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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:
65,278 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 2 of 21)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #386

Sep 172023

Escape

  • miles

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

At a traffic light when the car failed to engage. I could accelerate but transmission did not go in gear. After 3 cycles of the traffic light I was able to get it to the side of the road, it was then that a transmission warning light came on, it never had before. After towing to repair shop I was told that the transmission needed replacing, $9000. I then learned of the -??recall-?? by Ford, but my VIN number is not listed. This issue could have bern very dangerous as I was heading to the mountains. I-??ve had my car serviced meticulously and Ford never flushed or serviced the transmission. They should be repairing my car at no cost!!

- Longmont, CO, USA

problem #385

Sep 192023

Escape

  • 144,500 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift gears and suddenly lost motive power, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was able to restart but briefly failed to shift into drive before returning to normal functionality. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train); the VIN was included, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but advised the contact that recalls were a one-time free repair. The failure mileage was 144,500.

- Garden City, MI, USA

problem #384

Sep 012023

Escape

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that there would be no assistance for the dealer assessing a diagnostic fee. The failure mileage was 150,000.

- Franklin, NJ, USA

problem #383

Aug 222023

Escape

  • miles

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

I got off work and was heading home one of the streets i Devon is uphill. As I-??m driving up the hill the car just started rolling backwards. I hit the breaks and turned car off and back on and even thought it was I. Drive it would only go backwards. No matter what I did it was jerking and acting like it didn-??t have power even though the rpm-??s was up. I mechanic came to check on me and during his inspection we discovered damages to the passenger inner tire end rod and struts so I had that repaired and the the front axle need replacing cause it wasn-??t even turn to move the wheels. so I had to replace that as well. I assumed the axle was the issue but it still was driving like it didn-??t want to go forward. I then say the some transmission stuff on recall so I just parked it until the pets was available. My car stopped in July 2022 and I just got the repairs done august 21,2023. I drove it about 30miles total and now I have a red indicator light that say TRASMISSION FAULT SERVICE NOW!!! This is absolutely unacceptable and ford motor company really need to fix these transmission failure problems. Before all the recalls kills somebody. There are no indicators that tell you something is wrong until it-??s wrong. Peoples lives are in danger more and more everyday the fact the manufacturers only care about the consumers money and not their safety is mind blowing. Selling badly made vehicles and the consumers are the one who suffer the most!!!!I hope y-??all look into this very soon and help the little people that-??s really trying to help ourselves!!!! Had 70,000 miles when I purchased it and now 7 years later it has on 105,200 miles on it-??. Not sure van 40000 miles in 7 years. With other minor breakdowns I didn-??t name.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #382

Jul 092023

Escape

  • miles
The transmission torque converter failed on the 2014 Ford Escape. Transmission is causing safety issue by not properly accelerating when gas pedal is pressed. This slowed movement could cause traffic crashes. Engine revs to high RPM but torque converter does not engage properly. The issues was confirmed by local transmission shop. Owner of the shop says he sees a lot of these failures in Ford Escapes. A warning message "Transmission Malfunction Service Now Warning" did appear. Ford is aware of the issue based on the TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN called 1.6L EcoBoost -?" Illuminated MIL And/Or Transmission Malfunction Service Now Warning With Only DTCs P0741 And/Or P1744.

- Belleville, MI, USA

problem #381

Jun 192023

Escape

  • miles
The car began making noise an did not want to shift. After getting the vehicle into drive, the car stopped moving while driving in heavy traffic.

- Mount Pleasant, MI, USA

problem #380

Aug 302022

Escape

  • miles

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

Backing out of my garage and my car suddenly stopped, I put it in Drive and it went forward, then put it back in Reverse and it seemed ok. Went to 1 store and could not back up the car would not move. Again, put it in Drive then Reverse and it did back up but did not sound good. I slowly drove home, called my mechanic drove it 4 blocks to him and he concluded that it certainly was the the transmission. I had no warning lights or any or any other symptoms prior to this happening. My mechanic called the dealership where I had purchased the car because the mileage was so low, 40, 684, he was hoping that they would cover it, but was told my warranty ran out by 1 year, so I was out of luck. I also called the dealership and was told the same thing and they also said that "how do you know that it was the transmission?" That was really insulting. I also called Ford in Detroit and was told the same thing, not under warranty. I did some research, and have since learned, that Ford has known about the faulty 2014 Escape transmissions and has not not anything about it.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #379

Jul 192023

Escape

  • 118,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal to move from a stop, the vehicle started jerking. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that at the next stop sign, the vehicle experienced the same failure. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

- Cadillac, MI, USA

problem #378

Jun 132023

Escape

  • 84,500 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifted to drive(D), the vehicle independently shifted into reverse(R). The vehicle failed to shift into the intended gear and the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and the contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 84,500.

