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

This car stalls while driving. I'll drive & the engine stops. I have to restart the car. It is Very Dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11538014

I purchased my vehicle may 6,2020 Accident accord in Winnie,Tx June 22,2020 on the highway me and my kids father were on the highway at the time the highway was getting construction work done as we were driving down the highway street someone hit us broke one of my ribs and my left elbow as well I didn’t have any knowledge of knowing my vehicle had a recall until I just realize searching on my vehicle I purchased and the reason why it wasn’t taken cared before I had family matters sorry so late Briana Roy The consumer stated that she suffered a lot of traumas during this incident. No assistance has been offered yet due to the incident occurring during the pandemic.

NHTSA ODI 11536839

My coolant is disappearing daily. I’m putting at least three containers a week in the engine is overheating. I took my vehicle in for service. They had it for five weeks and told me nothing was wrong with it and did all kinds of diagnostic testing. I found a recall 13S12 which pertains to the exact situation. However, when I put in my Vin number, this recall is not coming up I don’t know if my vehicle was serviced for this. It states that the eighth digit of the Vin number will be a letter X, mine is a letter X potential outcome can be my engine, catching on fire and nobody will listen to me.

NHTSA ODI 11536415

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality. The contact stated that the failure had become more frequent over the past two years. The contact stated that during the failure the check engine and low coolant warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined there was a crack in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N12 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 97,612.

NHTSA ODI 11534832

December of 2022 - Took car to shop due to engine overheat light and oil smell inside vehicle as well as other "codes coming up. Vehicle was repaired. May 2023 had to take car back to shop due to cranking and it immediately saying engine overheating, low coolant, and various other codes as well as brakes not properly functioning. Repair shop said it was low on coolant and added fluid, stated no leaks and returned vehicle. But repair shop shows it pulled 15 codes, including loss of communication with ABS control module A as well as 3 other "lost communication with" codes and the engine overheating. The NEXT day we had the same issues and had to put it back in the shop. They flushed system and replaced motor because a bad head gasket caused oil to mix with the water (again). Got the vehicle back July 10th and the traction control and braking felt off as it had before in Dec 2022 but then was fine. Noticed on 7/11 that there appeared to be something in the fluid tank that shouldn't be there (like black chunks) and called the repair shop to see about scheduling another diagnostic. On 7/13 my son was driving from work and the engine suddenly stalled saying overheating when it wasn't showing overheating. Pulled over, started to crank it back up and it was fine. On 7/14 on his was to work, he pulled to the edge of the roadway to miss multiple deer in the road and was unable to steer the vehicle back onto the roadway. The traction control kicked in and he could not steer the car back onto the road, brakes did not work and ended up causing him to crash. I have driven the car a few times when traction control would kick in when it really shouldn't and it would not allow me to steer, accelerate, or really do anything until it shut back off.

NHTSA ODI 11532521

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, a message that the engine was overheating and would soon shut down was displayed. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and checked under the hood and noticed that the coolant level was low. The contact added coolant, and the vehicle operated normally. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine). The manufacturer was contacted but provided no additional assistance and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 123,000.

NHTSA ODI 11528520

While driving down the highway, I suddenly got an alert that my coolant was low, and then that my engine was overheating. My car started slowing down, and I got a warning message to safely stop as soon as possible. I was barely made able to make it off the highway - And I am very glad I was not in traffic or going faster when it happened. I towed the vehicle to a Ford dealer who told me that the water pump needs to be replaced. I checked online and saw that many other 2013 Ford escapes had this part recalled, but my vehicle is not part of this recall. I have kept good care of my car and the vehicle only has about 60,000 miles on it. It seems like this part is clearly defective and my vehicle should be included in this recall.

NHTSA ODI 11527742

Coolant leaks into the engine of my 2013 Ford Escape. This trips the coolant warning light on the instrument panel, prompting me to refill the coolant reservoir. I travel with a container of coolant and have so far been able to avoid fire or engine failure. But coolant leaking into the engine is an obvious, ongoing safety issue. The problem has been occurring for at least two years. I've taken the vehicle to two mechanics, who both have run pressure tests on the coolant system, have ruled out hose failures or other external causes of coolant loss and diagnosed the problem as coolant leaking into the engine. One of them said it is due to an engine design defect. I filed a complaint with Ford on June 2, 2023. The Ford representative I spoke with said there are no recalls on the vehicle and company has made no comment on the complaint. The case number is 43147023. This is a known problem with Ford's 1.6L EcoBoost engine which powers this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11525743

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal burning engine oil odor present inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After retrieving the vehicle, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11525449

This car constantly stops in mid traffic. I have taken it everywhere and they can’t seem to find anything wrong. I’ve call ford a hundred times and nothing.

NHTSA ODI 11524655

Transmission gave out twice while driving, causing the car to stop in an unsafe area. (in 2022) Gasket issue again causing he car to overheat, driving, car felt like it was going to explode, had it towed and they now say car needs a new engine. I have spent 15,000 to fix this car in the last two years something is seriously wrong with the quality of this car. Ford needs to stand behind their vehicles better, their recalls need to be for all the cars built in this timeframe not just certain vins, it's apparent it is pertaining to my VIN number even though Ford is telling me it's not.

NHTSA ODI 11524267

The water pump failed and it caused my head gasket in my engine to go.

NHTSA ODI 11522856

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, both a check engine light and a warning message instructing her to pull over immediately appeared on the instrument panel. The contact pulled into a parking lot as white smoke began to fill the engine cabin. The contact opened the hood and saw that a flame had ignited inside the engine. The occupants inside the vehicle exited as the police officers who happened to be on scene were able to suppress the fire with fire extinguishers. The fire department later arrived and managed to fully extinguish the fire. No injuries were reported and a police report was filed. The vehicle remained at the scene and had yet to be towed. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The contact stated that those same warning lights had flashed two months prior to the failure. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where an unknown hose had burst which led to the overheating failure. The contact was informed that the hose was replaced and that the failure was remedied. The vehicle had yet to be deemed a total loss. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ODI 11522001

The car is loosing cooling fluid. I need to fill every weeks at least or every couple days in the hot days

NHTSA ODI 11519696

Just bought this car from a Ford dealership back in Nov 2022 , in the past 3 weeks I've put in over $2000 in repairs and now it may need a new engine, there cracks running all through and leaks coming from oil pan and gasket. And turbo is bad ...... Which is gonna cost over 5000 to fix .... I've been seeing a lot of complaints on the engine of this model. Ford won't help , telling me there's nothing they can do. Clearly this make has engine problems and needs to be recalled. As I speak my car is just sitting at the dealership cause I cant afford to pay for a new engine , and why so it will go out again???? The repairs cost more than the car .I'm a single mother that relies on my car to get to work so I can support my family without my car I'm at risk of losing my job. Why isn't Ford taking this seriously? Car has been in the shop basically since April 5 2023 and still there

NHTSA ODI 11519032

I own a 2013 Ford Escape with EcoBoost. I bought it used about 6 years ago and it has been problematic from the start. First the engine coolant and engine light kept coming on with no noticeable leak, had it checked at Auto Zone was told it was the engine coolant bypass valve, had it replaced. The vehicle has run hot twice causing the engine to shut down on me, once on my way to work and once when taking my son to the Doctor. Continued to have the same issue with coolant, had to get the water pump replaced at the dealership last May. The engine coolant warning light started reappearing with leakage issues again and the vehicle began losing power and cutting off about 2 months ago. I took it back to the dealership and all they could find was a valve cover gasket leak. They stated that the oil from the valve cover gasket may be leaking onto other components and causing the car to cut off. They repaired that for a whopping $1150. The car started cutting off on me again about a month after that repair so it is currently at the dealership where they're telling me that the Turbocharger wastegate solenoid valve needs to be replaced for $950 and if that doesn't solve the problem then I will need to replace the engine. Ford should be ashamed! This vehicle should be part of the many recalls regarding these same type issues as I have read. I called Ford customer service, all they did was run the VIN which the dealership and I have done many times, told me that my vehicle did not qualify for any special programs and all warranties had expired, said I could pay for the repairs and hold onto my receipt in case there were recalls later. I am a single parent and I just cannot afford these repairs. Other recalls repaired such as the door latch which is very dangerous as I experienced my left side passenger door opening while driving on the highway with my special needs son in the backseat, before the recall, smh, thought we had done something wrong...this car is a true lemon.

NHTSA ODI 11518679

Well I went to start my car after getting gas and it would not start after a few mins it started , but it was trying to lunge forward even though it was in park , after I finally got it going went home and the whole time I smelled gas in my car ? Then I pulled in my driveway and the check engine light was on , had my brother in law do a digital scan on my car and it had PO456 evaporated emissions leak, I don't understand why , I'm scared to drive it now because I don't want to have the cab fill up with gas smell in my car and it's bad for me and my kids

NHTSA ODI 11516376

I had a fuel line recall on my vehicle a few years ago but didn't get the notice until my car almost caught fire. The recall melted some coolant components that were replaced free of charge when they replaced the "entire fuel line". Now my car has constant coolant problems, heat and air problems, and suddenly (just started yesterday) it smells of raw gasoline in the cabin of the car and some on the outside of the car near the front. No visible leaks can be seen under the car(coolant or gas). Please help.

NHTSA ODI 11515719

Coolant leak

NHTSA ODI 11515343

Long Block replacement due to design flaw with 1.6L eccoboost engine. Engine failure occurred at 59,000, despite having every safety recall addressed and regular servicing by Ford. The design flaw, as I have leaned is due to a channel carved into the block between the cylinders. The resultant notch in the head gasket, reduced the gasket surface contact. This engine has a history of overheating, subsequent gasket failure, cracked engine blocks and ultimately Ir-reparable cylinder wall scoring. Because the car is no longer under warranty, Ford has refused to cover any part of the replacement cost. This issue has occurred with many hundreds of eccoboost engines--all related to the early defective design in Escape models 2010 - 2021. It took six months for Ford to deliver the new long block. The repair and associated costs to rent a vehicle, prior to the dealer making a loaner car available exceeds $10,000. With so many fatal failures over the entire line of eccoboost engines and several class action lawsuits for this very issue, this should have been a recall.

NHTSA ODI 11515293

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while at a complete stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occured on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a local PepBoys, where the failure could not be duplicated. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,900.

NHTSA ODI 11514067

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact inquired about the vehicle possibly being included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V431000.The contact stated that while parked there was visible coolant on the pavement under the vehicle and an odor of burnt coolant was observed .The contact stated that coolant is applied to the vehicle on a daily basis and that the check engine safety light was illuminated. The vehicle was seen by an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the coolant hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred twice in less than a month. The manufacture was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,842.

NHTSA ODI 11513577

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME VEHICLE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT AND SHUT DOWN TO SAFETY OPERATION. VEHICLE LOST ALL ACCELERATION AND HAD TO BE STOPPED ALONG HIGHWAY AND TURNED OFF. VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND SHOWED NORMAL TEMPERATURE AND ACCELERATION. AFTER SHORT OPERATION VEHICLE REPEATED SAME WARNING OVERHEATING AND NO ACCELERATION. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER WHO REPORTED ANTI FREEZE IN MOTOR CAUSING IT TO OVER HEAT . REPLACED HEAT SENSORS $800. PROBLEM CONTINUED NEW ENGINE NEEDED COST $8,000. VEHICLE HAS 79,000 MILES. CURRENTLY SHOPPING FOR USED ENGINE

NHTSA ODI 11513685

As I was getting to leave for work early in the morning, I had a low coolant light so I added coolant in the reservoir. I drive the car and within 50 ft the panel light up with “Stop - your engine temperature is high” and the vehicle started coasting. I stopped and fortunately I’m still in my neighborhood so I turned off the vehicle for couple minutes to cool. Then I started and returned to my driveway. But now I noticed the engine light is on. I have been filling up my coolant reservoir every so often but no leaks have been found. Took it to the shop couple of times and did pressure checks but no sign of leaks. Ford needs to do something about this. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11512957

Overheating , cooling or coolant issues , coolant bypass valve , ford was unable to diagnose my issues before my motor became inoperable

NHTSA ODI 11512740