Ok so, I took my car in for it's regular oil change. A few days later, I noticed a spot about a foot wide under the front of my Escape. Took it back to the garage. (Very reputable, life long family run repair shop). Mechanic said a little oil was leaking and so was transmission fluid. He thought maybe something wasn't tightened up enough after oil change, and that resolved the oil leak. But it is leaking transmission fluid. A few days after, the Escape was leaking again. BACK to the garage we went. They couldn't figure out where leak was coming from. It has been back three times now, and is going back again this Thursday!!! I read all the complaints regarding this very same thing. I now have transmission fluid stains all over my fairly new concrete driveway, and still have an unresolved fluid leak. If this is a Ford problem, they should make it good!! This is only the second Ford I have owned. I bought it with 7 miles on it, and it was back i to the dealers two weeks later with major problems that I then had to wait two days for parts, and drive back and forth four hours to finally get problem fixed. It has been back to dealer a few other times. I thought my next car would be a Flex......but I think it will be a Nissan instead.....not sure which model, but I know I am done with Ford Motor Company!!!

So it seems Ford has known about this for a long time. The way it was explained to me was that a grommet that should have made it into the manufacturing process was never placed on some models. This caused a crack in the manifold causing a transmission leak. I had gone on 2 occasions to Cherokee Ford for unrelated issues and they noticed the problem. This was actually during their Customer Satisfaction Program that I never heard about until it had expired. During these visits I was quoted up to $750 to fix the problem which should have actually been covered but was not told by the techs. At this time I was unemployed so could not afford the fix, I was told to simply make sure that the transmission fluid was checked regularly until I could afford the fix. To make matters worse these visits were never recorded so it doesn't show me as having been there because the fixes for the unrelated issues were actually suggestions by the mechs on duty. (The unrelated issues were sparking cylinders which I was told to use Chevron with Techron to fix the issue with no further diagnosis.) After finding out about this issue with the Escapes I did some research and discovered the customer satisfaction program would have covered me. After weeks of demanding a fix and speaking with customer service and Cherokee Ford the service manager agreed to help by covering some of the expense, at this point I felt that progress was made. I ended up only paying $200 for the repairs. I did however recall my conversation with the service manager when he specifically told me that they would not be responsible for any transmission failure in the future. I didn't really pay any attention to the comment as I was happy we had come to an agreement on the leaking fluid and the repairs. Not 1 month later as if he knew this was going to occur, my transmission gave out. I am still currently paying for this heap of Ford junk that I can't even move and they are telling me that it will be $3400 to get me up and running. I am on long term disability and can't afford to get this problem solved. I feel I have been cheated, lied to and taken advantage of by a once great company. I will never buy again and hope that at some point they will acknowledge their error and redeem themselves by taking care of the customer base they have greatly disappointed. ( Once great customers my family has owned 2 Explorers, 3 Crown Vics, 1 Probe and the Escape.)

We bought this Escape on Dec. 21st. We did not park under the carport, but under another covered building with gravel floor. On Jan. 5, parked it under carport and came out and saw fluid leaking on floor. With a flashlight you could see the build-up of the fluid on the frame of the vehicle, revealing this has been going on for awhile. Called dealer we purchased from and told him if they changed oil as he said someone had to see this problem and also leakage from where they had been parking. He said he was really sorry for the problem but they were not liable. We have put 509 miles on this car and that was trips to see family for Christmas. I have always been a Chevrolet girl and believe me this is the last Ford vehicle that will ever be owned by me or my husband. Our mechanic said they had been some recalls but our vehicle was not listed but to keep my receipt in case there is one in the future.

My transmission cooler went bad and leaked all my transmission fluid out and I found out the hard way when trying to merge onto the highway. I went to accelerate heavily to get on the highway and the cars just got loud and would not move any faster. When I took it to the mechanic he told me what it was and I was mad as this car is only 3 years old. I had 60,000 miles so I had no warranty left and Ford would absolutely positively without a doubt not fix it or offer any discount to get it fixed and denied that this was a major problem with thousands of people. When I finally had the problem fixed at the tune of $783 I called and cursed the highest of the highest at ford customer service out. I will not let this go and I will find a way to make this god awful car company pay for this. A car that is 3 years old and driven only on major highways should not have parts like this failing. This car as many others just like mine is a piece of garbage, the seats stain, the blower for the heat only works on high and the horn stopped working. I hate this car but I am almost done paying it off and I really do not want to start all over again with a car payment. If anybody has a lawsuit going please let me know. I have waged an all out war again Ford Motor Company and I will post on any website about the garbage they produce and will make any consumer aware that the Escape is the biggest disappointment to hit the road since the Pacer.

