2013 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

View complaints related to 2013 FORD ESCAPE. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 2,650 complaints submitted for the 2013 FORD ESCAPE. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Pomona, CA

    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."

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Emory, TX

    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

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Loudonville, OH

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

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - buffalo, NY

    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.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Richmond, KY

    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.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Dandridge, TN

    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.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Carnation, WA

    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 that the initial repair done by Ford Manufacturer did not prevent leak from occurring and causing a fire to start in engine.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Bellingham, MA

    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.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Prescott Valley, AZ

    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.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2013 FORD ESCAPE
    - Colbert, GA

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

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE