2013 Ford Escape: harsh or hard shifting

Filed May 11, 2025 · OK

The transmission in my vehicle failed and had to be completely rebuilt before the car even reached 90,000 miles. Additionally, the vehicle has been leaking coolant. I have read that there are known recalls for coolant leaks on vehicles of the same year, make, and model as mine, which may be related to the issue I’m experiencing. Component or system that failed: The transmission failed and required a full rebuild. The coolant system is also leaking. Both systems are available for inspection if needed. •Safety risk: The transmission failure caused sudden performance issues, which could have led to an accident if it had happened while driving at highway speeds. The coolant leak puts the engine at risk of overheating, which could also lead to a breakdown or safety hazard while on the road. •Reproduction or confirmation: The transmission issue was confirmed by a certified transmission repair shop that performed the rebuild. The coolant leak is ongoing and observable. •Inspection by third parties: The transmission was inspected and rebuilt by an independent service center. The coolant leak has not yet been officially diagnosed by a dealership, but I plan to have it inspected soon. •Warning lamps or messages: There were no warning lamps for the transmission before failure, but symptoms such as slipping and rough shifting occurred prior to the rebuild. For the coolant leak, low coolant level warnings and engine temperature alerts have appeared intermittently, which first began a few months ago.

Filed Sep 25, 2024 · Transmission · 60,000 miles · MS

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission experienced hard shifting and hesitation while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who discovered metal shavings in the transmission fluid, and a burning odor coming from the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 60,000.

Filed Sep 10, 2024 · Steering, Wheels · MO · 1 injury

I have experienced many issues with my vehicle that have been recalled in other vehicles of the same make/model/year but have been denied the assistance in fixing me car and preventing and further damage or risk of my safety due to my VIN not showing any recalls. I do believe that my safety has been disregarded and that my car needs inspection to further show that I should be assisted in getting the recalls identified and fixed to improve my safety and others on the road. The first issue I noticed that was recalled on other 2013 Ford escapes was a recall on the control arm which was caused by the separation of the control arm from corrosion which increased the risk of crash. I had an incident where my car all of the sudden would not return from the right turning position after I heard a clunking noise which caused me to run into a curb. After further investigation it was found that my control arm failed and locked which wouldn't allow me to avoid hitting the curb. I suffered a concussion and had to pay for this to be fixed due to being denied from the recall. Secondly, Ford has issued many recalls on 2013 Ford escape engines due to overheat and cylinder head malfunctions many of them my car has been diagnosed and proven to have. I have pulled codes from my check engine that are direct codes that was recalled about the overheating of the cylinder head causing cracks and leaks into the oil. This code I pulled from my car was P0117 and it was traced to the recall from ford ( 13V583000). Other recalls have been issued by Ford for engine overheating, and my car has been over heating after directly putting coolant into my vehicle and it tends to run out in 1 to 2 days after refilling. My safety and others on the road are at risk from these issues that were not caused by me or other drivers but I am not getting any assistance or anyone willing to look at these recalls and assist in reimbursement or fixing my cars issues. My car needs to be reviewed for the recalls.

Filed May 19, 2024 · Transmission · SC

Had Transmission problems 2 yrs ago that had been fixed and parts replaced. Now again 2 years later the vehicle experiencing transmission problems again. Hard shifting, reading the wrong gear on the dash board, and being stuck in drive or neutral when it is actually in park. No warning lights prior. Vehicle had been inspected by a licensed mechanic. This is problematic when the issue occured while driving leaving me and 3 small children stranded.

Filed Sep 9, 2022 · Engine · 100,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle then started losing motive power and would not accelerate properly. Additionally, the vehicle experienced bucking, and hard shifting, and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed May 17, 2020 · Steering · 150,000 miles · NC

The vehicle makes loud clunking noises when driving over bumps or turning it is coming from the front end and it also seems to swerve from side to side like the steering is loose

Filed Aug 14, 2019 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 116,256 miles · TX · fire

