2013 Ford Escape
This year had more than double the complaints of this model's typical year.
This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.
COMPLAINTS PER YEAR
View as data table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 5 |
| 2001 | 996 |
| 2002 | 1027 |
| 2003 | 558 |
| 2004 | 499 |
| 2005 | 1394 |
| 2006 | 464 |
| 2007 | 254 |
| 2008 | 1972 |
| 2009 | 1691 |
| 2010 | 2067 |
| 2011 | 1312 |
| 2012 | 598 |
| 2013 | 2739 |
| 2014 | 2067 |
| 2015 | 1027 |
| 2016 | 1028 |
| 2017 | 2620 |
| 2018 | 1724 |
| 2019 | 557 |
| 2020 | 1546 |
| 2021 | 323 |
| 2022 | 219 |
| 2023 | 94 |
| 2024 | 74 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 | 3 |
KNOWN PROBLEM AREAS
46% of complaints: engine — 1261 distinct reports on file.
CRASH FIRE INJURYShow complaint excerpts
On 03-17-24 My daughter was driving a few miles away from home, when the dashboard system states "High engine temperature, pull over safely." Within 30 seconds of pulling off the road, the flames came out near the windshield from under the hood.
NHTSA ODI report, 20240317
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.
NHTSA ODI report, 20230913
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE.
NHTSA ODI report, 20171201
14% of complaints: power train — 388 distinct reports on file.
CRASH FIRE INJURY12% of complaints: electrical system — 331 distinct reports on file.
CRASH FIRE INJURYShow complaint excerpts
MY 2013 FORD ESCAPE, 1.6 LITER ENGINE, HAD 3 RECALLS, (TWO WERE ENGINE FIRE RELATED). ALL 3 RECALL REPAIRS WERE DONE BY THE LOCAL FORD DEALER, SALEM, VA. WE PICKED VEHICLE UP AFTER THIRD RECALL WORK HAD BEEN DONE ON 9/17/12.
NHTSA ODI report, 20121016
11% of complaints: steering — 298 distinct reports on file.
CRASH INJURY9% of complaints: fuel/propulsion system — 246 distinct reports on file.
CRASH FIRE INJURYShow complaint excerpts
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.
NHTSA ODI report, 20230913
MY CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE NOVEMBER 12TH 2017.
NHTSA ODI report, 20171213
MY 2013 FORD ESCAPE, 1.6 LITER ENGINE, HAD 3 RECALLS, (TWO WERE ENGINE FIRE RELATED). ALL 3 RECALL REPAIRS WERE DONE BY THE LOCAL FORD DEALER, SALEM, VA. WE PICKED VEHICLE UP AFTER THIRD RECALL WORK HAD BEEN DONE ON 9/17/12.
NHTSA ODI report, 20121016
SAFETY TIMELINE
FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2013 ESCAPE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MARCH 8, 2012 THROUGH JUNE 7, 2012. DUE TO MIS-POSITIONED CARPET PADDING THE CENTER CONSOLE TRIM PANEL MAY BE PUSHED OUTBOA
Remedy: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE CARPET PADDING AND LEFT-SIDE CONSOLE TRIM PANEL REPLACED WITH A NEW PANEL, FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 20, 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT F
Campaign 12V319000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured from October 5, 2011, through July 11, 2012, and equipped with a 1.6L engine. These vehicles have an engine compartment fuel lin
Remedy: Ford will notify and instruct owners to stop driving their vehicles and contact a Ford or Lincoln dealer to arrange pick-up of their vehicle. Customers will be provided with a rental vehicle if neede
Campaign 12V336000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured from October 5, 2011, through August 31, 2012, equipped with 1.6L engines. The cylinder head cup plug (freeze plug) may become d
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will seal the existing plug and add a secondary plug cover, free of charge. The safety recall began on September 11, 2012. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7
Campaign 12V431000 — check if this car was fixed
This is an update to a recently announced recall. Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured from October 5, 2011, through November 26, 2012, equipped with 1.6L engines, a
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine for coolant system leaks and reprogram the vehicleÂs powertrain control module and instrument cluster with an updated calibration and over
Campaign 12V551000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Focus and C-Max vehicles built from November 16, 2012, through November 21, 2012; and model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured from November 14, 2012, thr
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the affected rear door latches, and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Com
Campaign 13V085000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured from October 5, 2011, through July 11, 2012, and equipped with a 1.6L engine subject to prior safety recall
Remedy: Ford will notify owners and dealers will inspect the engine compartment fuel line, and if necessary, replace it, free of charge. An interim notice will be mailed to owners during January 2014. The re
Campaign 13V584000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, through June 2, 2013 and equipped with 1.6L engines. The affected vehicles may experience
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will modify the engine shielding, cooling and control systems, free of charge. An interim notice will be mailed to owners during January 2014. The recall began o
Campaign 13V583000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 C-MAX, and Escape vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the RCM, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S04.
