What 2,743 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Escape Gas

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an unclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, and the contact noticed that the engine had overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the head gasket failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,512.

NHTSA ODI 11631572

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the “High Engine Temperature - Stop Safely” warning light illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle lost motive power and the temperature gauge was raised to a higher-than-normal level. The contact was adding coolant daily. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the sensors were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (ENGINE); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 220,000.

NHTSA ODI 11629022

Oil leak

NHTSA ODI 11628748

Coolant is leaking into the engine and mechanic told me my whole engine needs to be replaced due to the damage. Ford has been ignoring this and refuses to issue a full recall.

NHTSA ODI 11627225

Within a years time, I’ve found a transmission fluid leak, had the shift bushing cable break and be replaced with warranty, and now my car stalled on my way to work with an alert for the transmission. It’s had a coolant leak somewhere nearly the entire time I’ve owned the car, 3 years. And oil is burning, you can smell it, but I’m not loosing oil.

NHTSA ODI 11626755

Coolant leak and car stalling in the middle of the road. Very dangerous and scary

NHTSA ODI 11624607

This is the second time that I have had issues with a coolant leak leeching onto my engine. The coolant leaks out and causes toxic fumes in the cabin that have repeatedly caused me and my passengers severe damage to our mucus membranes resulting in coughing and difficulty breathing. I have literally had to drive with my windows down in the cold autumn air because I cannot breathe in my vehicle. There has been no warning or check engine light that has come on at all in either of these experiences. It has been my mere experience of health issues that has resulted in me needing to bring the vehicle in. As of right now there has been no recalls but evidently this has been a recurring issue and problem per my local mechanic as well as the forums that I find online. This is a huge issue that needs to be addressed to Ford customers.

NHTSA ODI 11624045

I took my car into the mechanic after the coolant was filled up multiple times and they diagnosed it as coolant leaking into cly 2. This is a major defect in the engine design that is a known issue with this type of vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11621935

Engine randomly stalls when pulling out into traffic. This has happened on at least 10 occasions in the last year, and 3 or 4 of those were extremely dangerous situations. Many parts have been replaced, but nothing has solved the problem. There are no codes or check engine lights, and since it only happens randomly, the service centers have not been able to reproduce the problem. There is no advance warning when this is going to happen. There are tons of similar reports that can be easily found with a google search of "2013 Ford Escape 1.6 stalling", but none have a clear fix. 1000's of these cars are on the road, and are ticking time bombs just waiting to cause an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11621407

Bypass/heater hose connector cracked at T

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The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon inspection, the contact became aware that the coolant level was being consumed very quickly. In addition, the contact became aware of an unusual burning odor and saw white smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant had leaked into the engine and that the long block needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11618770

While driving down the road the passenger seat floorboard began to fill with brown liquid (Coolant) the temperature of the vehicle increased and a distinct burning smell was coming from the engine compartment. Within 30 minutes (when I arrived home) the coolant tank was empty, and with the hood raised the burning smell was much stronger. The interior on the passenger side of my vehicle is ruined

NHTSA ODI 11616910

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine idled incorrectly and was skipping. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a coolant leak and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11616412

I have done research along with my mechanic and have found that models just like mine or are the titaniums, have the Shutter problem that I am having with mine that are due to the torque converter in the transmission once the vehicle hits 150,000 miles or more. Due to the fact that this is a common problem, I think it should be considered as a recall instead of having to pay $6,000 to have the transmission replaced or are forced to trade the vehicle in before 200,000 miles because the person does not have $6,000 just laying around! It seems to happen with the models that have the turbo & eco boost in them.

NHTSA ODI 11614856

MY COOLANT IS LEAKING, i HAVE ALREADY FIXED THIS ONCE. WHY HAVEN'T I GOTTEN A RECALL LETTER ON THIS?

NHTSA ODI 11614331

I bought the vehicle and February of 2020 and didn’t even have it for 6 months before it needed major repairs. In any other state, lemon laws would have applied and I wouldn’t be driving a dangerous vehicle. This model should not be on the market anymore, period. There have been countless failures: the transmission has been changed 3 times in less than 3 years, the purge valve has been changed twice and is going bad again, which has caused more problem for the engine cooling system. A coolant hose EXPLODED just yesterday, which I had changed not even 3 months ago. The electrical system has been “fixed” by countless mechanics, including Ford, and continues to malfunction and I assume is showing incorrect codes or not showing them at all, as there was NO ENGINE HEATING ICON that appeared prior to the hose exploding, as would normally be expected. Every problem I have just described is a recall that Ford has acknowledged on my same year, model and even manufacturing date, but they not only claim it’s not their responsibility, but they have bullied me any time I attempt to bring this up. As I stated, this car should never have been allowed to be sold. It began to dangerously malfunction less than a year after buying it. This included the overheating issues I described above, and major drivability issues that have caused the car to lose power and or acceleration while driving at highway speeds. As also stated, the coolant system is extremely flawed leading to a hose exploding, which tells me an engine fire would not have been far behind had we not been close to home. I have tried every measure possible to address all parties accountable. The dealership that sold the vehicle, the warranty company that did repairs that didn’t need to be done, the repair shops that did the repairs and did further damage to my car that still hasn’t been repaired, and the Ford dealerships themselves. I have on record multiple parties saying they don’t know how to fix the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11613320

My 2013 Ford Escape SEL FWD has been having warning light to "check engine" for a while. Mechanic read a misfire and changed thing. As it continued, Mechanic said computer needed to be "flashed" since it was not an engine problem they found. It went into check engine between 48-55 mph. Later the engine just quit with hot engine warning and antifreeze was empty. Refilled, drove home. The car continually runs our of fluid without obvious signs of leakage. This antifreeze problem continues, occasionally we see smoke from the engine but cannot find a source when we pull over to look. Smells like antifreeze. The car can drive 50-60 miles on a full antifreeze reservoir before getting too hot. I see multiple concerns over this issue but no recall.

NHTSA ODI 11610842

Engine Stalls while driving down the road at low RPMs This is a known problem with 2013 Escapes but only limited number of Recalls were given. Very dangerous

NHTSA ODI 11609128

It wouldn't steer it ran hot it stalls everytime I was on hwy system fail to warning system not display not updated

NHTSA ODI 11608726

Coolant leaked into the cyclinder heads, causing overheating, misfiring and engine damage that necessitates a full engine replacement.

NHTSA ODI 11607638

Constant coolant leak and not sure where the coolant is going. Have replaced the reservior, valve cover gasket, cylinder head and valves, coolant level bottle sensor, coolant thermostat, and engine coolant temperature sensor. Check engine light is still on and Coolant is still leaking and engine overheating. Can't find where the leakage is and there is no visible evidence on the floor of the garage. Losing coolant obvious because the level is low ever 2-3 days of highway driving. Car will shut down because of the overheating. Mechanic doesn't know what else to do. Car was purchased on June 4, 2024. Have not received the title or license plates. Tried to return it to the company who sold it to me; however, owner of the company refused to refund my money.

NHTSA ODI 11606230

*car shakes as it brakes *coolant leaks (i see in the ford escape recalls there is one for coolant leaking) *upon opening doors it feel a slight stuck before opening. the doors don’t feel intact properly. *rubbers around windows appear loose. windows may not be secured.

NHTSA ODI 11605806

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle sputtered. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion and engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 189,000.

NHTSA ODI 11605367

Coolant leak

NHTSA ODI 11605507

I did a $1,500 down payment for a 2013 Ford Escape at Hurley's Salvage and Auto Sales in Amory Ms. I test drove the vehicle and informed the sales agent that there were problems with the windows going up or down, the interior lights didn't work, the sideview mirror control didn't work, and that a high pitched squeaking noise was coming from under the hood. I was told to bring the vehicle back for repairs on the windows, interior lights, and sideview mirrors after I got a free check of the fuses. Because they were too busy to do so. I was told that the squeaking came from the vehicle not being in use for awhile. 2 weeks later I took the vehicle back and told them the results (showed the results of a test ran on the fuses and everything was good with the fuses). I was told it would be fixed when they got time that I would be called. I also told them that the squeaking had gotten worse, I was told that would be looked into when they called me. (5-3-24, the date I told them that the squeaking had gotten worse) On 5-6-24 the vehicle ran hot, I noticed the indicator past the halfway mark. I went to AutoZone checked the antifreeze and the reserve tank was empty. I purchased some antifreeze and it took about half the container to fill it back up. I told them about the antifreeze incident, was asked did I put antifreeze in it. Nothing else was said. On Sunday [XXX] me and a passenger was headed home. When the vehicle temperature hand shot up to max hot and the vehicle lost mostly all power. I was able to park about 75 to a hundred yards in a safe place. I was told a few days later by Hurley's that the vehicle had a oil leak, that the drive belt came off, they replaced it with a new one, and now the vehicle won't crank. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11602271