Print this page

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

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2014 Ford Escape:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2014 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 14 of 21)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #157

Sep 202019

Escape

  • 93,000 miles

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

While at a stop light, I went to drive when the light turned green and my car wouldn't move after pressing down on the gas. The rpms didn't go up and the car just sat there with no warning that there was an issue. I put the car into park to switch gears back to drive again to try and go and the car jerked forward and then the rpms went up and stalled a couple of times as I tried to make it to the next parking lot. I put the car in park and turned the car off because I thought maybe there was a system glitch similar to a recent recall on my vehicle. After about ten minutes I tried again to drive it and the car started up okay still with no warning signals registering. Driving after less than five minutes the car wouldn't continue driving while in forward motion as I was pressing down on the gas down the street. I pumped the gas pedal multiple times with no success of being able to continue to drive as the car started to stop in the middle of traffic, so I proceeded to turn on my hazard lights and try to make it to the next parking lot again as it was slowly starting and stopping while in drive jerking forward. The car made it through another light and then started to stall again so I tried to continue to find my way to the parking lot in the mall and out of traffic. The signal for transmission warning appeared now and I tried to continue to press the accelerator but the car wouldn't move barely but was able to park to get my car towed to the dealership because I knew it was no longer safe to try and continue driving the car.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #156

Aug 152019

Escape

  • miles
Seat belt will not retrack, pull face, will no grab it, pull all way out and will not ratch to stop you from moving, I will not crash car to see if will keep me in seat and out of wimdow, I fill if I did, it woild not work, power train make a wining sound, my need oil

- North Easton, MA, USA

problem #155

Sep 252019

Escape

  • 156,000 miles
Transmission would not go into gear car would not go forwards.

- Monroe, GA, USA

problem #154

Sep 232019

Escape

  • 100,232 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. While driving, the transmission malfunctioned. When the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle stopped moving and rolled backwards towards a busy intersection. There was no crash. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to sands Ford of pottsville (1456 route 61 S, pottsville, pa 17901, (570) 622-1991) at the suggestion of the manufacturer. The contact was informed that since the extended warranty was expired, the dealer could not help with the repairs. The failure mileage was 100,232.

- Pottsville, PA, USA

problem #153

Sep 162019

Escape

  • 70,000 miles
Transmission. The transmission in this vehicle dies at around 70,000 miles. This is a known defect and Ford has not yet issued a recall. My daughter almost got into an accident due to the transmission failing. It is reprehensible that Ford is allowing this to go without a recall. They are putting peoples life at risk due to greed

- Sherrills Ford, NC, USA

problem #152

Sep 172019

Escape

  • miles
I was driving on the expressway and my car started to slow down. I assumed it was gas because my tank was low. I put gave in my car and my car did not start until 2 tries. When it came on the transmission light came on and my car started makeing a very loud weird noise. I've only had the car twice and this have already happened to me twice

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #151

Aug 242019

Escape

  • 31,170 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. While attempting to drive the vehicle, it moved forward two inches and back two inches without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer. The failure mileage was 31,170.

- Louisville, OH, USA

problem #150

Sep 092019

Escape

  • 125,000 miles
The vehicle was stationary and had not been driven for more than 3 hours. I pushed the remote start and the car started, but it shut off almost immediately. The shut down was due to overheating. The engine was cool and the coolant was tepid at best. This is not an overheating issue. The car will not run on more than 2 cylinders. This is the second time this has happened since the recall for the coolant sensor. The car had to be towed to the dealer where I was charged to diagnose the issue. This should be no charge since it was recalled for the overheating issue. This overheating has caused my transmission and torque converter to fail as well. The cost of the transmission should be reimbursed by Ford since they have know about the overheating issue for a long time now.

- Troy, OH, USA

problem #149

Sep 072019

Escape

  • 120,000 miles
Transmission failed and extended warranty replaced the transmission, the current transmission failed without warningto the operator while driving at 45 miles an hour in moderate traffic, loss of life was just narrowly avoided due to uncoming traffic. Does someone gave to be deseased in a car accident before this is fixed on these vehicles.

- Camden-Wyoming, DE, USA

problem #148

Aug 302019

Escape

  • 109,000 miles
The transmission quit at 109,000 miles. I was stopped at a red light and when I started to go the vehicle rolled back in stead of moving forward. After letting it sit for a moment I was able to get it to move by revving the engine. I barely made it to the safety of a parking lot. The internet is filled with complaints about this and I am facing a $3500 repair bill on something that Ford is well aware of and refuses to fix. They recalled my vehicle for door latches, but not a power train issue that could get someone killed.

- Stockbridge, GA, USA

problem #147

Aug 302019

Escape

  • 92,500 miles

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

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. When the contact shifted into drive, the gear became stuck in reverse. When the gear was placed back into park, it seized. The vehicle had to be turned off after unplugging the battery. The vehicle was purchased two months ago. The contact stated that the failure was directly related to NHTSA campaign number: 18V471000 (power train). The vehicle was taken to ntb where it was diagnosed that the shifter cable was disconnected due to bushing failure. The repair would cost $500. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at ntb until Ford determined the next steps. The manufacturer stated that they were not responsible and that NHTSA would be able to issue a recall on the vehicle. A case was filed with the manufacturer, but they declined to provide a case number. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 92,500.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #146

Aug 302019

Escape

  • 108,000 miles
Putting vehicle in park shifter cable came of transmission says vehicle is in neutral while shifter is in park transmission is actually in neutral happened in driveway

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #145

Aug 232019

Escape

  • 68,000 miles
While driving the car was making a high pitched whine. Then after turning corner, it shifted/sliped, then no drive at all. Made it to side street, where car did not have any reverse or drive. Also, no warning lights, and still no lights to indicate that something is currently wrong with car.

- Wood River, IL, USA

problem #144

Aug 062019

Escape

  • 140,000 miles
Car stalling, cutting out, missing a gear and shifting very hard, while driving. This went on for a while before the check engine light came one. Dealership had to replace coolant bypass solenoid, said it was recalled on vehicles like mine but my VIN didn't show a recall even though the engine, year, make, model, build date, build location were all identical to the recall. Vehicle still shifted very hard, like it was missing a gear, advised by dealership to have transmission rebuilt. Spent just under $4,000 to have both repairs done. Had repair completed in August 2019 after dealing with the issues for nearly a year and being told that was just the way the car drove because of the turbo charged engine. No codes ever populated so was told everything was as it should be. Only when the check engine light came on, would they even acknowledge that there was an issue and even then tried to say it was just the solenoid as no codes were coming up for the transmission issue that had been going on for years! I've been told Ford knows about the transmission issue and has the code cleared out with their software so it never shows when taken in for service. Not sure if that's true or not but still frustrating to have so many issues with a car that's not that old.

- State Center, IA, USA

problem #143

Aug 202019

Escape

  • 88,000 miles
The transmission has completely gone out at only 88,000 miles with no warning. In our case it was on the interstate in the middle of traffic. I would consider it an unfortunate instance but when getting quotes the replacement is near 6000 grand for a new transmission which is a prohibitive amount for a fairly new vehicle and an "affordable" one at that. After doing research online this seems to be a large issue with hundreds of posts found that they have the exact same issues around the exact same time. Their Ford Escapes transmission gives out around 75 to 100K miles. I believe this is an issue because that is a very short time frame for a transmission to completely give out that Ford is refusing to acknowledge even though 100S if not 1000S of people have the same issue. The issue of failing transmissions is not isolated to a few instances, and in a majority of cases fails just after (within 10 -20K miles ) the transmission warranty expires and seems to be a pattern.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #142

Aug 142019

Escape

  • 80,000 miles
My car coolant is always leaking have to fill out and fix most of the time. The transmission was suddenly failed even only 80000K mileage and service center for replacement cost is $6000.that's really ridiculous.

- Daly City, CA, USA

problem #141

Aug 132019

Escape

  • 77,000 miles
Transmission going out after only 77000, 5 year old vehicle.. for several years the vehicle will not accel the way it is supposed to, nearly causing other cars to rear end me. Was told this is normal how they run; other vehicles from Ford has this exact issue from the exact same equipment, ,but the Escape was not added to the lawsuit for some reason; this needs to be added and they need to be replacing our transmissions that are failing prematurely under the lemon law. It is not acceptable that this many Ford Escapes are all having faulty transmissions in such a short lifespan. It is now sleeping and jerking with the 2nd and 3rd gear. Dealership it will be going out in at anytime and will cost 7500 to replace.

- Andover, MN, USA

problem #140

Jul 292019

Escape

  • 103,000 miles
While in motion I lost all forward gears in the transmission resulting in me not being able to move in heavy traffic.

- Winder, GA, USA

problem #139

Jul 192019

Escape

  • 51,970 miles
In the 2013-2014 Escape, AWD, there is a known failing part and they have a service advisory, ssm 46965, to address this but will not issue a recall. Many have failed, including ours, just out of warranty, and they get to charge us $800 to repair. This failing part is the "viscous coupler" or clutch in the rdu or rear differential. It is a 1.5 hour repair job that they charge 3 hours labor to do. When it fails, you get very loud pops and grinding noises from the rear end when turning tight turns in a parking lot. If neglected, it will eventually fail completely. This has been a known problem since 2013 and Ford continues to milk profits off it to this day. I believe we should be re-embursed for the repairs.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #138

Jul 192019

Escape

  • 82,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. While the contact's spouse was accelerating at approximately 5 mph from a stop, the transmission slipped without warning. In addition, the service transmission warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was initially towed to girard Ford (located at 450 w thames St, norwich, ct 06360, (860) 889-2601). However, due to the cost to replace the transmission, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be repaired. The vehicle was still not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000. Piir = Y.

- Canterbury, CT, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?