10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 61
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,529 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #1143

Oct 032023

Escape

  • miles
coolant leaked into the cylinders causing major overheating. Only to be told by ford mechanics, that a new engine is needed.

- Hermitage, TN, USA

problem #1142

Oct 102023

Escape

  • miles
I had issues with my turbo in July. It needed to be fully replaced. One week ago, is started leaking coolant. White smoke was coming from the exhaust. Last night while driving on the highway, it would not accelerate and threw an error code saying cylinder three misfire detected. I had to stop on the side of the highway in the middle of the night in pitch black with no streetlights due to no fault of my own. Car is no longer drivable until fixed.

- Blair, NE, USA

problem #1141

Sep 252023

Escape

  • miles
2013 Ford Escape SE, So according to my local Ford dealership, which is where this vehicle was purchased, this particular year/model has an issue with the engine where coolant will leak into the head and warp the head seizing a spark plug(s), which customers will not find out about until it comes time to actually replace the spark plugs. Our vehicle has less than 100,000 miles on it, and was purchased in full (no loan/lease). This is a pretty BIG manufacturer's defect. It is also (according to my local Ford dealership), a common problem, but not common enough for ford to do anything about it. Someone buys a product and it has a manufacturer's defect, but won't do anything to correct it that's pretty crappy, leaving people like me that is laid off to try to foot a bill of several thousand dollars for something that again, should be fixed by ford. Again according to my local Ford dealership, Ford changed some things in manufacturing after learning about this. After calling my local Ford dealership and then Ford corporate, all they told me is A. there's no extended service program on my vehicle and that it was only offered on select VINs, and B. Call NHTSA. (So basically pushing this off on other's/another agency.). Also note, my local Ford dealership, NOR Ford corporate are willing to give me anything in writing. (I wonder why). (Note to NHTSA, I am [XXX], filling this out for my father, the vehicle owner.) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Glenwood City, Wi, WI, USA

problem #1140

Sep 092023

Escape

  • miles
Fire started in engine from oil leak in cylinder head on Saturday, 9/9/23 at approximately 1:15 pm. Car had been running for around 2 hours with no signs or indication of malfunction. Driver pulled car over after entering Mt. Rainier National Forest at a viewpoint. At this point driver noticed engine was smoking. NO lights or indicators on dashboard lit up notifying of overheating or malfunction. The temperature gauge did not indicate the engine was over heating. The safety of 4 passengers was at risk. Fire started with four passengers including the driver in the car. Vehicle was located in Mt. Rainier National Forest where passengers and driver had no cellphone service. This also occurred in a National Forest during the high risk season for forest fires/wildfires. Fire could have put lives of passengers at risk as well as those in nearby area, if car went ablaze in the forest. With no service, preventing the car fire from turning into a forest fire would be very difficult. This problem occurred AFTER TSB on this vehicle was completed for safety recall 17S09-S1 in April 2014 at Bellingham Ford. The crack in the cylinder caused by the recall was patched by Bellingham Ford by filling it with Copper silicone rather than removing the cylinder and replacing it. Repair shop (Mike's Shop - Buckley Washington) that inspected vehicle after incident on Sept. 9th 2023, found that copper silicone patch had split causing oil to leak into engine and catch fire. This inspection indicates that the initial repair done by Ford Manufacturer did not prevent leak from occurring and causing a fire to start in engine.

- Carnation, WA, USA

problem #1139

Aug 052023

Escape

  • miles
Heater coil hose leaking profusely. Common issue reported in 2013 Escape, yet no recall, why?

- Colbert, GA, USA

problem #1138

Sep 052023

Escape

  • 140,000 miles
The contact's wife owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, there was significant amounts of smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure mainly recurred after the vehicle had been sitting overnight. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: SSM-49210. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Cannon Falls, MN, USA

problem #1137

May 012023

Escape

  • 86,136 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking engine oil. The contact stated that after leaving the vehicle running for an extended period, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light and engine overheating message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed that the failure was with the cylinder block. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 86,136.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #1136

Aug 042023

Escape

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

- Maple Valley, WA, USA

problem #1135

Aug 102023

Escape

  • miles
Flywheel broke, causing the vehicle to lose power.

- Monroe , GA, USA

problem #1134

Jun 222020

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
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.

- Lafayette , LA, USA

problem #1133

Jun 012023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #1132

Dec 152021

Escape

  • 97,612 miles
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.

- Mount Vernon, IL, USA

problem #1131

Jul 142023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Jeffersonville, GA, USA

problem #1130

Jun 122023

Escape

  • 123,000 miles
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.

- Winslow, IN, USA

problem #1129

Jun 132023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #1128

Jun 062023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Lakewood, OH, USA

problem #1127

Jun 012020

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Brookhaven, MS, USA

problem #1126

May 022023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Rex, GA, USA

problem #1125

May 092023

Escape

  • miles
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.

- Merrimack, NH, USA

problem #1124

May 122023

Escape

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

- Fairburn, GA, USA

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