— It took more than six years, but a federal investigation into engine stalling problems in 2013 Ford Escapes has been closed.
Opened by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in July 2018, owners of 2013 Ford Escapes complained the 1.6L GTDI turbocharged engines stalled.
Ford owners said the Escape engines overheated and stalled which caused owners to wait for the engines to cool down before restarting the Escapes. In other instances, Ford Escape drivers couldn't restart the vehicles.
NHTSA backtracked to November 2013 when Ford recalled 2013 Escapes equipped with 1.6L engines. That recall was issued because the Escape engines could catch fire due to overheating of the engine cylinder heads leading to cracks that caused oil leaks.
Ford and NHTSA spent years analyzing data about stalled engines and coolant leaks. About 160 reports allege stalled engines or complaints about reduced power and shuddering or jerking vehicles.
"The other categories of complaints/failures were less severe or unrelated/undetermined: 73 related limp mode, nine related stall while vehicle stationary, 21 stalls unknown if related, 271 coolant failure without allegation of stalling, 64 engine MIL with no allegation of stalling, 267 not related to this investigation, 116 unknown if related, and 15 ?res (including the initial 5 reports) that were ultimately determined to not be related to this investigation." — NHTSA
Safety regulators closed the Ford Escape engine investigation based on a declining rate of complaints about Escapes which lose motive power. However, NHTSA says it will monitor the engine issues and may reopen the 2013 Ford Escape investigation if necessary.