2013+ Ford Escape Forum banner
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#1 ·
I have a 2013 Ford Escape SE 1.6L GTDI. I have taken my car in to the dealership 3 different times for coolant loss. Ford customer service has been contacted and the dealership has tried all of the recommendations at this point. Ford is now telling me that they can see the coolant levels drop but, they can not find where it is going. Since they can't find where it is going then there isn't any issue with the car and it is "safe" to drive. The car has about 20,000 mile on it currently. I have had the vehicle in the shop for about 32 days now. This last time was 7 days in the shop with no solution. I was told that since Ford has can't find the leak there is no issue. I am wondering if anyone else is having the same issue with their Escape or am I just special. Thanks for any help.
 
#2 ·
#549 ·
what is the build date on your 1.6?

This latest round of recalls is the third related to the 2013 Escape powered by the 1.6-liter engine. Last September 7600 units were recalled due to a cup plug within the cylinder head that could become dislodged, causing coolant to leak and possibly catch on fire.

Read more: 2013 Ford Escape Recalled For Fire Risks - Motor Trend WOT
what is the build date on your 1.6?

This latest round of recalls is the third related to the 2013 Escape powered by the 1.6-liter engine. Last September 7600 units were recalled due to a cup plug within the cylinder head that could become dislodged, causing coolant to leak and possibly catch on fire.

Read more: 2013 Ford Escape Recalled For Fire Risks - Motor Trend WOT
How do I go about checking to see if my Escape falls under the recalls for the coolant issues?
 
#3 ·
Ford Produces Fix in Voluntary Safety Recall of 2013 Escapes, 2013 Fusions with 1.6-liter Engines




  • Ford today announced a corrective action to address potential engine overheating that could result in engine fires in 2013 Ford Escape SE and SEL models with the 1.6-liter engine and 2013 Ford Fusion SE and SEL models with the 1.6-liter engine

  • Ford will make updates to the cooling system software to better manage engine temperatures during a unique overheating condition. Original cooling system design was not able to address a loss of coolant system pressure under certain operating conditions. The new software will resolve this issue

  • Escapes equipped with the 2.0-liter and 2.5-liter engines are unaffected as are Fusions equipped with 2.5-liter and hybrid engines

  • Ford remains absolutely committed to continuously improving and providing the highest-quality vehicles to its customers. When a potential issue is identified, Ford acts promptly on behalf of customers
 
#4 ·
The build date is January 17, 2013. It is under the current recall which Ford has told me they hope to have a solution by the end of June 2014. They told me I just need to keep taking it to the dealership and have them add coolant when it is low.
 
#7 ·
I have a 2013 Ford Escape SE 1.6L GTDI. I have taken my car in to the dealership 3 different times for coolant loss. Ford customer service has been contacted and the dealership has tried all of the recommendations at this point. ...
duke594,

I want to take a look at your customer service case and see what's going on with your Escape. Will you please PM me your VIN or case number?

Thanks!

Ashley
 
#123 ·
Coolant loss


I've had my Escape 1.6lt for about 2 years and have only put 5,000 miles on it and the coolant light went on yesterday. I've already took it in for the fire risk that was suppose to take care of the coolant problem. I'm taking it in Monday for another recall for the airbags and they said they would look at it.But they made it sound like they have never heard about it before.
 
#9 ·
My bet is on micro cracks in the cylinder head. A small amount of coolant is being burned off and out the exhaust.


Is this a design flaw, or just caused from cooling issues? I'm sure we will never be told fully.

I remember back when the 1st generation Dodge Neon came out. A cheap head gasket was used which caused coolant leaks. Chrysler never did a full scale recall, and most repairs where left up to the customer.
 
#12 ·
If these are micro cracks, there will only be a very tiny amount of coolant being burned, probably not enough to even be noticed in the exhaust.

This is why the coolant level only drops slightly in the 1.6 Ecoboost (the engines under the recall anyways). I really hope this is not an issue with all the 1.6L Ecoboost engines.

Now if it was a major head gasket leak like the Dodge Neon had then you would see a milk shake in your engine oil, and see lots of white smoke out the exhaust pipe.
 
#13 ·
It isn't a big leak. I have had to fill the coolant twice since the beginning of February. It was almost empty both times. I can smell the coolant every time I turn the car off and get out. It is definitely burning coolant in the engine but a little at a time.
 
#14 ·
That is quite a bit of coolant. A new vehicle should not use up any coolant.

