2013 Ford Escape engine problems

Related recalls

• Recall 13V583000Nov 25, 2013139,917 vehicles
  ENGINE

  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 localized overheating of the engine cylinder head which may cause cracks that could allow oil to leak.

  Risk: Leaking engine oil may come into contact with a hot engine surface potentially resulting in an engine compartment fire.

  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 on April 9, 2014. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall number is 13S12.

• Recall 12V551000Dec 3, 201280,057 vehicles
  ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

  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, as well as certain model year 2013 Fusion vehicles manufactured from February 3, 2012, through November 29, 2012, equipped with 1.6L engines. Coolant system leaks may cause the engines to overheat and leak flammable engine fluids.

  Risk: If flammable engine fluids come in contact with the vehicle’s hot exhaust system, a vehicle fire could occur.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine for coolant system leaks and reprogram the vehicle’s powertrain control module and instrument cluster with an updated calibration and overheat strategy software. There will be no charge to owners for this service. Owners were recently notified to contact dealers to arrange for alternative transportation as Ford developed a remedy. Owners will be shortly receiving notifications to contact Ford dealers to schedule the free remedy repair. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.

• Recall 12V431000Sep 4, 20126,146 vehicles
  ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

  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 dislodged resulting in significant loss of engine coolant.

  Risk: As leaking engine coolant evaporates on the hot engine, the glycol may ignite causing an engine compartment fire.

  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 1-866-436-7332.

What owners say

1. Filed Sep 10, 2026KYEngineOther / Unknown

   I recently purchased this vehicle for 2400.00 from a private seller. Within 3 weeks of very minor driving the car got 1 block from home and showed very hot and dumped all the coolant. And that was the 1st time it had been driven that day and it was 69 degrees outside. We let it sit for about a week and refilled the coolant. It drove great for about 2 weeks and then out of the blue it stalls while I'm driving it down the road. Had it towed home and my mechanic came and did a…

   NHTSA complaint #11763508 · source
2. Filed Aug 27, 2026152,000 miILEngine

   The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheating warning light illuminated. The contact noticed an unusual odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a failure associated with an unknown recall; however, the VIN was…

   NHTSA complaint #11760097 · source
3. Filed Aug 12, 202693,000 miMAEngineTransmission & Drivetrain

   The contact's son owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled with an unknown message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact's son pulled off to the shoulder of the road and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and went into LIMP Mode and drove slowly back to the residence. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11756424 · source
4. Filed Jul 17, 2026OREngine

   Vehicle: 2013 Ford Escape SEL (1.6L EcoBoost) Approximate current Mileage: 134,646 miles System: Engine / Engine Cooling / Powertrain Incident Description: I am filing this complaint to report a severe and systemic safety defect regarding the 1.6L EcoBoost engine in my 2013 Ford Escape. The vehicle is experiencing catastrophic internal coolant intrusion, a known defect where coolant leaks past the head gasket and directly into the engine's combustion cylinders. Professional…

   NHTSA complaint #11751203 · source
5. Filed Jul 2, 2026IDEngine

   Engine coolant intrusion into engine resulting in excessive visible smoke/steam on startup and coolant consumption. This issue has been inspected by a Ford dealer and private party mechanics, however could not be accurately diagnosed without engine disassembly. No evidence of external coolant leaks were present. The current consumption rate for coolant is approximately 2 qts per month. Vehicle currently has ~95k miles. The vehicle indicates random misfire codes and low…

   NHTSA complaint #11748003 · source
6. Filed Apr 21, 2026PAEngine

   Over time the car began to lose coolant. I read codes and troubleshot the systems, replacing a sensor first, no visible leak from collant hoses was discovered. I took the car to bethlehem ford and after a diagnostics process told me there was a crack in the engine on cylinder three that was allowing coolant to leak into the piston and be burnt off during ignition which created misfires and damage over time. I was informed I would need a brand new engine replacement. Which I…

   NHTSA complaint #11732622 · source
7. Filed Mar 15, 2026NYEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionOther / Unknown

   The coolant leaks into the engine. I had the coolant container replaced as well as the coolant bypass valve.Coolant still leaks into the engine and container has to be filled every day. It’s unsafe to drive. It stalls. The mechanic says it’s dangerous and to get another car but I can’t. There is a class action for same issue. Coolant leak has destroyed the engine making it unsafe to drive. I can’t afford another car for my kids and I. Mechanic says his mom had same issue…

   NHTSA complaint #11724405 · source
8. Filed Mar 11, 2026AREngine

   Begin to loose coolant out of resavior. Then began leaking fluid around flange. Had bought extended warranty through A.U.L. Corp. They refused to cover repair. Mechanic at Evetette Ford said it would be right at $400 to replace flange. He said he had been driven hot. Aul Corp said but [XXX] said he was mistaken that the flange was ok just an O ring. It was in shop from Nov. 17, 2025 until Jan 10, 2026. It was never fixed because [XXX] quit working there and new guy said it…

   NHTSA complaint #11723580 · source
9. Filed Mar 7, 2026OHEngine

   Vehicle startered to deccelerate and lose engine functionality while I was going 60mph on the freeway. Had to involuntarily stop in traffic. No system warnings were on or lights. After the incident mechanic saw a head gasket failure just as other models and coolant had leaked into cylinder two. Seems to be a recurring problem with these models .

   NHTSA complaint #11722728 · source
10. Filed Feb 25, 2026NHElectrical SystemEngineOther / Unknown

    I took my car in for a safety recall for the bushing on the transmission. A short time after getting it back my cabin filled with smoke when I used the remote start. I had never had this problem until it came back from the dealer. so I stopped using the remote start! but after that the car's cabin began filling with acrid smoke whenever it idled for more than a minute. It now fills with smoke when sitting at a stop sign or in slow traffic, so i have to open the windows to…

    NHTSA complaint #11720463 · source
11. Filed Feb 25, 2026NCEngine

    Engine Coolant Intrusion. During normal operation coolant leaks into the engine cylinders causing power loss and eventual overheating once the coolant system runs out of coolant. This prompts an emergency shutoff of the vehicle into "limp mode"

    NHTSA complaint #11720378 · source
12. Filed Feb 19, 2026NCEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

    This was a recall earlier, twice, and it was supposedly fixed but the fuel vacuum line to the gas tank is leaking and giving off gasoline odors in the passenger area. Also another recall that was supposedly taken care of is an oil leak that is occuring often. The oil was changed only a month ago and already the oil has just about all leaked out. Both of these issues are fire hazards and the fuel leakage can can the operator or passengers to succomb to carbon minoxide. These…

    NHTSA complaint #11719080 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology