2013 Ford Escape complaints

Power steering loss power and transmission failed

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist after the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with ABS failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

My radio went out about 3 years ago had to be replaced and now I can not listen to my radio without the car actually being on. My second issue is with my rear axle drive train, I currently have 127k miles on my vehicle took it in to a Ford dealership for diagnostic and repair I was informed that the rear axle needed replacing, they replaced it , however the problem persisted I was then told by the Ford mechanic that the axle assembly needed to be replaced. I spent 1k for the first repair now they want $2683 for the axle assembly, have there been other complaints regarding this parton 2013 Escape??

As I am driving the car with speed 35mph I heard a very loud pop on the passenger side I was terrified and then the window dropped all the way in. As of right now the window controller is not functioning at a 100 percent and I bought this car less than year ago from a ford dealer ship. I will like to know how I can proceed with this situation and get it fix

The vehicle stalled in the middle of the road on 5/24/2022. My husband was able to restart the vehicle and get it home and it stalled again in the driveway. There were no warning lights but the gas gauge was moving up and down. The car smelled of gasoline and there was smoke coming from the hood/ engine. We had it towed and the repair center told us that the gas line had split and was leaking gas. I called Ford and they confirmed my vehicle was not apart of the gas line recall but I would like to report it to see if I can get it on the recall list to get it repared.

There is a coolant leak in my 2013 Escape engine. There were approximately 90,000 miles on this vehicle when we purchased it used. It started having problems immediately. The dealer where we got our vehicle from stated that they would make us pay the difference in depreciation to return the vehicle even though it had a 30 day warranty. The coolant would leak and then there was low coolant. Whitish blue smoke would pour from the tailpipe. Ford refuses to acknowledge that there is a manufacturing defect even though Ford installed "coolant temperature gauges" to prevent the overheating. This is simply just a bandaid to a larger problem that multiple Escape owners are experiencing. This vehicle has been to 2 different Ford dealers, both of whom told me different things that were wrong. Consequently, this vehicle has been sitting at a Ford dealership in Hanover, PA since February 2020 because they want 8K to replace the engine. I am awaiting a class action lawsuit against Ford to resolve this issue...

The transmission shift linkage bushing broke. See safety recall for Ford Escape 2013-2014 18S20. My care was built at the Louisville manufacturing plant on May 3, 2013, 12 days prior to the safety recall for this exact problem.

There is something that has been making my coolant go low in my vehicle I took it to the mechanics two times and they fall suggested to take it in to dealership for a recall because they have dealt with this exact same kind of car many times and that's the same problem it given other owners.

Date of incident, May 19th 2022. While driving home from work on highway 270, as it was raining, my power steering suddenly and without any warning stopped working & has not worked since. I called the Ford manufacturer directly and I have a case number from them on the issue. Ford is well aware of the manufacturer defect in their ford escape steering computer chips and they do not want to address the issue because it would be bad for them financially as well as hurt their publicity. The repair would cost as quoted by the dealership $2400. This is a huge safety issues for the public on any roadways. If this situation happened to a young inexperienced driver or an elderly driver there would be a high potential for a crash on highways and other roadways. Luckily I was able to control the situation and was able to avoid a terrible outcome. Furthermore, it takes physical strength to operate the car which again young and elderly drivers would not be able to drive or have extreme difficulty driving. This is a potentially deadly issue and Ford does not want the general public to know. I hope for the safety of the public Ford is made to recall the vehicle for this specific issue that they are blatantly aware of and want to ignore. Ford has forever lost my family along with myself as a longtime customer.

I have 2 issues 1.) my car is leaking coolant not sure from where. The leak is getting worse. I have coolant in my car, it was parked in the garage I made it a block from my house and my car shut down. Said it was overheating, don’t even know how it coul have been that hot. The car was not registering hot inside, also the temperature gauge not registering hot. I waited 1 1/2 hours came back and my car won’t go anywhere because I’m still getting the overheating message. 2.) my rear windshield wiper started making odd noises, then I kept finding my windshield wiper hanging straight down. It no longer wipes, but still makes noise. But it no longer works at all. A friend looked up this vehicle and saw there were common issues in complaints and told me to look to see if there were any recalls before I continued forward. But I don’t see anything pertaining to either issue.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that the transmission fault warning message would intermittently appear on the instrument panel when the failure occurred. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

There is an internal coolant leak, coolant will get so low that vehicle gives warning that it will automatically shut down. While at highway speed it makes it dangerous to try and safely pull over.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with a coolant hose leak. The coolant hoses were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

While driving my vehicle is slowing down losing power it doesn't want to stay started while at a light Will hesitate to stay started and will just cut off. And hesitate to restart this is not the first time that this has happened ethier.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while coming to a stop and then stalled. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V813000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

I put my vechile in park, when I went to put into drive the cable to the gear shift broke and left me stranded in a drive thru. My vechile is stuck in neutral.

