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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:
3 / 8
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,855 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.

2013 Ford Escape miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2013 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 7 of 13)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #139

Dec 042019

Escape

  • 77,000 miles

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

My 2013 Ford Escape requires a complete upgrade of the egr system due to coolant leaks. Ford Escapes build at the louisville plant already have a recall in place for this issue - recall #17S09. My vehicle's VIN number verifies, per Ford, that my vehicle was build in December 2012 at the louisville plant; however, the recall was initiated for vehicles built beginning in February 2013. My vehicle is experiencing the same issues as the recall and was built at the same plant so I am requesting that the recall date be moved back to include 2012 Ford Escapes.

- Tallmadge, OH, USA

problem #138

Dec 272019

Escape

  • miles
While driving my car they were two warning lights they came on the ABS sensor and the hill side assists. When this comes on is the car all the electrical stuff cuts off the speedometer nothings works in the car the steering will get stiff and it will drive for a while then it reset it self I've noticed where it is gone at least ten minutes before it resets its self this makes me very nervous and uncomfortable because I'm not sure what speed I am going or what's going on with the car anything what's going on with the car my car was in the shop from Dec 27 until Jan and the same thing happens this is my one way to get around can someone please help me. This happens when I am drive on the highway or around town I know it cannot be safe.I was told by five star Ford that the issue was fix and it is not.

- Snellville, GA, USA

problem #137

Jan 072020

Escape

  • miles
I brought this 2013 Ford Escape truck in August 21st 2018 it had 77095 miles when it was under warranty still after we brought the truck the engine light came on in the beginning of September 3, 2018 I went up there to don davis Nissan when this truck was still under warranty and told don davis Nissan that the engine light on there was on they told me that I had to pay for it out of my pocket and I told them why should me and my day pay for something and the truck was under the warranty still they refuse to fix it I being calling them numerous of times from September 3, 2018 and 2019 about this truck and it was still under warranty at that time so around October 28, 2019 I was leaving from the library doing my homework and I have not eaten anything that day so I went to get me something to before I went home as I was driving I heard the belt broken off as I was driving I was almost in a accident when the cars were driving down the street so I pull over on a street I didn't have enough money for a tow truck so I slept in my truck which was October 27, 2019 until the next day which was October 28 2019 a good samaritan help push my truck to don davis Dodge so the people at don davis Dodge told me it was about 450 to fix my truck which means that I had to use my truck note money to get that fix so around in November I brought a sensor that goes on their which was causing my truck to leak oil which they didn't not replace the first time when I brought this truck in August 20, 2018 when I told them about this problem the first time and they refuse to fix it so I brought the sensor last month and put it on their so this year of January 7th 2020 I am on my way home and I hear the same response of the belt broken off again after I replaced the belt and the sensor now it is leaking oil again and I been complaining to don davis Nissan numerous of times about this truck

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #136

Jun 012019

Escape

  • 15 miles

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

Stalls after starting... the car will start just fine but a few seconds or minutes later will stall once I am already on the road. Also if sitting with out running for a while car will stall and turn off. In traffic this is also an issue, freeway closed one time and had to sit in standing traffic in hwy and car just turned off. Several times when pulling out of driveway or the scariest part a shooing strip parking lot onto a busy feeder road the car will stall and turn off.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #135

Dec 122019

Escape

  • 85,000 miles
My 2013 Ford Escape stalls and cuts off when it get close to a quarter tank off gas and I go to take off in iti have took it to the shop and it has had two thing fixed on it neither fixed the problem and now there no code on it so there saying nothing wrong with

- Opelika, AL, USA

problem #134

Nov 142019

Escape

  • 168,000 miles
My car started showing engine overheating and when I took it in to dealer they confirmed a crack leaking fluid into engine. Recall work done in 2014 was to avoid this from happening and now they are telling me I have to buy a new $6000 engine to have it run again. They won't cover it under their recall. I wrote the BBB but they refuse to honor it because I didn't buy an extended warranty. The car just turned 6 yrs old. I'm the only owner and purchased it new.

- Stockbridge, MI, USA

problem #133

Dec 092019

Escape

  • miles

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

As I was pulling out of a parking lot and starting to press on the gas pedal the car completely stopped and wouldnt move. The gas pedal was no longer working. The car did not shut off just completely stopped.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #132

Nov 302019

Escape

  • 43,000 miles
The vehicle while in motion on a city street suddenly decelerated and goes at a very slow speed. The accelerator will not move the car forward or faster. We have been told by a mechanic that it may be an issue with the shifter cable bushing. There was a recall: 18S20 but when I inquired with Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 they stated the VIN to my car was not on recall. Referred me to NHTSA or a Ford dealer directly. I do not understand if the vehicle is the year and model why my car is excluded from this recall

- Hialeah, FL, USA

problem #131

Nov 302019

Escape

  • 63,400 miles
While driving at any speed the car will suddenly lose power and shut down. This most recently happend while going 60 mph on the freeway. This has happend 3 times in 2 weeks while driving. Sound Ford says they can not identify the problem.

