2013 Ford Escape problems
NHTSA has received 3,691 complaints about the 2013 Ford Escape, and 39% of them involve engine. Next are drivetrain & axles (11%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 3,691 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 39% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 66 and 132
- Injuries and deaths
- 84 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 73,000 miles 2,614 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 377 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 237 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 341 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 482 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 452 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 314 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 213 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 114 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 45 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 23 |
| 200k+ miles | 16 |
What the data shows
Of the 2,614 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 73,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 79,000 miles (1,078 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 66 complaints mention a crash; 132 complaints mention a fire; 84 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2013 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 25 model years of the Ford Escape with enough data (1,651 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 18 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was in a car accident on july 26, 2015 and the side impact airbag did not deploy after I had received a recall notice many months prior to the accident> every time I took it to the dealership for maintenance, they said there was no "fix" yet at the time. My 2013 ford escape was totaled in the accident. I was driving at a rate of about 20/25 MPH westbound on the 2600 block on elm street on sunday 07/26/15 at about 1:30 pm cst.
My car is still overheating after bringing it into the dealer 6 times. They have done the recall fix twice now. There appears to be smoke coming out of my hood now with a burnt smell. The burning and coolant smell is triggering my asthma while driving.
When I tried again to start up my car today, the powertrain was producing smoke. Ford agreed to buyback my car in mid december 2013 but they have still not been following through on their written contract. I have contacted ford's rav dept along with emailing ford's tier1 customer support everytime my car has caught on fire. I have also let the dealer know of my issues. I have tweeted to @ford, @fordservice, @fordescape about my car. They are aware my car's overheating and transmission issues.
The heat shield on the undercarriage of the car is very cheaply made and is falling apart. It is basically fiberglass insulation covered with shiny aluminum foil. It is very flimsy and exposed to the elements. The shielding has come loose and the more I drive, the more the wind pulls it and tears it from the car. It is now hanging down from the undercarriage and almost touching the ground, laying over the exhaust and directly touching it. This seems to be a very hazardous situation.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the low coolant warning light was displayed on the instrument panel with heavy white smoke coming from the tailpipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3, causing engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle.