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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2013 Ford Escape — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 2,754 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

2,754
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
50
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
90
Involved Fire
owner-reported
55
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Ford Escape — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

2,129 complaints

1,317 complaints

603 complaints

2,754 complaints

2,089 complaints

1,115 complaints

1,152 complaints

2,693 complaints

1,812 complaints

595 complaints

1,539 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 1,268 reports
Power Train 402 reports
Electrical System 340 reports
Steering 302 reports
Unknown Or Other 300 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 248 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling 175 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 92 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Power Train ODI 11633373 12/31/2024

The transmission has completely gone out. On this car model, there isn't a dip stick for the owner to check transmission fluid levels. While pulling out of a parking space the car hesitated on going into first gear and then jerked really hard before continuing to move. While still in the parking lot of a retail store, the car continued to hesitate between gears and then a low …

Wheels ODI 11445743 12/31/2021

On 12-22-2021during routine vehicle servicing of my 2013 Ford Escape at Mac Haik Ford in Georgetown, TX, Invoice Number 776999, I was told by the Service Advisor that the mechanic was having troubles getting the wheels off to rotate and balance. Sophie Rosa, Service Advisor told me that the mechanic reported the lug nuts on the wheels were swollen and need replacement. She a…

Engine And Engine Cooling ODI 11385766 12/31/2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ENGINE COOLANT LEAKED FROM THE VEHICLE WITH THE ENGINE COOLANT WARNING MESSAGE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE FREQUENTLY REFILLED THE COOLANT DUE TO THE FAILURE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT LINKED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA C…

Engine ODI 11292367 12/31/2019

I OWN A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. I CAN BE DRIVING ALONG AND ALL OF A SUDDEN IT STALLS WITH NO WARNING. WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE SHOP AND AFTER LOTS OF MONEY OUT OF POCKET , I STILL DO NOT HAVE A RESOLUTION. THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. FORD NEEDS TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES AND FIX THE PROBLEM.

Air Bags ODI 11164326 12/31/2018

MY FIANC AND I WERE PULLING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STALLED AND STOPPED COMPLETELY. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THE SIDE AIRBAG DIDN'T DEPLOY AND MY FIANC IS VERY LUCKY TO BE ALIVE! IT WASN'T UNTIL WE PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE THAT WE REALIZED THAT THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE HAS HAD SO MANY RECALLS. THERE ALSO HAS BEEN SO MANY OFFICIAL STALLING …

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2013 Ford Escape, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2013 Ford Escape reliable?
Owners have filed 2,754 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2013 Ford Escape, most often about engine. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Ford Escape years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.