— For the third time in less than two months, Ford is recalling their 2013 Ford Escape.
Ford said the affected vehicles were manufactured from October 5, 2011, through August 31, 2012, and only involve vehicles equipped with 1.6L engines.
According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, antifreeze could leak due to a cylinder head cup plug (freeze plug) becoming dislodged. Ford says the leak could be enough to possibly cause an engine fire from the coolant hitting and evaporating on the engine.
The recall is expected to begin about September 10, 2012.
Your dealer will seal the existing plug and add a secondary plug cover at no charge, which sounds easy unless you’re an owner and have to go through another headache of a dealer appointment. Your third Escape headache in less than two months.
In July, Ford told owners of the 2013 Ford Escape to immediately park their vehicles because a fuel line could split and leak, which could cause the SUV to go up in smoke. That recall specifically targeted the same 1.6L engine.
Again in July, Ford recalled the 2013 model year Escape because of carpet padding problems. Ford said the problem could cause your foot to hit the side of the brake pedal when trying to switch from the gas pedal to the brake pedal.
Ford also took a hit in late July when 420,000 model year 2001-2004 Escapes were recalled because of sticking throttles.
If you’re a victim of this most recent recall, contact Ford at 866-436-7332 and refer to campaign number 12S39.
