2013 Ford Escape: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
2,748 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
2,748 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 211.38
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
The system that failed was the rear passenger door latch. The door will not latch and I checked the door latch and it moves freely. My vehicle also is telling me that my rear passenger door is open
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 …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH on the freeway, the front passenger’s side door suddenly came ajar. The "Passenger Door Ajar" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V331000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The contact called a local dealer and was advised of the cost for the diagnostic tes…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 14V164000 | Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured August 15, 2012, throu… |
| 15V813000 | Electrical System:Wiring | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Escape vehicles manufactured January 11, 2012, to April 1, 2013, and 2013-201… |
| 12V551000 | 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, 20… |
| 12V319000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Pedals And Lin | FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2013 ESCAPE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM MARCH 8, 2012 THROUGH JUNE 7, 2012. DUE TO MIS-POSITIONED CARPE… |
| 16V643000 | Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch | 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 F… |
| 14V239000 | Structure:Body:Door | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, through April 10, 2014. D… |
| 14V237000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Sensor/Control Module-I | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 C-MAX, and Escape vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the restraint con… |
| 14V495000 | Electrical System:Wiring | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to April 1, 2013, and equi… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (1267 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 5/100, computed from 2,748 NHTSA complaints and 12 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 12 recall campaign(s) for the 2013 Ford Escape, 6 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 02/04/2014. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.