2013 Ford Escape Complaint Log

Transmission linkage bushing crumbled apart and the vehicle rolled out into parking lot isle as I was in the store. The car showed it was in park but was actually stuck in gear. This part was recalled in 2018 but my vehicles Vin was not part of recall.

We have constant issues with the coolant system and finally a mechanic said that what was wrong was actually a recalled item. There was localized overheating of the engine cylinder head which caused a crack in the head/ gasket and is allowing oil/ coolant to leak internally. We then took it to out local Ford dealership, they confirmed the problem and that it would have been covered under USANHTSA recall # 13V583000, EXCEPT that there was an "inspection" done and "no leaks were found at this time". We are questioning the inspection/ remedy since the EXACT problem stated in the recall happened.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and failed to return to normal operation. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

While driving ,the car slips and jerks then the transmission will just stop. The car is still running and in drive. I had to coast and find a place on the shoulder of the road to pull off. I turned the car off and started back driving, and I went roughly 12 miles and it started again. So I pulled off and let it sit for around 10 minutes and tried it again. I was able to get close to where my wife works and it started again. Pulled off waited a few minutes and got to where she works. I left it there and got her vehicle and went home. I then contacted the Ford dealership and they took my message down and said they would have the service department contact me. After 3 days and still no call back, I called them and they ran the vin and told me that there was no recall on my car. This is a major concern because when that happen I could have been hit by oncoming cars. Please check into this and see what I can do. I did call Ford Company and had the same reply that there’s no recall. Thank you for your time

Anytime I am driving for an extended amount of time, inevitably, the vehicle will come up with a P1299 fault code and the vehicle will reduce power by 50%, causing me to have to pull over on the side of the road. Check the coolant levels and they are fine, there is no smell of anything burning, and the coolant temp - recorded by the vehicle, is just shy of a normal 199 degrees F. This issue seems like it falls under the well-known Safety Recall kit 17S09, but when I check my VIN #, there are no 'unanswered recalls'

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated his wife was driving 75 MPH when the low coolant warning light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated independently. The driver pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and called her husband to meet her so the contact could add water in the coolant so the driver could restart the vehicle and continue to drive to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a coolant leak coming from the engine block. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,000.

Complete lost of steering driving my 2013 ford escape and with out any warnings the steering wheel got super hard to steer like if the car was off I almost have an accident thank good I was on street and not in the freeway

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.

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

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormal carbon monoxide odor detected. The contacted stated she felt weak and sleepy. On another occasion, the contact had to pull over on the side of the road due to the carbon monoxide odor inside the vehicle. The contact sought medical attention and was informed that she had 8 level of carbon monoxide in her blood. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic confirmed that carbon monoxide was leaking into the vehicle and that there was also an oil leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

The transmission lost Park function, even when the shifter position indicates the vehicle is in park. Vehicle kept rolling and had to use E-brake.

First our lights didn't work. We had them replaced last week and now it has burned out already. Several times the car stalls and will not go then mysteriously restarts itself. No warning lights come on when this happens, although the screen that is with the stereo system goes dim and then bright. We have had it at the shop where we bought the car and was told that it was fixed, but after having it back just over a day it did it again. This is definitely a safety hazard since we live in a very populated area and could easily be hit. I believe the problem is electrical and we can have this problem resolved at anytime. I would like to mention that I have only had this car since 09/02/2021. The mechanic was able to reproduce the event.

Engine has begun to leak oil and smells like burning oil while driving. Have taken to mechanic to find the source of the leak and was told that it is coming from the engine or cylinder head, not the drain plug or oil filter as suspected since it just had an oil change. Mechanic then looked up the vehicle model on- line and informed me that his problem shouldbe covered under several recalls for this make and model. However, calling the dealer to have it serviced was informed that this particular vehicle doesn't qualify for the recall even though it is the same year/model and problem as the other ones that are covered. Am afraid to drive vehicle for fear of engine fire.

