2013 Ford Escape Complaint Log

On 03-17-24 My daughter was driving a few miles away from home, when the dashboard system states "High engine temperature, pull over safely." Within 30 seconds of pulling off the road, the flames came out near the windshield from under the hood. Within 5 minutes the car was fully engulfed and completely destroyed. I am so upset and frustrated that Ford is not taking this matter more seriously as this appears to be a common occurrence with these vehicles. Fortunately my daughter was uninjured.

Was driving on the interstate with cruise set and without warning it downshifted and vehicle quit in middle of the road almost caused a accident. Vehicle won't start up. While pushing car to safety popped up engine over heat but Guage did not show it being hot.

Escape shut itself down in middle of busy interstate with no warning almost causing a accident. Something needs done before someone gets killed.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon inspection, the contact became aware that the coolant level was being consumed very quickly. In addition, the contact became aware of an unusual burning odor and saw white smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant had leaked into the engine and that the long block needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, white smoke was coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware that coolant was leaking into the engine compartment and evaporating, causing the white smoke. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The contact related the failure with the NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Carfax is reporting an odometer reset or rollover. I am looking to purchase this vehicle. What is the odometer issue?

Losing coolant, engine light came on now vehicle lost exceleration.

Unknown because I cannot afford to have it looked at however I believe it has to do with the recall on the coolant issue

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Coolant system is experiencing major leak at the coolant stand pipe. Also vehicle is reading a protection code and vehicle appears to be overheating but it's not. Coolant leak is seeping onto the belts and hoses that were also replaced. Engine seals have also leaked and have been recently replaced several times. Vehicle is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Safety recall 13S12 with a risk of localized overheating of the engine cylinder head that may lead to oil leaks and fires was not completed per the procedure provided by FORD motor company. The dealership that was responsible for completing the recall located at 488 U.S 1 Highway in Vero Beach Florida in 2019 is no longer operating. Several components of the 64 page recall were not completed as verified by a copy of the work order I have in my possession. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, my ford service advisor in Thomasville, GA has verified that this recall was not done properly and that my car falls under the manufacturer year that was negatively effected by this common problem with all cars produced within the same specific time frame by the manufacturer (FORD). The loss of coolant and potential overheating of the engine is a major common issue with this vehicle make/year/model. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes, check engine light is currently on and a protection code for the engine overheating has displayed on dash board for several months however my service advisor has advised me to contact ford motor company. Ford has told me to file a complaint with your division. Battery also drains repeatedly.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine was overheating with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local Firestone Service Center who diagnosed that the coolant reservoir hose was faulty and needed to be replaced. The reservoir hose was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

Internal coolant leak into cylinder

2013 Ford Escape Coolant system is experiencing major leak. No engine sensor is light is coming on. The coolant leak is causing vehicle to overheat. Coolant leak is seeping onto the belts and hoses that were also replaced. Engine seals are scheduled to be replaced on March 2, 2024. I was previously advised that this used vehicle I purchased was not involved in an accident. I researched, and there are over 7,000 complaints regarding coolant leakage in this Ford year model. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Safety recall 13S12 with a risk of localized overheating of the engine cylinder head that may lead to oil leaks and fires was not completed per the procedure provided by FORD motor company.

I own a 2013 ford Escape sel. While driving on the road a message appears and states steering assist fault. When this happens the steering becomes very hard to steer. I feel like I can’t even pull over because it is very hard to steer. I feel is very unsafe. Another msg that appears is hill start assist not available and then with that massage 911 assist fault. All of these messages to me seem very unsafe and need to be looked at. I looked online and there are thousands of people complaining about these problems.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine revved very high, but the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle also experienced a loss of traction and surging at highway speeds. The messages "Transmission Fault" and "Hill Start Assist Unavailable" were displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local service center to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an abnormal squeaking sound was coming from the steering wheel while turning. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with a defective steering gear. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine started overheating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the thermostat was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low-coolant warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, and the temperature gauge began to indicate that the vehicle was overheating. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the coolant hose. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the cooling and control systems. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle downshifted to first gear with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was HOT. The check engine warning light flashed on the instrument panel and the vehicle shut off. The contact was forced to wait approximately 30 minutes to an hour before restarting the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. Several mechanics were notified of the failure and each informed that contact that the vehicle had sustained engine damage and that the engine needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine) which was linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Vehicle will completely turn off while driving, battery indicator light comes on, once pulled over the vehicle can be restarted. Had it checked it out and it’s leaking coolant from a possible cracked block into #2 cylinder. Ford told me that they currently have no programs for me to get this replaced for free. These motors are dangerous and ford needs to address this.

