013 Ford Escape SEL used at the end of 2013. Since then I have experienced the car stalling 3 times without warning, once on the freeway with heavy traffic (I don't know how I survived without an accident) and half a dozen times received the service engine now warning. Each time I was able to restart and operate normally. I did take it to a Ford dealer and they told me that I needed to leave the car with them for at least an hour so they can run a diagnostic of the car. I did not have time and have yet to take it back. I checked the Ford recall site and confirmed that my vin does not have any open recalls. After doing a lot of research, I found this site and all the complaints that mirror my own and am shocked that there has not been a solution. I don't have the time and $$ to keep taking my car in over and over (I am out of warranty at 34,000 miles). I wish I had found this site before purchasing this car. I hope there is a fix soon!

- Jeffrey S., evanston, IL - Illinois, US

problem #3

Dec 232013

Escape SEL 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 17,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving car, lost power, no warning light. I had to pull onto side of road. I was lucky I did not have a wreck or have someone crash into me. After a few minutes the car cranked up. On my way home the car appeared not to shift gears and only drive at slow speeds. I read something recently about another group of Ford vehicles doing this and called IT " limp home mode!" Thats exactly what mine did.When I took vehicle in, it appeared to be a faulty wiring harness"splice' from factory.

- escape13, Fort Myers, FL, US

problem #2

Feb 072014

Escape SE 2.0L Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 18,000 miles

Vehicle shakes violently and goes into limp mode during acceleration. Need to shut off engine and restart to clear problem. There is a great chance of being rear ended if in a heavy traffic area.No error code was listed on vehicle computer.

- Jerome S., Charles City, IA, US

problem #1

Mar 032014

Escape SE V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 25,000 miles

The 2013 Escape's engine has been stalling out on a regular basis. Has been taken to the dealer at least two times and its still not fixed. Its probably happened over 20 times. Sometimes entering busy roadways. This is very dangerous. This is a company fleet vehicle.

- davidolson509, West Upton, MA, US

Not what you are looking for?