2013 Ford Escape 1.6 ecoboost engine, at around 103,000 miles, a quarter size spot of coolant on the drive was first notice. Every now and then the low coolant warning came on, but the coolant was barely below the minimum line. In 2020-21, had taken it to my local mechanic and another time to my Ford Dealer. Both told me no leakage was found. Neither informed me of this being a known issue with this engine coolant system, nor about the recalls. In April, the low coolant warning came on, this time coolant loss was significant. I had to add 1/2 gallon of water even it I drove only 5 miles. I noticed the coolant only leaked out while the vehicle was running, never when parked. I took it into Ford Service Department for repair. They determined it is an internal coolant leak. Due to a design defect, coolant leak into one or more engine cylinders. Engine replacement needed. The price will be $9721! (I purchased it in 2020 for $10,000). They said this is common with the Ford Escape's engine. They said, they have seen hundreds of Escapes in recent years, with this issue of the coolant leaking into the engine and ruining the engine.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH and accelerating to merge onto the highway, the contact stated that the high engine temperature alert warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to shudder and decelerate. The contact safely pulled off of the highway and shut the vehicle off. The contact restarted the vehicle and the check engine light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the coolant sensor had malfunctioned and referred the contact to a dealer. The contact stated that the failure was recurring. The vehicle had not been taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start and the shifter erroneously indicated that the vehicle was in the park(P) however, the transmission was in neutral. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V471000 (Power Train). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 155,000.

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, she was switching lanes from the right lane to the left lane, and she heard a loud pop from the front end of the vehicle. The contact lost control of the vehicle and drove across the lanes and crashed into the highway dividing wall. The contact had no memory of any warning lights being illuminated or hitting the wall. The contact said that a witness reported that the driver's side front tire came off of the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that she was told that the air bags had not been deployed. The contact stated that she was unconscious and transported to a hospital. She stated she had no cuts, bruises, or other injuries. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The police were on the scene and the contact was not aware of an incident report was written. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.

There is VERY advanced rust on the bottom of the drivers side passenger door, I did some searches online and it looks like this is common on escapes from this year. I think Ford must have had a manufacturing issue because I have never seen rust develop this quickly on vehicle that is not that old and wonder if it's developing other places I can't see. Very disappointed, there is clearly and issue with these fords.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the steering functionality became difficult. The steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed with a steering functionality fault. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, she smelled smoke and that a "stop driving" warning light illuminated. The contact safely pulled off of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. There was smoke coming from under the hood. The contact raised the hood and observed that steam was coming from the radiator and the radiator hoses. The contact had the vehicle towed to her residence and had it diagnosed by an independent mechanic who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The car bucks wildly at a stop and stalls

Bought vehicle with around 65K miles, started having issues with coolant level low and causing the engine warning light to come on. Then the car would go into “limp” mode to get the car to a safe place. There was no visible loss in coolant level. This happened on and off for about 3 months. Called local ford dealer about a coolant recall for 2013/2014, was told my VIN not included in that. Ended up replacing the coolant level sensor in this vehicle and was the part mentioned in the above recall conversation. This part was fixed at an independent service center and was disposed of.

My son was driving stopped at a red light vehicle shut off while in drive it will not stay running. This is not the first time it has happened in traffic. If he was not stopped he could of been seriously hurt along with myself and daughter. I see there is a investigation on the 1.6 but not 2.0. This needs to be looked at before someone gets hurt or worse killed.

Unknown

My family and I of 4 was traveling on a family get away trip and on the highway after about 23 miles , The power steering sign comes up and the steering wheel gets stiff on the middle of the highway. Almost causing my family and I a head on collision with on coming vehicles . My vehicle has been checked about 4 months before by ford and also I have checked the ecu and there are no trouble codes . My family and I have almost ended up in the hospital or near death because this issue that just suddenly happens . This is not a safe situation to be in.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the power steering assist fault warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The steering wheel locked up and require excessive force to steer the vehicle off the roadway. Upon restart of the vehicle, the failure remained. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. The contact then called the dealer and was informed that the next available appointment would be in a month. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Sudden loss of power steering with an associated warning message on the dash for a steering assist fault.

This Vechicle has been serviced at Ford Dealership since purchasing it.every 3,000 miles synthetic oil change, balance, rotate and eliminate if needed and certified inspection at a cost of $412.00 plus any repairs. The Vechicle started overheating while my daughter was taking her kids to school in the neighborhood, she hurried and used the onboard fire extinguisher due to all the smoke and the children were in restraints car seats. This issue is a100% match to the recall for this Vechicle (not my vin?) the fuel line is also leaking and matches recall 100%. Ford needs to include my Vechicle it’s been sitting ever since the incident.

