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

Vehicle overheating and shutting down creating a hazardous traffic situation and potential for vehicle fire. Coolant level dropping, P1299 diagnostic code displayed on code reader. Vehicle has been inspected by a local repair shop who refused to work on it. I contacted the local Ford dealer in Fort Myers, Florida, and they indicate no open recall for the issue. The consumer should not have to be responsible to pay for costly repairs to maintain safety when Ford is well aware of the design defect that puts people's lives at risk.

NHTSA ODI 11512310

My 2013 Ford ESCAPE SE has a motor that will either be replaced or possibly totaled out by insurance because of price of new motor! Coolant leak into the oil caused fatal damage to motor and cylinder #3 is shot and done.Years ago there was a recall for this same motor and make/model but VIN of my car isn’t included and now I have a motor that’s garbage.

NHTSA ODI 11510738

I have coolant leaking into oil-intrusion on #3 cylinder so far and gas into oil and car has been in dealership today and claim started. Ford issued a recall for this issue years ago but my vin isn’t included but has all same problems and I want Ford taking accountability and financially paying for new motor! I want a loaner car because mine is too dangerous to drive

NHTSA ODI 11508152

My 2013 Ford Escape SE is part of an old recall that is a 1.6 L 4cyl motor and I bought the car used 1.5yrs ago and have coolant leaking into motor and has destroyed it! I wasn’t made aware of this when I purchased it!

NHTSA ODI 11508005

The engine temp light came on. Checked the coolant level and it was low. Coolant was added to correct the low coolant level. This happened several time and now the engine barely runs. This happened over a period of a week. Dealer stated that the engine needs to be replaced at a cost of approx $8000. The car has only 59,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11507477

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that there was a message stating that the engine was overheating and to pull over. The contact was able to pull over safely and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the water pump was replaced, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that coolant was leaking into the engine, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine). The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 98,256.

NHTSA ODI 11507001

oil is pouring out of the bottom of the vehicle. i believe the cylinder heated up and cracked causing oil leak ,which is a serious fire hazard.

NHTSA ODI 11506739

Low coolant levels indicated by error trouble code caused by leaking freeze plug on top of the cylinder head. Leak is hard to detect because all coolant is burned on the top of the engine which releases odor into the cabin of the vehicle and could lead to possible engine fire.

NHTSA ODI 11506340

On or about June 17, 2022 my suv caught fire as I was driving. I pulled over at a convenience store and someone there had a fire extinguisher and extenguished the fire.

NHTSA ODI 11506200

Car went down on Friday. Won't start. Brand-new battery and the starter and alternator was tested and they both are good. Looked up VIN and was not notified that there was a recall on a certain part on my vehicle. I'd like to get this issue fixed because now my windows won't even go up or down.

NHTSA ODI 11505653

With a cold engine approximately 1-2 miles after beginning driving, the engine coolant low warning comes on quickly followed by the engine temperature rapidly rising, engine overheat warning and engine shutdown. This has occurred periodically since owning the car, 65,000 miles to 85,000 miles. It used to occur only when driving uphill which was mitigated by manually shifting but now occurs on a cold engine. The coolant leaks and requires additional coolant approximately every two weeks but engine shutdowns do not always correlate with low coolant. Mechanic ran a pressure diagnostic for coolant and claimed no leaks (Sept 2022). Problem seems consistent with other NHTSA complaints.

NHTSA ODI 11505682

The engine shut off going down the road. The car started to beep letting me know that my transmission was not in park. I had to put my car in park and proceed to restart it. I could have been rear ended and my life could have been taken. I noticed it in September when I first got the car.

NHTSA ODI 11505439

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for the repair of three previously unknown recalls. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that while parked, the front of the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the flames and determined the origin of the fire came from the engine compartment. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle was then towed back to the dealer, where it remained awaiting further diagnosis. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V583000 (Engine); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11505256

While driving the vehicle it started to overheat and before I could safely pull off the highway and stop it started smoking so I stopped it immediately and when I opened the hood the engine was on fire. Fire department was called a report was filed. I called ford after being informed by the fire department of a possible recall for this issue and ford denied any issues and hung up the phone on me on numerous calls.

NHTSA ODI 11504885

I was on the interstate late, car stopped immediately. warning light said overheated. had vehicle towed. hose in back of motor had to be replaced. This has happened twice. this time water is streaming from lower motor mount was told this is coming from an internal water pump. That this is common for the 1.6 ford eco boost. The antifreeze could also cause a fire on a hot engine. Ford knows of this problem but will not do recalls. to fix this is very costly.

NHTSA ODI 11503075

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his brother was driving at an undisclosed speed, he depressed the brake pedal however, the brakes failed to engage. No warning lights were illuminated. As a result, the contact’s brother swerved off the road but was able to engage the parking brake. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 161,905.

NHTSA ODI 11500182

Around 6,000 2013 Ford Escapes were recalled for a coolant leaking / hose issue that could cause a fire in the engine. My car, according to your site, was not one of them. However, I have experience the coolant issue and tried to repair it on multiple occasions, but yesterday the issue caused my car to leak coolant all over the engine and shut down completely. I am confident this is the same issue the other cars were recalled for.

NHTSA ODI 11499596

I took my car to Ford they said it was leaking oil into the turbo and I will need a total engine replacement no oil low indicator light came on my car started knocking and I shut it off right away at the dealership they said oil was leaking into the turbo and when they drain the oil there was metal in my oil plan total engine replacement will cost me $10,000

NHTSA ODI 11499398

Our 2013 Ford Escape was recently taken in to a Ford Dealership for recall 22s43 transmission shifter cable bushing. The service team performed a replacement of shifter cable bushing, installed a protective cap, and adjusted the shifter as per recall. A few weeks later the transmission fault signal came up on our dashboard and the car would not shift into gear and it had to be towed home. Could the replacement have been faulty or not installed correctly, considering there were no reports of transmission issues when the vehicle was taken in to the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11499265

The fuel line caught fire while driving under normal load. There is no active recall on this model any longer, but had one years ago for same issue. This vehicle has 89k miles, serviced regularly, and fire

NHTSA ODI 11498820

My wife and I bought 1 new 2013 Ford Eco Boost 1.6 liter Ford Escape in 2013. In the last 2 weeks the engine/ cylinders went bad. upon further investigation, I found numerous online complaints and a Class action Lawsuit filed against Ford for coolant leaks that infiltrated the motor and destroyed #2 and #3 cylinders. The cost of repair is more than the value of the car. Ford has known about this problem according to the online articles and has failed to fix or recall the engines based upon this problem. My engine experienced the same problems posted online. Ford told me nothing about the engine except for the cylinder failure but not the possible causes. I had to walk away from the car, Both my wife and I are retired and on a fixed income. I think Ford should bear some responsibility for thier lack of concern over the quality of these engines! There were no prior warnings to this engine failure until the actual incident occurred!

NHTSA ODI 11497760

This vehicle is a 2013 Ford Escape with a 1.6 Turbo Engine. This vehicle has coolant leaking into cylinder number 4. Ford Motor Company has recalled other 2013 Ford Escapes and Fusions with this same engine for this same problem but refuse to recall my vehicle. The engine runs ruff and has quit on occasion. This is a dangerous situation if I am driving in traffic and could cause an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11496372

Engine coolant low message has continually been an issue with this car since it was purchased used at the end of 2013. It got so bad that at one time I would have to carry antifreeze with me. I have replaced the water pump, hoses, thermostat housing, and other parts at considerable expense. I noticed that NHTSA ID # 10218621 refers to 1.5L EcoBoost engines built before June 10, 2019 in 2017 thru 2019 Ford Escapes does not pertain to my car because I have a 1.6L EcoBoost engine, but what is described in that notice and the Ford Technical Service Bulletin 22-2322 is exactly what is happening to my car. I believe Ford has the same problem with this 1.6L EcoBoost engine. My problems began in 2016 and twice since the engine temp spiked to extremely hot without warning and the car had to be shut down while driving causing extreme safety issues.

NHTSA ODI 11496229

Losing antifreeze but it's not leaking from underneath, I'm not sure where it's going my car smells like it's burning some where , and under my car on my muffler there is burnt looking marks on the muffler underneath I'm not sure why , I have my car since November 20th 2021, I bought it from Auto wholesale in Gladstone , I have appointment for the recall on the bushing Dec. 20 th, I called Ford in Sandy Oregon talk to the guy about my car is not acting right and I'm not sure on what to do , he said that I should not drive it very much , I said well do you guys provided a loaner car because I work everyday and have to drive up into the Mt. Hood everyday if I can't get to work then I will lose my job , he like sorry we have enterprise if you need to rent a car , I don't think it's really fair I have done everything wright for my car and it be there doing when they built my car , you think they would help there customer with proper care until they fix the wrong on my car that was there doing not mine , there are burnt marks on the muffler underneath

NHTSA ODI 11495704

Had to have my transmission rebuilt for $3000

NHTSA ODI 11495446