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2013 Ford Escape

1568101115

Comments

  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,204
    My wife has an AWD Titanium with about 1K miles one it.
    I'm going to hold off on the mileage returns for a while, but since it has the 19's like yours, I went to TireRack and looked them up.
    They are rated for 60k miles, which is pretty good.
    We also have an '09 with 50k+ on it.
    The original Michelin's are rated for 65k, but I think they will be good for much more than that.
    Every 5k, I get 'The Works' done (oil change/tire rotation).
    I check tire pressures pretty often on all my vehicles.
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    Finally, the 2.0L SEL arrived and the dealer had it prepped and waiting for me yesterday. I noticed the mpg slowly dropped as the car was sitting there idling with the dealer giving me the run-through of the controls. I can see where it will take some time getting used to the dash when compared to my 2003 Explorer.

    I converted my iTunes library over to MP3 and loaded it all onto an SD card. The Entertainment Center indexed everything and allows choosing music by artist, song, genre, and so on which is nice. iPhone connected nicely and loaded my phone directory. Not so good with that is that it is sorting by first name, and does not load the contact photos.

    Now where to hardwire the radar detector? I saw a company mentioned elsewhere called BlendMount. Even though they claim to have a mirror mount for the 2013 Escape, looking at their gallery and looking at the mirror in the Escape, I don't thinks it is possible to attach their mount.

    If anyone know any easy access 12v accessory wires, lemme know!
  • clwalker3clwalker3 Member Posts: 7
    Ok, I am cautiously saying "Eureka" on the MyFord Touch on my 2013 Escape. After all of the frustration and headaches, it looks like the new software flash update of the system has it working like I would have expected when I bought the car. It links up seamlessly with my iPhone, locates the Bluetooth easily, indexes my device, shows the complete title of my audiobook and either autoplays my title or plays instantly on voice command if the audio has been turned off. This had all been extremely buggy and hit or miss, or didn't work at all before. I am going to give it a few days before I wholeheartedly say the issues are fixed, but it is looking good right now. If this continues to work well, I will be a very satisfied customer!
  • hawks405hawks405 Member Posts: 1
    I have had nothing but problems with my new escape. It has been back to the dealer with sync problems that they cannot seem to fix. The phone, radio heat and air go dead all the time. Have been talking for ford about the lemon law. I would not recommend this car.
  • clwalker3clwalker3 Member Posts: 7
    edited November 2012
    Check with Syncservices. I had issues with Sync driving me crazy. It was doing a lot of bizarre things A replacement of the sync system did not help. I had them escalate it on the syncservices support line and got a call from the design team. They said the newer iPhones were corrupting the sync software. They arranged a service call with my dealer. They just released a new software update a week ago that seems to have resolved all of my issues with sync (at least so far!). I have not had problems since the update was installed. It is now working like I expected when I bought the car.
  • tinycadontinycadon Member Posts: 287
    I don't have the iPhone and have had the same exact issues as Hawk, maybe not the same frequency, but have had the radio cut out for no reason twice, had the heat/climate system shut off at a stop light for no reason, the clock on the radio is constantly changing times on me in the middle of the night while I'm sleeping. I am very disappointed in the MFT system, the car is great, but these issues really make me regret my decision!
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    I just installed 3.5.1. I don't know what has changed, although 3.2.2 seemed pretty stable to me.
  • ghostpepperguyghostpepperguy Member Posts: 6
    Do you have to bring the vehicle in to have the new software update installed?
  • automelon48automelon48 Member Posts: 105
    coldnfrosty

    How did you get the 3.5.1 ?
    I took delivery of my factory ordered 2.0 FWD last week and have 3.2.2 installed and I get no options on syncmyride to upgrade. I love my Escape so far, but would like to get rid of a couple of MFT glitches.
  • escapeismescapeism Member Posts: 39
    Looks like you just missed the cutoff/mandate by Ford to uograde all new inventory. Which means you might have to take it to the dealer and have them do it.
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    Just download it from the Ford site:

    http://www.syncmyride.com/syncmedia/swparts/Gen2v351build12285updatepackageRev3.- exe

