254 complaints reported

2013 Ford Escape Steering

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

Reports
254
Crashes
4
Fires
0
Injuries
2

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Feb 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the message "Steering Assist Unavailable" displayed and the steering wheel seized. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the message disappeared and the steering wheel regained functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed that the power steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired but was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a complaint was filed. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was not available.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Feb 2024

Power steering has gone out. There is a recall, but it is not attached to my Vin number.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2024
Jan 2024

Since we bought the car we have always had problems with the steering locking up. Was told the whole rack and pinion which is electric needed to be changed. I have read that this is a huge problem with FORDS. My wife was driving on the highway and it locks up and she can’t steer. Please check into how many ford vehicles have this problem. Someone is going to get killed

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2020
Dec 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 104,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2023
Nov 2023

Steering Assist Fault shows on dash. Unable to turn the steering wheel. Appears to be a recall on Ford Escapes up to 2012. Need to include additional years into this recall - major problem and safety issue.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2023
Nov 2023

My power steering motor went and there’s no recalls!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2023
Nov 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH and making a turn, the power steering assist became inoperable. The power steering assist failure message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact contacted two unknown dealers who provided the same information. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2023
Nov 2023

Electric Power Steering Fault. Could not turn steering wheel. Service Technician stated the Power Steering module failed.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2003
Nov 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while accelerating at slower speeds, the steering wheel would severely shake and vibrate. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 45,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Nov 2023

“Steering Assist Fault - Service Required” Two weeks of intermittent loss of power steering, regained by turning the car on and off again, to complete power steering loss. Very difficult to steer and park the vehicle. Many online forum with ‘13 Escape owners experiencing similar issue with no resolution.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Oct 2023

Power steering malfunctioned while driving out of my driveway. Vehicle is undrivable and is available for inspection. Unable to steer the vehicle. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle has not been inspected at this time. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure which occurred on Saturday, October 21, 2023 at 9:00 am.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2023
Oct 2023

Power steering assist fault warning displayed on the dash of 2013 Ford Escape Titanium. Can’t turn wheel. Wheel was so hard to turn if my wife had been driving she would have wrecked and potentially seriously hurt thr two of us and our 3 grandchildren. Car has 92k miles and we’ve already replaced the transmission $5k. From what I’ve read this will be a minimum of $1.2k. It’s sad when their profitability is more important than people’s week being, potentially lives.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2023
Oct 2023

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the steering gear box needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Oct 2023

Vehicle steering assist went out and I couldn't navigate the steering wheel.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2023
Sep 2023

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

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2023
Sep 2023

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.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2023

We have problems with the power steering not working

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2023

Have a Ford 2013 Escape SEL with 79,337 miles. The vehicle has been a lemon from the time I purchased it in 2014. Have replaced the water pump, a sensor, the turbocharger, the engine shield and now the rack and pinion steering. Stopped at a gas station and when started the car again to back out, received the 'Steering assist fault Service required' alert and lost all powering steering. Had to drive the car home. Mechanic charging $1860 + tax and a Ford dealership quoted $2593 + tax. Sent emails to the Executive Team at Ford and did receive a call back. Was told that unfortunately there are no recalls for my VIN/year. How is Ford allowed to get away with manufacturing faulty vehicles which can cause accidents, injuries or worse!! HOLD FORD ACCOUNTABLE!!!!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2023

I recieved a Power Steering Assist Failure notification and then my power steering went out in my car as I was driving it making the car extremly hard to control. This happened multiple time without warning as I was driving my car. At the time my car has around 39,000 miles on it. I took my car to a Ford dealership to have the problem fixed and the repair was extemly costly, around $2,900, to replace the entire rack and pinion. From a online search this is a very common problem with this year of the Escape and a safety recall for the same issue was issued for earlier models of the Escape and other Ford models. When I spoke to the dealership, the technician confirmed that this is a common problem with Ford Escapes. I believe that later models of the Escape should be included in the recall and I'd like to be reimbursed for the work done.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2023
Aug 2023

Steering assist fault goes on and off in vehicle. Speedometer and odometer stop working.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2023
Aug 2023

All of a sudden my power steering failed while backing out of a parking space. I almost hit the car next to me because it was sudden and froze. Thank God I wasn’t on the road! Would have crashed for sure! My vehicle is only at 111000 miles!!! Insane!!! DANGEROUS

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering assist fault warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became firm. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 103,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Aug 2023

I was driving down the road an hour away from home with 3 other passengers, when the power steering stopped working. The car was extremely hard to handle and we almost wrecked 3 Times.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2023
Jul 2023

electric power steering assist stopped working.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2023
Jul 2023

Electric power assist steering failed. Upon restart it worked fine for a time and then failed again at 65MPH.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2013 FORD ESCAPE, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2023

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2013 Ford Escape has 254 Steering complaints on file. 4 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.