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 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,139 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.
I purchased my vehicle may 6,2020 Accident accord in Winnie, Tx June 22,2020 on the highway me and my kids father were on the highway at the time the highway was getting construction work done as we were driving down the highway street someone hit us broke one of my ribs and my left elbow as well I didn-??t have any knowledge of knowing my vehicle had a recall until I just realize searching on my vehicle I purchased and the reason why it wasn-??t taken cared before I had family matters sorry so late Briana Roy The consumer stated that she suffered a lot of traumas during this incident. No assistance has been offered yet due to the incident occurring during the pandemic.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver-??s side front seat belt failed to retract as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the retractor was replaced under warranty. The failure reoccurred approximately 2 months after the repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the retractor needed replacing again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
Puting car into reverse on 2way road to turn around car wouldn't go in reverse or forwards car shut off. Had to keep brake on kept shifting back and forth till car turned on had traffic stopped both ways. Seatbelt released not working at all. If car would of gone forwards upon started would of gone over cliff. This happened about 2nd week in July. Currently car has trouble upon driving shifting into gear. Please advise. Dangerous
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while on the highway during rush hour driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle behind failed to slow down causing her to crash into the vehicle in front when her vehicle was rear-ended. The contact stated the seat belt's pretensions failed to function, and the air bags failed to deploy. During the impact, the contact hit her head on the steering wheel. In addition, the contact sustained a fractured nose, facial bruises, and neck injuries. An ambulance arrived at the scene and treated the contact then transported her to the emergency room where a MRI and CT scan was performed. The police arrived on the scene and filed a police report. There was damage to the front bumpers and grill and rear of the vehicle, but it was drivable. The vehicle failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V597000 (Air Bags, Seat Belts). The approximate failure mileage was 99,000.
In my 2013 Escape, the driver's side seatbelt would no longer retract back in place on its own- and while driving it would not retract properly, usually staying loose and laying on my lap while buckled. The passenger side seatbelt would not fit snug around the passenger either. Both front seatbelts would not restrain anyone in the event of braking hard. I took it in for repair to Fred Bean's Ford in Exton, PA. It was unsafe to drive the car because both the driver and passenger would fly forward when the brakes were pushed hard- no restraining at all from either seatbelt. The dealership charged me over $1200 to install a new part called a pretensioner in both seatbelts. I saved my receipt.
- Coatesville , PA, USA
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The power steering overheated malted. Had to replace unit 2,500. Also seatbelts no longer retract...safety issues....told car could catch on fire if i drove car with bad power steering.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver's side seat belt failed to latch securely or retract. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to fremont motor lander (1731 w. main street, lander, wy 82520, (307) 335-3359) and it was stated that the seat belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that seat belts should be warrantied for the life of the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 87,000.
Drivers side seat belt does not retract. As a result I tested it by inserting the buckle and pulled on the belt quickly/sharply to determine if it would lock up. While the passenger side retracts and locks up, the driver side does not. Don't believe the seat belt would restrain the driver in an accident. My wife drives the car and said this began about 6 months ago. I was unaware of this until recently.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While operating the vehicle, the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated after buckling the driver's seat belt. Additionally the driver's side seat belt alarm was inoperable and did not chime when the seat belt was not fastened. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the seat belt sensor was faulty. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Seatbelt fails to retract properly. The tension on the return is inadequate. It will retract by pushing the seat belt back into the slot to some extent but not fully and certainly not on it's own.
Drivers side seat belt fails to retract when buckling up. Slack remains while driving.this doesn't effect the G lock mechanism. If in a crash the seat belt is useless to prevent impact of steering wheel. A person would only have and airbag to protect during an impact. Seat belt that don't retract should be a safety concern in any vehicle.
When driving this vehicle, it ser me like it is not running right, and think it is going to die on us in traffic. The front seat belt does not go back in the area where it belongs and sits on the front seat. The passenger driver side door does not close right when you open it. It will stay open until you push the handle down and then it will close and lock. We are afraid to travel long distance with the vehicle because of the way the car acts and run. We just want it fix or replace vehicle.
'unsafe at any speed': we bought a new 2013 Ford Escape. It had many problems, including many safety recalls. I request Ford buy the car back multiple times (they refused). Our driver's seat belt failed on 12-25-2017 at 09:55 am, when my wife's car was struck from behind by a car going 50 mph. Both cars were totaled. My wife was in the drivers seawearing her seat belt at the time of the accident & was thrown forward and hit her head on the steering wheel when drivers side seat belt failed to engage. She got a concussion injury and had to go to the er, also a bad whiplash and other injuries, including seatbelt rash on left collarbone. Seat belt failed or her head would not have been injured. We aren't first Ford owners to be injured by seat belt problems. I found multiple reports on the NHTSA site of driver and passenger injuries in 2013 & 2014 Ford Escapes due to seat belt failures. (note: This issue may be similar to existing NHTSA recall 16V875, for the Ford Fusion, but not the Escape.) Ford has been notified multiple times drivers & passengers are being injured by the failure of driver & passenger seat belts, yet has taken no action, nor has NHTSA. Please review the seat belt injuries in 2013-2018 Ford Escapes. *** note: I found 12 NHTSA reports of seat belt failures in J2013-2014 Escapes, including 4 injuries. The Escape design changed in 2013. A. NHTSA id number: 10562168 (injuries due to sb failure, including broken bones, incorrectly logged as no injuries, customer called fmc) incident date January 28, 2014 B. NHTSA id number: 10561343 (two injuries, brakes failed, seat & seat belts failed) incident date January 9, 2014 C. NHTSA id number: 10618315, (2 injuries), incident date August 1, 2014 D. other seat belt failure reports (no injuries): 11053916,11053318,10947832, 10811504, 10555439, 11034362, 10763929, 10618315, 11048052
My driver-seat seat belt warning light and alarm does not always work. It does not come on on a consistent basis at start-up. If I unlatch my seat belt while the driving the alarm and warning light do not come on at all. I had a problem with the belt latching at one point and the dealership replaced the latch. My backseat driver's side seat belt does not latch at all. This is the second belt to have latching difficulties.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the driver's seat belt failed to retract when attempted to be used. The vehicle was taken to cloquet Ford (701 Washington ave, cloquet, mn 55720, phone: (218) 879-4668) where it was diagnosed that the seat belt and motor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road, waited a few minutes, and was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. In addition, the front passenger door failed to remain locked. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V237000 (air bags), 14V239000 (structure), 14V597000 (air bags, seat belts), and 16V643000 (latches/locks/linkages). The parts needed for the repairs were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000. Parts distribution disconnect and VIN tool confirms parts not available.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Lafayette , LA, USA