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

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that immediately after driving into a parking space and stopping, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove forward over a median curb before crashing into another parked vehicle. During the incident, no injuries were reported and no police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the home and later towed to the collision center for body repairs to be performed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 33,437.

NHTSA ODI 11619391

2013 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO INOPERABLE DOOR CODE ON DRIVERS DOOR AND INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE THE HANDLE ABOVE THE DOOR TO GET IN THE VEHICLE, IT SNAPPED. THE CONSUMER FELL TO THE GROUND AND BROKE HER FOOT. ALSO, THE INSTUMENT PANEL AND CRUISE CONTROL WERE INOPERABLE. *JS

NHTSA ODI 11382703

THE VEHICLE HAS HAD ONGOING ISSUES WITH SIGNIFICANT HESITATION WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, COOLANT NEEDING REPLENISHMENT ON A REGULAR (EVERY 3-4 MONTHS) BASIS, VEHICLE STALLING AND SHUTTING DOWN SPORADICALLY, VEHICLE OVERHEATING, DOORS RANDOMLY POPPING OPEN AND NEEDING TO BE HELD SHUT BY MY CHILDREN UNTIL I CAN SAFELY PULL OVER. MOST RECENTLY AND JUST THIS MORNING ON 6/18/20, THE VEHICLE STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. THE DASHBOARD INDICATED THAT THERE ARE NOW TRANSMISSION ISSUES. I USED MY AAA MEMBERSHIP TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO COLONIAL FORD IN PLYMOUTH, MA AFTER STANDING WITHIN FEET OF SPEEDING TRAFFIC WHILE WAITING. THE CAR POTENTIALLY LETHALLY JUST STOPPED. IT IS NOW BEING "DIAGNOSED" BY COLONIAL FORD. MUCH PREVIOUSLY, I BROUGHT THE CAR TO JANNELL FORD IN HANOVER, MA TO INQUIRE ABOUT THESE ISSUES WHEN THE MILEAGE WAS STILL REASONABLY LOW. THE SERVICE MANAGER OF THAT BRANCH LIED TO ME. HE INFORMED ME THERE WERE NEVER RECALLS PERTAINING TO MY VEHICLE EVER. IN THE LAST 48 HOURS, I HAVE DISCOVERED THERE WERE IN FACT RECALLS FOR THE EXACT ISSUES DESCRIBED ABOVE. ISSUES THAT WERE NEVER PROPERLY REPAIRED WHEN THE FORMER OWNER OF THE VEHICLE BROUGHT IT TO THEIR PARTICULAR DEALERSHIP TO ADDRESS. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO SULLIVAN TIRE YESTERDAY ON 6/17/20 WHEN THE A/C STOPPED BLOWING COLD AIR. THEY INFORMED ME THEY COULD NOT RECHARGE THE A/C BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED AN ENGINE CODE OF P2637 WHICH I HAVE DOCUMENTED FROM THEM. THIS CODE SPECIFICALLY RELATES TO RECALL 13S12 (COOLANT BYPASS VALVES). IT DOES NOT MATTER THAT I POINTED THIS OUT TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE EVEN THOUGH A TOTAL CUT AND DRY ISSUE RELATING SPECIFICALLY TO THE YEAR, MAKE, MODEL OF MY VEHICLE. THEY WILL NOT COVER THE EXPENSES OF REPAIRS. FORD HAS BASICALLY SAID IN SO MANY WORDS "WE KNOW THIS IS AN UNSAFE DEATH TRAP, BUT IT'S TOO LATE AND YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN OUT OF LUCK!" *TR