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #130

Nov 272019

Escape

  • 108,000 miles
Vehicle repeatedly stalls after starting the vehicle and taking off. The vehicle will start and then I begin driving and it will shutter, lose acceleration ability, and stall out. Then I have to put the vehicle in park in the middle of the road or parking lot and restart. Sometimes it starts after a little delay just fine, and other times I had happened back to back two to three times. No warning lights remain. I also had coolant leak occur. Just got engine hoses, sensors, a new fuel pump in hopes of fixing the coolant leak and the stalling. Too soon to tell if the coolant problem is gone, but stalling is still occurring! feels extremely unsafe in a vehicle that randomly stalls out while driving.

- Corinth, TX, USA

problem #129

Oct 272019

Escape 4-cyl

  • 102,232 miles

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

Me and my dad had brought this 2013 Ford Escape with warranty on August 20, 2018 at don davis Nissan it had 70,093 miles on the truck the sales man name Mr. Freeman was the one who had sold us this truck he had this truck was at don davis Nissan for a week the salesman Mr. Freeman told me and my dad that the reason the truck had took long because they were doing work to it to make sure that everything on it would be ok before they brought it too me and my dad. So we had the truck for about two weeks and everything on their was good until September 5 2018 the check engine light had came on I told my dad what happen he told me to take it back up their to don davis Nissan I took back up to them they tested and they came back and told me that the turbo charge needs fixing and it was going to be $500 dollars so when I told my dad he told the people at don davis Nissan that why should we have to pay for something out of his pockets when we have warranty on this truck and we just gotten this truck so my dad was pissed because we just gave don davis $500 and I looked on the internet and I seen were they a had a recall on this truck so I went out their to don davis Nissan and told them this and they come telling me that my truck doesn't have a recall and I told them like how do you know what I have and I seen on the internet that the same thing that the other customers who had a recall on their truck and as I look at the comments and I seen the same thing happening to my truck like for example the electrical system engine to wear my truck overheats to wear I hardly drive it sometimes I do because I go to school and to my doctor and run errands for my mother or father. And I been telling don davis Nissan since last and now and they acted like they don't want to help me but always be lying to me and my dad I have been telling don davis Nissan this and they straight ignore me.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #128

Jul 052018

Escape

  • 80,455 miles
I drive to town park to go in a store come back to my car start it and go to drive as I pulling in traffic it dies it starts back up and does it again for 4 to 5 times before finally driving normal, on hot days as the car is driving it will read as if it is over heating and pull reduce power in witch as U finally get out of traffic and pull over the heat hand drops back down like it wasn't hot this repeats on ever small hill I go up and the inside temperature reading goes up and down while this is happening and it is leaking coolant on back side of engine as all the other Ford Escape that was recalled that caused the fire

- Bristol, TN, USA

problem #127

Oct 312019

Escape

  • 130,000 miles
I am experiencing stalling and the vehicle dying much like the recall on the 2.0's that I have seen - mine is a 1.6. this happens when I am taking off.

- Marion, KY, USA

problem #126

Oct 282019

Escape

  • 119,000 miles
Vehicle stalls in gear and/or idle. Stalls in drive, reverse, sport mode. Vehicle died in driveway on street and in motion. New battery previously installed.

- Mt Juliet, TN, USA

problem #125

Oct 012019

Escape

  • 80,000 miles
Vehicle shakes violenty while under load and higher speeds (above 50mph), causing the steering wheel to shake, making the vehicle harder to control at highway speeds. No known cause found by dealerships or in online forums.

- Thornton, CO, USA

problem #124

Oct 182019

Escape

  • 140,000 miles
Car caught fire while being driven

- Saginaw, MI, USA

problem #123

Sep 012018

Escape

  • 92,000 miles
The coolant keeps getting low. I had a pressure test done with no issue found. The dealership told me everything was fine, however I have to keep adding coolant about every 10-14 days. I have done some internet searching since my local dealership was no help. I found there was a recall for 2013 Ford Escapes due to a coolant issue but my vehicle never received a recall. The sticker inside the door has a manufacture date of 8/2012.

- Fruitland, MD, USA

problem #122

Oct 182019

Escape

  • 141,000 miles
The rear driver side door won't open. I've tried from the outside and tried to push it from the inside and just wont open. That day around 3:15pm it open just fine but later on around 11:15pm it just won't open and still won't.

- Waterloo, IA, USA

problem #121

Jan 012018

Escape

  • 85,000 miles
Coolant level drops quickly, but there is no steam or puddle visible. Car overheats. It should be covered under safety recall 17S09, but 2013 Ford Escapes are not included. Our car has a 1.6 litre ecoboost engine & was built at the louisville plant. Ford also identified coolant and overheating issues with the 1.6L ecoboost engine for 2013 Escapes and has issued recalls. However, using the VIN search, none of the 2013 or 2014 model recalls covered this vehicle. It is clear that there is a significant problem with the 1.6L Escape engines and this particular vehicle exhibits all the same issues identified in the 2013 and 2014 recalls, but yet somehow is not technically covered by any of the recalls. This has been an ongoing problem for approx 2 yrs.

- New Port Richey, FL, USA

problem #120

Oct 012019

Escape

  • miles
My coolant is leaking fast and I seen there is a recall on a Ford Escape mine is a 2013 but my VIN number isn't popping up a recall.

- Fort Smith, AR, USA

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