I was driving my family from houston, tx to san antonio,tx on july 5th 2019 for the holiday weekend in my 2013 ford escape sel with the 6f35 transmission. We were about 1 hour & 30 minutes into our trip, 108 miles, from our home near the city of flatonia, tx when our transmission horrifically failed. While I was driving I noticed the transmission had a made a hard shift into 6th gear. It had jumped a couple of times until I accelerated and then it finally shifted into 6th gear. The next sign of trouble was when the dash screen told us the lane change sensor was failing. Next we started noticing a faint burning smell coming into the cabin, we weren't sure what it was. A minute later all the warning lights turned on in the dash screen. I immediately put on my turn signal so I could get to an exit and when trying to accelerate out of the way of traffic, I realized my ford escape was not responding to the acceleration pedal. It would not accelerate at all. So now I couldn't shift and my gas pedal was not functioning. I finally reached the nearest exit turned on my hazard lights and proceeded to coast into the nearest gas station since my gas pedal was not functioning. As soon as I stopped & turned off my SUV, white smoke was coming from the engine bay. I quickly got my wife and 1 yr old daughter out of the SUV and ran away from the vehicle. Thankfully the smoke stopped and I opened the hood and saw transmission oil all over the top of the transmission. It was so hot it was boiling in the crevices where it had settled. This transmission is supposed to have "a special blend of transmission fluid maintenance free for the life of the gearbox." a couple days prior the transmission would jump erratically when shifting from 2-3 gear and from 5-6 gear even though it was an automatic transmission.but I had taken it to a ford dealer and they didn't help at all.

Filed Feb 6, 2019 · Transmission · 64,000 miles · VA

I purchased my escape with 50,000 miles on it, within a few months I had a low coolant alert- I was told at the dealership they did not replace the cap correctly after an oil change, they flushed the lines and couldn't find any leaks so the cap was replaced. I had a low coolant warning again and my coolant was replaced at home, and then another warning shortly after, again replaced, coolant clearly leaking from under car but no leaks could be identified. Then... Driving on the highway at 70mph "transmission fault" warning- pulled over. Car was shifting normally, restarted and the warning was gone. Took to dealership and was told they pulled the code: "for tcc judder, which is because the torque converter is slipping under any load, and there is a hard shift between 2nd and 3rd gears." was told I needed a transmission overhaul (car has 64,000 at this point.) brought the car home and in the driveway it started leaking transmission fluid. Opened a case with ford and was told they "decline assistance" to help with repairs. Brought to 2nd shop for 2nd opinion and was told: transmission fluid was completely burnt, transmission overheated at some point, this caused the cooling tank to crack explaining the disappearing coolant problem I had been having since buying the car, no explanation why the transmission would over heat. Car serviced at ford regularly and was not heavily driven. I have had the car for 10 months at this point and will be paying thousands for a new transmission that failed with low mileage.

Filed May 29, 2018 · Transmission · 37,000 miles · MA

Ours is a 2013 ford escape with only 37,000 miles on the odometer. It's hardly been driven for a six year old car and has been well maintained according to the manufacturer's recommendation.upon starting the car in the drive mode, there was a pronounced "clunk" sound from below the cabin section of the car. The car would begin moving forward and then shift into neutral. This situation continued for about 1/10 of a mile. While turning around to return home, the same thing happened in the reverse mode. The car had to be towed to the dealer as it appeared to be unsafe to drive on a highway. The diagnosis was clutch and transmission failure. Cost to repair $4,300.00. Seems to me that there has to be a basic defect in the product having read so many of the other complaints on this site. Additionally and in retrospect, the engine would begin racing to a high RPM in the park mode without a foot on the accelerator. This was a disturbing phenomenon.

Filed Aug 22, 2017 · Fuel system, Transmission · 55,339 miles · NY

I was sold the car with a defective fuel pump and never warned that it needed to be recalled, therefore, I have been driving it for over a year with the possibility of it starting on fire. Also, recently the power train went on my car almost exactly one month after the warranty was up. After researching this issue it has come to my attention that many other ford escape owners have experienced this exact issue. I was even told by one mechanic that this is a known issue with ford escapes amongst mechanics. When the car is in motion it "clunks" and does not shift properly. I am concerned for the safety of others who may be driving these cars without the knowledge that there is something wrong with it.

Filed Apr 29, 2014 · Engine · 9,000 miles · KS

One day when I started my car it came up with the error message "engine fault, service vehicle now!". I got a fright, restarted the car and the error message was gone and I could drive it home. The next day the message came up again, I tried to drive it and it was clunky and wouldn't go past first gear. I pulled over and restarted the car and it worked fine again. It happened again the following day so I took it into the service center. The service center was unable to recreate the problem and could not find anything wrong in the car. They looked into the car computer's logs and couldn't find anything there either. Since then the problem has happened 9-10 times and it is unsafe for me and my family to drive when the car is reporting the error. We cannot drive it while the error is on and the dealership say they cannot fix it unless the error is showing.

Filed Nov 16, 2013 · Transmission · 16,000 miles · CO

Loses and regains power. Transmission reached 9000rpms. Car jerked car behind me almost hit me. Hard shifting constantly.