We replaced new battery and the wiper arms and motor act up and destroy the wiper arm and motor for 2nd time and now I have to order new one arms and motor and I think ford should recall that wiper motors and arms

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the coolant reservoir was empty. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that coolant was leaking into the cylinders, resulting in damage to the engine and requiring the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 84,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she smelled a gasoline odor on the interior of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was able to smell a gasoline odor but was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V336000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

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.

I received an alert on the dash that says "steering assist fault service req'd" I have received this alert in the past, in the middle of driving. When the alert comes on, the power steering completely goes out, making it impossible to turn the wheel. It's scary knowing that I can be driving and the power steering can go out at anytime, due to evident poor engineering on Ford's behalf. There have been a plethora of other Escape's that had reported this exact issue. For whatever reason, Ford decided to not recall the 2013 model, even though it experiences the same issue that the other year models were recalled for. This is putting myself and others' at danger and currently the vehicle is stuck and I am not able to turn the wheel at all. Ford is unwilling to cooperate. This is easily something Ford should be willing to look at and FIX for zero cost. An engineering issue within the electrical components of the car is not something I should be held responsible for. I didn't build the car. Nor was I given any sort of warning when the steering just all of a sudden went out, while I'm driving on a busy highway. What can we do to get Ford to cooperate to FIX the issue at no cost on my end? Thank you in advance.

Cars is losing antifreeze with no visible leaks in engine compartment or under vehicle. Strong smell emitted around vehicle when driven.

Started my car and had no steering with no warning. Thank God I wasn’t driving the car when this happened. Spoke with Ford Dealership and they knew exactly what the issue was. They said it was a malfunction of the rack and pinion steering which they said was common on the 2013 Ford Escape. Cost for Ford Dealership to repair was $2,700.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated after starting the vehicle, he noticed that coolant was leaking significantly onto the ground. The contact stated that he added coolant to the vehicle and drove to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the cylinder head plug was fractured. The mechanic determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the NHTSA was responsible for the VIN selection. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Power steering has gone out. There is a recall, but it is not attached to my Vin number.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at approximately 20 MPH, there was steam coming from under the hood. The contact stated that the Low Coolant warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and checked under the hood. The vehicle was driven to a nearby independent mechanic where the contact was informed that coolant needed to be added to the reservoir. The coolant was added by the independent mechanic and the contact continued driving; however, approximately a week later, the message was displayed again. Due to the independent mechanic's diagnosis prior, the contact added coolant to the reservoir. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer confirmed that the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) was performed for the previous owner of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

Power steering out and I am unable to afford the repairs. There is a recall for my make and model my van is not included in. I have already paid for a new transmission when the transmission recall was out and the Gilley Hyde Ford local dealership was dishonest with me and replaced almost $2000 of extra things and gave it back to me broken.

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.

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

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Coolant Low message was displayed, and the vehicle then lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact added coolant and was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or 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 110,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot and driving into traffic, the vehicle started overheating and failed to exceed 3 MPH. The contact activated the hazard lights and drove back into the parking lot. The contact parked the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to cool down after 30 minutes. The vehicle was towed to the dealer it was purchased from, and the coolant temperature sensor and other unknown sensors were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, where unknown hoses were replaced and other unknown repairs were performed; however, the failure recurred upon starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the coolant temperature sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted in a parking lot. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to cool down after 3 hours and was parked overnight in a business parking lot. The contact returned the next day; however, the failure recurred while starting the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle remained parked in the business parking lot for another night and was towed to the residence on the third day. The local dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. 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 109,000.

