Two problems related to automatic transmission gear indicator have been reported for the 2013 Ford Escape. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2013 Ford Escape based on all problems reported for the 2013 Escape.
The transmission will perform a "hard" shift in and out of gears (mainly between third and fifth gear) randomly. The prnd indicators on the instrument cluster will flash sporadically when this occurs. There have been several instances when the car has slipped into neutral (especially on the highway at high speeds) when this occurs. I have also had an issue when the car is placed in reverse. It will slip in and out of gear and the back up camera will flash. I have taken it to several dealers and mechanics, and no one has been able to diagnose the issue. I am being told that no diagnosis codes appear in the on board computer. I am left driving an unsafe, unreliable car without any hope of a fix.
Park to reverse: vehicle transmission self engaged from park to reverse. Mechanical defect, as a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning. On wed. 12/20/17 at 3:10 p. M. � I was leaving work I entered my 2013 Ford Escape & started the vehicle with foot on brake. Noticed my front and back windows were covered with snow. Engaged the windshield wiper on front window, & realized that the snow was actually frozen ice that needed to be scraped. Vehicle was in park position, let up on the brake and there was no movement of the vehicle. Scraper in hand, got out of the vehicle to scrape the front windshield. When exiting the vehicle, the vehicle was still in park position/motionless. The vehicle was motionless from the time I exited the vehicle to the time I moved to side of car on driver side, to scrape the front windshield with scraper. I started to scrape my front windshield. After 3-4 scrapes on the front windshield, I noticed that the vehicle starting to move in the reverse direction which was away from where I was standing. I tried to open the door & get into vehicle to apply the brake, however, the door momentum knocked me to the ground & I was dragged by the door of the vehicle as the vehicle was moving in the reverse direction. I was looking at the front wheel as I was being dragged until the car turned enough to release me from the driver side door. The vehicle stopped when its back bumper hit the vehicle front bumper behind it. The was idling, and the vehicle was motionless when I got to it, it did not appear to be driving in reverse but was stationary idling as if it was in park position again. Ford case # cas-1377-1943, similiar to recall # 15s28 power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl) 2001-2009.