We are 103,000+ car owners sharing real-world car information.

Join Us

Any problems with this car at 87,000

Ask the People Who Own One: photograph by Michael Karesh

2013 - 2016 Ford Escape
delibird

Looking at a 2013 Ford Escape SE 4WD with 87,000 miles. Any comments? They are asking 12,900. .

« Return to results

Sign in or join TrueDelta to post your own thoughts.

Sort responses by likes

Response from Member4374

9:06 pm January 15, 2018

Obviously, I can't tell you anything about a car I haven't seen! I can say that my 2013 Titanium (63K miles) has been stone reliable, no repairs more complicated than tightening a nut, no rattles. It's a great car to drive; and I'm actually pretty impressed.
Still, you know, Ford (shrug).

1

Link to this reponse

Response from Member3968

9:59 pm January 15, 2018

Friend,

I own a 2017 Escape SE 2.0ltr Ecotech (turbo) with 20,000mi. It has been to the dealer three times for a strong oil smell in the cabin which may be the front differential going out as indicated by venting on the manifold (a known problem). However, the links below are more true to my overall experience with the 5 Fords I have owned. 2013 is the first model year...so that would draw additional caution. This will be my last Ford...moving on to the Subaru Outback.

Good luck.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2013-ford-escape-recalled-for-fire-risks.html

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140815/OEM11/140819918/ford-recalls-2013-escape-for-11th-time-this-time-for-wiring-problem

1

Link to this reponse

Response from timhood

12:15 am January 16, 2018

The 2013's were the first year of the new model. As such, they did experience more issues over the course of that first year. By now, this car would have had those issues addressed, so first-year caution doesn't really apply.

i have a 2014 Titanium 2.0 and my wife and I have been very happy with the car. We really like the way it drives and handles. We've had no repairs, only standard maintenance. Here are some observations:

I considered the 1.6 ecoBoost and am happy we ultimately got the 2.0. It's not about the power, but I learned that the 2.0 has a timing chain, so no belt service needed. That doesn't make the 1.6 a deal-breaker, but made the upgrade to the 2.0 easily justified. At 87K, if that vehicle has the 1.6 motor, you should make them do the belt if it hasn't been done already.

The front seats are comfortable for day-to-day use, but surprisingly, do not hold up as well for an all-day (5+ hour) drive. I get sore/achy spots that make me need to shift positions and appreciate the stretch break at the gas stop. It seems that (for me), I cant tilt the front of the seat down enough (driver's side) to prevent pressure on the lower thigh just above the knee. I drive with the seat in the lowest position, so if you have the seat higher, you might be able to get a better position. On a 17-day, 4,000+ mile road trip, I didn't notice a problem because we built-in sight-seeing and tourist stops during the day. I don't want this to seem like a big issue, because unless you drive a full tank non-stop, you likely will never have an issue.

Speaking of front seats, if those are leather, there have been some reports of cracking around the outer seat bolster on the seat bottom. Our driver seat has some and i'm Going to see if the dealer will address that for free (out of warranty, but there is a TSB from Ford on it). The repair is to replace the seat bottom cover. You could check closely to see if there's any cracking and ask for that to be addressed. Not everyone has that issue, so it could be related to very cold or hot weather as well.

That is the only issue we've had in a vehicle that we both agree that we love.

Oh, one other thing. if it has the nav system, the voice-activated features can be finicky. The system has much more trouble understanding my wife than me. It's about 90% accurate with me and about 67% with her. Pisses her off. :) And the Ford lawyers disable a lot of touch screen controls when the vehicle is moving-no chance to tap an "I'm the passenger" button or similar. Alas, that's common in a lot of cars.

1

Link to this reponse

Response from Sdonahue

6:33 am January 16, 2018

I just traded mine in, it had 56K, got 11500 for it, it's a great car, but 12 is a bit much for that many miles.

1

Link to this reponse

Response from timhood

8:20 am January 16, 2018

My ESP isn't as good as Sdonahue's, as somehow he knows your car's location, color, condition and options in order to make a value estimate on the car you're considering. In my area, the $11,500 that Sdonahue got on trade-in would be for a heavily-optioned vehicle in very good condition. The car you are looking at has more miles, so would have traded in for about $2,000 less. Keep in mind that dealer trade-in is like a wholesale value. Dealer asking price reflects their costs to make the car ready for sale and pay to run their business. That said, if you search local Auto Trader listings for 2013 Escapes, you'll get a pretty good idea of what they are going for in your area. Also, while there tends to be less negotiation with dealers on used cars than new, you should come in with a lower price. If their price is comparable to other dealers, try to get $500 off. If they are more than other dealers, come in lower and point that out. The Escape is a popular vehicle, so let them know there are plenty of cars to choose from. Unless you really have to get a vehicle right away, you're in control. (And if you do, don't let them know--as long as they think you can walk away, they'll try to make the deal work.)

While we're at it, don't buy any extended warranty--period. They are 40% mark-up. If you take that same money and save it for future repairs, you'll be way ahead. Don't finance through the dealer. Look for the lowest auto loan rates in your area if you're going to finance. This is usually a credit union. Get pre-approved. If you do, don't let the dealer do a "hard credit" pull. They will probably say they have to pull your credit to comply with anti-terrorism laws, which may or may not be accurate, but they can do that with a soft pull. Make it clear that you are not consenting to a hard credit pull. (This is better for your credit but outside the scope of discussion here.) Also, check with your state to see if the dealer documentation fee is capped by law. If so (yay), you won't be over-charged. If not, know that even though the dealer will tell you a story about how they have to charge everyone the same fee, that's not true. The fee is the F&I office's profit center. Know what that dealer's doc fee is going in and adjust your asking price accordingly. Everything is computerized these days, so even $150 is profit. But the finance guy doesn't want to take a cut on his piece of the pie, so if they have a high fee, you'll need to get that reduced by reducing the sales price of the car.

That said, while I don't know the fair market price of that particular car in your area, no matter what the price, I'd offer less, and reduce my offer even further if they have a high doc fee (and let them know you think their fees are over-priced). I'd come in with my own financing lined up and not accept anything they try to add-on to the car, like extended warranties, window etching, True Coat :) -- none of that crap.

1

Link to this reponse

Response from Member6560

2:20 pm January 16, 2018

You didn't say which engine that car has, but be aware that of the 2013 problems with engine fires and coolant loss on the 1.6 liter turbo engine. Some of the coolant loss has been attributed cracking in the cylinder head oer possibly a head gasket problem. Solutions have ranged from adding a sensor to the coolant tank to replacing the cylinder head and a full replacement engine. The 2.0 engines have been very solid, and reliable. Very happy with my '17 SE with the 2.0L engine.

1

Link to this reponse

Response from LectroFuel

9:51 pm January 17, 2018

I would never buy this car.

Read Carcomplaint's notes: "The 2013 Ford Escape has been in the news quite a bit and for all the wrong reasons. Within a few months of its release the SUV was recalled three times, twice because of engine fires. In July 2012, due to a fuel line that could split and leak, Ford told owners to park their cars because even driving to the dealership for repairs was deemed too dangerous. Instead, in a somewhat unprecedented move, Ford sent tow trucks to pick up the affected vehicles and handed out rental cars while the owners waited for repairs. A few months later the Escape was recalled again because antifreeze could leak out onto the engine due to a freeze plug becoming dislodged. As the coolant hit the hot engine there was, once again, a threat for fire. The 2013 is the first model year of the Escape's 3rd generation and proves once again that you want to avoid the first model year when at all possible."

There are more transmission failures than normal and multiple electrical glitches. I did not like my 2017 Escape rental and that was just because the handling was horrible. It is one of the least reliable small SUVs on sale right now with no offense to these owners who have responded.

0

Link to this reponse

Response from NormT

10:11 pm January 17, 2018

Even with my wife's Aunts leasing their Escapes and Fusions, they are on their second lease they like the Ford vehicles so much.

0

Link to this reponse

Response from NormT

9:24 am January 18, 2018

Lectrofuel, we are sorry you have been misinformed about the current generation of Ford Escape as a no-buy. But this very website rates the Escape at 29 repairs per 100 cars where the Honda CR-V is rated the same and you have recommended it multiple times.

Looks like consumers like their Ford Escape's.

http://www.jdpower.com/cars/Ford/Escape/2017/consumer-reviews

0

Link to this reponse

Response from LectroFuel

6:28 pm January 18, 2018

Wow! You just proved that 6 people like their Escape! These 6 people posted their review 3 times.

Since the car was first introduced, the Escape has never gotten a reliability rating of more than 3/5 by CR. TrueDelta says the 2017-2018 Escape owners have been experiencing a 132% average repair frequency. CR Ford Escape owner satisfaction has always been 1/5 or 2/5 every year since it was first produced, whereas the CR-V has always had 3/5 or 4/5. I wasn't comparing the Escape to any other car except the small SUV segment as a whole.

This proves once again to never buy the first year of a car. The 2017 CR-V isn't reliable on TrueDelta, but every other generation of the Escape is less reliable than the CR-V. It is meaningful when there is a trend. This person is looking to buy used so I don't know why you are talking about new cars.

0

Link to this reponse

Response from NormT

8:05 pm January 18, 2018

People don't buy a generation, they buy from a single model year. After I reviewed the years individually the Escape only has a couple .ore repairs per 100(132% is not representive of a single buying model) than does the CR-V. The CR-V went from 29 to 35 repairs per 100 or over 1/3rd. That is the worst single year of any model this side of an Alfa Romeo!

The 2017 Escape repair record is much lower than the older models along with CR-V and is under $20,000 for a SE AWD on cars.com. The new purchase should be considered if they were going to drive 10,000-12,000 miles and the cost of a 5-year old one with slightly higher than average miles. Plus better crash ratings and more safety features on anew car.


0

Link to this reponse

Sign in or join TrueDelta to post your own thoughts.

Return to top

See TrueDelta's information for all SUVs
See TrueDelta's information for all Ford models.