    Here's a link to the TSB document with instructions:

    https://dl.dropbox.com/u/1257774/tsb12-11-01.pdf
  • clwalker3clwalker3 Member Posts: 7
    After I escalated it with Ford, they actually contacted my dealer and had them call me to set up an appointment to replace the software a few days later. The dealership had just gotten the flash drives with the upgrade the first of this week. So far so good, though I did have a glitch last night that made me worry if the problems were returning. Today, though, it has worked perfectly. I can live with an occasional hiccup if it is not a regular occurrance.
  • automelon48automelon48 Member Posts: 105
    Thanks for the info. I will likely perform this upgrade on the weekend.
    My vehicle was manufactured on Oct 10, 2012. Not sure when the factory may have started installing software that is newer than 3.2.2

    The MFT works pretty well. Just a few glitches. It will read my text messages to me and then if I use a voice command to "reply to message", it automatically chooses message 10 or "Yes" as my reply to a text message. If I cancel the reply, it will cancel momentarily and then try to send message 10 again. It seems to get stuck in a loop.

    Again, most things work really well. I am quite happy with the vehicle after a week of driving.
  • pzampzam Member Posts: 19
    Hey coldnfrosty,
    Where do you find TSBs?
    Ford hasn't even posted anything about the availability of 3.5.1 on SyncMyRide. It sure would be nice to know what things they are fixing that they aren't telling us all about.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    You can get summary TSB info at the Edmunds Car Maintenance Guide and at the NHTSA.

    BBBind.com is another good source - they often have full text TSBs.
  • cmooreinwacmooreinwa Member Posts: 1
    I have a Escape SEL on order... How many weeks should I expect to wait for delivery. It will be 2 weeks since I ordered....mid December? I hope sooner. Can't wait!!!!!
  • automelon48automelon48 Member Posts: 105
    Mine arrived at the dealer exactly 7 weeks after I ordered it. Another couple of days for dealer prep. I am in Western Canada. I spent a lot of time on this forum for those 7 weeks, like I am sure you are now.
    SEL 2.0 FWD, MFT, park assist, tow package etc.
    Really enjoying the Escape.
    I will post milage info as soon as I have some meaningful data. So far it looks like I will be right on the EPA numbers. +/-
  • pzampzam Member Posts: 19
    Thanks, but unfortunately the one recently posted doesn't show up on either of these sites. Maybe there is a bit of a delay.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    That's probably it. Sometimes TSBs don't seem to show up anywhere but at the dealer too (and we find out about them when someone manages to scan a copy and post it on the net somewhere).

    A friendly service writer might be willing to make you a copy.
  • escapeti2013escapeti2013 Member Posts: 9
    All -

    I was about to install the 3.5.1 update but saw the note about needing a new SD card for the navigation system. Am I just going to have to have the dealer do the update so I can get the new SD nav card?
  • mbb21mbb21 Member Posts: 7
    I have been looking for the ECM/OBD plug (where you connect an Auto Code Reader) and cannot find it anywhere. It usually is under the steering wheel well area above the brake pedal. At least that is where it was on my old Explorer. Anyone has any ideas where it is located on a 2013 Escape?
  • thelawthelaw Member Posts: 2
    Sitting at the dealer now waiting for Sync update. Have had the car two weeks now. Came in this morning to have a roof rack installed (included in sale price). Last week had a problem with clock reset.
    This morning had problem connecting cell phone to sync. Salesman knew nothing about sync update.
    I found out about the update from this forum (thank you). Service knew about the update but didn't offer to install until I asked about it. They are not concerned about the clock reset right now, to them it's a nonissue. Wait is estimated at an hour for sync update, will have to come back if clock reset needs to be fixed. I guess this is the price you pay for all of this new technology.
  • southtxsouthtx Member Posts: 14
    I guess this is the price you pay for all of this new technology.

    Well, it's certainly the price you'll pay if you just accept it for what it is... which is broken. You've already paid for the technology... and you paid a lot for it.