The passenger door latch-door came open and will not stay closed. My daughter was in the passenger seat when it happened which could have been really bad if We were on the highway instead of parking lot of a school going a slow speed yes/confirmed-safety recall # 16S30 no-stating they can only fix the one door in 1-2 days, when on the phone it is less than half a day procedure and up to 3 weeks for the other 3 doors. Which I need a safe vehicle to be able to work and drive until completed. They stated they don't have a rental. The car was just in there a shop a week prior for 3 1/2 weeks and I should have been notified of the recall and been fixed then and we would not be in this situation no- no warning or messages. It not says door not closed because I had to call for help and using a rubber strap to close it somewhat to get home

The car just stalls while driving. Sometimes it will restart and sometimes it wont.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would overheat without warning. The contact had the spark plugs, engine coils, and valve cover gasket replaced on multiple occasions; however, the failure persisted. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer however, a diagnostic test was not performed. The contact was informed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and informed him that there was no recall on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after shifting to the park position with the engine running, the vehicle suddenly began to roll backward. The driver was able to stop the vehicle by using the parking brake. The vehicle was then unable to be restarted and was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission shifter cable bushing had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number 18V471000 (Power Train). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that he noticed a leakage on the ground underneath the engine. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the failure could not be determined; however, the radiator, radiator hose, and coolant reservoir was replaced; however, the leak was still coming from the engine. The contact refenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

Smelling fuel & coolant leak took to ford & had diagnostic test done they replaced hose's..picked back up drove 1day & started doing same thing saying low coolant pulled over and it was steaming bad .. looked at overflow tank & it was almost full so I just left it in my driveway came out to look at it again and it was empty.... I don't understand why it's leaking coolant and why it's doing this if hose's have been replaced why it loosing coolant where is coolant going doesn't make any sense .... I seen where there was recall on 2013 model with coolant leak / freeze plug & fuel leak in lines??

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not immediately accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated and the vehicle would occasionally stall. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 105,000.

When parking, transmission failed to go into park. After engine was turned off and my foot removed from brake, the car unexpectedly rolled forward downhill into the curb. The shifter cable bushing had disconnected from the transmission, so the vehicle failed to go into Park even though the shifter in the cabin showed to be in Park. This has been confirmed by the Ford dealership that repaired it. There was no prior warning. Luckily, I parked facing a curb rather than another vehicle or roadway, so I didn’t hit anything other than a bush at the curb. However, the vehicle did have to be towed into the dealership for repair. Ford has recalled other 2013-2014 Escapes for this EXACT issue, but my 2013 Escape is not covered by the current recall.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to drive the vehicle, the vehicle shifted into reverse. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the brakes and the transmission needed to be repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was approximately 147,464.

The door latches were recalled on the 2013 ford escape but now the hatch isn't staying shut. Why was only the doors recalled & not the hatch as well?

The bushing for the internal shifter does not stay in place and the car can then not change gears. It has been a recall on “vin specific” cars. How can a recall be vin specific when all 2013-2014 Ford Escape vehicle are having the same issue. My vehicle did not have a protective cap on top of the bushing to prevent it from coming off which is what the recall is for.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after shifting the vehicle to PARK, the vehicle continued to roll away as if the vehicle was in neutral. The day after the contact discovered that the battery power had drained because the gear shifter was not in the park position. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V471000 (Power Train). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 115,000.

The transmission went out of gear and wouldn't stay in the correct gear. I had the vehicle towed to Fuller Ford on W 8th Street in Cincinnati Ohio. They said the entire transmission had to be replaced and that there wasn't a recall affecting my VIN number. I paid to have it repaired. Eight months later, there was an electrical fire under the hood and the vehicle was towed to Rocky Top Ford in Tennessee. I feel both of these issues should have been covered by recalls.

Steering wheel locks up at highway speeds. Read a lot of complaints on ford escape problem. It is in the millions. Losing steering assistance while driving making the wheel impossible to turn

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "engine temperature high" message was displayed. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic performed a diagnostic test but could not determine the cause for the overheating. The mechanic pointed out a recall notification with NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine) relating to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14V239000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Put the vehicle in park and it stayed in neutral. Car is now stuck in neutral and unable to shift.

There was a pop noise and then screeching under the hood for a short period & then the noise stopped. Pulled into my garage for the night. Pulled out the next morning to go to work and the car overheated, low coolant warning light came on. I pulled over into a gas station to let it cool down and added coolant. had it towed to a repair shop & diagnosis is: Water pump bearing failed and leaked engine coolant leading to engine overheating and cracked block and is now leaking oil. Car is available for inspection.

cannot open passenger side back door from inside or outside safety hazard if one has to exit the vehicle quickly just happened looked on internet, it is a common problem for this vehicle no warning

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal would extend to the floor causing the stopping distance to delay. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 113,280.

2013 Ford Escape 1.6 ecoboost engine started to show signs of coolant loss at around 32,000 miles. No visible leaks but coolant level in reservoir was low. Reported this to Ford Dealer service department. They pressure tested system but found no leaks so they just added more coolant. Coolant loss persisted but was very slow. Now at aproximately 53,000 miles, vehicle has been diagnosed by Ford service with an internal coolant leak. Coolant leaking into cylinder 1. Engine replacement needed.

The vehicle will not shift gears. Luckily it is in my garage and I was not out driving when this happened. It appears to be in park, but it is actually in natural and I cannot shift it. In doing some research, I found that a the gear shift bushing is defective. In doing further research, I found that Ford does have a recall on this car for the EXACT reason (18S20) issues July 18, 2018 for 2013 Ford Escapes manufactured from May 15-Sept 15, 2013 in the Louisville plant. I contacted Ford and my car was manufactured on May 13, so it is not covered. This is extremely dangerous. Had I not done research online I was not aware that my car was not in park and all I had to do was simply push it forwards or backwards-with ease-to get it to roll. I have choked the tires to prevent this. But Ford refuses to fix it and I cannot locate a very simple replacement part that costs about $20 and 2 minutes to fix. Rather, I will have to spend $500+ towing to have an entire new cable installed. This is EXTREMELY dangerous and defective. Forth-eight hours or less for this not to be include in the recall is more than concerning and this recall must be updated to include more cars. I found several people online having the exact same issue...while driving and loosing control. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, there was a strong gasoline odor in the cabin of the vehicle. The contact also stated that one day as his wife was driving, the vehicle began to jerk while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was notified by his wife of the failure and he was able to tow the vehicle himself to his home. The contact called the dealer where they informed him that there were no recalls on his vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V336000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and informed him that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer then referred him to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Engine sputtering, took into dealer service week of 7/30/2021 - had wiring harness replaced. Took car back, engine light came back on, returned to dealer service week of 8/6. Car gave Evac code of a solenoid sensor issue. Team suggested solenoid replacement and new spark plugs - work done and picked up Friday 8/6/2021. By Monday 8/9/2021 Check engine light back on. Took back to dealer service. Code given out was #4 Cylinder Misfire and cylinder was "wet" looking. Overnight pressure test was completed and leaking was found from the coolant system into the engine. A boarscope was used and coolant was found on top of #4 piston. Engine is leaking coolant internally. Service Manager at dealership says this is a design flaw not an indication of use/wear/tear. Said there was a tech bulletin put out about the flaw, but that tech sheet has now been wiped from their system. There is a former recall in 2012 about a similar issue affecting the 2013 Ford Escape and 2013 Fusion. Ford denied our request because of their policy that the date of the warranty (2/13/2013) is more than 7 years old. We believe this is a design flaw of the engine itself and not a wear and tear issue. Our concern is how many of these vehicles are on the road and are having the same issue unknown to the owners. The additional coolant/liquid in the engine can cause the engine to corrode or sieze while driving - creating a hazard condition.

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

Fuel line started leaking at damper, personal mechanic pulled part and notified me that part was apart of recall. Damper part #: 120620A. 610732. Are all of the numbers on the damper. I git the part replaced at the personal cost of $180.04 on 08/02/2021

Car currently has ~ 104k miles and all of a sudden a "Steering Assist" failure warning comes on and I lose power to the power steering while driving. Had to slow down and carefully pull to the side of the road as I almost did not make the upcoming turn on the road.

While driving my Escape turns off unexpectedly. Then I stop put it on park and restart then it drives again. It's does this randomly.

“Steering assist fault service required” Power steering does not work. I have read multiple forums where people have had this issue and almost crashed. There are recalls on other year models and explorers of the same year model. This needs to be a recall.

The contact owns a 2013 FORD Escape. The contact stated that the windshield wiper motors lost functionality. The vehicle was diagnosed but not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact that the Vin was not under recall regarding the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

Vehicle will stall, die, when you restart it, it will die when put into gear, and sometimes not start back up for any where from a few minutes to a couple hours. This isn't just a one time incident it happens almost daily.

Check coolant light came on, took to my local Ford dealer. Diagnosis from Charles Gabus Ford: Vehicle is losing coolant due to a crack in the engine. This is a known Ford defect. The car is currently not in operation due to the risk of the engine catching fire. Estimate from Ford = $8,880.

The vehicle overheats. Happens every now and then. It once overheated, shutdown and had to be towed to the Ford dealer; who said there is nothing to do other than turning off the AC when going up a steep hill. And even that doesn't work.

on 10 July 2021, while driving vehicle at approx 50 mph, I was in the S-Drive and placed it into Drive, however, my display still showed me in S-Drive. I did get home without incident, but was unable to get my vehicle into Park. After several attempts, gear shifter did slide into Park, only to realize that display still showed I was in S-Drive. I turned off vehicle, and attempted to re-start, only to find that since the vehicle was still in S-Drive, I am unable to restart. I have found that other 2013 Ford Escape Vehicles are dealing with this same problem and have identified this particular issue as a failure to the Shifter Cable Bushing, (19S16) that prevents gears to be shifted, that can cause a vehicle to roll since it is in gear and possibly injure someone. I feel this VIN should be covered in your recall, but have found out that since my Vehicle was made in May 2013, it was not covered, but clearly it is still a problem that Ford has identified within the 2013 year. I now have to tow vehicle to a Ford dealership and they advise they are 4-6 weeks out from making any repairs to my vehicle which is not under a recall advisory list. I must pay for all services. At this time, my vehicle is unusable.

Vehicle just shuts off completely stalling than doesn't want to start back up.

The coolant low gauge failed, stating that the coolant was low and the car was overheating and needed to be pulled off to a safe side. With the odometer not reaching the H showing it was approaching hot too soon. Before an individual could fully pull off the road safely car started to shake, the light went red, the dash said car overheating pull off, and the car turned off. The individual was still somewhat in a lane and on the side of the freeway where cars could still possibly hit the car and roll off the side of a cliff. This problem has been confirmed by a dealer before. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. The warning lights and messages did not give enough warning to get off the road to safety.

I purchased the car on June 09/2021 After taking the car home I noticed a severe lack of power at times when acceleration is crucial in order to navigate safely, such as when approaching an expressway ramp after having been at the light that controls access at the nearby intersection. Traffic moves quickly after lights change, and when I went to blend in from the merge lane, the car was inresponsive, the accelerator hit a dead spot that sent the engine spinning into very high rpms suddenly..5000 rpms The car became an obstacle and other drivers had to swerve to avoid an accident. All in the car were startled and I was upset because of the near collision. The usual sluggish engine response suddenly became dangerous. This car has 2 codes in the computer unit which are identified by these Codes..P0299-00 and P26AC-00 They only show if vehicle is hooked to a scanner and No Check Engine Light has been activated. My mechanic found them. The dealer refuses to admit theres any problem and FORD MOTOR has no recall for this issue. This car is available for inspection upon request.