2013 Ford Escape complaints

The computer issues a high engine temperature warning without physical indication of high temperature on the dash thermometer. This results in reducing engine power into “limp mode”. The temperature indicator immediately rises to maxim high. The engine does not shut off but there is no power. The safety concern is: if this condition would occur while in fast moving traffic around a city belt-way, the sudden loss of power and speed reduction could make the vehicle susceptible to a rear end collision or endanger other drivers trying to avoid a slow moving vehicle tryin to get off the road.

There’s record of this model and several ford models experiencing steering rack issues, getting damage to a point in witch stops the operation and locks the steering wheel.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 30mph when the vehicle lost engine power. The contact stated fuel pump warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over and towed the vehicle to a local mechanic where it was informed that the vehicle had experienced a fire but was extinguished due to the water pump bursting. The vehicle was diagnosed with needing the engine and fuel pump replaced but was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with, NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V584000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact to call NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

Both of my windshield wipers completely stopped working. The cost would be over a grand to fix it. Seems like a common issue with this car. Beyond dangerous! My car has 74,000 miles on it.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was losing coolant, causing her vehicle to overheat. The contact had to add coolant several times per week. The low coolant level warning light would illuminate whenever the coolant level was extremely low. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as a coolant leak. The contact was referred to the local dealer and was also notified of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

Car will not start when temperature outside is near or below freezing. Message "no key detected" displays on the console. Lights flash with clicking noises while the car tries to start. This happened in 2020. It seemed to be resolved. In the past couple months it has happened multiple times. Each time the dealership returned car "fixed" to no avail. This has left me stranded multiple times.

The ABS/Traction Control light comes on and a message flashes on the screen saying that 4 wheel drive is disabled and that hill assist is disabled. The vehicle will not accelerate when the gas pedal is pressed causing the driver to be put in harm's way if trying to enter traffic or go through an intersection. When hooked up to a scanner, it says that there is a bad ABS/Wheel Speed Sensor. We have replaced the "faulty" sensors several times and have also replaced all other parts that were recommended to fix the issue. We took the vehicle to a Ford dealer and they initially said that there was a recall to perform a flash of the computer to fix the issue. When they hooked up their machine to the vehicle, we were told that they were incorrect and that there was no recall for this issue and there was no update for the computer. This is an intermittent issue and we are unable to replicate the issue on demand. This has been an issue for over a year and it seems Ford does not have the answers to fix the issue.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 mph, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood and from behind the vehicle without warning. The contact stated that the failure progressively got worst and the smoke was gray. The contact said a third-party driver had stopped and advised that he saw flames. The contact opened the hood and saw the smoke. The fire department was not called and the contact did not have to put out any flames. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine head was cracked on the back side of the motor. The independent mechanic advised that there was a recall associated with the failure NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine). The contact did not take the vehicle to a local dealer, however, the dealer was contacted and advised that there were no open recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that he noticed that fuel had been leaking from underneath his vehicle. The contact then called the dealer who informed him that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V584000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle overheated, lost motive power, and stall with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was referred to NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her husband was driving 25 MPH, the engine overheating warning light was illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to restart the vehicle. The driver added engine coolant but continue to experience failure. The vehicle was not drivable. The driver towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The mechanic also noticed that the engine was cracked. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact attempted to call the manufacturer but was unable to speak to a representative. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. There was a faulty fuel injector which caused it to not pass emissions. After taking care of that problem, the coolant would run dry very quickly, in a matter of minutes. At this point, the engine light came on and the car just stopped dead in the middle of the street. Consumer sold the vehicle due to hazard.

The bushing that attaches the transmission shifter cable to the transmission were degraded o and cause the bushing to detach from the transmission. The condition did not allow me to move the shift lever to Park and remove the ignition key, while the transmission may not be in Park, with no warning message or audible chime.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated the vehicle was losing coolant. The low coolant indicator light was illuminated. The contact added coolant to the vehicle and the warning indicator light went away. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to the local dealer. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified however, no further assistance was provided. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low Coolant", "Pull Over Car Overheating" warning messages were displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a coolant level sensor kit failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000. Consumer stated while driving in a school zone approximately 20mph, current temperature was 14 degrees. This has been a recurring problem.

I recently had a potentially deadly encounter while driving on an interstate. While traveling at 55 mph, my (automatic transmission) vehicle suddenly shifted into first gear on its own. I can’t begin to explain how much stopping force that created on the vehicle and my body, so much so that it caused the vehicle to momentarily skid. Had it not been for my seat belt and an alert tractor trailer driver, the result could have been deadly. This is the second time this has happed with my vehicle. After the first time that this happened the vehicle went to an ASE Certified mechanic shop for evaluation. After an extended period of time, the mechanic could find nothing wrong with the vehicle. As is common knowledge, if an “error code” isn’t produced, a mechanic can only hope to replicate the same event to help assist in diagnosing the problem. After this last incident, I noticed a display (not an error code) which read: ENGINE MALFUNCTION SERVICE NOW. Armed with this information the mechanic called Ford for more information. To my dismay, Ford would not elaborate, give insight, share, or even acknowledge such a problem exist with their vehicles. I conducted my own research with this issue, only to find out that Ford are the masters at vehicles randomly shifting to first gear for no apparent reason. All of the recalls for Ford vehicles about this problem and my vehicle is not listed. I find it very difficult to believe that I am the only person to have experienced this same issue in t

My son was driving up a hill on January 26, 2022 and the car stalled. I called the Ford dealer and they said I had to take it in and pay for the repairs. This is a 2013 Ford Escape and I was reading on the internet that these cars have these problems. My son said there was no warning lights before this happened, it just stalled on a busy, dangerous highway. Thank God he was not hurt. I don't know what else to do. This problem should get taken care of with so many people having the same issue.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact’s husband stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact’s husband was able to pull over and restart the vehicle and functionality was returned. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the steering unit replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Steering Assist Failure

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after returning from an independent mechanic and driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle shut-off with the "coolant level low" warning message illuminated on the instrument panel. With the assistance of a State Trooper, the contact was able to pull the vehicle off to the side of the highway and add water to the coolant reservoir. The contact then took the vehicle back to the mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective coolant level sensor. The dealer was then notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,500.

Backup camera doesn’t work.

The sensor for cooling system goes off for low coolant even though there is a full amount of coolant in the vehicle. Causes a bunch of codes to activate and throws vehicle into "limp" mode while saying the vehicle needs to be turned off immediately. Only some vehicles received recall notice per automotive service center, but others do not even though there is plenty of complaints online about the same issue. Having a vehicle go into "limp" mode while driving in traffic and/or on highway is extremely dangerous.

I bought my car at the end of winter in 2018, and every winter, when it gets 20 degrees or below, every few weeks, my engine overheating light will come on after 10 minutes of driving it. When I look at my coolant, it is right at the minimum line every time. I have since learned to keep a bottle of coolant in my car as well as a funnel to fill it just a little. Afterward, it would drive okay. Every shop I have taken it to states there are no leaks, and it was working just fine. I've also been told that it's a common issue with the 2013 Ford Escape, and I will have to continue to fill it. This has been an issue as I have been stuck on the freeway with my 3 and 7 year old numerous times trying to get under my hood with the car shut off in negative degree weather. I DO NOT feel safe getting out of the car to fill the coolant with my children in the backseat on a freeway with cars flying past me. Winter of 2022, the issue became worse. I was turning and saw smoke pouring out of my hood, and my check engine light came on. Luckily, I was right by my destination, where it quit working altogether and coolant emptied altogether. My husband, a former mechanic, is replacing the overflow coolant reservoir hose, which broke. The head gasket appears to be okay; however, he believes there may be tiny cracks in the head gasket which would explain why all of the shops I've been to state there is no leak. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My kids safety, my safety, and those

TRANSMISSION HAS SUDDENLY STARTED SLIPPING

Coolant bypass valve has failed for a third time now in my 2013 escape since I bought it in 2016. First time in 2017. Was told this was not covered under my warranty by ford and no recalls (for my specific vehicle). The bypass valve, from recall reviews i've read online, could stuck closed not allowing antifreeze to pass into the engine. This could cause engine to overheat and catch fire. Other recalls have noted possible engine fire from coolant leak. The check engine light has come on in all three instances. The diagnostic code is the same this time as the last two-P26b7. No recall for my specific vehicle because it wasn't built in the factory that the recall vehicles, with same problem, was built in. Although, it's the same problem, with the same cooling design.

My 2013 Ford Escape was not included in the safety recall 18S20. I had the exact failure that is described in recall. Shift cable bushing that attaches to shift lever on transmission came off and vehicle was stuck in reverse. The bushing was soft crumbing apart and would not stay on the transmission lever. Vehicle missed recall date by 8 days. This vehicle should of been part of the recall 18S20 and for all safety reasons that it was issued for. Ford refused to repair the part under the recall, so very close to recall start date and a $1.53 part.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost all power and the contact stated that the engine overheating warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and refilled the coolant reservoir and was able to restart the vehicle after waiting approximately 2 hours. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Case Number: CAS-34813627-B3B3D7 On January 2nd, 2022, without warning my ABS and traction control lights went on, my speedometer fell to zero, and all of the digits usually shown (MPG, miles to empty, amount of time driven, and miles driven) were replaced by dashes. After about 10 - 15 seconds, the information came back, the speedometer worked, and the dash warning lights went off. This has occurred multiple times a day since Jan 2 while I drive my car. The Ford website described a recall that fit the description of the issues I have been having and, according to my VIN, I was eligible to get the system serviced. I took my car in to Wade Ford in Atlanta, GA on January 5, 2022. A diagnostic test reported code PC0031, but only codes P1934 and P062C are considered eligible. I called Ford and opened a case (see Line 1). After waiting a few hours to hear back from Ford, I had to check in at work and perform a COVID test to remain eligible to work the rest of this week per their COVID protocol. On my way there, my throttle became unresponsive as I was getting on the highway. The acceleration came back a few seconds later, narrowly avoiding the car behind me running into my bumper. After testing, I returned to the dealership to find no progress had been made due to Ford being unresponsive. The agent has not responded or updated me, but she stated on an earlier call she was working on consulting her supervisor on my case. Further attempts to call Ford have been unsuccessful. Because

When heater is turned on in my vehicle (2013 Ford Escape) during winter, the radiator light and check engine lights come on. Oil is visible on the engine. I refill the radiator and radiator light goes off. There is oil spewed under the vehicle's hood and on the motor. It is my understanding that there was a recall for the powerplant, which overheats and leaks oil and other fluids onto the engine which could possibly result in fire. I would prefer to avoid this

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.

The car's computer system would not communicate to the car's speakers. This contributed to the radio not working and more importantly, calls not coming through via bluetooth. Phones would connect to the car via bluetooth, but no sound would come through the speakers. This caused a small safety issue, because the driver would have to disconnect the call through the vehicle in order to hear the phone call. A Ford dealership needed to order a new APIM and replace it for the speakers to work again. They were not aware of any recalls for 2013 Ford Escape APIM yet, and there were no messages prior to the speakers not working, all sound just stopped coming through one day. I did read of a couple other instances of the APIM failing in Ford Escapes.

Was driving my car and got a message about steering assist came on. Shut the car off because I could not steer it, turned car back on and message went away and it was ok. Had an appointment 12/14 to have my car inspected and an oil change at Carnegie Motors so I told them what happened . I had to get a new tire to pass inspection so had to wait for tht to come in 12/20/21They did their part but called and said it would have to go to the dealership for the steering problem they had removed the battery thinking it would reset itself. Jeff then took it up to Woltz Wind Ford which was about 1 mile up the road - had trouble steering. Because of the holiday and days off they did not get to my car till 12/27 they told me that the Steering Gear box had to be replaced. In researching online I saw that Ford had recalls on 20008 and 2011 for the same problem. My vehicle has41,958 miles on it. Apparently Ford still has the same problem with steering issues The representative just said that parts wear out that I did nothing to cause this problem. I have to get this car repaired to the tune of $2200 plus it is still there will send invoice when I get it. Just glad I was not on the highway when this happened. Definitely a safety issue Obviously the 2013 needed to be recalled as well.

The fuel wiring harness has exposed wires that are making the car miss and stall.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would overheat with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle would stall and independently enter safe mode as the temperature gauge would indicate that the engine was hot. The contact had initially taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who could not determine the cause of the failure. The mechanic then took the vehicle to a dealer where he was instructed on how to repair the failure. Upon return of the vehicle, the contact stated that the vehicle no longer stalled; however, coolant and oil began to leak from the vehicle. The contact then took the vehicle to the dealer where they informed her that they could not service the vehicle in a timely manner. The contact then called the manufacturer who informed her that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. Due to the failure, her daughter had the vehicle towed to a dealer where they diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was unknown.

The suv stutters and jerks at take off real hard

Starts easily but kills shortly after as though it has no power. Has done this for several years. Numerous mechanics are unable to pinpoint the cause.

When i back up then turn sharp to the right it will shut off. it will crank up . but i have had this to happen 2 times. its very scary to pull out into traffic .

Windshield wiper malfunction While granddaughter and children were driving in rain on freeway, wipers started malfunctioning by working out of synchronization then failing forcing her to pull into emergency lane and stopping. After restarting engine they started wiping for a short time than quit. It was extremely dangerous. Research showed me this was a re accuring problem with other people that has caused dangerous situations, expensive and sometimes unsuccessful solutions.

I purchased my 2013 Escape SE AWD (non-turbo) last January 5, 2021 at approximately 59k miles (currently at 81+k miles) and haven't had any issues (other than having to replace ALL of the defective lugnuts that swell and make it so the included tire iron that Ford provides, don't even fit them for removal after almost getting hit by a car when I couldn't get them off when trying to change a flat tire three days after taking ownership of the vehicle) until today. I do my regularly scheduled oil changes and such and I'm still about 1050 miles away from when my next oil change is due. I was driving on a non-interstate highway, going up an incline at about 45-50mph, having pulled away from a full stop at a traffic light. Suddenly, I hear a ding, and look down and the 'engine coolant low' warning comes on, then another ding, and the 'danger of overheating' warning comes on, I look at the temperature gauge and it's right at normal. Within 3 seconds of the overheating warning coming on, while I was in heavy active rush hour traffic the engine just died, shut off, no power, nothing and all the dash lights came on. Luckily I had a little momentum and was able to pull over (after having to cross two lanes of traffic) safely and turned off the car. I waited a few minutes and then started it back up, the temp gauge now, shot to the top, but quickly came back down to normal, the coolant light warning was off with just the check engine light on. I pulled into a gas station purchased coolan

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while shifting from PARK to REVERSE, there was a delay with the transmission going into gear. The contact shifted back into PARK. The contact called a local independent mechanic and describe the failure. The mechanic informed the contact that the failure could be related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V471000 (Power Train) however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.

While driving on the morning of 12/9/2021, the low engine coolant warning came on. Vehicle is leaking engine coolant from undiscovered location.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while coming to a complete stop, the vehicle idled and hesitated to stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that there was no code or check engine warning light retrieved from the code reader. The mechanic replaced the spark plugs; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer cleaned the throttle body. The dealer informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The dealer did not diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V813000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 122,092.

I have a 2013 Ford Escape with the 1.6l motor. The cup plug is leaking on my exhaust. This issue has a recall on it on vehicles manufactured from 10/5/2011 to 8/5/2012 in which mine is 7/2012 but my vin was not on the list for the recall. I don't want to drive the car for risk of fire as the recall states but it's my only vehicle.

