Page 3 of 56 · complaints 101–150 of 2,753

2013 Ford Escape complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2013 record →

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 27, 2025118,000 milesMO

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that there was oil leaking from the turbocharger. The contact stated that the hose had detached, and the coolant had leaked out. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact about a recall and referred the contact to the local dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a claim, and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

Engine
Filed Mar 24, 2025FL

Internal coolant leak into cylinder

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 19, 2025120,000 milesWI

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the coolant warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after adding coolant to the coolant reservoir, the failure recurred. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 17, 202550,000 milesMI

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that after stopping the vehicle and raising the hood, the engine was very hot. The contact stated that the coolant level was not checked. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Engine
Filed Mar 15, 2025NC

There are terrible coolant leaks with this car. I have gotten this issue repaired twice already and it is now it is leaking again. I have to replace the coolant in the reservoir 3x a week. It would be full in the morning and in the afternoon the reservoir would be completely empty. I had to pull over on the highway multiple times because of coolant leaking. And Ford wants you to pay $2,000 just for them to fix it. If I could get rid of the car I would.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 12, 2025105,000 milesMD

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there was no coolant leak found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Fuel System, Gasoline
Filed Mar 12, 2025MA

The contact's mother-in-law owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his mother-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to shake excessively, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that a cylinder was overheating. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V584000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

Wheels › Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs
Filed Mar 11, 202571,422 milesTX

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for a routine inspection, the dealer informed the contact that the lug nuts were swollen and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with a tire replacement kit; however, the swollen lug nuts could cause the contact to be stranded on the side of the road if there was a flat tire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 71,422.

Engine
Filed Mar 10, 2025MD

There is oil leaking. Other 2013 Ford Escapes have the exact same issue and there is a recall for those vehicles but not mine. This seems to be a problem for all 2013 Escapes. These are costly repairs that have been caused by a defect in manufacturing. My vehicle only has 115,000 miles, I should not have this problem. Please help. There is already recall for this year and this problem.

Engine
Filed Mar 10, 2025AL

Got my escape on christmas eve 2024. Problem started there before we got down the road from dealership. Call dealership explained car was overheatings told to bring back day after christmas. Took back car supposedly repair with new sensors and the issue was resolved. February noticed was loosing water out and overheating AGAIN. Replaced water reservoir and hoses and now car is still saying "ENGINE COOLANT LOW SERVICE RREQUIRED" and it is completely full of coolant. Took to shop had a code pulled on it and it showed thermostat housing and assembly. I called Ford they said not their problem, file complaint. I have had nothing but overheating problems with this 2013 Ford escape.When it overheats it shuts down no matter where you are at very dangerous.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 6, 2025146,000 milesVT

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine temperature gauge went to HOT, the vehicle decelerated, and the engine went into LIMP Mode. The engine overheated warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump failed and needed to be replaced. The water pump was replaced, and coolant was added. The coolant level was low immediately. The failure persisted and the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinders #2 and #3. The contact was informed that the long block assembly and manifold needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 146,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 5, 2025MD

There is an internal coolant leak. Ford is aware of this and there are recalls but my vin number doesn't fall under the recalls. I have to fill coolant twice aweek

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Mar 4, 2025151,000 milesMI

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 75 MPH, there was an abnormal coolant odor coming from the engine compartment. The contact stated that her husband was adding coolant to the coolant reservoir weekly. The low coolant message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the freeze plug had failed, and that coolant was leaking into the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 151,000.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Feb 26, 2025128,000 milesMS

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine started to overheat with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was hot(H). The contact stated that the engine shut off with the "Engine Temperature High, Stop Safely" message was displayed. The contact later discovered that upon inspection of the vehicle, that coolant was leaking from the valve cover. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); which the contact related to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact called the manufacturer who informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 128,000.

Power Train
Filed Feb 25, 2025LA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V331000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and 22V413000 (Power Train) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 21, 2025IA

Coolant seems to be leaking at a fast rate. The leakage is inconsistent it sometimes a lot but other times a little. Constantly filling coolant reservoir with coolant yeah it’s leaking somewhere out of the bottom of the car.

Engine
Filed Feb 17, 2025MO

Engine block failed allowing coolant into the cylinder heads. Vehicle stopped going to interstate into "limp mode" and daughter was stuck. Check engine light came on and said there was a misfire in cylinder 3.

