Home · 2013 Ford Escape Gas · Complaints

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

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (2,743)Crash / fire / injury (152)Engine (1,264)Transmission & drivetrain (400)Electrical system (340)Steering (302)Fuel system (284)Engine & cooling (174)Speed control (92)Body & structure (87)Brakes (72)Latches & locks (64)

400 of 2,743 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters · page 5 of 16

Jul 12, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the gear shifter seized, causing the vehicle to lose motive power. The vehicle was towed to the contact's cousin's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were anticipated to be available in the fourth quarter of 2022. The failure mileage was approximately 91,500. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11473512

Jul 12, 2022Transmission & drivetrainLatches & locks

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact was informed after an emission test that there were two recalls on his vehicle; NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V643000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the contact was never informed that the parts for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) was not available. Upon return of the vehicle, the contact was unable to shift the vehicle out of park(P) as the instrument panel indicated that the vehicle was in neutral(N). The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The failure mileage was 164,098. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11473519

Jul 12, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle was parked or while shifted into gear, the vehicle vibrated abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with motor mounts failure. The motor mounts were replaced twice; however, the vibrating, gear shifting, and idling failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.

NHTSA ODI 11473543

Jul 12, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to shift into reverse, there was a message displayed that the vehicle was not in parking(P). The contact stated she moved the gear shifter back to park(P), restarted the vehicle, and continued driving to her destination. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) two days later. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

NHTSA ODI 11473525

Jul 11, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle was jerking. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) for which the VIN was included. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11473361

Jul 10, 2022Transmission & drivetrainFirerelatedFire

The transmission went out of gear and wouldn't stay in the correct gear. I had the vehicle towed to Fuller Ford on W 8th Street in Cincinnati Ohio. They said the entire transmission had to be replaced and that there wasn't a recall affecting my VIN number. I paid to have it repaired. Eight months later, there was an electrical fire under the hood and the vehicle was towed to Rocky Top Ford in Tennessee. I feel both of these issues should have been covered by recalls.

NHTSA ODI 11473188

Jul 8, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11472922

Jul 8, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact's husband owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact's husband received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle had previously been serviced at the dealer for transmission repair after it was involved in a collision where the vehicle inadvertently rolled backward and crashed into another vehicle. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11472946

Jul 8, 2022Transmission & drivetrainCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that she had stopped her vehicle near a stop sign and shifted to park. Another vehicle drove by as the contact's vehicle independently rolled forward at approximately 3 MPH and crashed into the passenger rear door of a moving vehicle. The contact stated that her vehicle had minor scrapes to the driver's side bumper and there were minor scratches to the passenger door of the other vehicle. The contact stated she went to the ER the following day with neck pains. There were no other injuries to the other driver or her passenger. The police were on scene but did not file a report. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact stated that she had received a recall letter for NHTSA Campaign: 22V413000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11472974

Jul 7, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

vehicle will no longer drive it will shift out of gear but won't actually move and when it did drive it wouldn't shift right I am making payments on a car I can't drive and was told needed a new transmission more than likely but now is being recalled

NHTSA ODI 11472833

Jun 30, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon shifting the vehicle in park(P), the vehicle began to roll forward. The contact immediately engaged the parking brake. The contact then attempted to shift into drive(D) however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact's daughter called an independent mechanic who was able to assist over the phone. The contact unscrewed the shifter panel and pulled the lever while the daughter adjusted the cable bushing from underneath the hood. The contact and her daughter performed the fix each time to shift the vehicle into gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The vehicle was then taken to an unknown dealer where they informed her that part for the recall would not be available until July or August of 2022. The contact then took the vehicle to a local dealer where it remained in their possession. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 99,600. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11471759

Jun 27, 2022Transmission & drivetrainLatches & locks

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon start of his vehicle, the rear driver’s side door failed to lock securely. The contact also stated that the transmission shifter cable had failed to move out of park as the "transmission in neutral" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. Upon release of the brake pedal, the vehicle began to roll forward while the vehicle was in park(P). Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where he was informed that both failures were under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V643000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages) and 22V413000 (Power Train). The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that parts for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11471192

Jun 23, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

Car wouldn’t go into park, very unsafe had to put emergency brake on. Yes I reached out to my ford dealer ship. No there was no warnings. This is a very inconvenience when this is my family car and I can’t drive it now because I have to wait to get it fixed because nobody has the simple part! This is beyond ridiculous! Thanks!

NHTSA ODI 11470754

Jun 17, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted into park(P); however, the vehicle rolled forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11469782

Jun 17, 2022Transmission & drivetrainEngine

Car basically does not want to pick up during acceleration. The accelerator has been replaced and this is still an issue, almost caused an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11469865

Jun 16, 2022Transmission & drivetrainCrash1 injury

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact had just parked the vehicle, and as she was exiting was backed over by the vehicle. The contact was knocked over by the open driver's side door and pulled under the vehicle by the tires. The contact suffered a "grade 2" concussion, facial lacerations, and multiple abrasions and bruises over her body. The contact had three broken ribs on the right chest area and two ribs on the left side. Additionally, the contact had severe bruises on her right clavicle and right shoulder. The contact was transported by ambulance to a hospital. The vehicle had rolled into a neighbor's yard and crashed into a fence, which resulted in minor scratches to the back bumper. The contact stated that the fence had sustained no damage. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to have it diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign: 18V471000 (Power Train). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11469599

Jun 16, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11469642

Jun 15, 2022Transmission & drivetrainEngine

Car basically does not want to pick up during acceleration. The accelerator has been replaced and this is still an issue, almost caused an accident. Continuing oil and antifreeze leak always in the shop

NHTSA ODI 11469465

Jun 10, 2022SteeringTransmission & drivetrain

Power steering loss power and transmission failed

NHTSA ODI 11468592

May 29, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The transmission shift linkage bushing broke. See safety recall for Ford Escape 2013-2014 18S20. My care was built at the Louisville manufacturing plant on May 3, 2013, 12 days prior to the safety recall for this exact problem.

NHTSA ODI 11466568

May 25, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that the transmission fault warning message would intermittently appear on the instrument panel when the failure occurred. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11466114

May 12, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start and the shifter erroneously indicated that the vehicle was in the park(P) however, the transmission was in neutral. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V471000 (Power Train). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 155,000.

NHTSA ODI 11464319

Apr 26, 2022Transmission & drivetrainFuel system

Unknown

NHTSA ODI 11462190

Mar 24, 2022Transmission & drivetrainEngine

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle jerked and stopped abruptly. The transmission warning message was displayed. The vehicle was driven to her parents' residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and then towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred her to NHTSA. No additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.

NHTSA ODI 11458156

Mar 7, 2022Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after driving the vehicle and coming to a stop, she was unable to shift into Park. The parking brake was activated because the gear shifter would not fully engage in Park. The gear selector indicated that the vehicle was in Neutral. The contact turned off the vehicle in an attempt to correct the failure however, the vehicle would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V471000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000.

NHTSA ODI 11455568

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How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Ford Escape Gas verdict →