Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Escape owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in rainy weather, the front driver's and passenger side windshield wipers failed to operate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the wiper motor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,500.
The contact owns a 2013 FORD Escape. The contact stated that the windshield wiper motors lost functionality. The vehicle was diagnosed but not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact that the Vin was not under recall regarding the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
In many words the wires are all mess up the AC buttons off it puts on the air and back wipes and the coolant system keep lossing coolant it smell the wiring have too it twice to where my extender warrant told me to they too 200 hund. For deductible and Labor 641.00 twice and the card is still with electric problems I m a senior citizen on SSI take care of two boys 5 and 8 alone with no help and thas the only means of transportation scare all the time that wires going catch on firer firestone tool my money and wasn't a n le to fix they told it was a recall on my car but why would they do that knowing that .I got really miess over Noow yal hot these vehicles out and only I pay carrots every month fateful and im driving a lemon I dont want to go to press cause don't see it in my heart something has to be don cause yal manufacturers these ford just want to be safe when me and boys are …
I have 2 issues 1.) my car is leaking coolant not sure from where. The leak is getting worse. I have coolant in my car, it was parked in the garage I made it a block from my house and my car shut down. Said it was overheating, don't even know how it coul have been that hot. The car was not registering hot inside, also the temperature gauge not registering hot. I waited 1 1/2 hours came back and my car won't go anywhere because I'm still getting the overheating message. 2.) my rear windshield wiper started making odd noises, then I kept finding my windshield wiper hanging straight down. It no longer wipes, but still makes noise. But it no longer works at all. A friend looked up this vehicle and saw there were common issues in complaints and told me to look to see if there were any recalls before I continued forward. But I don't see anything pertaining to either issue.
Windshield wiper malfunction While granddaughter and children were driving in rain on freeway, wipers started malfunctioning by working out of synchronization then failing forcing her to pull into emergency lane and stopping. After restarting engine they started wiping for a short time than quit. It was extremely dangerous. Research showed me this was a re accuring problem with other people that has caused dangerous situations, expensive and sometimes unsuccessful solutions.
I was driving in the snow and the wipers had stopped completely . The passenger doesn't move at all. The drive side goes up and stays completely up. As I've done research I've noticed a ton of 2013 escapes have wiper problems. I took it to the dealership. They arnt 100 percent sure what is wrong with it. They think it's the wiper switch. I'm gonna take it to ford aswell tomorrow. No warnings, just started happening & seems to be a common issue with ford.
We replaced new battery and the wiper arms and motor act up and destroy the wiper arm and motor for 2nd time and now I have to order new one arms and motor and I think ford should recall that wiper motors and arms
Scared to drive took to get inspected felt like Transmission keep slipping and I was told there is a recall on transmission Also windshield wipers won't go off have to remove fuse was told there is a recall
On December 20, 2014 at approximately 3:30 pm we were driving on i15 - into salt lake city - 19 miles south of I-80. Passenger moon roof shattered with a loud bang! Sounded like an explosion. It raised up the glass on the outside of the car. The temperature was 41 degrees outside & 71 degrees inside care. My husband & I were the only people in the car. We were in 5-6 lanes of traffic & did not stop until we got off the highway. Rain was coming so we took pictures with our camera & I phone & taped up the roof over the cracks & covered it with a tarp. We returned to boise area the following day. We parked it in our garage until we could deliver the car to lithia Ford in boise on 12/22/14. (we purchased it from lithia Ford) the service tech said he thought it would be covered by warranty but would have to contact Ford & get back with us. …
Both windshield wipers don't always work at the same time. Very often one or the other will completely stop in the upright position. They have collided a few times and once the wiper blade flew off from being hit by the other wiper. There is no pattern to this problem. It happens in light rain, heavy rain, when the vehicle is moving or stopped. The wipers have stopped completely in heavy rain causing a very hazardous situation. Two nearby dealerships have told us that no code comes up and that even though the problem was witnessed in the parking lot by staff, it couldn't be replicated in the shop. Therefore, they could do nothing. We have been struggling with this for over 2 years now and the problem is just getting worse. Thankfully, we haven't had an accident yet, but this is a safety hazard. A recall would be appropriate.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Escape years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2013 Ford Escape?
NHTSA has 38 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2013 Ford Escape, 1% of the model year's 2,751 complaints. The component named most often is windshield (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Escape window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2013 Ford Escape, though it has 18 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Ford Escape window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 41% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.