941 complaints reported

2013 Ford Escape Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
941
Crashes
2
Fires
43
Injuries
3

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HIS SON WAS DRIVING AT SLOW SPEEDS, THE COOLANT GAUGE WAS SHOW A LOW COOLANT LEVEL BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE DRIVER ADDED WATER TO THE COOLANT AND DROVE TO HIS DESTINATION. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V551000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING) BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER IN 2014. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 91,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2021
Nov 2021

Upon driving with my 3 young children on a 45mph road with 0 warning or notification the car quit accelerating. upon pulling over it would not restart. I had it towed to my house. A new battery was purchased and the car seemed fine. not even a few days later the low coolant light came on and even after filling it the next day it was empty again. Then whenever i slowed down, stopped at a light or stop sign the car will not accelerate as if the gears are not engaging.the reverse doesn't work at all anymore. after making a left turn into my neighborhood the car without any warning lights or notice would not go at all and i tried to restart to get it to go and a car (that was wayyy down the rd) honked it's horn and sped by me to where my car rattled. With my 3 children in the car who were terrified. My oldest who is 8 now has anxiety getting into vehicles. I called ford dealership and was told to call Ford. Ford said they had assistance prpgrams and then upon calling back with scheduled appointment said there was no such thing. Im told it's $100 just to diagnose it at ford and refuse to wave it. They said it sounds like the transmission which would be around 8k +... I'm only halfway through this car loan and am now paying on a car that is no longer drivable and costs more to fix than it's even worth. This is totally wrong that this car can still legally be sold with an open investigation as dangerous as this. it shouldn't take a death for action. The car is available for inspection upon request. It is sitting in my driveway.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2021
Nov 2021

I have a Ford Escape 2013 1.6 engine. The engine will sputter and stall and completely die. It does this spontaneously and no warning to indicate it will. I have gone to Ford multiple times about this issue yet they say there's nothing they can do about this issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2021
Nov 2021

The contact's wife owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a warning alert would frequently chime as the low coolant warning message would illuminate on the instrument panel. The contact had to frequently replenish the coolant due to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and provided the same information as the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 141,460.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2021
Nov 2021

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that her daughter had to add coolant to the vehicle. The coolant warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic contact who stated the vehicle was leaking coolant internally. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2021
Nov 2021

2013 Ford Escape Titanium 2.0L Ecoboost started making weird noises. I took it to the dealer to be looked at and now the Cylinder and turbo have to be replaced along with associated parts, due to coolant leaking into the block. Cost upwards of $6k to have it fixed. The parts alone costs almost the same as a new engine. I am blessed that it didn't seize or catch on fire before now. The backup camera is also giving me issue. I was told by the mechanic that it is also a well known problem and they have to replace a lot of Ford cameras costing about $900 to do so.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2021
Nov 2021

Massive leak at Turbo hose, would of blown my engine if I didn’t catch the massive oil leak. Was informed Ford changed the hose from rubber to steel. Won’t do a recall on it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2021
Nov 2021 Fire

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start with black smoke coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was towed and diagnosed with needing a new engine. The vehicle has not been repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the Vin was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the Vin was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2021
Nov 2021

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact’s daughter stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started to overheat and stalled. The emergency shutdown message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer informed the contact that the Vin was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2021
Nov 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH, THE ENGINE OVERHEATED AND THE VEHICLE SHIFTED INTO LIMP MODE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HOT TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SHAKER'S FAMILY FORD LINCOLN (831 STRAITS TURNPIKE, WATERTOWN, CT 06795) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR BEING UNPLUGGED FROM THE COOLANT TANK. THE DEALER REATTACHED THE SENSOR HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RELATED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V583000 (ENGINE) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2019
Oct 2021

After warmup, engine stalls at stop. It restarts, but intermittently stalls again at stop/go or when slowing down.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2021
Oct 2021

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that she had initially observed spots on her driveway due to an unknown leak. The contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics however, none of the mechanics could find the source of the leak. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle began to shake with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had discovered that the coolant reservoir was empty. While refilling the coolant reservoir, the coolant spilled out of the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to her residence. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was provided a case number and was referred to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2020
Oct 2021

The contact's cousin owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that his cousin informed him that the vehicle was overheating and leaking antifreeze after parking the vehicle. The contact, an independent mechanic, performed a pressure test and noticed there was antifreeze leaking from a hole in the cylinder head. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure but did not diagnose the vehicle. The dealer gave the contact a printout of a possible failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 151,058.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2021
Oct 2021

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2021
Oct 2021

My engine will not hold coolant and apparently has coolant in the cylinders acording to Ford new motors are required for this and it’s a defect from the way the motor is designed

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2021
Oct 2021

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY I RECEIVED A SERVICE ALERT SAYING "LOW COOLANT SERVICE NOW". INTERESTINGLY MY CAR HAS ALWAYS SEEMED TO HATE GOING SLIGHTLY UPHILL AND I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT IT MUST BE RELATED, BUT I JUST HAD MY CAR SERVICED ABOUT A WEEK PRIOR. ABOUT 1/4 MILE LATER MY CAR THROUGH A RED SERVICE ALERT THAT SAID ENGINE OVERHEAT TURN OFF FOR SAFETY. I PULLED OVER QUICKLY AND MY ENGINE WAS SMOKING. STEAM WAS COMING OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND A LOT OF ANTIFREEZE WAS DRIPPING OUT OF THE BOTTOM. FROM HERE I GOT A TOW AND NEED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE SERVICED. LUCKILY I WAS A SMART DRIVER IN THKS CASE AND THE CAR DID NOT IGNITE. WHILE I WAS PULLED OVER IN LESS THAN 20 MINUTES MY HAZARD LIGHTS NO LONGER WORKED BECAUSE I HAD NO BATTERY AND HAD TO JUMP IT IN ORDER TO ROLL UP THE WINDOWS WHEN THE TOW TRUCK FINALLY ARRIVED. I HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS DESCRIBED JUST LIKE THIS AND BELIEVE MY CAR SHOULD HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS COOLANT SYSTEM ISSUE. I CHECKED ALL AVAILABLE RECALLS AND NHTSA HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL YET. IN SPEAKING WITH FORD UNTIL NHTSA ISSUES A RECALL THEN ALL FORD OWNERS WHO EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE ARE ON THE HOOK. PLEASE ISSUE THE NEEDED RECALL. I HAVE READ THAT THERE ARE 190+ COMPLAINTS JUST LIKE MINE AND THESE ARE JUST THE CAR OWNERS WILL TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THIS SERIOUS MATTER.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2021
Oct 2021

WHEN I DRIVE MY 2013 FORD ESCAPE ON INTERSTATE, UPHILL, OR AT FAST SPEEDS, IT FEELS LIKE IT HOLDS BACK. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS DUE TO THE ECO BOOST ENGINE OR WHAT. BUT IT DOES NOT RUN SMOOTH AND CLEAN. THERE'S A HOLD BACK AND U CAN CONSTANTLY FEEL IT. IT DOESN'T ROLL SMOOTH.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2021
Sep 2021

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Apr 2021
Sep 2021

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'

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2021
Sep 2021

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2021
Sep 2021

While driving on the morning of 12/9/2021, the low engine coolant warning came on. Vehicle is leaking engine coolant from undiscovered location.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2021
Sep 2021

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the low coolant warning light was illuminated. The message to “Pull Over Immediately” was displayed on the instrument panel before the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer three times to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V551000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact the NHTSA.gov website to file a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2014
Sep 2021

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2021
Sep 2021

WAS ON HIGHWAY ACCELERATING TO APPROX 60 MPH AND THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER. RPMS REDLINED AND THEN DROPPED BACK. ENGINE FAULT, SERVICE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY WAS SHOWN ON DISPLAY AND CAR WENT INTO LIMP MODE. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO MAKE IT SAFELY OFF HIGHWAY AND TO REPAIR SHOP. REPAIR SHOP IS NOT ABLE TO FIND A CODE AND CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN AROUND IN.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2021
Sep 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WAS CONSUMING COOLANT VERY QUICKLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COOLANT LEVEL WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RODMAN FORD SALES INC (45 WASHINGTON ST, FOXBOROUGH, MA 02035) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE HEAD GASKET NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 99,737.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2020

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2013 Ford Escape has 941 Engine complaints on file. 2 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.