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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,896 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.
Ford two-piece lug nuts distort during installation/removal as a result of regular vehicle servicing, tire replacement or rotation, brake maintenance, and other maintenance requiring removal of tires. -??Swollen-?? lug nuts with Ford vehicles is a well known safety issue. Many service outlets, including dealers refuse to service tires due to lug nut issues. Due to this issue, it is impossible to determine if appropriate torque requirements are met during installation. This may result in broken lugs, improperly torqued nuts, stranded drivers on major roadways causing traffic hazards, or complete failure resulting in vehicle crash. This is a safety critical issue that should be addressed by FoMoCo, and not be a cost burden passed on to the consumer. Please take necessary steps to enact a recall campaign for these improperly designed two-piece lug nuts.
Took my 2013 Ford Escape SEL to a Ford dealership to have a recall repaired. The dealership completed a Service Inspection of the car as standard practice. The service manager told me that all of the lug nuts have swelled and if I get a flat I won't be able to change the tire because the lug wrench won't fit the lug nuts. He also told me this is a common problem with Fords. I was not previously aware of this problem as I just bought the car last year. When I got home I tried my lug wrench on the nuts and verified the problem. I read a previous complaint on-line in another forum, where the problem is that the lug nuts are chrome plated, but not sealed causing moisture to get between the lug nut and plating and causing it to swell. I don't know this as a fact, but regardless of the cause, the lug nuts are clearly defective and I feel that Ford should replace them free of charge. This will cost me $250 in repairs. This would create a safety hazard if I get a flat and have to pull off to the side of the road and call for a tow truck to tow my car.
I have a 2013 Ford Escape purchased used in October 2017. I recently took it to a dealer to have the tires rotated. The mechanic told me that he could not perform the rotation because the lug nuts were swollen and would cost it would cost $200 to replace the lug nuts. I am a senior citizen and on a fixed income. I did not have the money and told him to not do the rotation. I was also told that if I would have a flat tire while I was out on the road I would have to have to have it towed to have the flat tire changed..
After getting home from oil change, I looked at paperwork. It said swollen lug nuts !! No one ever came and discussed this with me while I was there. I called service dept. and was told to get them changed and not to drive until I did. I asked why no one ever came and told me while I was there and was told they couldn't change them Just go to o'reillys and get new ones "??" I will not be going back to this sad excuse of a dealership. I purchased vehicle there, so have always used them, but no more.
Wheels/tires-swelled lug nuts.My car is available for inspection. If I don't have safe tires it puts anyone on the road in danger as well as my self and anyone in my car! yes, Confirmed by Griffin Ford. Waukesha Wisconsin no warnings
- New Berlin, WI, USA
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On 12-22-2021during routine vehicle servicing of my 2013 Ford Escape at Mac Haik Ford in Georgetown, TX, Invoice Number 776999, I was told by the Service Advisor that the mechanic was having troubles getting the wheels off to rotate and balance. Sophie Rosa, Service Advisor told me that the mechanic reported the lug nuts on the wheels were swollen and need replacement. She advised that if not replaced it would cause trouble if a flat tire occurred as the Ford issued lug nut wrench would not fit over the swollen lug nuts. I agreed to have the 20 lug nuts replaced at a cost of $5.36 each plus labor. I did not get the defective nuts returned to me. Checking on-line I found that swollen lug nuts is caused by chrome being overlaid on metal lug nuts which cause rust to occur and thereby causes the swelling to occur. This defect is caused by the Ford Company knowing full well that placing two different metals together can cause corrosive and rust problems.
I was attempting to move the vehicle which had been parked on the street in front of my residence into the driveway so it would be out of the way of the scheduled street sweeping. I could typically just reverse right angle the vehicle into the driveway. However, upon reversing the vehicle moved but not according to the way I was steering it. After a few failed attempts, I stopped to assess why this was happening. I know the emergency brake had been released, there were no alerts visible on the dashboard. I got out of the vehicle, no flat tire, nothing appeared different from when I parked the vehicle 36 hours prior. No signs that it had been struck since then. No obstructions behind or under the vehicle. I got back in and tried again. I was able to get it up onto the sidewalk but in a very unintended position. Further attempts did get it partially into the driveway but I nearly hit the picket fence in the front yard in doing so. With it now half on the sidewalk and half in the driveway, I put the brake on satisfied it was now off the street and no longer subject to city parking violation penalty. I had to cancel my work meeting and called the auto club for a tow. During the tow service pick-up, it appeared that the front driver side wheel was not aligning with the steering mechanism but we could manually position the wheel so we could get enough movement and position the vehicle and move it by chain onto the tow truck platform. Prior to parking the vehicle in front of the house, I had driven it without any problems. There was no evidence that it had been damaged or impacted by another vehicle or vandal.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving he got a flat tire on the passenger side. The contact pulled over and attempted to change the tire but the factory assigned lug nut wrench would not fit over the lug nuts. The contact called a tow truck and was informed that the failure was a common issue with the lug nuts. The contact was informed that the heat from the vehicle being operated caused the lug nuts to expand which caused wrench assigned to the vehicle to fail to fit the lug nuts. Baxter Ford South 9203 S 145th St, omaha, ne 68138 (402) 896-6000 was contacted by phone and the failure was acknowledged. The manufacturer was also made aware of the issue however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 70,952.
