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 failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
2013 Ford Escape: stuck in gear or won't shift
64 of the 2,753 complaints about the 2013 Ford Escape describe stuck in gear or won't shift.
- owner complaints
- 64
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,500
- typical mileage
- 84,000
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 20 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Stuck in gear or won't shift by model year
What owners say
Car has been having problems immediately with the turbocharger which then seemed fine once taken in. Only to turn around and have the transmission go out. Once again, it was taken in and was reported that there is no transmission dipstick. It is going into limp mode due to slippage detected from the B clutch pack. There is a low chance that flushing out the fluid could buy the transmission some more time, but a large amount of clutch material has been worn off the internal transmission clutch packs and is saturating the fluid. Therefore needing an entire replacement of the transmission.
The shifter wouldn't go into park or start in park had to put in neutral to start it, was at a gas pump and the car started moving on its own had to jump in and pull the emergency brake to stop it and the vehicle was off, also the backup camera is upside down had it fixed but it goes right back upside down.
car is in park but when I tried to come out of park the arm move but it won't shift out of park.
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"
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the engine temperature gauge went to HOT, the vehicle decelerated, and the engine went into LIMP Mode. The engine overheated warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump failed and needed to be replaced. The water pump was replaced, and coolant was added. The coolant level was low immediately. The failure persisted and the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that there was coolant intrusion into cylinders #2 and #3. The contact was informed that the long block assembly and manifold needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 146,000.
Engine block failed allowing coolant into the cylinder heads. Vehicle stopped going to interstate into "limp mode" and daughter was stuck. Check engine light came on and said there was a misfire in cylinder 3.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the temperature gauge suddenly indicated that the engine was hot(H), before the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle eventually shut off in the middle of the highway, and the contact was forced to manually push the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the residence where it remained. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
My car was stuck in park and would not shift into D,N,R,S, or any other gear. There is recall on the shift cable bushing, which is the exact issue that the Ford dealership has repaired and I was charged. I informed them that perhaps my VIN was not included per my car is having the safety recall issue. They were not willing to find out or give me a proper explanation. I was under the impression that if it's safety recall there is no issue on the matter.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the coolant reservoir had failed, and an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
The shift gear got stuck. It appeared to be in park while it was not in park. So the shift gear was stuck in park while the car was in Standard mode and it moved when I lifted my foot off the breaks. This put me and my friend at risk as we were stuck on the road trying to shift gear to “Drive” but it wouldn’t. Also we couldn’t stop the car. During that time the engine light and the battery lights were on. It seems that Ford dealerships have recalled millions of cars in 2022 for the same problem. Why was my car not recalled and fixed? This has placed my life and my friends life who was with me in danger.
Fords recall 22V413000 was not repaired the shifter thing cause me to send my car into the unknown hands of two different texas dealerships after the 1st dealerships service on that recall ford sent me a letter stating after a quality assessment they were not sure the tech completed the job they were billed for and ask me to take it to a dealer to have it checked for that issue and was told I needed a new alternator less than 30 day later while driving the car quit shifting correctly would not shift into reverse. Transmission fault service soon lite up and the same second dealership told me the transmission clutch had burned up and it would cost me $ 5,700.00 to replace it with a new transmission. Now I’m totally without transportation
Service bulletins that may apply
- Certain 2013-2014 Model Year Escape and 2013-2016 Fusion Vehicles Equipped with a 6F35 Transmission Shift...
- On vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be...
- Illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and/or a transmission malfunction service now warning with...
- Some all-wheel drive (AWD) 2013-2018 Escape vehicles equipped with 1.5L/1.6L/2.0L EcoBoost/Fusion vehicles...
- Fluid leak from the PTU intermediate shaft seal
- No start condition with an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) and a DTC P161A after PCM replacement
- 2013-2017 fusion/escape/mkz (excluding 3.7L), 2015-2016 edge/explorer (excluding 3.5L/3.7L), 2015-2016...
- 6F35 transmission - fluid leak at left side halfshaft seal built on or before 10/14/2013 issue
Related recalls
Power train: shift linkage/cable/rod
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
- 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. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.
Recall number 22V413000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
- What is wrong
- 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 that attaches the transmission shifter cable to the transmission may degrade over time and cause the bushing to detach from the transmission. The condition could allow the driver to move the shift lever to Park and remove the ignition key, while the transmission may not be in Park, with no warning message or audible chime.
- Risk
- If the vehicle is exited without the transmission being in Park and without the parking brake being applied, the vehicle may unexpectedly move, increasing the risk of a crash.
- 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. Note: Owners are directed to use the parking brake until the recall remedy repairs can be made.
Recall number 18V471000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2013 Ford Escape won't shift
Is stuck in gear or won't shift a common problem on the 2013 Ford Escape?
64 of 2,753 owner complaints about the 2013 Ford Escape (2%) mention stuck in gear or won't shift. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
How much does it cost to fix stuck in gear or won't shift on the 2013 Ford Escape?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,500 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Ford Escape?
There are 2 recalls and 20 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2013 Ford Escape
Stalling 594Overheating 517Check engine light 358Engine failure 126Power steering loss 126Loss of power 125Fire or smoke 116Hesitation 91Jerking 67Door locks 66Transmission failure 60Won't start 51Fuel smell 47Misfire 44Steering lock-up 33Wipers 31Shudder 24ABS 22Fuel leak 21Slipping 19Fuel pump 17Seat belt 15Sudden acceleration 15Warning lights 15Airbag light 14Harsh shifting 14Backup camera 12Oil consumption 12Adaptive cruise 10No deployment 10Ball joint 9Brake failure 9Key fob 8Battery drain 7Grinding brakes 7Tire blowout 7Knocking 6Headlights 6Screen failure 5Sunroof shattered 5Water leak 5
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