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CarComplaints.com Notes: The top problem trend for the 2014 Escape is transmission failure at around 70k miles.

This is relatively low mileage for an expensive transmission failure ($4,500 average to fix), but unless the trend becomes more established, we are only awarding the 2014 Escape our "Beware of the Clunker" badge for now.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,700 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2014 Ford Escape drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2014 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 11 of 21)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #217

Dec 012019

Escape

  • 128,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after vehicle start-up, the vehicle stalled soon after accelerating. The contact stated that the oil and battery warning lights were illuminated once the vehicle stalled. The contact restarted the vehicle and depressed the accelerator pedal to the floor for the vehicle to operate as intended. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently with the accelerator pedal depressed to the floor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact had the vehicle taken to pat milliken Ford (9600 telegraph rd, redford charter twp, mi 48239) however, the mechanic was not able to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who was also unable to diagnose the failure. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15V005000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 128,000.

- Firmington, MI, USA

problem #216

Dec 112019

Escape

  • 90,680 miles
I took my car to a Ford dealship to for a recall. The recall was 17S09, a coolant level sensor installation. When I picked my vehicle up and drove it home, the next day my check engine light came on, so I brought it back. They then replaced a leaking coolant line to degas bottle. A few days later I turned on my vehicle to go somewhere and before even leaving my block, my check engine light came on again and instantly started over heating. I was luckily down the street from my home so I managed to get it back to my house, but I was afraid to drive it so I had it towed to the dealership for a third time. They didn't make any notes on that visit so I'm not sure what happened but when I picked it up they stated I needed to pay for services because they noticed a leak in my heater hose and the service was going to cost over $3000! my car was perfectly fine before taking it in for a recall. I wish I would have never brought it in because when I tried to make a complaint about how my car was serviced and what they did to it, I had no luck getting any help or assistance but I know the recall put my car in a worser condition. My vehicle had never over heated before and a few days after getting this recall it over heated as soon as I turned it on.

- Tempe, AZ, USA

problem #215

Sep 022020

Escape

  • 101,000 miles
I was driving to work and while slowing down for a stop light my car started shaking and jerking pretty violently. I needed to get to work so I kept driving and at the next light the same thing happened only more extreme and then the car stopped. I started the car back up very easily so I kept going. No engine or transmission light came on the dash so I didn't think it was that bad. The next light came and the car would start but it wouldn't go anymore. Again no lights came on the dash so I had zero warning whatsoever and I was stranded at that stoplight. Had to call the cops because I was blocking traffic and pay for a tow truck and the dealership I brought it to said it was a bad torque converter and that it's a common issue. If this is a common issue I should not be having to deal with this with zero warning and a new transmission is so expensive. Just the fact that they straight up told me this is a common issue and there's no recall on it makes me not want to buy another Ford again even though I do love my car.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #214

Sep 042020

Escape

  • 3,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle has had hard shifts but seemed to be ok. Had dealer check it out about a year after purchase. Took vehicle in on above date for routine maintenance and recall. Was notified by dealer there was a leak, possibly oil and they needed to check. Charged me $140 for diagnostic of leak. Was notified next business day, which was 4 days later due to holiday weekend that it was a transmission leak from a bad seal and they would have to remove transmission and "crack open the transmission to get to md replace the seal". stated it was going to cost me $1750. I asked why the seal went bad as the vehicle only has 15,000 miles on it and has been serviced aat Ford dealers only, in accordance with manufacturer reccommendations. They stated they didnt know but my vehicle is out of warranty. I went to Ford's website customer service chat and they had no answer other than im out of warranty and would offer no help. I asked if I could speak to someone and they restated they wont help me as im out of warranty.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #213

Aug 102020

Escape

  • 108,000 miles
In 2014, I bought a new Ford Escape from rhinebeck Ford in rhinebeck NY. It remained in pristine condition until its untimely 'death' on August 10, 2020. Prior to August 10, it was back at the dealership approximately 15 times to address safety recalls. On August 10 my wife, son and niece broke down in the middle of the road. We brought the car to rhinebeck Ford. After examining the car, we were told that the engine and cylinders have coolant in them, and the transmission is full of metal filings. Both of these issues combined mean that the car is diseased; however rhinebeck Ford is still in the process of creating a comprehensive list of the cause of death. Fortunately these dangerous defects did not result in injury to my family but they certainly do represent a serious safety risk. On August 10, the car had approximately 108,000 miles on it. I was sold a defective and unsafe vehicle and Ford Motor Company is not willing to make this right. I made numerous phone calls to Ford corporate offices and was told that since the warranty was expired and there are no active recalls pertaining to defective transmissions or engines that they would not stand by their product.

- Rhinebeck, NY, USA

problem #212

Sep 022020

Escape

  • 75,000 miles
My linkage to my power train sticks and will jump from drive to sport mode when I am driving and havent touched the shifter at all. Its hard to get my car into neutral and harder to put it into park. I rarely can get it to go into drive and have to put it into sport and it will still jump gears. I can be going highway speeds and I can see the gears jump from drive to sport. Almost impossible to shift from gear to gear.

- Sugar Land, TX, USA

problem #211

Dec 152019

Escape

  • 75,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car is sporadically spewing anti-freeze from the overflow tank. I have taken it to 3 local mechanics and 1 Ford dealership and no one has been able to find a reason for this. I have noticed this occurs if I am driving around for a long time with the A/C off. The leaking is coming from my coolant overflow tank's air ventilation. Anti-freeze does not leak out whilst driving the vehicle, but only when I park and shut it off. The mechanics have done several pressure tests which all came back normal. December 2019 my coolant light came on for the first time since owning the car for 2 years and I was needing to put a small amount of anti-freeze in every month. Since July 2020 it has been overflowing and leaking every week it seems. I would average I go through 2-3 cups of anti-freeze every 1-2 weeks. When parking and turning off the car the overflow tank has anti-freeze filled to the top, but not quite coming out of the cap. I am attaching some images of my overflow tank.

- Reading, PA, USA

problem #210

Jul 162019

Escape

  • 94,000 miles
The transmission failed at 94,000 miles. I am having trouble finding a transmission that has not failed.

- Gahanna, OH, USA

problem #209

Jul 282020

Escape

  • miles
Hey my engine coolant is running I just brought the car 3 weeks ago and constantly have to fill it with coolant I think this is a major problem the car has 95000 miles on it this shouldnt be a problem already

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #208

Aug 142020

Escape

  • 98,000 miles
The bushing cable that connects to the transmission to shifter had to be replaced. There is a recall on 2013/2014 models but mine was not included. I feel that mine should be covered under that recall and was fixed and diagnosed by a authorized Ford dealership. The vehicle was stationary and would not shift into gear although the gear shift was movable. Vehicle had to be towed on skids

- Seaford, VA, USA

problem #207

Sep 012018

Escape

  • 60,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My vehicle began to exhibit signs of a failing transmission at 60,000 miles. Shifting was difficult, particularly between 1st and 2nd gear. A few times, it failed to shift from park to reverse at all. I had Ford look at it, and they recommended replacing the transmission. When I took it in, I was around 60,500 miles, 500 miles over my power train warranty. They quoted a $7,000 fix. I had owned the vehicle for less than 2 years, and it was less than 4 years old. While I had records, including a claim number, for another Ford customer with the same transmission (in the Fusion) and same issues, they covered 2/3 of that customer's repair and refused to cover a dime of mine. After being dismissed, ignored, and ultimately placated several times by Ford representatives, I finally was forced to take it to a third-party mechanic, who replaced my transmission at 61,000 miles for $4,000. Despite having a refurbished transmission in my vehicle now, I still experience transmission issues from time to time (difficulty shifting, hard shifting on freeway, etc.). in the end, this transmission is faulty at best, as Ford's only transmission model without a recall*. while Ford indicates they have no official documented issues with the 6F35 transmission, a simple google search reveals that transmission failure is the #1 issue reported by consumers with the Ford Escape. As a young professional working in research, I recognize that internet searches can be misleading. To be thorough, I checked over 20 different Ford consumer pages and of those pages, every single one showed a significantly higher report of transmission issues than any other issue, with the average mileage of these issues occurring around 50,000 ' 70,000 miles. It irresponsible and unacceptable for Ford to have no official documented issues on file regarding the 6F35 transmission.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #206

Jul 232020

Escape

  • 111,543 miles
I turned onto a highway and my transmission failed without warning, leaving my vehicle inoperable.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #205