Started car while in our garage and a message came on the dash 'Steering Assist Fault'. Wife could not move steering wheel. We turned car off and restarted. Steering was back to normal. No message was displayed. This was scary because what if it happened while driving?

The contact owns a 2013 Focus Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH or exceeding 25 MPH, the oil pressure warning light illuminated on the instrument. The vehicle was also consistently overheating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed of an oil and coolant dispenser failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

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

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate with an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the turbo charger needed to be replaced; and was referred to an authorized dealer for assistance. The manufacture was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle jerked and stopped abruptly. The transmission warning message was displayed. The vehicle was driven to her parents' residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and then towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred her to NHTSA. No additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.

Losing coolant much like the other vehicles with the same 1.6L engine.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while in the vehicle with the engine idling for 10 minutes, the contact then attempted to park the vehicle however, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was restarted and taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The failure had recurred twice. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,575.

Engine frequently overheating, this was recall for my model/ year/vehicle and I was told vin# doesn't associate with recall. I would like to know why.

The controls in the driver side door stopped working. No window or door locks could be activated. The car was taken in to the Ford dealership and it was repaired so the controls worked. A few months later, while driving on the interstate at 70 MPH the engine turned off with no warning. All the warning lights in the electrical panel lit up after the engined turned off. After getting off the road and sitting for a few minutes the car started with no problem. After driving 20 minutes, we stopped and tried to use the controls in the driver side door to put the window down. No controls in the driver door functioned. I took the car in for repair but there were no loaner cars and was told they would have to keep the car at least two weeks. I needed transportation so I waited to take the car in. The engine turned off two additional times while i was driving with no warning. I took the car in to the Ford dealership again. They said the door control problem was a fuse and they would have to try to find what was shorting out the fuse. They did not have any comment about the engine stalling out which I reported. They have had the car 4 weeks. I see that some 2013 escape models have been recalled for the engine stalling. I think my car should be added to the recall. I really need my transportation. I am borrowing my mother's car. There is no other car at my house.

In my driveway two times so far my power assist failed giving me an error on my drivers screes automatic power assist failure. The steering became almost impossible to move and I had to shut off the car then restart it to clear the error. On the Ford Forums apparently there are lots of other people who are experiencing this same failure and it is showing up on new and older vehicles as well. Also this is a cross model problem and is a defective design from The Ford motor company and should be delt with. Thank you.

I’m having problems with my coolant leaking and overheating as a result. My coolant leaks out about a day or 2 after I fill it which causes my car to overheat. There is a recall on the leaking coolant but my vehicle vin does not show that it’s in the system. It’s not a big coincidence that my vehicle is having the problem that you recalled but I’d not listed. Please fix my vehicle with this recall. This is a safety issue that needs to be resolved. Thanks

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her daughter's vehicle would overheat while driving at various speeds as the low engine coolant light would appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics where they discovered that coolant had leaked into the engine. After several repairs, the failure persisted. The contact then stated that while her daughter was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle shut-off without warning. Due to the failure, her daughter had the vehicle towed to a dealer where they informed her that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Transmission developed a sudden delay when put into drive and jumped suddenly into gear and then shake between higher gears and then started running as if in neutral so that I could only coast it or pull the shifter into S mode where it would move forward very slowly for about a 1/4 mile at which time it quickly began running hot. It was only then that a warning came on that stated: ENGINE FAILURE SERVICE ENGINE SOON. Transmission mechanics refuse to internally assess or attempt any repairs due to "closed" system and are recommending a $4K complete replacement. My VIN number has no recalls related to this issue.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 5-10 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact stated that he continued to drive the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred the next day while pulling out of a parking spot. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice and the dealer informed the contact that they could not replicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly, 2-3 times per day. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not replicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from under the hood of the vehicle onto the engine. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle would overheat occasionally with a message to pull over, stop, turn off the vehicle, and allow the engine to cool down. The contact was informed by the dealer that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V336000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) and 13V583000 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Case number [XXX} INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after driving the vehicle and coming to a stop, she was unable to shift into Park. The parking brake was activated because the gear shifter would not fully engage in Park. The gear selector indicated that the vehicle was in Neutral. The contact turned off the vehicle in an attempt to correct the failure however, the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V471000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.

The contact's friend owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the cabin would fill up with exhaust and fuel fumes to the point of having to roll the windows down to clear the cabin odor. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed however, the cause of the odor was not yet determined. The contact was also informed of an open recall for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V331000 (Latches, Locks, Linkages). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,125.

I have 113k miles in my 2013 Escape. I hit the accelerate and it hesitates. Sometimes when I back it stalls, when I come to a stop, it stalls. It's stalled on me a few times going 55 in the passing lane. CarMax said it is not showing any codes to fix anything under warranty. I've read there are some complaints from other Escape owners having the same issue. What should I do?