- Saint Louis, MO, USA

problem #377

Jul 012023

Escape

  • miles
I own a 2014 Ford escape and with 100,000 miles the transmission give up and start skipping this transmission very expensive on the ford cars therefore, no longer purchase another Ford The repair was $5000

- Monroe , CT, USA

problem #376

May 092023

Escape

  • miles

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

In March 2022, my ford escape transmission went out due to torque converter. It just broke down without any indict light warning. I paid almost 6K to have it replaced include all transmission programming, controller. In May 2023 and June 2023, my ford escape just quit for no reason without any warning. I tried to start it up, the dashboard of red battery and red oil light came on. I was stuck in traffic for over 4 hours with this problem. It put me in critical risk being injured or killed since I am deaf. It just shut off completely without any noise or foul smelling or any warning. I brought it to several shop for this problem and they found no problem. They are clueless. They tried to blame on transmission. I refuse to pay 6-7K for transmission again. Ford need to step up and own up their problem, and correct the problem.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #375

May 292023

Escape

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was running rough. The contact stated that the engine had misfired. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the coolant level was low. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who topped off the coolant. The contact also received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate mileage at the time of the failure was 45,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

- El Dorado Hills, CA, USA

problem #374

May 012021

Escape

  • 120,000 miles
Unknown- I purchased my Car in 2021 and I-??ve had ongoing transmission issues since I purchased it. As of now the issues have gotten worse. I had the transmission recall repair done, but it did not fix the jerking way my car was driving. The repairs keep getting more costly and I don-??t believe there-??s an actual fix, but rather that this vehicle was sold with a faulty transmission. As of now I can-??t drive my vehicle because last month there was a fire under my hood and it-??s totally unsafe for me and my family to be in. Ford won-??t take any responsibility but they-??ve already had to buy back vehicles for settling them with bad transmissions. This is not new for them.

- Milledgeville , GA, USA

problem #373

May 132023

Escape

  • miles
Amongst SEVERAL problems with this vehicle, it often slips out of gear while driving. Which has caused me to have to stop in the middle of the lane. It has had multiple mega fuses go out. It will often say -??power steering fault-?? and then the message will go away. I am genuinely scared to drive this vehicle because I never know when the power system is going to go out. I have always stayed up to date on maintenance and it has less than 90k on miles. I do not understand why this has not been pulled off the market. It seems like all the escapes before mine were pulled for the same issues.

- Cedartown , GA, USA

problem #372

Mar 202023

Escape

  • miles
Transmission failure. Problem confirmed by dealer and two other certified mechanics, in 2022 and 2023. No warning lights or messages given on dashboard. Technicians found codes when vehicle was scanned. Problem only become noticeable when driving vehicle by then it was to late. Transmission would not shift properly coming to stops and trying to accelerate after stops or very minimal speed slowing or accelerating. This occurred on interstate and local driving. First occurrence was December of 2021at around 68,000 to 70,000 miles. Had transmission repaired and was told by mechanic they were problematic and it was a design flaw. Dealer admitted to problematic issue also. Second occurrence was March of 2023 with 77,000. I am currently trying to decide what to do. It is currently available for inspection. I made a formal complaint against Ford to the BBB in 2021 about this issue and they would not offer any assistance. I will make another complaint as of April 2023. I will no longer buy any Ford products.

- Swansea, IL, USA

problem #371

Apr 182023

Escape

  • miles
I pulled into the parking lot of my employment. I put my vehicle in park. I went to turn the vehicle off and when I did the dash light came on saying it was not in park. It stated that it was in S. I do not use sport mode. I then called the local dealership. I learned it was a recall on the shifter bushing. They called a tow truck who came out and picked it up. The tow driver stated it was in fact the bushing was damaged/missing. He manually put it in the gears so that he could load it and took it to the dealership. They fixed the recall and are waiting to hear if the tow fee is covered under the recall so that I can go pick it up.

- Dalzell, SC, USA

problem #370

Apr 132023

Escape

  • miles
It seems like my transmission kicked out on me in the middle of a busy intersection. Now my car is stuck at work while I figure out where to take it and how to pay for transmission repairs.

- Upper Chichester, PA, USA

problem #369

Mar 012023

Escape

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the transmission was shifted into drive(D) or reverse(R), the vehicle was shaking. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, no error codes were retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Carmichael, CA, USA

problem #368

Jan 302023

Escape

  • miles
Transmission Yes, you can inspect it upon request. Our whole family was in the car, on a main road, we were all at risk It has been confirmed it-??s the transmission. Insurance is aware. We were unaware of any problem, no lights on dash. Driving on a main road and the car just stopped working. We had to coast to a space place to stop. And then the car didn-??t move forward or backwards.

- Johnsonville , NY, USA

problem #367

Dec 122022

Escape

  • 21,000 miles
The contact owns a?2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where they repaired the bushing shifter cable. The failure recurred and the steering wheel became stiff. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately causing the contact the steering wheel became stiff. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately causing the contact to side swiped another vehicle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

- Detroit, MI, USA

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