2013 Ford Escape complaints

My power steering motor went and there’s no recalls!

Steering Assist Fault shows on dash. Unable to turn the steering wheel. Appears to be a recall on Ford Escapes up to 2012. Need to include additional years into this recall - major problem and safety issue.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH and making a turn, the power steering assist became inoperable. The power steering assist failure message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact contacted two unknown dealers who provided the same information. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the vehicle overheated. Additionally, a message indicating a low coolant level was displayed, and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the coolant temperature sensor housing was replaced; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where the coolant temperature sensor housing and coolant hoses were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there was coolant intrusion in the oil reservoir. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the recall repair was performed in 2014. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked outside the residence, and she noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The contact stated that she added coolant to the vehicle, but the coolant continuously leaked onto ground. The contact started driving the vehicle however, the vehicle started overheating and a message advising to pull over was displayed. The contact reversed to the front of the residence and parked the vehicle. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the vehicle overheated and shut off. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer several times, and the dealer diagnosed that coolant was leaking from the coolant hose, and the engine coolant temperature sensor housing was cracked. The dealer repaired the vehicle twice; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the coolant hoses were repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 47,841.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The overheating warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with general engine failure. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V584000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) for which the VIN was included; however, the vehicle was already repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Electric Power Steering Fault. Could not turn steering wheel. Service Technician stated the Power Steering module failed.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The engine overheated message was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the water pump. After the repair was performed, the contact and his passengers detected an abnormally strong oil odor while driving. The contact and his passengers suffered from headaches; however, medical attention was not received. Additionally, while driving, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, who determined there was an oil leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware 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 approximately 133,000.

At 87,000 miles the transmission went completely out. At 87,000 miles there has been a constant coolant leak. Despite changing hoses, and reservoir

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with premature transmission failure. The dealer notified the manufacturer, who declined to cover the cost of the repair. The contact followed up with the manufacturer and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing abnormal coolant consumption. The contact stated that she placed a cardboard underneath the vehicle to check for coolant leaks; however, there was no leak. Additionally, the contact stated that she had noticed that there was oil intrusion into the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that an independent mechanic had performed a replacement of the inner and outer tie rods, the wheel bearings, and other unknown parts. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the ABS, traction control, Hill Assist, and instrument panel warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that she was unable to drive uphill, and the vehicle swayed while coming to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the ABS sensor had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered under Ford Campaign Number: 14N02. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

- Valve cover needs to be replaced - Spark plugs needs to be replaced - Power reduced message pops up probably from spark plugs - Says transmission fault probably from valve cover leaking transmission fluid - Left rear speed sensor - Turbo charger/super charger underboost - invalid data received from steering angle sensor module message popped up

The Turbocharger Wastegate Regulating Valve Solenoid has been intermittently forcing a OBD2 code P0234. The solenoid location has not been determined and why the code goes away and then comes back later after driving the vehicle after clearing the code is not determined either. Ford charges more for this part than any other parts houses. The dealer labor is also costing just as much as the part ($200). This is a problem that is currently happening to quite a few Escape owners.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted. Additionally, the contact observed condensation under the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on several occasions where it was diagnosed that unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired over 20 times, but the failures persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

Power steering malfunctioned while driving out of my driveway. Vehicle is undrivable and is available for inspection. Unable to steer the vehicle. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has not been inspected at this time. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure which occurred on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 9:00 am.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking lot at 10 MPH, the vehicle failed to shift out of first gear. The RPMs increased but the vehicle remained in first gear. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

Power steering assist fault warning displayed on the dash of 2013 Ford Escape Titanium. Can’t turn wheel. Wheel was so hard to turn if my wife had been driving she would have wrecked and potentially seriously hurt thr two of us and our 3 grandchildren. Car has 92k miles and we’ve already replaced the transmission $5k. From what I’ve read this will be a minimum of $1.2k. It’s sad when their profitability is more important than people’s week being, potentially lives.

While getting gas the other day , when I put the fuel in my car the nozzle into the gas tank a hissing sound came out of it out of the gas tank and it smelled like gas really bad, then I ran a code thing on my car said can't un able to bleed up fuel tank , I don't know why then after I got the gas when pulling the nozzle out it did it again , then my car would not start ,

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after driving the vehicle for an extended period, the vehicle would hesitate without warning upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact initially took the vehicle to a dealer where they informed the contact that the turbo booster needed to be replaced. Despite the turbo booster replacement, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for a second time; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Coolant leaked into the cylinders causing major overheating. Only to be told by ford mechanics, that a new engine is needed.

I had issues with my turbo in July. It needed to be fully replaced. One week ago, is started leaking coolant. White smoke was coming from the exhaust. Last night while driving on the highway, it would not accelerate and threw an error code saying cylinder three misfire detected. I had to stop on the side of the highway in the middle of the night in pitch black with no streetlights due to no fault of my own. Car is no longer drivable until fixed.

First: A steering assist fault "service vehicle" started to appear on my dashboard of my 2013 Ford Escape Titanium 2.0 L . Steering is very hard and will not turn when in park and ready to drive, i can change gears, but steering is locked. I turn the ignition (push button) off, then it unlocks. I thought it was because I was putting in gear too quick after starting, but it does it even when I wait a couple of seconds to engage the gears. I don't want to encounter this problem while driving for obvious reasons. I have not confirmed it with a dealer since it doesn't do it all the time. Problem has not been inspected by anyone yet, but I've seen other posts of the expensive costs to repair. No other warning lamps of messages and this started a week ago (o/a 1 Oct 23). Second: I am getting very poor fuel consumption (about 17-18 MPG). A check with my FIXD device confirmed what I thought was the problem - "Fuel Pressure Sensor 'B' Circuit Low and Low Pressure Fuel System Pressure Too High". I don't see any safety concerns other than I might be left stranded in the desert one day. Dealer tell me that if I see no warning lamps on my dashboard, I shouldn't worry too much (hello?). I now have 115,800 miles on this vehicle.

My 2013 has developed a gas leak. It is a small leak and shooting gasoline in the engine. It looks like there was a recall on some vehicles in this make/model and year but mine did not qualify. The recall number is 13S12. I would like for it to be included since it is a known issue in other vehicles in that same time frame. My car is not safe to drive as the gasoline in the hot engine could catch on fire.

2013 Ford Escape SE, So according to my local Ford dealership, which is where this vehicle was purchased, this particular year/model has an issue with the engine where coolant will leak into the head and warp the head seizing a spark plug(s), which customers will not find out about until it comes time to actually replace the spark plugs. Our vehicle has less than 100,000 miles on it, and was purchased in full (no loan/lease). This is a pretty BIG manufacturer's defect. It is also (according to my local Ford dealership), a common problem, but not common enough for ford to do anything about it. Someone buys a product and it has a manufacturer's defect, but won't do anything to correct it that's pretty crappy, leaving people like me that is laid off to try to foot a bill of several thousand dollars for something that again, should be fixed by ford. Again according to my local Ford dealership, Ford changed some things in manufacturing after learning about this. After calling my local Ford dealership and then Ford corporate, all they told me is A. there's no extended service program on my vehicle and that it was only offered on select VINs, and B. Call NHTSA. (So basically pushing this off on other's/another agency.). Also note, my local Ford dealership, NOR Ford corporate are willing to give me anything in writing. (I wonder why). (Note to NHTSA, I am [XXX] , filling this out for my father, the vehicle owner.) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)

2013 Ford Escape transmission bushing breakage / separation where the shifter cable attaches to the transmission crank. Our vehicle had this problem and the bushing broke, leaving the vehicle stuck in Reverse. Almost crashed into the car parked behind me while attempting to parallel park. This appears obviously related to the highly published 2013-2016 Ford Escape recall problem, but my VIN has yet to be added to the log for recall and repairs. Please add my VIN so my group / production batch can be serviced. Ford wants to charge us close to $200 because our batch is missing from the recall list. "According to Ford's filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a damaged or missing bushing inside the transmission may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the selected gear. The vehicle therefore could roll away because it's not actually in Park, or it could drive in an unintended direction when the operator selects Drive or Reverse. A vehicle that is shut off when not in Park might not be able to be restarted."

There is a defective fuel line that is rapidly leaking fuel and is a fire hazard. I found out that this part was recalled leading up to July 2012. My vehicle vas built in August of 2012 and it is the exact same part. The recall on the earlier models is 12S35. It's the exact part and issue in the later models, yet hasn't been recalled

Steering system fault. Rack and pinion replaced 1 year ago. Already starting to lock up again.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that coolant was leaking from the vehicle. The contact added coolant, but the coolant continued leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic could not find a coolant leak. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that there was no recall on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was 113,000.

The contact's granddaughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his granddaughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed then the vehicle overheated. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact then stated that his granddaughter stopped the vehicle and then turned off and parked the vehicle to allow the engine to cool down. The contact's granddaughter was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine short block had cracked, and coolant had leaked into the combustion chamber and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed. After restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel moved and worked as designed. The steering wheel defect message was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.

Fire started in engine from oil leak in cylinder head on Saturday, 9/9/23 at approximately 1:15 pm. Car had been running for around 2 hours with no signs or indication of malfunction. Driver pulled car over after entering Mt. Rainier National Forest at a viewpoint. At this point driver noticed engine was smoking. NO lights or indicators on dashboard lit up notifying of overheating or malfunction. The temperature gauge did not indicate the engine was over heating. The safety of 4 passengers was at risk. Fire started with four passengers including the driver in the car. Vehicle was located in Mt. Rainier National Forest where passengers and driver had no cellphone service. This also occurred in a National Forest during the high risk season for forest fires/wildfires. Fire could have put lives of passengers at risk as well as those in nearby area, if car went ablaze in the forest. With no service, preventing the car fire from turning into a forest fire would be very difficult. This problem occurred AFTER TSB on this vehicle was completed for safety recall 17S09-S1 in April 2014 at Bellingham Ford. The crack in the cylinder caused by the recall was patched by Bellingham Ford by filling it with Copper silicone rather than removing the cylinder and replacing it. Repair shop (Mike's Shop - Buckley Washington) that inspected vehicle after incident on Sept. 9th 2023, found that copper silicone patch had split causing oil to leak into engine and catch fire. This inspection indicates th

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally before stalling. The contact waited for a while before restarting the vehicle; however, while driving, the failure recurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and it was determined that coolant was leaking into cylinder #3 due to a fractured gasket, causing the engine to fail. The vehicle had since become inoperable. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 126,724.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the low coolant warning light was displayed on the instrument panel with heavy white smoke coming from the tailpipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3, causing engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was given a case number and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Without warning, power steering assistant stopped working. Almost wrecked my car!!

Heater coil hose leaking profusely. Common issue reported in 2013 Escape, yet no recall, why?

The contact's wife owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was significant amounts of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure mainly recurred after the vehicle had been sitting overnight. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: SSM-49210. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking engine oil. The contact stated that after leaving the vehicle running for an extended period, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light and engine overheating message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed that the failure was with the cylinder block. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 86,136.

We have problems with the power steering not working

Have a Ford 2013 Escape SEL with 79,337 miles. The vehicle has been a lemon from the time I purchased it in 2014. Have replaced the water pump, a sensor, the turbocharger, the engine shield and now the rack and pinion steering. Stopped at a gas station and when started the car again to back out, received the 'Steering assist fault Service required' alert and lost all powering steering. Had to drive the car home. Mechanic charging $1860 + tax and a Ford dealership quoted $2593 + tax. Sent emails to the Executive Team at Ford and did receive a call back. Was told that unfortunately there are no recalls for my VIN/year. How is Ford allowed to get away with manufacturing faulty vehicles which can cause accidents, injuries or worse!! HOLD FORD ACCOUNTABLE!!!!

The vehicle has a coolant problem leading to blown head gasket and is believed to be a fire hazord.This has been ongoing since I have purchased the vehicle.

I recieved a Power Steering Assist Failure notification and then my power steering went out in my car as I was driving it making the car extremly hard to control. This happened multiple time without warning as I was driving my car. At the time my car has around 39,000 miles on it. I took my car to a Ford dealership to have the problem fixed and the repair was extemly costly, around $2,900, to replace the entire rack and pinion. From a online search this is a very common problem with this year of the Escape and a safety recall for the same issue was issued for earlier models of the Escape and other Ford models. When I spoke to the dealership, the technician confirmed that this is a common problem with Ford Escapes. I believe that later models of the Escape should be included in the recall and I'd like to be reimbursed for the work done.

Steering assist fault goes on and off in vehicle. Speedometer and odometer stop working.

All of a sudden my power steering failed while backing out of a parking space. I almost hit the car next to me because it was sudden and froze. Thank God I wasn’t on the road! Would have crashed for sure! My vehicle is only at 111000 miles!!! Insane!!! DANGEROUS

I was driving down the road an hour away from home with 3 other passengers, when the power steering stopped working. The car was extremely hard to handle and we almost wrecked 3 Times.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering assist fault warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became firm. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 103,000.

Rear view camera image suddenly turned upside down when backing and image remains upside down. This disables my parking assistance and safely backing up. Ford agency can’t fix it and new cameras are so backordered they don’t know when they can get it. Why didn’t recent camera recall also cover the 2013 Escapes?

“Steering Assist Fault - Service Required” Two weeks of intermittent loss of power steering, regained by turning the car on and off again, to complete power steering loss. Very difficult to steer and park the vehicle. Many online forum with ‘13 Escape owners experiencing similar issue with no resolution.

Flywheel broke, causing the vehicle to lose power.

This car stalls while driving. I'll drive & the engine stops. I have to restart the car. It is Very Dangerous.