2013 Ford Escape Oil Reset: The Exact 25-Second Pedal Sequence
Turn the ignition to on without starting the engine. Press the accelerator and brake together and hold both fully down. At three seconds the display reads Service: Oil reset in prog.
At twenty five seconds it reads Service: Oil reset complete. Release both pedals, then switch the ignition off.
That twenty five seconds is the whole article. Almost every guide says to hold the pedals for “a few seconds”. A few seconds gets you the first message, not the reset.
The two messages, and why people stop at the wrong one
Ford’s procedure has two stages, and it prints a different message at each one.
Recommended Best Deal Products
At three seconds your 2013 Escape says Service: Oil reset in prog. That is the Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor acknowledging the pedal input. It has not written anything yet.
At twenty five seconds it changes to Service: Oil reset complete. Only now is the monitor reset.
Release the pedals when the first message appears and nothing is saved. The ENGINE OIL CHANGE DUE message comes back within a drive cycle or two. You then conclude the reset does not work on your Escape.
It works. It just takes twenty two more seconds than you gave it.
Count it out loud. Twenty five seconds with your foot on both pedals feels much longer than it is.
The menu path most sites publish does not exist on a 2013 Escape
Search for a Ford Escape oil reset and you get one answer nearly everywhere. Scroll to Settings, then Vehicle, then Oil Life. Hold OK until Reset Successful appears.
That procedure is real. It is not a 2013 procedure.
I pulled the complete Menu Structure table from the 2013 Escape Owner’s Manual, pages 87 to 88. The Settings menu on a 2013 holds exactly seven items. They are Driver Assist, Lighting, Display, Chimes, Convenience, MyKey and System Reset.
There is no Vehicle submenu. The words “Oil Life” appear nowhere in the 2013 manual as a menu item.
The Settings, Vehicle, Oil Life path is lifted from the 2017 Escape Owner’s Manual, where it is correct. It spread through yearless headings like “how to reset the oil light on the Ford Escape”.
Akins Ford, a Ford dealer, publishes exactly that page. It is illustrated with a 2020 Escape and names no model year.
If you are sitting in a 2013 Escape hunting for an Oil Life menu, stop hunting. It is not there.
The reset method changes twice between 2012 and 2017
This is the trap worth knowing, because the Escape switched procedures at both ends of the third generation.
| Model years | Method | What you press | Percentage readout? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 and earlier | Message centre buttons | SETUP until OIL LIFE XXX%, then hold RESET two seconds | Yes, shows a percentage |
| 2013 to 2016 | Both pedals | Accelerator and brake held twenty five seconds | No |
| 2017 and later | Steering wheel menu | Settings, Vehicle, Oil Life, Hold OK | Yes, Remaining Life percentage |
Sources: Ford Escape Owner’s Manuals for 2012 (page 22), 2013 (page 227), 2014, 2016 and 2017.
Two honest caveats on that table. I confirmed the pedal method directly in the 2013 and 2014 manuals. The 2016 manual’s Settings menu still has no Oil Life item.
I could not retrieve a 2015 Escape manual. So 2015 is inferred from the years either side, not verified. If you have a 2015, try the pedal method first.
A 2013 Escape also gives you no oil life percentage at all. The 2012 showed OIL LIFE XXX%. The 2017 shows Remaining Life as a percent.
The 2013 gives you a message when the oil is due, and nothing before that. There is no percentage to check. The Service: Oil reset complete message is your only confirmation.
The full procedure, step by step
Ford’s own eight steps, from the 2013 Escape Owner’s Manual, page 227, with the elapsed time at each stage.
| Step | Action | Display shows | Elapsed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Turn the ignition key to on. Do not start the engine. | Cluster wakes | 0 s |
| 2 | Press both the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time. | No change yet | 0 s |
| 3 | Keep both pedals fully pressed. | No change yet | 0 to 3 s |
| 4 | Keep holding. | Service: Oil reset in prog. | 3 s |
| 5 | Keep holding. Do not release here. | Service: Oil reset complete | 25 s |
| 6 | Release both pedals. | Message clears | 25 s |
| 7 | Confirm the message is gone. | Normal display | — |
| 8 | Rotate the key to the off position. | Off | — |
Applies to the 2013 Ford Escape, all trims, all three engines.
If your Escape has push-button start: hold the START button two seconds without pressing the brake. Do not attempt to start the engine. That puts the vehicle in accessory.
Then run steps 2 through 7. To finish, press START again to switch off completely.
Pressing the brake while you press START is the mistake here. The engine fires, and a running engine will not accept the reset.
“Fully pressed” means fully. A half-pressed accelerator does not register the input, which is the second most common reason a reset fails.
Oil specification and capacity by engine
The 2013 Escape came with three engines, and one of them takes noticeably less oil than the other two. Reset the monitor, but put the right amount of the right oil in first.
| Engine | Capacity with filter | Viscosity | Ford specification |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L Duratec i-VCT | 5.7 qt (5.4 L) | SAE 5W-20 | WSS-M2C945-A |
| 1.6L EcoBoost | 4.3 qt (4.1 L) | SAE 5W-20 | WSS-M2C945-A |
| 2.0L EcoBoost | 5.7 qt (5.4 L) | SAE 5W-30 | WSS-M2C946-A |
Source: 2013 Escape Owner’s Manual, Technical Specifications, pages 280 to 281. Covers all 2013 Escape trims, front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.
The 1.6L EcoBoost takes 1.4 quarts less than either of its siblings. Buy a five quart jug for a 1.6 and you have most of a quart left over. Buy one for a 2.5 or a 2.0 and you are three quarters of a quart short.
Ford also notes that synthetic oil is not mandatory on any of the three. The oil only has to meet the Ford specification in the table and carry the API Certification Mark. Our guide to the best oil for a Ford Escape covers what qualifies, by engine.
A basic oil filter wrench set makes the 1.6L filter reachable without dropping the splash shield. The filter is a commodity part, so any oil filter listed for the 2013 Escape and your engine will fit.
Two numbers other sites get wrong here
The 2.0L EcoBoost capacity. Several capacity databases list the 2013 2.0L EcoBoost at 5.5 quarts. Ford’s own table says 5.7 quarts (5.4 L).
An independent capacity database agrees with Ford at 5.4 L.
Autofiles is the outlier. The same page also calls the 2.5L a “V-6” when it is an inline four. Trust the 5.7.
The viscosity. You will see the 2013 2.5L listed as taking 0W-20. Ford’s 2013 manual specifies SAE 5W-20 to WSS-M2C945-A.
0W-20 is the later Escape recommendation. It drifted backwards into year-agnostic charts. For a 2013, 5W-20 is the printed spec.
Where a chart and the owner’s manual disagree, the manual for your specific model year wins.
Symptom to answer
Readers arrive with a symptom, not a step number.
| What you are seeing | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Held the pedals, message never appeared | Ignition not in on, or a pedal not fully down | Key to on without starting. Press both pedals to the floor. |
Got Service: Oil reset in prog. then nothing | You released before twenty five seconds | Repeat and hold the full twenty five seconds |
ENGINE OIL CHANGE DUE returns after a few drives | The reset never completed | Repeat, and watch for Service: Oil reset complete |
| Engine starts when you press START | Brake pedal was pressed with the START button | Press START alone for two seconds, no brake |
| Cannot find Settings, Vehicle, Oil Life | That menu is a 2017 and later feature | Use the pedal method, it is the only 2013 method |
| No oil life percentage anywhere in the display | Correct, a 2013 does not have one | Rely on the reset complete message |
| Message returns every key cycle | Possible cluster or module fault, not a reset problem | Read live data with a Ford diagnostic tool |
| Message never appeared in the first place | Monitor may have been reset early by a shop | Change at six months or 5,000 miles from the last change |
How often does the message actually come on?
The Intelligent Oil-Life Monitor is not a mileage counter. It calculates from how the vehicle is driven. Two 2013 Escapes on the same odometer will ask at different times.
| Use pattern | Expect the message at | Typical conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | 7,500 to 10,000 mi (12,000 to 16,000 km) | Highway commuting, light or no towing, flat to moderately hilly, no extended idling |
| Severe | 5,000 to 7,499 mi (8,000 to 11,999 km) | Moderate to heavy load or towing, mountainous or off-road, extended idling, extended hot or cold operation |
| Extreme | 3,000 to 4,999 mi (4,000 to 7,999 km) | Maximum load or towing, extreme hot or cold operation |
Source: 2013 Escape Owner’s Manual, Scheduled Maintenance, pages 405 to 406.
Three hard limits sit around that table, and all three are Ford’s.
Once the due message appears, change the oil within two weeks or 500 miles (800 km).
If the display resets prematurely or stops working, fall back to a fixed interval. That is six months or 5,000 miles (8,000 km) from your last change.
Never exceed one year or 10,000 miles (16,000 km) between changes, whatever the monitor says.
Why the message comes back when you did everything right
Three causes account for nearly all of it.
The reset did not complete, which is the twenty five second problem above. This is far and away the most common.
The shop reset it at the counter and you reset it again, or neither of you did. The monitor keeps no record you can inspect on a 2013, so ask the shop directly rather than assuming.
The monitor was reset at an odd point in the interval. Ford’s own example: the monitor was reset at 25,000 miles, so no message has appeared by 30,000. You still perform the 30,000 mile service items.
Mileage-based items do not move just because the oil monitor did.
None of those three is a fault. Say the message returns on every key cycle, right after a confirmed Service: Oil reset complete. That is a cluster or module concern.
Read codes before you touch the pedals again.
Related 2013 Escape references
You are in the footwell anyway. The 2013 Ford Escape fuse box diagram covers both panels on the same vehicle.
Chasing an intermittent 1.6L fault? The 2013 Ford Escape 1.6 cylinder head temperature sensor location sits nearby. It fails in a way that mimics other faults.
The 2012 Ford Escape oil reset uses the older SETUP and RESET button method. The 2016 Ford Escape oil reset is the last year of the pedal procedure.
The 2017 Ford Escape oil reset is where the steering wheel menu arrives.
Quick reference
| Item | 2013 Ford Escape |
|---|---|
| Reset method | Accelerator and brake pedals, ignition on, engine off |
| Hold time | 25 seconds |
| First message, at 3 s | Service: Oil reset in prog. |
| Confirmation message, at 25 s | Service: Oil reset complete |
| Push-button start | Hold START two seconds, no brake pedal |
| Oil Life menu item | Does not exist on a 2013 |
| Percentage readout | None |
| Due message | ENGINE OIL CHANGE DUE or OIL CHANGE REQUIRED |
| Act within | 2 weeks or 500 miles of the message |
| Hard limit | 1 year or 10,000 miles |
| 2.5L Duratec | 5.7 qt, 5W-20, WSS-M2C945-A |
| 1.6L EcoBoost | 4.3 qt, 5W-20, WSS-M2C945-A |
| 2.0L EcoBoost | 5.7 qt, 5W-30, WSS-M2C946-A |
| Manual reference | 2013 Escape Owner’s Manual, page 227 |
Sources
- 2013 Escape Owner’s Manual, Ford Motor Company. Resetting the Oil Life Monitoring System p.227, Menu Structure p.87 to 88, Technical Specifications p.280 to 281, Scheduled Maintenance p.402 and p.405 to 406.
- 2012 Escape Owner’s Manual, Ford Motor Company. OIL LIFE, SETUP and RESET procedure, p.22.
- 2014 Escape Owner’s Manual, Ford Motor Company. Identical pedal procedure.
- 2016 Escape Owner’s Manual, Ford Motor Company. Menu Structure, Information Display, p.87 to 89.
- 2017 Escape Owner’s Manual, Ford Motor Company. Settings, Vehicle, Oil Life, Hold OK to Reset.
- Ford Escape engine oil capacity database, capacity cross-check.
- Ford Escape oil capacity table, capacity cross-check, outlier on the 2.0L.
- Akins Ford, Resetting Your Oil Change Indicator System. Cited as evidence that the yearless menu procedure is widely republished, not as authority.
