2013 Ford Escape: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
68%
1,816 of 2,752 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
68% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2013 Ford Escape are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 90% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,ENGINE08/07/20232 INJURED
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 knowl…
AIR BAGS,ENGINE12/31/2018CRASH2 INJURED
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 M…
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 proper…
Three of 1,816 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (18)
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Escape, and 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles, equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions. The bushing th…
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, through April 10, 2014. Due to an assembly misalignment…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
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 manufactur…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2013 Ford Escape
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
18 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.