Power Train
Filed Feb 14, 2025NJ

On February 4, 2019, my 2013 Ford Escape experienced a problem where it would only move in reverse when trying to leave a parking lot after work. I called for roadside assistance and was towed to a service center. The work at the service center revealed a leak of transmission fluid, which was caused by a broken cooler line from the transmission to the radiator. Prior to the repairs, I contacted Ford to see if this issue was covered under warranty, but I was told that I needed to cover the cost of the work. Faulty bushing was likely an issue, which Ford acknowledged and issued a recall for in 2022 to cover this problem (3 years later). However, the damage and repairs had already been done. Unfortunately, the repairs did not fully resolve the problem, and subsequent issues have further deteriorated my car's performance and decreased its value. This has impacted my decision-making when planning to replace the car, as further repairs are not financially feasible. The work performed on my car, as well as cost of repairs, is attached.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Feb 10, 202570,000 milesOH

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the temperature gauge suddenly indicated that the engine was hot(H), before the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle eventually shut off in the middle of the highway, and the contact was forced to manually push the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the residence where it remained. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Power Train
Filed Feb 3, 202578,000 milesPA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 31, 2025TN

There was a recall on my car before (due to freeze plug) but since it fell out of the manufacturer window of the recall it was not accept yet it is the same exact issue . My car is pouring out fluids from the same spot, it will not hold anti freeze not matter how much i put and doesn’t hold for more than 1-2 miles up the road with overheating, smoking giving me warning signs

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 31, 2025OH

Recurrent problems with coolant leaks requiring multiple visits to dealer. Nearly overheated on freeway. Tubing replaced without improvement. Frequently having to replace coolant fluid myself.

Engine
Filed Jan 30, 2025NY

Coolant is leaking into the engine due to poor design and the engine needs to be replaced.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 29, 2025NC

My car was stuck in park and would not shift into D,N,R,S, or any other gear. There is recall on the shift cable bushing, which is the exact issue that the Ford dealership has repaired and I was charged. I informed them that perhaps my VIN was not included per my car is having the safety recall issue. They were not willing to find out or give me a proper explanation. I was under the impression that if it's safety recall there is no issue on the matter.

Engine
Filed Jan 21, 202579,000 milesNJ

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was consuming an abnormal amount of coolant. Additionally, the contact stated there was an abnormal burning odor coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed previously for an engine coolant leak. The vehicle was left parked at a gas station where it was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the coolant reservoir was low. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to an unidentified recall; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 11, 2025AL

My battery keep going dead. I had to keep buying battery twice a year.

Engine
Filed Jan 5, 2025PA

For months my vehicle has been leaking coolant. Non-stop. My car is constantly overheating and having an issue with the coolant reservoir being empty. I unfortunately cannot afford to fix the issue. I took it to 2 different mechanics in my city, they both said "We see this happening all the time with these specific vehicles. There should be a recall, get it fixed at a Ford Dealership." I came here to see if my vehicle had the recall and unfortunately it does not which is very upsetting.

Engine
Filed Jan 2, 2025158,000 milesFL

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of an abnormal burning odor. The contact stated that the following day, the contact noticed a large puddle of oil on the ground underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a cracked cylinder head and turbocharger failure. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a severe oil leak. The contact was informed that the turbo and the turbo lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine); however, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

Power Train
Filed Dec 31, 2024KY

The transmission has completely gone out. On this car model, there isn't a dip stick for the owner to check transmission fluid levels. While pulling out of a parking space the car hesitated on going into first gear and then jerked really hard before continuing to move. While still in the parking lot of a retail store, the car continued to hesitate between gears and then a low coolant message appeared. After going to the next store, a large grocery chain, in the same parking lot I proceeded to purchase a funnel that would allow me to top off the coolant, which was barely low to begin with. When I tried backing out of the space to go home, the car hesitated on going into reverse, jerked really hard again and that's when I proceeded to pull the car back into the parking spot at the grocery store and ordered a Lyft to take me and my groceries home. The message "transmission failure" did not come on until I was pulling the car back into the parking space before ordering a Lyft. I had the car towed to my mechanics shop where he proceeded to tell me I would need a new transmission. However, 6 to 7 months prior to that, the car was at the authorized dealer where it was purchased originally from to have the safety recall repair done to the gear shifting cables and bushings, which were replaced. The service worker now informed me that they never checked the transmission fluid levels or any other fluid in the car to make sure that the car was in good condition and ready to drive. Seeing

Engine
Filed Dec 30, 2024133,462 milesOH

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while having the vehicle serviced, the mechanic stated that there was a coolant leak into the cylinder head. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic referred the contact to the local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (ENGINE). The failure mileage was 133,462.

Engine
Filed Dec 29, 2024MO

Unexplained coolant leaks. Have taken to multiple shops and nobody can figure out where the leak is coming from.