Campaign 14V237000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, through April 10, 2014.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and correct the mounting of the door handles, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673.
Campaign 14V239000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured August 15, 2012, through September 10, 2013, 2013-2014 Ford Escape vehicles manufactured June 5, 2012, through August 12, 2013, and...
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seatback, free of charge. The recall began on May 30, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14C03.
Campaign 14V164000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to April 1, 2013, and equipped with 2.0 liter engines and Focus ST vehicles manufactured February 14, 2012, to October 14, 2013, and...
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current crimped splices with new splices, free of charge. The recall began in October 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S17.
Campaign 14V495000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured...
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21.
Campaign 14V597000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured January 11, 2012, to April 1, 2013, and 2013-2014 Focus ST vehicles manufactured May 03, 2012, to October 14, 2013.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the current crimped splices with new splices, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service 1-866-436-7332.
Campaign 15V813000 — check if this car was fixed
Door Latch Failure
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2012-2015 Ford Focus, 2013-2015 Ford Escape and Ford C-MAX, 2015 Lincoln MKC and Ford Mustang, and 2014-2016 Ford Transit Connect vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the door latches with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S30.
Campaign 16V643000 — check if this car was fixed
Loss of Motive Power
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Escape, and 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles, equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable bushing, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S20.
Campaign 18V471000 — check if this car was fixed
Door Latch Failures
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Fiesta, 2013-2014 Fusion, 2015 Mustang, 2013-2015 Escape and C-Max, 2012-2015 Focus, 2014-2016 Transit Connect, 2013-2014 Lincoln MKZ, and 2015 MKC vehicles.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the latch date codes to confirm if the repair was done correctly, and replace the side door latches if necessary, free of charge.
Campaign 20V331000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022.
Campaign 22V413000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2018 Focus, 2013-2019 Escape, and 2015-2016 MKC vehicles equipped with a 2.0L engine.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge.
Campaign 26V011000 — check if this car was fixed
BUY-SMART CHECKLIST
2013 Ford Escape — pre-purchase inspection
- Test/inspect for engine issues (1261 reports on file for this year).
- Test/inspect for power train issues (388 reports on file for this year).
- Test/inspect for electrical system issues (331 reports on file for this year).
- Verify recall 26V011000 (equipment) has been completed.
- Verify recall 12V319000 (service brakes, hydraulic, structure) has been completed.
- Verify recall 12V336000 (fuel system, gasoline) has been completed.
- Verify recall 12V431000 (engine and engine cooling) has been completed.
- Verify recall 12V551000 (engine and engine cooling) has been completed.
- Verify recall 13V085000 (latches/locks/linkages) has been completed.
- Verify recall 13V584000 (fuel system, gasoline) has been completed.
- Verify recall 13V583000 (engine) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V237000 (air bags) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V239000 (structure) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V164000 (seats) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V495000 (electrical system) has been completed.
- Verify recall 14V597000 (air bags, seat belts) has been completed.
- Verify recall 15V813000 (electrical system) has been completed.
- Verify recall 16V643000 (latches/locks/linkages) has been completed.
- Verify recall 18V471000 (power train) has been completed.
- Verify recall 20V331000 (latches/locks/linkages) has been completed.
- Verify recall 22V413000 (power train) has been completed.
OTHER YEARS OF THIS MODEL
BEST YEARS
WORST YEARS
FAQ
Is the 2013 Ford Escape reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 2013 Ford Escape is rated "significantly worse".
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Ford Escape?
The most-reported component is engine, accounting for 46% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 2013 Ford Escape have?
18 recalls on file for this model year.
Data updated 2026-07-11 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.