    An earlier comment mentioned a 'cutoff date' for the updated SYNC to be installed in the new models. Well, that's a laugher. If there's an update available, Ford should have the dealer installing it in every Escape sitting out there on a lot waiting for a buyer... whether it was manufactured before a cutoff or not. Instead, they wait for Mister Customer to realize he has a problem. I simply don't understand why it's so hard for Ford management to understand... buyers are angry when they get on the Internet and see the problem they have has been around a long time.
  • tim156tim156 Member Posts: 308
    edited November 2012
    Know before you post. The actuality is there was a ship and sales hold until all Escapes could be updated with the new software including the A4 card for NAV optioned vehicles.
  • escapeismescapeism Member Posts: 39
    What I meant by "cutoff" is the vehicle might of already shipped without the update being done at the factory.
  • smellsfishysmellsfishy Member Posts: 7
    I just bought a 2013 ford escape se and am also having a bad exhaust smell in the cabin. It stops if I turn on recirculate, but then it comes off recirculate after 5 mins, all by itself.
  • clwalker3clwalker3 Member Posts: 7
    Well, I'm still on the fence after the MyFord Touch update. It definitely performs way better than it did before the update. In fact, it works seamlessly for days at a time, but I have still had 3 or 4 hiccups in the last week that concern me - the same type of glitches as before, bluetooth not being located or connecting and the radio coming on instead. Then the system seems to recover and work well again for a period of time. At one point, after difficulty connecting, the title of the track was garbled and the voice control word "listening" on the entertainment tab was garbled. The garbled letters seemed to include oriental characters before it came back to English. I wonder what is up with that? The garbled title had the following format - "oriental character K ?". Anyway, before the update, the problems just got worse and worse. At the moment, it seems to be intermittent glitches and the system recovers. Better, but not a complete fix.
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    Clearly marked panel that says OBD just below the headlight switch. Grab the handle and the panel pulls down exposing the plug.
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    Took close to 8 weeks for mine. Received it last week.
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    I had the cruise control set for 70 the other day on a 220 mile trip. Settled in around 22.4 mpg according to the display, which is relative since there was some city driving on the front end. What got me though was the "miles before empty" display. I pulled into the gas station when it was at 9 miles left to empty and filled 13.1 gallons. I guess in theory I should have been able to get another 40 plus miles on the gas I had since its a 15 gal tank. So 300-320 miles on a tank should be the norm in 40-deg weather.
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    I guess in theory I should have been able to get another 40 plus miles on the gas I had since its a 15 gal tank.