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.

Vehicle started to overheat. It now will not move. Car has sat for two days and as soon as you start it the overheating warning comes on

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while accelerating at slower speeds, the steering wheel would severely shake and vibrate. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 45,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the engine was misfiring, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he drove to the residence. The contact stated that he used an OBD reader and retrieved DTC code: P0304 (Cylinder #4 Misfire). The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 144,618.

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

Water Pump is leaking which could cause a fire in the engine bay. This vehicle has a known history of this and my VIN search shows 0 unrepaired recall issues, but it still exists. Problem was inspected by and verified by my mechanic of 35 years.

Steering Assist Fault - Contact Dealer is what appears on my vehicle screen. No power steering in vehicle - unable to drive, have to have it towed to dealer. Vehicle worked perfectly fine one hour before going back out to vehicle to start and run an errand. Vehicle on has 84,500 miles. There are recalls on 914,000 Escapes and Explorers up to 2012. The same component is in my 2013 vehicle that is in the vehicles in the recall. Ford needs to be responsible for these components in their vehicles that could cause a major accident, injury or death. This component should be paid for in full by Ford, not the customer.

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.

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 the vehicle was at the dealer having the tires rotated, the contact was informed that the lug nuts were swollen. The contact was informed that the lug nuts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The transmission will sometimes fail to engage immediately after putting the vehicle in drive or reverse. If the driver steps on the gas pedal, the transmission jerks violently to engage. Also while driving, the transmission will have a slight slipping before allowing acceleration. No OBD codes appear and no dashboard warning messages appear. In addition to the transmission problem, I obtained a P0234 and P0299 OBD code. This code is for the turbocharger overboost solenoid, which I had replaced, but the code has returned.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated on another occasion while driving at various speeds the vehicle lost power. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

I have been reaching out to ford for over 9 months my SUV started having issues with shifting at 90,000 and I took it to my local ford dealer 2 (Jefferson Ford Motors) Jefferson Georgia and then once to the Ford office in Winder Georgia both said that until the vehicle broke down they did not see what the problem was however the last time I took it to Jefferson Ford Motor they said they can tell its showing signs of some type of transmission failure at which they could not tell why because they said it was not enough miles to cause that fast forward to November of 2023 I was driving down a busy intersection and the suv stops shifting completely and slammed to a stop in the middle of 6 lanes all coming at my vehicle and nearly causing a horrible accident and unsafe environment to even have it towed ford had recalls on the shifting that caused this very same issue with the same model as my vehicle and they should be liable for this I have wrote letters and called ford spoke to the NHTSA multiple times with absolutely no help from anyone how is this fair to me I can not fix my SUV because I can not afford it I am not asking for ford to cover anything else but do the right thing and fix the issues with the vehicle that caused a near death accident I NEED HELP for someone instead of being ignored!

While driving the engine seems to "go out" which is a risk to the driver, passengers, and other motorists near by because it is not expected and can happen anywhere (two lane road, major highway, while turning, etc.). You are able to press the gas and hear the engine but the car does not move - it acts as if it were in neutral. There are no safety or warning lights on the dashboard before or during this issue meaning that there is no way for the driver to prepare. There have been times where I was able to pull off the road and restart the car to temporarily remedy the issue but safe and accessible pull offs are not always available (bride, two lane road,etc). I travel with small children and there is a fear that if this continues to happen it can result in fatal consequences. In addition to the safety issue mentioned above there is a perpetual leak coming from the engine. This has progressively gotten worse and after speaking with a representative at Ford they named off a few "possible" causes but were unable to make a definitive decision. I was also informed that the issues that I am experiencing were not unique to just my vehicle but many Ford Escape 2013's in the area that had come to the dealership for guidance and help. While I have stated that the issue occurred in 2013 - it is still happening and continues to get worse.

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.