2013 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

2013 ESCAPE WAS "ROUTINE" TRANSMISSION SERVICED AT MATTHEWS FORD IN BROKEN ARROW OKLAHOMA ON NOVEMBER 26,2018. AFTER THIS SERVICE DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED AND APPT. MADE TO RE-CHECK BECAUSE OF A JERK SENSATION IN LOWER GEAR SHIFTS. ON DECEMBER 6, 2018, ABOUT 60 MILES FROM TULSA, TRAVELING SOUTH ON INDIAN NATION TURNPIKE TO TEXAS, CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED AT 80MPH. APPROXIMATELY 20 MILES LATER, THE TRACTION LIGHT CAME ON. CRUISE CONTROL AND A SPEEDOMETER DID NOT MATCH SO CRUISE CONTROL WAS DISENGAGED. JERKING AND SPUTTERING BEGAN AND THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF. AT THAT POINT SMOKE CAME FROM THE HOOD OF THE ENGINE AND FIRE HAD IGNITED UNDERNEATH. WITHIN TWO MINUTES THE ENTIRE FRONT END OF THE ESCAPE WAS IN FLAMES. (VIDEO OF FRONT IN FLAMES, AND A TRAIL OF FLUID LEADING UP TO THE BURNING ESCAPE). IT WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED INCLUDING ALL CONTENT. CONTACTED MATTHEWSFORD AND FORD CORPORATION AND BASICALLY WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. INSURANCE ADJUSTER HAD ASSESSED THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FIRE DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE DAMAGE. MATTHEWSFORD, NOT FORD WOULD NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND THEY SHOULD HAVE IN SOMEWAY. THEY FAILED IMMENSELY.

THE LUG NUTS USED ON THE WHEELS ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SWELLING, WHICH MAKES IT SO THE LUG WRENCH SUPPLIED BY FORD TO REPLACE THE TIRE IN CASE OF A FLAT WILL NOT FIT THE LUG NUTS. A GOOGLE SEARCH CAN QUICKLY SHOW THAT THIS IS A COMMON FORD PROBLEM, AND CAN BE DANGEROUS TO THE CUSTOMER AS THEY CAN BE STRANDED ON THE ROADSIDE FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME AS THE LUG WRENCH IS NON-USABLE WITH THE SWOLLEN LUG NUTS. THE "SWELLING" WAS ALSO DESCRIBED BY COSTCO TIRE CENTER, AS THEY HAD DIFFICULTY GETTING THE TIRES OFF DURING A STANDARD TIRE ROTATION.

NOTICED LEAK IN DRIVEWAY. BROUGHT TO LOCAL MECHANIC. THERE IS MUCH FLUID ON THE RACK AND PINION STEERING ASSEMBLY. SINCE THERE IS NO DIPSTICK, MUST BRING TO DEALER. TOLD THEY HAVE HAD OTHER COMPLAIN OF SAME ISSUE. ALSO LEAK AT TRANSMISSION. LOOSE BOLTS. DO NOT KNOW IF PROBLEM IS RESOLVED YET MUST WAIT 2 WEEKS FOR DEALER APPOINTMENT. AFRAID ALL FLUID WILL LEAK OUT. HAVE READ THIS IS A COMPLAINT OF OTHERS BUT NO RECALL

WHILE DRIVING, MY CAN STALLED OUT, THEN UPON EXITING ONTO A HIGHWAY THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. TOOK IT IN TO GET IT LOOKED AT AND NOTHING WAS FOUND TO CAUSE MY CAR TO NOT ACCELERATE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE HOME AND WITHIN 3 WEEKS MY CAR, AGAIN WHILE DRIVING STALLED OUT AND COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. THIS WAS SCARY BECAUSE I WAS ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THIS CAR HAS BEEN A COMPLETE NIGHTMARE AND I HAVE ONLY HAD IT FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR. THIS REPAIR IS GOING TO COST ME OVER $1,100 TO FIX. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW FORD IS GOING TO FIX THIS AS IT SEEMS TO BE A ISSUE FOR MANY FORD OWNERS AND THERE IS AN OPEN INVESTIGATION GOING ON FOR THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH REVEALS THAT THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT FORUMS, YET FORD HAS NOT TAKEN ANY STEPS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF ITS CUSTOMERS. MY CAR, IN A FASHION IDENTICAL TO THE 140,000 ESCAPES WITH THE 2.0L ENGINES, STALLS SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING. IT DOES THIS RANDOMLY, REPEATEDLY, AND WITHOUT WARNING. I'VE BEEN FORTUNATE SO FAR AND HAVE HAD THE STALLING OCCUR ONLY IN LOW SPEED SITUATIONS BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT OTHER OWNERS HAVE STALLED AT HIGH SPEEDS. MY CAR IS A 1.6L AND WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I'VE HAD THE POWER CONTROL MODULE REPLACED BUT THAT HAS NOT RESOLVED THE PROBLEM. HOW MANY MORE ACCIDENTS ARE REQUIRED BEFORE ALL VEHICLES WILL BE FIXED? THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOES NOT CONSISTENTLY ILLUMINATE PREVENTING DEALERS FROM PULLING THE ERROR CODES AND SAFELY AND EFFICIENTLY RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. THIS IS INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING GIVEN THE DANGER OF THE SITUATION AND THE EXTENSIVE DOCUMENTATION ON THE INTERNET AND THE EXISTENCE AND CORRECTION OF AN IDENTICAL PROBLEM IN 140,000 OTHER VEHICLES. IT'S UNCLEAR WHY THE OWNERS OF 1.6L ENGINES, WHICH CLEARLY SUFFER THE SAME FLAWS AND RISKS, ARE SUBJECT TO SEVERE INJURY, IMMENSE FRUSTRATION, UNRESOLVED ISSUES AND ESCALATING COSTS TO DRIVE WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A RELIABLE, SAFE FAMILY VEHICLE.

JUST PAID $2000.00 TO REPAIR THE DEFECTIVE STEERING ON MY FORD ESCAPE. I'VE READ COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE AS MINE. DRIVING OR STOPPED THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE" COMES ON. IT HAPPENED THREE TIMES TO ME. I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THE POWER STEERING QUIT. I CAN'T EXPLAIN THE PANIC THAT COMES OVER A PERSON WHEN YOU HAVE ZERO CONTROL WHEN STEERING. I AM 70 YEARS OLD AND IT TOOK ALL MY STRENGTH TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID A CRASH. SECOND TIME: I CAME OUT OF CHURCH, STARTED THE CAR AND HAD NO POWER STEERING. I HAD TO STRAIN TO GET THE CAR ON THE ROAD FOR HOME. THE LAST TIME WAS IN MY GARAGE BEFORE I DROVE IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP FOR MY APPOINTMENT. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I'VE WAS TOLD BY THE FORD GARAGE THAT THE PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED IN 2011; THEREFORE, THE 2013 ESCAPES HAVE NO RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. ALL ANYONE HAS TO DO IS READ ALL THE COMPLAINTS WITH THE 2013 STEERING FAILURE TO KNOW THAT THE 2013 FORD ESCAPES NEED TO BE RECALLED. PLEASE DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE FATALITY RECORDS SHOW DEATHS DUE TO POWER STEERING FAILURE.. INCIDENTS OCCURRED BETWEEN NOV. 28, 2018 AND DEC.10/18. *TR

MY ESCAPE HAS STALLED 2-3 TIMES WITHIN A 12 HOUR WINDOW WHILE MOVING. I WAS ABLE TO STOP IN THE PARKING LOT AND RE-START THE VEHICLE.

VEHICLE SHOWED AN OVERHEATING ERROR LIGHT AND BEGAN TO STALL IN A PARKING LOT. HOOD WAS POPPED AND COOLANT INVESTIGATED. COOLANT RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY. OWNER WALKED TO NEAREST STORE, BOUGHT COOLANT, AND REPLACED COOLANT. VEHICLE OVERHEATING LIGHT WENT AWAY, BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO FORD DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSING. DEALERSHIP RAN PRESSURE TEST AND CHECKED FOR VISIBLE SIGNS OF LEAK. DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO DISCOVER LEAK OR ISSUE. NOTHING WAS REPLACED OR FIXED. DEALERSHIP TOLD OWNER TO JUST KEEP DRIVING IT AS NO ISSUE WAS FOUND. OWNER DROVE VEHICLE FOR 2 MORE MONTHS. UPON GETTING AN OIL CHANGE, AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC SAID THE COOLANT RESERVOIR WAS EMPTY AND REPLACED MISSING COOLANT. VEHICLE HAS 57,000 MILES ON IT.

LOSS OF COOLANT AT OR NEAR THE RESERVOIR LOW LEVEL LIGHT GOES ON ABOUT EVERY 3 WEEKS. MECHANICS HAVE CHECK SYSTEM TWICE UP TO THE FIREWALL AND HAVE NOT FOUND A LEAK/CAUSE. THE LEAK OCCURS BOTH WHEN THE CAR IS STATIONARY OR IN MOTION AS EVIDENT OF THE POOL OF COOLANT UNDER THE CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY. THIS HAS BEEN ON GOING FOR ABOUT A YEAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE IDLING AT A RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO DRIVE SAFELY. ONCE SHE APPROACHED ANOTHER RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. ON ONE OCCASION, PRIOR TO STALLING, THE VEHICLE SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY AND THE CHECK ENGINE AND OIL INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CARMAX (13300 N INTERSTATE HWY 35, AUSTIN, TX 78753, (512) 873-2315) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT NO FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.