    But don't run it too low. The fuel pump is cooled by the gasoline so exposing it for too long may cause issues long term.
  • mbb21mbb21 Member Posts: 7
    Thank you. Getting old and can't see what is in front of my face anymore......
  • tinycadontinycadon Member Posts: 287
    You'll never get to use the entire tank capacity, you have the real size: 15.1g and then you have the "useable" size. I was able to use 13.3g on one of my trips. Sucks because my older Escape had a 16.5 gallon tank & I was able to use 15.5-15.8 gallons, and so far my mixed driving in the new Escape is getting me only 18.9mpg's with 1.6l fwd. I did some calculations with the old Escape and through the first few thousand miles I was getting 23.5mpg in the 2.0l fwd. My driving sytle did not change and filled up at the same gas station each time (has 10% ethanol). So much for the fuel efficiency, the only place I find it's better is in straight highway mileage, 2mpg better. Highly dissapointing!
  • cbc410cbc410 Member Posts: 20
    I too have had horribly low mileage - 15-16 mpg city and 19.5 combined. Started complaining as soon as I got the car. Have called it to the attention of both Ford and my dealer. Neither care in the slightest. They tell me that the gas mileage will improve after the car has 2000 miles on it. Somehow I don't see how it will improve 50%, which is how much it has to increase. I am starting to think that if the mileage is significantly lower than advertised we should all join forces and push Ford to negotiate with us. Anybody game?
  • pzampzam Member Posts: 19
    Just had my AWD Titanium in for service visit #6 since picking it up in mid-August (arrrgh). Most issues are now resolved, but one remains. The navigation directions shown on the Information Display (i.e., the one above the steering wheel) do not seem to work correctly. When the navigation is set to always on (via settings/display/navigation), it only displays navigation information while route guidance is active. In other words, there is no difference between the selections for "always on" and "on guidance". And when navigation instructions do display, the directions do not update on the "intelligent 4WD" screen. It lists the next turn, but never updates the distance or turn information -- it just continues to display the initial information. The dealer just installed the 3.5.1 Sync update, but that didn't fix the problem. The dealer says they duplicated the problem on another Escape. Can anyone else confirm that this is a bug? I suspect this is a software issue that they may or may not ever get to.
  • pzampzam Member Posts: 19
    Lots of other posts on this. I can confirm that mileage improved after a couple thousand miles, but not by 50%. City driving and turbo use definitely kill the mileage. I've found the highway mileage to be close to advertised, but my city mileage is usually down around 20. I suspect that acceleration practices can make this vary a lot. YMMV.
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    It's more like $2,690, not $795, since they force the technology package on you. I tried to get the $795 nav at the dealer when I made my purchase, but the system would not let him.
  • girlfeia7girlfeia7 Member Posts: 2
    I am very curious what people are getting with 1.6 escape 4x4 I read 19-20 miles per gal. I am a honda owner my self and came very close to buying the escape this summer and decided to make payments to my self till I could decide on the Escape vs the Honda crv. The escape caught my eye as I am all about tec . I have read numerous reviews on all the problems with the escape techonlogy. how the Iphone messes up the system. freezing up ect. I am feeling the same with the honda Crv as being a Boring ride . like I said will keep making payment till I can decide or they can work the bugs out or honda bulids a exciting CRV ! happy driving
  • brad97brad97 Member Posts: 2
    Has anyone found the tow eye hook that is mentioned on page 191 of the Owner's Manual? It should be located in the spare wheel well along with the car jack. You will notice that the front underside of the vehicle is completely enclosed and therefore there is no place to hook a tow rope. They have provided a removable plastic cover on the front right bumper where you can screw in the tow eye that the manual says "must be in the vehicle at all times". We have been told at the dealership that it is an accessory. We have not found it listed as an accessory anywhere, and it would be like saying that the car jack is found in the trunk but you have to buy it as an accessory. If this is true, I'll forget about purchasing ANY new Ford product. I hope you are enjoying your new Ford experience more than me.
  • sportclimbersportclimber Member Posts: 5
    I have noticed the exact same issue, takes a long time to change the info on the screen. but, have not updated my sync yet. I will bugg the dealer about it soon.
    I drive in the Intel 4x4 screen all the time to see how much power is applied to the wheels and when, to see if that affects my mpg's.
  • escapeismescapeism Member Posts: 39
    Yes, it is an accessory, found here: http://accessories.ford.com/recovery-hook.html
  • pzampzam Member Posts: 19
    Does your nav info on the 'intelligent 4WD' screen ever change? You said it takes a long time. Mine never updates at all no matter how far I drive or how many turns I make. The only way I can get it to update is if I change screens (e.g., go to my key or trip 1). Otherwise, it just remains fixed.
  • tim156tim156 Member Posts: 308
    edited November 2012
    The tow/recovery hook is required for all vehicles in Europe and the printing in the Owner's Manual is probably a carry over from the European Kuga manual. A car jack is required in all U.S. cars so your analogy falls flat. As someone has already posted, the recovery hook is available through the Ford Accessory Store. I have to laugh at your last statements. If what is true you'll forget about purchasing ANY Ford product, you already know there's no tow hook, and now you know that it's available on the Ford web site, so is this your last Ford? You don't mention any other issues with your Escape, so not having the tow hook has ruined your experience? You must be hard to please.
  • brad97brad97 Member Posts: 2
    tim156 In response to your question, here are just a "few" of our difficulties so far: the am/fm radio never worked [repaired by removing headliner and fixing broken wire to antenna] the radio turns itself on at top volume and does not respond to the dash or steering wheel controls. Must turn the vehicle off, wait and then start it again and hope it works. The color control for the interior lights does not respond consistently. When it gets cold, we get a loud thud in the rear of the vehicle when going over a minor bump on the road. With careful driving, we are only able to achieve half the proclaimed gas mileage that Ford boasts about, similar to other peoples' claims on this website.

    The point I'd like to make is that there is no indication that this tow hook is an accessory on the Canadian website, even under listed options and accessories. Secondly, no owner will be aware that if they end up in the ditch, there will be no way for them to be towed out as there are no places to put a tow rope. It's the principle of it all.....in Alberta, snow storms happen and it would be great to know that other Ford drivers are informed of this possible problem. It's unfortunate that most Ford Escape drivers won't be aware of this until they find themselves stranded in the cold.
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    I am looking for an "accessory power" tap, preferably off the passenger compartment fuse box where I can add a circuit. However, when I check the voltage on the circuits there, they all appear to be at 12v with the ignition off. Anyone know where I can tap 12v that is available only when the key is either on accessory or the car is running? Many thanks.
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    Found one - fuse 85.
  • automelon48automelon48 Member Posts: 105
    After 2 weeks of ownership and 1200km (750 miles) I am rating this vehicle as an 8.5 or closer to 9 out of 10.
    My vehicle is 2013 SEL 2.0 FWD with all available options but the sunroof. (also have towing pkg)

    Here is a summary of likes / dislikes, experiences etc.

    Likes: (no particular order)
    1) Very Quiet ride with a good suspension. Very car-like and handles very well.
    2) Sony sound system is excellent.
    3) Steering wheel controls, take getting used to, but they are very good.
    4) Memory seats which include memory lumbar and mirrors.
    5) Excellent engine power and good fuel economy combination when driven reasonably. (see my comments in the 2013 Gas Mileage discussion)
    6) Power tailgate can be programmed by the push of a button to raise to a certain height. A surprise feature that allows me to open the tailgate and not hit the top of my garage door opening.
    7) My Ford Touch has some great features. It is not perfect yet, but I am liking it more and more. (minus a few glitches) Voice Commands work well for the most part. I have 2000 names in my phonebook and I can still use the voice-dial feature. Nice.
    8) Towing capacity. I have not towed with it yet, but I have no doubt it will handle my 1800 lb trailer with ease. (this factored into my purchase decision. no one else comes close on this)
    9) Park assist works very well, although it is not a feature I really wanted. (just wanted backup camera, but in Canada it is in a package)
    10) Cross traffic alert can be a bit annoying, but it also seems to work well. Overall a Plus.
    11) BLIS (Blind spot Info Sys) Came with Park assist. Didn't really want it, but overall a Plus.
    12) Keyless entry/start, remote start, door keypad, remote tailgate etc. All work well.

    Dislikes
    1) Small fuel tank. This vehicle will have the shortest range of any vehicle I have owned in recent years. I suspect when I am towing, the range will be less than desireable.
    2) There is no real storage for the driver. The other day I looked for a place to keep a few coins for the carwash and I could not find a spot. I do not want to put them in the cup holders or the bottom of the arm-rest, where they would be difficult to retreive.
    3) The MFT system has a couple of glitches. (version 3.2.2) It reads my text messages for a day or two then stops. I have to do a Master Reset to get them going again. Also replying to text messages by voice command, it gets stuck on one answer and then I have to exit. I have a system update scheduled at dealer. I hope this resolves problem.
    4) I sometimes need to press the button on the dash to silence a parking sensor which thinks there is a problem while I am sitting at a red light. ( I think falling snow has contributed to the problem a couple of times) Not a big issue once I knew where the button was to turn feature off.

    I may have more to add (positive or negative) in the future. So far I am pleased with purchase.
  • coldnfrostycoldnfrosty Member Posts: 25
    Looks like you got the technology package. I did not, but I agree with most of your "likes." I have the Continental tires on my SEL, and they are lower profile than I have had on the past, and wonder if they contribute to the firmer ride I'm experiencing. Not a complaint, since I had been driving an Explorer for the past 10 years!

    I agree about the small fuel tank. Although I though 15.1 gal at 28 mpg would take me 400 miles, I am getting less than 300 per tankful and found that a fill-up is 13.1 gal when the distance to empty is in the single digits.

    I also agree about the driver storage. I got used to the coin holder in the Explorer. But the SEL has a very deep center storage console that is somewhat useless. I think they could have engineered something a bit more useful in terms of access.

    No real issues with 3.5.1 on the MFT. But, I would like to have the flexibility of upgrading to the Nav package. The dealer wanted $2690 to get that because it only came with the technology package.

    No texting here. For some reason Ford/Microsoft and Apple don't play well together.
  • lateralglateralg Member Posts: 929
    According to owners manual there's a 1.5 gallon reserve in tank when gage reads empty.
  • izedamanizedaman Member Posts: 16
    Same as you coming from the bla crv. i got the escape almost 2k miles no problems with the tech. mpg on the other hand is still way off on my 2.0 t
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