Our 2008 Escape was leaking transmission fluid all over the driveway, jerking every time we were on a hill and at a stop light, and we were constantly putting in transmission fluid every other day. This was after we discovered the problem when the Escape was getting sluggish and we took it back to the dealer where we bought the car. Of course, it was out of warranty and Ford refused to back their products and the extended warranty we bought (which was VERY expensive) only covered the drive train. This has been a hassle and irritating as it was a LOT of money to get this thing fixed since we had to replace the radiator along with the condenser as they are hooked together - very convenient for the Ford company!!! This truly may change our minds in buying another Ford in the future since Ford is not standing behind their product.

I noticed my escape was jerky everytime i hit the gas into 1st gear. I called the Ford Dealer to have them check out the problem. I thought the problem was something to do with the transmission but the dealership came out with something totally different which will require lots of $$$$ to fix. The problem was to the air conditioner condensor and the leaking of transmission fluid. I was shocked and asked how this could happen to a car just over 2 years. The dealer advised it will be not covered under any warranties. The cost will be over $1000.00. Shocking as i've always taken great care of my escape and only taken it to the dealership for all its check-ups. I called Ford customer service complaint center and they told me to work out with the dealership (no luck ). After looking online, i noticed that im not the only one with this exact same problem. In addition, i stoped by an auto repair shop near my home in San Jose and told the mechanic there what problem i was having and he too told me they he have seen 2008 escapes like mine for the exact same issue.

I dont think ford as a company is being fair to its customers. If many people are experiancing the same problems....then Ford needs to address it! For now...im going to pay for the repair cost...but, i will go through every channel in having ford pay for this repair.

I noticed oil on my driveway and also noticed my car was riding sluggish and jerky. I called the Ford Dealer to have them check out the problem. I originally thought the problem was they didn't put the oil plug in correctly since I just had an oil change. When I got the call from the dealer advising the problem had nothing to do with my recent oil change but to the air conditioner condensor and leaking transmission fluid. I was shocked and asked how this could happen to a car less than 2 yrs old. The dealer advised it was common problem and a defective part but it was not covered under any warranties. They advised it will cost approximately $685 to fix the problem and there is nothing I can do.

I own 2 Ford Escapes 2006 and 2008 and both have had transmission problems. I will never buy another Ford since Ford is not standing by the defective part.

So I took my 2008 Ford Escape to the dealer to have a noise checked out. While they were checking out the noise, they noticed that the transmission cooler is leaking. To fix the pulley that is causing the noise it is about $135, but to fix the transmission cooler it will be at least $500!

I told them not to fix it right now while I do some research. Come to find this is a common problem and is a manufacturing defect! Is there anything I can do? I am seriously considering trading my Escape in for a foreign car! :(

I took my 2008 Escape to the dealer for a look at a odd noise. They called me and told me that my condenser was leaking transmission fluid. Unrelated to the grinding noise, that's another beef.

So, I ask how common this is and the dealer proceeds to tell me that its very common and that it is due to a design flaw of the original part. The obvious next question is will Ford cover the repair?...........Answer, Of course not. But they go on to say that the replacement part has been re-engineered to address the original design defect. Now I'm not Sherlock Holmes here, but it would seem that the redesign of the replacement part is an admission of guilt about the flawed original design.

So, I go looking on line to se if there are others with the same problem. There are hundreds. My advice if you own a Ford Escape, get this checked immediately as it leads to siginifcant transmission problems if left unaddressed. If you are looking to buy a Ford Escape, Don't! Google "Ford Escape Issues" of "Ford Escape Complaints" It will change your mind about your purchase decision.