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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2013 Ford Escape Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
401about this part
Share
15%of 2,753 total for the year
Median mileage
81,500miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 401 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2013 Ford Escape, 15% of the 2,753 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 81,500 miles. 10 of these say a crash was involved and 7 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Driving on expressway, and was losing speed. My vehicle gas pedal stopped working to have any speed. A bright light came on dashboard: service transmission, and my vehicle stopped. I had to coast it off expressway so I wouldn't get hit or rear ended. It is currently at the Ford dealership. I had it towed there, but they aren't open til monday.”

NHTSA complaint #11360014, filed 2020-09, 168,000 miles

“As I was driving down local roads my engine was making s sound as if a fan was running on high speed and I could feel the engine losing power. After about 2 miles a message appeared on the screen that said transmission failure. I pulled into a parking lot and had to have it towed. I had it towed to a local repair shop and was told it needed a new transmission.”

NHTSA complaint #11195848, filed 2019-04, 105,000 miles

“Every time we come to a complete stop the Escape stalls and you need to re-start the car. I've brought to a dealer and they think its the torque convertors which is inside the transmission. Some escapes with this same year have been recalled already but when I checked with my dealer they said my has not. They estimated the cost of the fix at $4000.”

NHTSA complaint #11114729, filed 2018-07, 140,000 miles

“After backing into the driveway, I put moved the shifter into park and turned off the car. I stepped off the brake and the car started rolling down the drive. I was able to put the emergency brake on to stop the rolling. I tried to restart the car and it would not start because the car was not in park. I am able to move the shifter but the transmission does not change gears at all.”

NHTSA complaint #11361523, filed 2020-09, 112,000 miles

“The transmission shifts really hard from second gear to third gear even in sport mode it jerks very hard when shifting from second gear to third gear and it seems like the vehicle goes to the right when this happens.it is not normal as I've had alot of vehicles in my lifetime and never had this kind of problum”

NHTSA complaint #11324900, filed 2020-05, 150,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025312%
202423%
20232525%
20223113%
20214613%
202024315%
201912821%
201827615%
201739114%
201632127%
201528725%
201448123%
201340115%
20126611%
201126820%
201050825%
200930118%
200832917%
20074417%
20068017%
20051178%
2004275%
20035510%
200210510%
200112813%
2000120%

Other parts of the 2013 Ford Escape

Engine
1,266 complaintsElectrical system
339 complaintsOther or unknown
303 complaintsSteering
303 complaintsFuel system
287 complaintsEngine cooling
175 complaintsVehicle speed control
92 complaintsBody and structure
87 complaintsBrakes
72 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
65 complaintsAir bags
54 complaintsSeat belts
43 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2013 Ford Escape

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology