VehicleVerdict

2013 Ford Escape seat belts problems

The 2013 Ford Escape has 43 seat belts complaints filed with NHTSA — 1% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

43

Seat Belts complaints

1%

Share of year

5

Crash-involved

1

Related recalls

Seat Belts complaints by year

Related recalls

14V597000Seat BeltsSeptember 26, 2014 · 746,842 units

Defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Ford C-Max vehicles manufactured January 19, 2012, to November 21, 2013; Ford Fusion vehicles manufactured February 3, 2012, to August 24, 2013; Ford Escape vehicles manufactured October 5, 2011, to November 1, 2013; and Lincoln MKZ vehicles manufactured April 25, 2012, to September 30, 2013. The coating on portions of the Restraint Control Module (RCM) may crack, and when exposed to humidity, circuits on the printed circuit board may short.

Consequence

The short circuits could cause the frontal air bags, side curtain air bags and the seat belt pretensioners to not function as intended when needed, increasing the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the RCM, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. The recall began on May 26,2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S21.

Common questions

How many seat belts complaints does the 2013 Ford Escape have?

NHTSA has 43 complaints about the 2013 Ford Escape seat belts — 1% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Are there recalls for the 2013 Ford Escape seat belts?

Yes — 1 NHTSA recall campaign for this model year is tied to the seat belts: 14V597000.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.