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.
Dealer put dye in and told me to drive it for 200 miles and see which seal was leaking, what a joke.
Update from Jul 12, 2018: Took vehicle back to dealer on 12/29/17 and BOTH front axle seals were leaking. They just replaced the left front in May 2017. So now they replaced the right axle seal, and the left one under warranty. However they also replaced the left axle shaft also this time. I figure the left shaft was bad already in May and told them so. Not happy.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Dealer put dye in and told me to drive it for 200 miles and see which seal was leaking, what a joke.
Update from Jul 12, 2018: Took vehicle back to dealer on 12/29/17 and BOTH front axle seals were leaking. They just replaced the left front in May 2017. So now they replaced the right axle seal, and the left one under warranty. However they also replaced the left axle shaft also this time. I figure the left shaft was bad already in May and told them so. Not happy.
- grogman33, Hutchinson, US