2013 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her husband was driving 25 MPH, the engine overheating warning light was illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The driver was able to restart the vehicle. The driver added engine coolant but continue to experience failure. The vehicle was not drivable. The driver towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The mechanic also noticed that the engine was cracked. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact attempted to call the manufacturer but was unable to speak to a representative. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. There was a faulty fuel injector which caused it to not pass emissions. After taking care of that problem, the coolant would run dry very quickly, in a matter of minutes. At this point, the engine light came on and the car just stopped dead in the middle of the street. Consumer sold the vehicle due to hazard.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Low Coolant", "Pull Over Car Overheating" warning messages were displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a coolant level sensor kit failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the independent mechanic. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000. Consumer stated while driving in a school zone approximately 20mph, current temperature was 14 degrees. This has been a recurring problem.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated the vehicle was losing coolant. The low coolant indicator light was illuminated. The contact added coolant to the vehicle and the warning indicator light went away. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to the local dealer. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified however, no further assistance was provided. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

I recently had a potentially deadly encounter while driving on an interstate. While traveling at 55 mph, my (automatic transmission) vehicle suddenly shifted into first gear on its own. I can’t begin to explain how much stopping force that created on the vehicle and my body, so much so that it caused the vehicle to momentarily skid. Had it not been for my seat belt and an alert tractor trailer driver, the result could have been deadly. This is the second time this has happed with my vehicle. After the first time that this happened the vehicle went to an ASE Certified mechanic shop for evaluation. After an extended period of time, the mechanic could find nothing wrong with the vehicle. As is common knowledge, if an “error code” isn’t produced, a mechanic can only hope to replicate the same event to help assist in diagnosing the problem. After this last incident, I noticed a display (not an error code) which read: ENGINE MALFUNCTION SERVICE NOW. Armed with this information the mechanic called Ford for more information. To my dismay, Ford would not elaborate, give insight, share, or even acknowledge such a problem exist with their vehicles. I conducted my own research with this issue, only to find out that Ford are the masters at vehicles randomly shifting to first gear for no apparent reason. All of the recalls for Ford vehicles about this problem and my vehicle is not listed. I find it very difficult to believe that I am the only person to have experienced this same issue in the same vehicle. Peoples lives are at stake.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact’s husband stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact’s husband was able to pull over and restart the vehicle and functionality was returned. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the steering unit replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

My son was driving up a hill on January 26, 2022 and the car stalled. I called the Ford dealer and they said I had to take it in and pay for the repairs. This is a 2013 Ford Escape and I was reading on the internet that these cars have these problems. My son said there was no warning lights before this happened, it just stalled on a busy, dangerous highway. Thank God he was not hurt. I don't know what else to do. This problem should get taken care of with so many people having the same issue.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after returning from an independent mechanic and driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle shut-off with the "coolant level low" warning message illuminated on the instrument panel. With the assistance of a State Trooper, the contact was able to pull the vehicle off to the side of the highway and add water to the coolant reservoir. The contact then took the vehicle back to the mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective coolant level sensor. The dealer was then notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,500.

The sensor for cooling system goes off for low coolant even though there is a full amount of coolant in the vehicle. Causes a bunch of codes to activate and throws vehicle into "limp" mode while saying the vehicle needs to be turned off immediately. Only some vehicles received recall notice per automotive service center, but others do not even though there is plenty of complaints online about the same issue. Having a vehicle go into "limp" mode while driving in traffic and/or on highway is extremely dangerous.

I bought my car at the end of winter in 2018, and every winter, when it gets 20 degrees or below, every few weeks, my engine overheating light will come on after 10 minutes of driving it. When I look at my coolant, it is right at the minimum line every time. I have since learned to keep a bottle of coolant in my car as well as a funnel to fill it just a little. Afterward, it would drive okay. Every shop I have taken it to states there are no leaks, and it was working just fine. I've also been told that it's a common issue with the 2013 Ford Escape, and I will have to continue to fill it. This has been an issue as I have been stuck on the freeway with my 3 and 7 year old numerous times trying to get under my hood with the car shut off in negative degree weather. I DO NOT feel safe getting out of the car to fill the coolant with my children in the backseat on a freeway with cars flying past me. Winter of 2022, the issue became worse. I was turning and saw smoke pouring out of my hood, and my check engine light came on. Luckily, I was right by my destination, where it quit working altogether and coolant emptied altogether. My husband, a former mechanic, is replacing the overflow coolant reservoir hose, which broke. The head gasket appears to be okay; however, he believes there may be tiny cracks in the head gasket which would explain why all of the shops I've been to state there is no leak. My vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My kids safety, my safety, and those on the road are at risk every time my vehicle stalls, especially with no heat. At times, my hood is frozen shut, and I cannot open it right away, so my kids and I freeze until I can get the hold open while I hope no one hits my car while the roads are icy. No one has been able to reproduce the issue at a shop. My check engine light comes on periodically every winter but will disappear the same day. It also came on moments before the hose burst.

Coolant bypass valve has failed for a third time now in my 2013 escape since I bought it in 2016. First time in 2017. Was told this was not covered under my warranty by ford and no recalls (for my specific vehicle). The bypass valve, from recall reviews i've read online, could stuck closed not allowing antifreeze to pass into the engine. This could cause engine to overheat and catch fire. Other recalls have noted possible engine fire from coolant leak. The check engine light has come on in all three instances. The diagnostic code is the same this time as the last two-P26b7. No recall for my specific vehicle because it wasn't built in the factory that the recall vehicles, with same problem, was built in. Although, it's the same problem, with the same cooling design.