For several years, we have been taking the car to the dealer because we continue to have to top off the reservoir with antifreeze. At our most recent service visit, we were informed that there could possibly be a crack in the engine block causing the antifreeze to leak into the engine. This is the same problem as a recall associated with the same year, make and model vehicle. The recall number is 12V431000

Vehicle started grumbling upon acceleration. No warning lights came on indicating an issue but I felt the vehicle was unsafe to drive and had it towed to the dealer. The dealer inspected the car and found that the cylinder head of the engine was cracked. The vehicle has had coolant issues repaired on multiple occasions, once over the summer when the hose exploded causing the vehicle to overheat. The crack in the engine and the lack of warning light could have caused me to drive this vehicle and it catch on fire while driving.

I’ve not wrecked the car but now I can’t drive it because my driver door won’t shut. This happened 12/01/21. I called Jacky Jones Ford they couldn’t get to it referred me to get a body shop to look at it. I now find out this is a recall on my car. I didn’t own the car at the time the recall was issued so never received anything. I’ve owned this car since may 2017 I’ve had issues with inside filling up with smoke and smelling of wire burning Jacky Jones looked at it but didn’t find the issue also engine light comes on periodically then it starts showing it’s overheating I can’t do a system check because it don’t light up anymore the fuse is new still don’t work, but at the moment I can’t drive at all because my door won’t shut please help me with these issues please no one can figure it out and now I’m unemployed because of a dr sorry that’s another story Thank You

Power steering became noisy on start and turning right took vehicle to Firestone was told to take to dealer as "dealer needs to reprogram car after repairing" brought to dealer and told this may be a 2000-3000$ job along with a 3-4 day wait to even be looked at

Upon driving with my 3 young children on a 45mph road with 0 warning or notification the car quit accelerating. upon pulling over it would not restart. I had it towed to my house. A new battery was purchased and the car seemed fine. not even a few days later the low coolant light came on and even after filling it the next day it was empty again. Then whenever i slowed down, stopped at a light or stop sign the car will not accelerate as if the gears are not engaging.the reverse doesn't work at all anymore. after making a left turn into my neighborhood the car without any warning lights or notice would not go at all and i tried to restart to get it to go and a car (that was wayyy down the rd) honked it's horn and sped by me to where my car rattled. With my 3 children in the car who were terrified. My oldest who is 8 now has anxiety getting into vehicles. I called ford dealership and was told to call Ford. Ford said they had assistance prpgrams and then upon calling back with scheduled appointment said there was no such thing. Im told it's $100 just to diagnose it at ford and refuse to wave it. They said it sounds like the transmission which would be around 8k +... I'm only halfway through this car loan and am now paying on a car that is no longer drivable and costs more to fix than it's even worth. This is totally wrong that this car can still legally be sold with an open investigation as dangerous as this. it shouldn't take a death for action. The car is available for inspecti

My car has stalled numerous times and have had 2 different shops look at this and this isnt the fuel pump and the drive module was replaced to try and this didnt fix no issues with this and they said there is something def wrong with this and there are numerous recalls on the same issue as with my car for these cars. Wiring harness or ecu issues is what I am being told possibly. This car is a danger. From the first time I bought this in the shop and I dont even drive this car much at all. This is a danger and Ford needs to address these cars. My car stopping in the middle of the road and I almost was rear ended.

In my 2013 Escape, the driver's side seatbelt would no longer retract back in place on its own- and while driving it would not retract properly, usually staying loose and laying on my lap while buckled. The passenger side seatbelt would not fit snug around the passenger either. Both front seatbelts would not restrain anyone in the event of braking hard. I took it in for repair to Fred Bean's Ford in Exton, PA. It was unsafe to drive the car because both the driver and passenger would fly forward when the brakes were pushed hard- no restraining at all from either seatbelt. The dealership charged me over $1200 to install a new part called a pretensioner in both seatbelts. I saved my receipt.