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:
5 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,784 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.
While stopped at a stoplight, with the car in drive and my foot on the brake the engine revs up and the car lurches forward and crashes into the car in front of me. This happened last week at a drive thru and I was fortunate that no one was in front of me.
I purchased a 2013 Ford Escape in Oct 2012. It has been in service three times for the same issue. Faulty engine light "service now" but computer didn't capture any issues with vehicle. First time dealer changed the mass pressure air sensor. The second time they contact Ford which told them to upgrade the computer software, this time I called to have the manufacturer send the Ford engineer which states it is the onboard computer. He emailed Ford for the diagrams since vehicle is new and not available to the dealer (so that is what I am being told). The dealer has no idea of what the problem truly is. Finally contact manufacturing who states it is a computer component. Vehicle still at dealership for repair. It is a safety hazard due to the lunging and hesitation of the vehicle when you depress the accelerator. It doesn't have enough power to get you out of an intersection if needed. It lunges forward as if the transmission is defective or the fuel injectors.
2013 Ford Escape. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle throttle issues and consumer seeks reimbursement. The consumer stated the throttle response on the vehicle was horrible. The consumer stated there was an abnormal hesitation. The dealer claimed it had to with the new 1.6 no boost engine and the delayed response of the turbo. However, there was no fix for it. Also, the consumer noticed the clock would reset for not reason and the preset radio stations would randomly go blank. The dealer re-loaded the software for the display to fix the issue. However, a week later the radio went completely dead for one day, but came back on the next day. Also, the gas mileage was no where near where Ford indicated it should be ( 23 mpg city, 26 mpg combo, 33 mpg highway).
I was at a red light on a freeway exit. My cruise control had been set to 65 mph, and when I accidently tapped the resume lever, the car accelerated rapidly. Hitting the brakes did not stop the car before it hit the car in front of me. The cruise control cancel/resume lever is located on the lower left part of the steering wheel. If your steering wheel is in a low position, and you move your left leg, you can activate cruise control with your thigh causing immediate acceleration. This happened to me again while driving slowly on a curvy road last week. This could be disastrous if it occurs at a cross walk. Luckily I only hit a car, not a pedestrian, and there were no injuries. Elevating the steering wheel reduces the likelihood of activating cruise control.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the accelerator and the brake pedals were too close in proximity. The contact mentioned to the dealer when he purchased the vehicle that he felt the pedals were too close but was advised that it was how the vehicle was designed. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 800 and the current mileage was 3,000.
- Mansura, LA, USA
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The gas pedal is too close to the brake. When I wear big shoes, the back left side edge of my shoe catches the back side of the brake when I lift it off the gas. Serious problem that should be corrected.
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- Oakbrook Terrace, IL, USA