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:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,671 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.
Steering Assist Fault. This issue is coming up more often. When the car is started it says this error message on the dash and the steering wheel cannot be turned. We have to turn it off, wait a minute, and restart it. Most of the time this remedies the problem but lately we have had to turn it off and on several times to get it to clear up and the steering working again. This is documented all over the Ford forums. Please open an investigation as this is a serious issue and should not be happening. We have never been able to replicate it for Ford or anyone else. It is very random.
This is follow up to my complaint that I made last week. The NHTSA issue number is 11624016. I have found numerous similar complaints of 2013 ford escape steering freezing up and malfunctioning at the this link: [XXX] and submit it for NHTSA follow up. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 I started my 2013 Ford Escape, put it in reverse and the steering froze and I could not turn the steering wheel. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 I took it to the mechanic and he had the same thing happen and diagnostic indicated thatthe power steering needed replacement. I contacted Ford Motor Company and they stated that my VIN was not included in their recall of the 2013 Ford Escapes. They declined to share with me other similar complaints. I have since learned from a Ford escape owners page that the are many complaints by owners and can't get any help from Ford. I would liked the NHTSA to investigate and report on how may owners are being denied inclusion in the 2013 Ford Escape steering recall.
The power steering stopped working as driving it. Dashboard message read "steering assist fault service" Unable to steering the vehicle properly which could have caused an accident. No warnings prior to the issue.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the steering wheel made it difficult to turn to the left or the right. The steering assist failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by a local independent mechanic, and it was determined that the electronic steering assist had failed. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by another local independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the electronic steering gear had failed. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
- Tallmadge, OH, USA
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I have experienced many issues with my vehicle that have been recalled in other vehicles of the same make/model/year but have been denied the assistance in fixing me car and preventing and further damage or risk of my safety due to my VIN not showing any recalls. I do believe that my safety has been disregarded and that my car needs inspection to further show that I should be assisted in getting the recalls identified and fixed to improve my safety and others on the road. The first issue I noticed that was recalled on other 2013 Ford escapes was a recall on the control arm which was caused by the separation of the control arm from corrosion which increased the risk of crash. I had an incident where my car all of the sudden would not return from the right turning position after I heard a clunking noise which caused me to run into a curb. After further investigation it was found that my control arm failed and locked which wouldn't allow me to avoid hitting the curb. I suffered a concussion and had to pay for this to be fixed due to being denied from the recall. Secondly, Ford has issued many recalls on 2013 Ford escape engines due to overheat and cylinder head malfunctions many of them my car has been diagnosed and proven to have. I have pulled codes from my check engine that are direct codes that was recalled about the overheating of the cylinder head causing cracks and leaks into the oil. This code I pulled from my car was P0117 and it was traced to the recall from ford ( 13V583000). Other recalls have been issued by Ford for engine overheating, and my car has been over heating after directly putting coolant into my vehicle and it tends to run out in 1 to 2 days after refilling. My safety and others on the road are at risk from these issues that were not caused by me or other drivers but I am not getting any assistance or anyone willing to look at these recalls and assist in reimbursement or fixing my cars issues. My car needs to be reviewed for the recalls.
I was driving my vehicle home and as I was turning to the street I live on the power steering went out and I almost lost control of the car. I had to use all my strength to turn the wheel and barely miss an oncoming car in the turn. If my wife would have been behind the wheel Im certain it would have caused an accident. After getting home I searched for what may have caused the loss of power for the steering and I read this has been a reported problem but the NHSTA has not issued a recall. Why" Does someone need to die or be injured before it is investigated and issue a recall"
Steering wheel locks up intermittently. Never know when the steering wheel may lock up. When able to use steering wheel there is no power assist to help with turning the steering wheel. Hesitant to use car out on the road because I don't know when the power steering may go out and make it very difficult to turn the steering wheel to get off the road to somewhere safe.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
I started my Escape to come home (about an hour and half from home). I immediately got a message that said Steering Assist - Immediate Service Required. I turned the car off and restarted it and got the same message. I got really nervous, but thought maybe it would steer like a vehicle without power steering - which I have driven long ago. But the wheel would not turn at all. I could only go forward. I turned the car off and went to the bathroom thinking I was going to have to call my husband to have him come and get me and have my Escape towed home. When I got back in the car and started it up, the message was gong and the vehicle was working. I drove home, scared all the way, that it was gong to happen again and the road was very mountainous with uncountable turns. Thank God I made it home.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, it was discovered that the power steering had failed, and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel became firm. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving in the residence parking lot at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm. The vehicle was restarted but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 265,000.
Several times in the past month the "power steering assist " fault has appeared when I start the car and I am unable to mover the steering wheel. It locks in place. I have to turn off the car and turn it back on again, trying several times for the steering wheel to unlock. This is a serious issue and I'm afraid it may happen while at a stop light or while driving.
Several times over the past month upon starting my 2013 Ford Escape the following warning message appears: " power steering assist " fault, and my steering wheel locks. I believe there was a recall on this same issue with other Ford's but I searched the recall list with my VIN number and a recall does not exist for my 2013. This is a severe safety issue and will cost me thousands of dollars to replace.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel became very stiff, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact was able to maneuver the steering wheel using excessive force. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The ABS, brakes, stability control, and air bags warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 213,000.
I was driving on.the road the power steering stop working, I almost caused an accident, I had a warning light power steering fault, dealer said can be an expensive repair
Was prompted with a steering assist fault while in the middle of driving had couldn-??t turn or steer because the wheel locked up I almost crash and had to try and pull over safely. The amount of people with the same experience who have reported about this same problem for this vehicle and there still isn-??t a recall is concerning!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hutto, TX, USA