NHTSA ODI 11329666

I WAS DRIVING MY FAMILY FROM HOUSTON, TX TO SAN ANTONIO,TX ON JULY 5TH 2019 FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND IN MY 2013 FORD ESCAPE SEL WITH THE 6F35 TRANSMISSION. WE WERE ABOUT 1 HOUR & 30 MINUTES INTO OUR TRIP, 108 MILES, FROM OUR HOME NEAR THE CITY OF FLATONIA, TX WHEN OUR TRANSMISSION HORRIFICALLY FAILED. WHILE I WAS DRIVING I NOTICED THE TRANSMISSION HAD A MADE A HARD SHIFT INTO 6TH GEAR. IT HAD JUMPED A COUPLE OF TIMES UNTIL I ACCELERATED AND THEN IT FINALLY SHIFTED INTO 6TH GEAR. THE NEXT SIGN OF TROUBLE WAS WHEN THE DASH SCREEN TOLD US THE LANE CHANGE SENSOR WAS FAILING. NEXT WE STARTED NOTICING A FAINT BURNING SMELL COMING INTO THE CABIN, WE WEREN'T SURE WHAT IT WAS. A MINUTE LATER ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS TURNED ON IN THE DASH SCREEN. I IMMEDIATELY PUT ON MY TURN SIGNAL SO I COULD GET TO AN EXIT AND WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC, I REALIZED MY FORD ESCAPE WAS NOT RESPONDING TO THE ACCELERATION PEDAL. IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL. SO NOW I COULDN'T SHIFT AND MY GAS PEDAL WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. I FINALLY REACHED THE NEAREST EXIT TURNED ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND PROCEEDED TO COAST INTO THE NEAREST GAS STATION SINCE MY GAS PEDAL WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. AS SOON AS I STOPPED & TURNED OFF MY SUV, WHITE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE BAY. I QUICKLY GOT MY WIFE AND 1 YR OLD DAUGHTER OUT OF THE SUV AND RAN AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE. THANKFULLY THE SMOKE STOPPED AND I OPENED THE HOOD AND SAW TRANSMISSION OIL ALL OVER THE TOP OF THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS SO HOT IT WAS BOILING IN THE CREVICES WHERE IT HAD SETTLED. THIS TRANSMISSION IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE "A SPECIAL BLEND OF TRANSMISSION FLUID MAINTENANCE FREE FOR THE LIFE OF THE GEARBOX." A COUPLE DAYS PRIOR THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JUMP ERRATICALLY WHEN SHIFTING FROM 2-3 GEAR AND FROM 5-6 GEAR EVEN THOUGH IT WAS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION.BUT I HAD TAKEN IT TO A FORD DEALER AND THEY DIDN'T HELP AT ALL.

NHTSA ODI 11243977

DRIVING IN PARKING LOT FAN SPEED ACCELERATED AND THEN ENGINE SHUT OFF. I TRIED STARTING AGAIN 3 TIMES AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I CALLED AAA AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP IN RENO WHERE WE PURCHASED THE CAR. THERE WAS A SMELL OF BURNING IN THE ENGINE. THE DEALER REPORTED THE SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE AIR COMPRESSOR CLUTCH COIL IS INTERNAL SHORT CAUSE BURNING SMOKE. THEY RECOMMENDED REPLACING THE AIR COMPRESSOR. FORD SAID MY CAR IS NOT INCLUDED IN THEIR RECALL LIST. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10574053

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SLOWLY MOVING FORWARD, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING AS THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS BEING DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A HOUSE. THE FRONT AND KNEE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT SUFFERED INJURIES TO THE LEFT LEG, KNEE AND CHEST. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7,092.

NHTSA ODI 10553864

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE UNKNOWN REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 4,440.

NHTSA ODI 10537326

WHILE STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT, WITH THE CAR IN DRIVE AND MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE THE ENGINE REVS UP AND THE CAR LURCHES FORWARD AND CRASHES INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS HAPPENED LAST WEEK AT A DRIVE THRU AND I WAS FORTUNATE THAT NO ONE WAS IN FRONT OF ME. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10510892

I WAS AT A RED LIGHT ON A FREEWAY EXIT. MY CRUISE CONTROL HAD BEEN SET TO 65 MPH, AND WHEN I ACCIDENTLY TAPPED THE RESUME LEVER, THE CAR ACCELERATED RAPIDLY. HITTING THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP THE CAR BEFORE IT HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE CRUISE CONTROL CANCEL/RESUME LEVER IS LOCATED ON THE LOWER LEFT PART OF THE STEERING WHEEL. IF YOUR STEERING WHEEL IS IN A LOW POSITION, AND YOU MOVE YOUR LEFT LEG, YOU CAN ACTIVATE CRUISE CONTROL WITH YOUR THIGH CAUSING IMMEDIATE ACCELERATION. THIS HAPPENED TO ME AGAIN WHILE DRIVING SLOWLY ON A CURVY ROAD LAST WEEK. THIS COULD BE DISASTROUS IF IT OCCURS AT A CROSS WALK. LUCKILY I ONLY HIT A CAR, NOT A PEDESTRIAN, AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. ELEVATING THE STEERING WHEEL REDUCES THE LIKELIHOOD OF ACTIVATING CRUISE CONTROL. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10485856