I have a 2013 Ford Escape. I am buying new tires from the dealership. They informed me that the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. They also said that the replacement would be no guarantee that this would not happen again and that if I have to replace a tire, the tool that is in my vehicle may be too small. I called Ford and was told I am not the first and there is no update. According to the internet complaints, this has been going on since 2015 and Ford has done nothing to correct the problem. Ford suggested replacement with mcgard lug nuts that are supposedly high quality but may still present a problem. This may be the last Ford product I purchase. How can they get away with not correcting the problem. My safety may be at risk if I am on the road and even roadside assistance may not be able to change my tire?
Issue 1: transmission problems at 70,000 miles. Driving on the highway at 70mph and the transmission died causing me the loose power in the middle of the highway. Too the car to the dealer and they mentioned it's a known problem. Issue 2: lug nut stainless steal caps get hot and molds itself to the lug nut under it. There is not tool remove the caps and they have to be stripped off to get to the lug nuts to remove the tire. The caps cannot be stripped of completely and to get a net set of lug nuts cost $250.
I had to replace all the lug nuts due to swelling, because the design of the original is defective. There was a recall on the PCM and map on Jan.7 2016, I purchase this vehicle in April of 2018, the vehicle is still hesitating and wanting stall this happens when in park or coming to a stop. So the problem was not fixed. Also, the myford touch screen sometimes will not respond, won't connect a phone or the radio will not work, this happens when first getting in to start the vehicle. This all started shortly after I purchased the vehicle. I took it back to the dealer but they wouldn't fix it.
The lug nuts used on the wheels are susceptible to swelling, which makes it so the lug wrench supplied by Ford to replace the tire in case of a flat will not fit the lug nuts. A google search can quickly show that this is a common Ford problem, and can be dangerous to the customer as they can be stranded on the roadside for extended periods of time as the lug wrench is non-usable with the swollen lug nuts. The "swelling" was also described by costco tire center, as they had difficulty getting the tires off during a standard tire rotation.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. While the vehicle was undergoing routine maintenance, the contact was informed by the mechanic that the lug nuts on the vehicle needed to be replaced. The lug nuts were manufactured with a plastic cover, which could deteriorate over time and cause moisture to enter the lug nut. As a result, the lug nut could swell and become impossible to remove if the tire needed to be changed. Autonation Ford westlake (23775 center ridge rd, westlake, oh 44145, (440) 296-3019) was the dealer that serviced the vehicle. The lug nuts were replaced by an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified and provided case number: 321186. The approximate failure mileage was 62,453.
My car was recently inspected and it required all new lug nuts go get the tires off to check the brakes. I have never heard of lug nuts rusting and having to be replaced. I have found out that several Ford have had to have them replaced. I had a flat tire last fall. When aaa came, they could not get the lug nuts off the wheel. They had to pound it off so I could get a tire on it. This does not sound fair to have to pay $133 for 20 new lug nuts - it sounds like a defect.
We had a flat tire however when going to change it the lug wrench that was supplied with the car would not fit on the lig nuts. Called the dealership and they told us it was a 19mm which we purchased and theat didn't work. We then purchased a 3/4' socket which wouldn't work either and had to be driven on with a hammer to turn the lugs and it deformed the ligs to a poibt they will have to be replaced. My 20 year old daughter was put in a position where she couldn't make a simple tire chamge with her boyfriends help. I spend money and several hours (3 plus roadside assistance who could not get the lug nuts loose. My daughter was put in danger by poorly designed equipment and I have spent $50 and several hours on a problem that should ahve taken 20 minutes had the equipment and lug nuts had been properly designed. I know that this problem exists on several Ford vehicles and should be adressed by the manufacturer with lug nuts made of an appropriate alloy, and a lug wrench that will actually remove the nits in an emergency. If something had happened to my daughter because she was exposed for longer than shpuld be rewuired Ford would have had a lawsuit in about ten minutes...
Can not change tire! lug wrench provided will not work or would any other socket or tool I have? Ford told me this is my problem( they call lug "swelling"). service manual does not have to replace lugs as part of routeine maintance??
My Ford Escape 2013 sel came with lugnuts that have metal cups and these expended causing issues when trying to take them off. No one was able to find a socket that would fit the now bigger lugnuts. I had to take the car to the mechanics to get all the original bad lugnuts off and replaced them with all new ones. These type of lugnuts should be labeled as defective and be recalled. I had to spend about $300 to take them off and have them all replaced. Ford will not pay for any of this unless there is a recall.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Bay Minette, AL, USA