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.
Started up the car and thick white smoke started pouring from the exhaust pipes. Keep in mind, this vehicle is regularly serviced at the recommended 5,000 mile interval at the original dealership. I have even been using plus-grade fuel to prevent a sputtering problem that has been occurring with the car, which is posted under 2 other categories. Anyway, I immediately turned off the engine as I was worried a fire could start, keeping the Eco-Boost 1.6L fires in mind. When I restarted the engine, there was no white smoke. There is nothing that will convince me that smoke coming out of the exhaust is normal. Family members have cars with 200,000 miles that have never smoked before. As much as I like the features of Ford's vehicles (entry keypad, cap-less gas filler neck), I may switch to a different brand down the road. This car has been one thing after another, too many little things have gone wrong.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Started up the car and thick white smoke started pouring from the exhaust pipes. Keep in mind, this vehicle is regularly serviced at the recommended 5,000 mile interval at the original dealership. I have even been using plus-grade fuel to prevent a sputtering problem that has been occurring with the car, which is posted under 2 other categories. Anyway, I immediately turned off the engine as I was worried a fire could start, keeping the Eco-Boost 1.6L fires in mind. When I restarted the engine, there was no white smoke. There is nothing that will convince me that smoke coming out of the exhaust is normal. Family members have cars with 200,000 miles that have never smoked before. As much as I like the features of Ford's vehicles (entry keypad, cap-less gas filler neck), I may switch to a different brand down the road. This car has been one thing after another, too many little things have gone wrong.
- mario d., St.Louis, MO, US