Engine
Filed Dec 19, 2024116,512 milesTX

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an unclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the contact noticed that the engine had overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the head gasket failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,512.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Dec 17, 202495,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low coolant level warning light illuminated. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

Exterior Lighting
Filed Dec 11, 2024138,000 milesMI

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the headlights turned off independently. The contact was able to manually turn on and turn off the headlights to see the roadway. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The contact was using the high beam headlights instead of the low beam headlights. The contact stated that while switching from high to low beam the headlights shut off. The contact stated that the headlights flickered before shutting off. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

Wheels
Filed Dec 11, 2024OR

My ford Escape began shaking recently and as a precaution I tried to tighten the lug nuts, unfortunately I was unable to do so as the nuts no longer fit in the lug wrench, while my car was still driveable this could be an extremely dangerous circumstance if I received a flat tire in a remote location, there are countless similar stories on this I found out after doing some searches (I noted a few below). I don't understand how this dangerous safety issue has not caused a mandatory recall from Ford, and would love to hear if that is expected. Thanks, [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Engine
Filed Dec 5, 2024220,000 milesMO

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the “High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely” warning light illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle lost motive power and the temperature gauge was raised to a higher-than-normal level. The contact was adding coolant daily. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the sensors were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (ENGINE); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 220,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Dec 5, 2024WI

For the second time the lug nuts have failed due to being two parts. Told swollen due to weather. Also replacement parts are the same.

Engine
Filed Dec 4, 2024SC

Oil leak

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Nov 27, 2024113,000 milesWV

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and refilling the coolant reservoir, the coolant leaked onto the ground underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The heater hose was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. In addition, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The coolant reservoir was refilled and leaked out unto the ground. The contact stated that the message “Vehicle in Protection Mode” was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

Steering
Filed Nov 26, 2024TX

Steering Assist Fault. This issue is coming up more often. When the car is started it says this error message on the dash and the steering wheel cannot be turned. We have to turn it off, wait a minute, and restart it. Most of the time this remedies the problem but lately we have had to turn it off and on several times to get it to clear up and the steering working again. This is documented all over the Ford forums. Please open an investigation as this is a serious issue and should not be happening. We have never been able to replicate it for Ford or anyone else. It is very random.

Engine
Filed Nov 25, 2024AL

Coolant is leaking into the engine and mechanic told me my whole engine needs to be replaced due to the damage. Ford has been ignoring this and refuses to issue a full recall.

Engine
Filed Nov 22, 2024IN

Within a years time, I’ve found a transmission fluid leak, had the shift bushing cable break and be replaced with warranty, and now my car stalled on my way to work with an alert for the transmission. It’s had a coolant leak somewhere nearly the entire time I’ve owned the car, 3 years. And oil is burning, you can smell it, but I’m not loosing oil.

Unknown or Other
Filed Nov 19, 2024KY

My 2013 Ford Escape has had a very large coolant leak more than 10 months ago and the mechanics have not been able to repair it, they have changed hoses and the problem continues.

Steering
Filed Nov 11, 2024CA

This is follow up to my complaint that I made last week. The NHTSA issue number is 11624016. I have found numerous similar complaints of 2013 ford escape steering freezing up and malfunctioning at the this link: [XXX] and submit it for NHTSA follow up. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Unknown or Other
Filed Nov 11, 2024MO

Defective REARVIEW CAMERA. Came upside down and go blank or distorted. Safety Hazard

Engine
Filed Nov 11, 2024TX

Coolant leak and car stalling in the middle of the road. Very dangerous and scary

Steering
Filed Nov 7, 2024CA

On Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 I started my 2013 Ford Escape, put it in reverse and the steering froze and I could not turn the steering wheel. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 I took it to the mechanic and he had the same thing happen and diagnostic indicated thatthe power steering needed replacement. I contacted Ford Motor Company and they stated that my VIN was not included in their recall of the 2013 Ford Escapes. They declined to share with me other similar complaints. I have since learned from a Ford escape owners page that the are many complaints by owners and can't get any help from Ford. I would liked the NHTSA to investigate and report on how may owners are being denied inclusion in the 2013 Ford Escape steering recall.

Engine
Filed Nov 7, 2024OK

This is the second time that I have had issues with a coolant leak leeching onto my engine. The coolant leaks out and causes toxic fumes in the cabin that have repeatedly caused me and my passengers severe damage to our mucus membranes resulting in coughing and difficulty breathing. I have literally had to drive with my windows down in the cold autumn air because I cannot breathe in my vehicle. There has been no warning or check engine light that has come on at all in either of these experiences. It has been my mere experience of health issues that has resulted in me needing to bring the vehicle in. As of right now there has been no recalls but evidently this has been a recurring issue and problem per my local mechanic as well as the forums that I find online. This is a huge issue that needs to be addressed to Ford customers.

Steering
Filed Nov 3, 2024IL

The power steering stopped working as driving it. Dashboard message read "steering assist fault service" Unable to steering the vehicle properly which could have caused an accident. No warnings prior to the issue.

Unknown or Other
Filed Oct 29, 2024TN

Barrings in transmission been failure since I've bought the truck they had a recall on the transmission now I don't see the recall at ford windshield motor just stop working I've only had the car a year

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

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