Aug 052020

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
[xxx] Ford Motor Company 2014 Ford Escape, equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions. The bushing that attaches the transmission shifter cable to the transmission failed over time and cause the bushing to detach from the transmission. The condition could allow the driver to move the shift lever to park and remove the ignition key, while the transmission may not be in park, with no warning message or audible chime. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA

problem #204

Oct 072019

Escape

  • 64,816 miles
While traveling on a two lane state road at approx.45 mph. At night. A clunking noise began near the front of the vehicle. Seconds after hearing the clunking noise, the vehicle stalled while still traveling around 35 mph. When I tried to pull over to the side of the road I notice a loss of power steering and brakes. I was able to coast on to the breakdown lane. Having only seconds to remove the vehicle from the dark roadway and safely stop with out striking anything or body was terrifying. The vehicle did restart but when selecting drive it would not move. It also would not back up when selecting reverse. The vehicle had to be towed to a repair shop. I was told the next day by the repair shop the transmission failed, and had to be rebuilt or replaced. I called mfg. Customer service and explained what happened because there was a 60000 mile powertrain warranty. However the vehicle had 64,816 currently. Therefore I had to pay $ 2295 for the transmission rebuild.

- Hallstead, PA, USA

problem #203

Jul 172020

Escape

  • 26,120 miles
When putting the car from reverse to drive the transmission is slamming into gear causing stress on the 'snap ring' which causes a catastrophe failure of the transmission. My vehicle has 26,120 miles on it and I read that this issue happens on a regular basis with the 6F35 transmission, and generally at 70K, and if rebuilt it may still re-occur.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #202

Jul 152020

Escape

  • 96,000 miles
Started to hear a humming noise while driving down the street after turning left from a light the car started to decelerate. The car seemed like it didn't have any energy so I pulled over to stop and cut the car off. Once restarted the car started to drive like normal shortly then began to decrease speed again. At that moment I made a right turn into a driveway and the transmission fault service now light came on. Car only had 96,000 miles on it and service manual says check at 115,000. Car was towed to tomball Ford where I was told I needed a transmission replacement. I'm unsure why this hasn't been recalled yet due to the high amount of complaints with the same cookie cutter issues. It's very unfortunate that we are the ones who have to be put in danger and endure financial hardships for a car with prevalent issues.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #201

Jul 072020

Escape

  • 88,000 miles
2014 Ford Escape with 88K miles experienced amber and then red service transmission light in less than 12 hour period. While driving the car transmission would no longer shift gears, causing a hazardous situation at highway speeds. Engine RPM would race close to maximum and car would not maintain speed. Driver shifted to neutral and moved to the side of the road. Ford obviously knows they have a problem with this transmission. Ford has extended the warranty on cars with similar transmission, but not on the Escape. Transmission repair shop lot and overflow lot was full of Ford Escapes that needed to have the transmission rebuilt. Many Escapes had been waiting for weeks as the owners don't have the $3200-3400 needed to repair.

- Byron Center, MI, USA

problem #200

Jul 072020

Escape 5-cyl

  • 83,333 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at 65 mph, the vehicle stalled with the transmission service now warning light illuminated. The contact pulled off the roadway, turned the vehicle off and waited for a few seconds to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted and temporarily resumed normal operations before stalling again. The contact was then unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to fairway Ford (2761 E stone dr, kingsport, tn 37660) where it was determined that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, provided no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 83,333.

- Gatecity, VA, USA

problem #199

May 052020

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles
When at a complete stop, MY2014 Ford Escape hesitants to take off, when driving over 45 miles a hr, the car shakes and reduces speed on its own. This is very scary, and I'm afraid this is gonna cause a wreck and even death, if Ford doesn't recall the 2014 Ford Escapes that are affected with the same transmission issue as the other Escapes, my Escape was built in another Ford plant and different parts, but it's the same problem, that the other Escapes are having. I hope Ford recalls these Escapes, I've been a Ford owner since 1993, but this is but this got me rethinking my Ford loyalty. The local Ford dealer quoted me $5300 for a new transmission bats half of what the cars worth so please make this right thank you so much for listening

- Bardstown, KY, USA

problem #198

Jun 302020

Escape 4-cyl

  • 87,000 miles
TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 87K MILES, FIRST RECOMMENDED SERVICE IS AT 120K MILES. THERE IS NO DIP STICK FOR THE TRANSMISSION AND NO WAY TO VERIFY LEVELS OF ATF. GUARANTEED FAILURE IF THE FLUIDS ARE LOW. PLACEMENT TRANSMISSION COST AT DEALERSHIP OF A REBUILD TRANSMISSION IS $5200. VEHICLE IS INT EH SHOP NOW BEING REPAIRED. NO DOCUMENTATION O THIS TILL IT IS COMPLETE. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Portland, OR, USA

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