This is very concerning for a new vehicle. Makes me wish I would have bought a 2.0 FWD instead of the 1.6
 
#15 ·
According to the Ford engineering support line, "this is normal and there is no issue at this time". I have a 4 year old Nissan and I have never had to add coolant to it. I talked to the dealership today and they did not look at the cylinder head. all they did was remove the spark plugs and look for coolant in the cylinders. I tried to explain that they wouldn't see coolant there because it is only a small amount at a time and is being fully burned off.
 
#16 ·
Their is a simple hydrocarbon test that any shop can do that will show a coolant leak from the combustion chamber. Its cheap and it works every time. The only thing is getting it up to operating temperature with the fill cap off. The way it works is their is a test tube that comes in a kit along with a blue chemical, you put the chemical in the tube and it then goes over the fill where it filters the fumes coming out, if the chemical turns light green or yellow their are hydrocarbons in the cooling system where their should be none. I have used this hundreds of times with great sucess. The only thing is on small leaks it takes some time, some heat, and some cylinder pressure (ie; revving the engine) to get the leak to show. The only reasion a dealership would not be able to find a leak, would be not doing the test, not taking enough time doing the test, or not wanting to find the problem...;) Here is a vidio of the test I found on utube, as you can see its not rocket science. How to test head gasket failure using an antifree…: How to test head gasket failure using an antifreeze HC Tester - YouTube.
Mark
 
#19 ·
another early build one leaking antifreeze along with the smell of it burning off, we had it 2 months when the first recall hit and had it taken away and off the road, now even with the repairs done under the latest recall it still is using coolant,


I have been a loyal ford owner since 1964, and had after the 21 day trip ford give us a 75 k extend warranty but we still don't feel safe not when you smell burning antifreeze
 
#22 ·
20 brand new fords in my life, this is the first ever that has had such major issues.my wife just called at about noon, I'm smelling it again, the coolant bottle is at the bottom line again, thank full I have a very good caring dealer that we deal with back on Tuesday.
 
#23 ·
Hey,I thought it was just mine.

My 1.6L loses coolant too. I have to top off the coolant about once a month when it gets below the "LOW" mark on the tank.
After driving and we park it in the garage I can smell coolant when standing in front of the car.
I took it to the dealer a couple months ago and they thought they found the problem and changed the water pump.
That didn't fix it.

We are taking it back to our dealer again in a week or so when it hits 20,000 miles and have it serviced while its there.

Never had a new car absorb coolant before.
 
#25 ·
The Ford dealership just called me to tell me they have performed the recall 13S12 fix after having my car for 10 days. They told me it was a 52 page manual and a bunch of parts they had to replace from hoses to the thermostat to a wiring harness. I have to drive about 700 miles this weekend and I will be keeping an eye on the coolant level. I told the Service Advisor that I would let him know if it worked or not ( I have about 1% faith it fixed the issue since I believe the issue is cracks in the cylinder head). I will update this post to let everyone know my findings.
 
#26 ·
I've noticed the coolant in my1.6L 2014 Escape getting low. I'm going to buy some coolant and keep an eye on the level. I have a little over 2,000 KM's on the vehicle, so it may be due to the break in period of the engine?
 
#27 ·
If you smell coolant inside the car with windows up and the HVAC off or on recirculate than its a heater core. If you smell it outside towards the front than it probably is a coolant leak on the engine. If you smell it towards the back than it might be burning coolant.
Mark
 
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#29 ·
We went though this same thing on our 2013 1.6 SE. The dealer did all kinds of test, pressure test and leak downs, and the system was holding pressure, but about 1 day after getting it back each time (it was in 3 times) the coolant level would drop about 2 to 3 inches from where the dealer had just filled it up. When we stopped and turned off the car, we could smell coolant. Ford tech line told my dealer to use a mic and look inside the head. Sure enough there was micro cracks all though it. Ford did a vehicle exchange for us, putting us a left over 2.0 SE. But it took almost 11 weeks to get everything resolved, so prepare to be patient..
 
#32 ·
Ford tech line told my dealer to use a mic and look inside the head. Sure enough there was micro cracks all though it. But it took almost 11 weeks to get everything resolved, so prepare to be patient..
When I talked to the dealership they told me that Ford tech line told them to just pull the spark plugs and look for coolant. I asked if they looked at the head and they said did not. What is a "mic"? I am wondering if I should suggest that to the dealership. Did Ford reach out to you about the issue/ replacing the vehicle or did you have to call them about it? Thanks for any info.
 
#31 ·
More importantly, is the 1.6 block and head system strong enough to withstand forced induction?
There are many sad stories of DIY turbo or super charging destroying perfectly good engines.
Wonder if Ford made a mistake like a backyard shadetree mechanic would?
I presently have no problems, but am becoming concerned about the longevity of my 1.6.
 
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