4-wheel drive activation

Asked by Terisue Jan 05, 2014 at 08:36 PM about the 2013 Ford Escape

Question type: General

I bought a 2013 Escape last summer.  According to the manual, it automatically shifts
into 4-wheel drive when slippery conditions are Present.  Am I reading that correctly?

17 Answers

44,985

Yes the ECM picks up the signal when the front or rear spins depending on the vehicle and locks the other axle in. It will stay in until it sees conditions where it doesn't get a signal that the wheels are trying to spin. Most of the time you will never feel it engage or disengage.

32 people found this helpful.
600

If your Escape is equipped with the Intelligent 4WD system (some are just Front Wheel Drive), it is basically an AWD system, which means it will, most of the time, drive with just the front wheels, but it has a computer which senses hundreds of different things from breaking, steering, wheel slippage and vehicle inclination and other systems to see if it needs additional torque from the rear wheels. You will often find this happen upon launch from a stop. The system will send about half the power from the front to the rear wheels so that you don't get wheel spin. After it passes 22mph, it will then readjust to a handling mode where it will alter the power sent to the rear tires according to gravitational forces, breaking and steering to make sure you don't lose control over Escape. It also kicks in the torque when it senses that one of the front wheels is slipping and then send torque to the back wheels so that all 4 are providing pull. This system is designed so that you never have to think about it, so just drive.

60 people found this helpful.
450

I replaced my front wheel sensor right side 4 wheel locks in it strains and bind then locks out 4 wheel each time it is started, 2005 Ford escape how can we fix this

45 people found this helpful.
1,550

How do I know my 2018 Ford Escape is 4WD? There are no buttons to turn it on.

155 people found this helpful.

Does it say AWD or 4wheel drive on it? Look underneath to see if there is a rear differential and driveshaft.

19 people found this helpful.
170

somebody said the symbol for the 4wd is on the winshield not on the back door anymore is that correct

17 people found this helpful.
270

You'll need to look under the rear end to be sure. Look for a melon-sized metal gearbox centered between the rear wheels. It will have a pair of drive shafts going to each of the rear wheels. It there is one, your Escape is AWD. If there isn't one, your Escape is FWD.

13 people found this helpful.
340

I have 2019 ford escape 4wd, will it automatically shift into 4wd when needed?

34 people found this helpful.
50

Yes it will. You can always read 5he manual it should tell u all you need to know

5 people found this helpful.
200

Intelligent 4WD is a great system. Unless you want to do something radical like drive uphill.

20 people found this helpful.
250

Is there a way to remove all wheel drive on 17 Ford escape titanium just to fwd?

25 people found this helpful.
300

This is a picture of the back of my 2012 Ford Escape XLT, I don't know what I'm looking for to know if this is awd or not, can someone please help me?!

30 people found this helpful.
110

Is there anyway you can change a 2017 ford Escape from FWD to AWW or 4wd and how much would it cost

11 people found this helpful.
70

When the intelligent 4 wheel drive comes on will it automatically go off . Have a 2016 ford escape, cannot find nothing in the manual

7 people found this helpful.

Heather. That is the rear differential. You have AWD.

8 people found this helpful.
50

I have a 2019 SEL 4WD. Last year was our first year owning it and it did great climbing our snow/ice packed hill, never had a problem. Tried to get out the last couple of days and it wouldn't pull the hill. Got right to the crest and it stopped, no will movement, seemed to have lost power. Tried several times with same results. today I turned the traction control off when forward movement stopped. Seemed to grab and I was able to barely make it out. Is there software that needs to be re-programmed or some other reason to explain this? Thanks!

5 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Escape

Looking for a Used Escape in your area?

CarGurus has 60,944 nationwide Escape listings starting at $450.

ZIP:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2013 Ford Escape

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Bratts
    Reputation
    4,470
  • #2
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    4,000
  • #3
    KenF
    Reputation
    3,760
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Ford Edge
1,583 Great Deals out of 25,704 listings starting at $1,150
Used Ford Explorer
2,380 Great Deals out of 58,558 listings starting at $999
Used Honda CR-V
2,086 Great Deals out of 38,436 listings starting at $2,590
Used Toyota RAV4
2,056 Great Deals out of 34,800 listings starting at $2,200
Used Chevrolet Equinox
2,406 Great Deals out of 66,648 listings starting at $450
Used Ford F-150
6,566 Great Deals out of 175,063 listings starting at $1,000
Used Nissan Rogue
1,992 Great Deals out of 59,723 listings starting at $1,499
Used Ford Escape Hybrid
124 Great Deals out of 6,379 listings starting at $2,000
Used Mazda CX-5
1,058 Great Deals out of 28,141 listings starting at $4,955
Used Hyundai Tucson
1,088 Great Deals out of 36,047 listings starting at $2,200
Used Honda Civic
1,427 Great Deals out of 28,278 listings starting at $1,299
Used Ford Fusion
729 Great Deals out of 9,585 listings starting at $1,200
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
2,281 Great Deals out of 51,639 listings starting at $1,750
Used Toyota Camry
2,261 Great Deals out of 44,463 listings starting at $1,350
Used Ford Focus
348 Great Deals out of 6,041 listings starting at $500

Used Cars for Sale

2023 Ford Escape For Sale
204 Great Deals out of 2,409 listings starting at $16,980
2022 Ford Escape For Sale
373 Great Deals out of 3,953 listings starting at $10,995
2021 Ford Escape For Sale
169 Great Deals out of 1,996 listings starting at $8,687
2020 Ford Escape For Sale
192 Great Deals out of 2,049 listings starting at $8,850
2019 Ford Escape For Sale
164 Great Deals out of 1,767 listings starting at $6,500

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.