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.
8.0
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$130
Average Mileage:
118,000 miles
Total Complaints:
1 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replaced bushing to reconnect shift cable (1 reports)
I pulled into my work parking lot, and when I shifted into reverse to back into my parking stall, the shifter felt loose. The transmission went into reverse without issue so I didn't think anything of it. I backed in, put the shifter into park and let off the brake only to have the car start going in reverse. After I slammed on the brakes, I tried moving the gear shifter again but find it's locked in park with the engine running and the transmission in gear. While holding the brakes, I grabbed a multi tool out of my glove box and was able to remove the bezel around the shifter to access the parking lock release. I was able to move the shift knob but this had no effect on which gear the car was in. My only option was then to turn the car off and set the parking brake.
After calling a couple Ford dealerships, one of the service managers said this happens often on the Escape and guided me through loosely reconnecting the shift cable end so I could get it into park and then back into gear. I was able to get it to the dealer and they had it repaired in about 1 hour for a cost of $125. The fix was to install a new bushing on the linkage. Upon further investigation I found the 2013 Ford Escape with 6 speed transmission has been recalled for this exact safety issue. However, I did a VIN search on NHSTA Recall page and for some reason my car wasn't included in the recall... WTF.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I pulled into my work parking lot, and when I shifted into reverse to back into my parking stall, the shifter felt loose. The transmission went into reverse without issue so I didn't think anything of it. I backed in, put the shifter into park and let off the brake only to have the car start going in reverse. After I slammed on the brakes, I tried moving the gear shifter again but find it's locked in park with the engine running and the transmission in gear. While holding the brakes, I grabbed a multi tool out of my glove box and was able to remove the bezel around the shifter to access the parking lock release. I was able to move the shift knob but this had no effect on which gear the car was in. My only option was then to turn the car off and set the parking brake.
After calling a couple Ford dealerships, one of the service managers said this happens often on the Escape and guided me through loosely reconnecting the shift cable end so I could get it into park and then back into gear. I was able to get it to the dealer and they had it repaired in about 1 hour for a cost of $125. The fix was to install a new bushing on the linkage. Upon further investigation I found the 2013 Ford Escape with 6 speed transmission has been recalled for this exact safety issue. However, I did a VIN search on NHSTA Recall page and for some reason my car wasn't included in the recall... WTF.
- cleavis guthead, Madison, US