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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 8 of 21)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #277

Dec 312021

Escape

  • miles

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

2014 Ford Escape AWD, driving on roadway and engine light came on. Vehicle was chugging at various times and able to reach home. Checked oil, was same color not milky. Drove to dealership, on way engine light flashed and then remained steady. Vehicle chugged off and on. Reached dealership. Assessment conducted by service tech. Complete engine failure and replacement needed. Coolant intrusion into block and spark plugs in cylinders 2 and 3 fused to block. Cost estimate at $8000. I am required to have dealership give me a salvage amount and applied to $5000 remaining balance. Another vehicle will be required to be purchased. My wife and me are retired on fixed income. Another dealership repair tech. advised this is an ongoing issue with these engines self distructing. Any assistance would be appreciated.

- Lima, OH, USA

problem #276

Dec 222021

Escape

  • miles
While driving 75 mph down the highway the transmission failed with no warning lights or symptoms. Car wouldn't change gears and thankfully was able to exit the highway without an accident in a highly congested area. After pulling off the highway car would not move or go into reverse then transmission light came on. Only owner of vehicle and it was bought brand new from the dealership always being serviced by Ford. Dealership has advised the transmission failed though this should not happen at this mileage and the repair is a new transmission. This appears to be a known issue with this make and model of vehicle yet is continuing to happen. A faulty transmission that goes out with no warning while driving is a huge safety issue. Thankfully I was not hurt but Someone is going to get hurt or killed.

- Kansas City , MO, USA

problem #275

Oct 152021

Escape

  • miles
Cvt transmission went out on the street causing me to stall in a highly congested area. This could have been a perfect rear end condition..

- Inglewood, CA, USA

problem #274

Dec 082021

Escape

  • miles

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

Transmission fault: engine suddenly reved high and didn-??t move. Weird noise coming on and off. No prior warning or notifications with transmission

- Algonquin, IL, USA

problem #273

Nov 302021

Escape

  • miles
My transmission went out at 107,500 miles while going 85 on the highway after leaving work. I was pressing the gas, but my car would not accelerate. My car was at almost 5000 RPMs and making a terrible noise. I was able to coast into a parking lot. My car was struggling to shift from neutral to reverse and was making a loud revving noise even when idle. I was almost read-ended when my transmission went out and caused others to change lanes quickly to avoid hitting me. I was lucky that I did not get stranded in the middle lane of the highway. I had my vehicle towed to AAMCO who confirmed it was my transmission. The service representative I spoke to said that he drove my car around the block himself and got stranded in the middle of the road. He confirmed my transmission was reading multiple error codes and that it would need to be rebuilt. It is still currently being repaired, but they estimated it would be around $3300 to rebuild the transmission. There was no check engine light, and the only light that was on was a low tire pressure alert due to the sudden cold weather. On the way to work that day (about 8 hours prior to the incident), my car was making a loud noise but driving fine. Once I left work, I continued to notice the abnormal noise. I stopped at a red light then accelerated to turn at the intersection. Once I turned, I made it about a quart of a mile before my car stopped accelerating. I am waiting on the official findings from AAMCO to determine what the exact issue with the transmission is.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #272

Nov 242021

Escape

  • 98,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the vehicle did not become inoperable as the vehicle failed to downshift and accelerate. In addition, the RPMs were rising to 4 but the vehicle was not shifting gears while the check engine light and check transmission warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

- Plano, TX, USA

problem #271

Aug 312021

Escape

  • miles

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

I have had a 2014 Ford escape titanium 1.6L turbo, but I have had two transmissions (6F35) fail for the exact same reason. The torque converter is shooting metal into the transmission causing an internal failure. This has resulted in me having to pay for yet another transmission costing me at least $6,000 from the repair and then for acquiring a rental vehicle. I've been told by my repair shop that this is a common issue with this transmission. The failure both times has happened when I have been driving at a high rate of speed on the expressway and I suddenly lose the ability to drive the car and I have to coast to safety. The first time this happened I did experience a warning from my on board system but the second time the failure happened and nothing came up on the dash. I currently have an extended warranty through endurance that is not paying for this repair. This will be the second claim that I have made then I will have to pay out of pocket. I think there seriously needs to be a recall or some sort of redesign done on this torque converter.

- East Chicago, IN, USA

problem #270

Nov 092021

Escape

  • miles
I was driving down the road on my way home from the store my car suddenly stalled on me. I would have been rear ended had I not been able to pull over on the side of the road because a car was right behind me. I was fortunate to be able to not hit ant trees or mailboxes on the side of the road or that there was not a deep ditch! It could have been a bad wreck with deadly injuries. The engine was still running even though it loss power. There was no warning. The engine light never came on. I tried getting back on the the road, the car would barely go and was making a grinder /wining noise.Still on engine light or warning. I managed to get to my drive way, then the gear slipped and the car jerked bad! I was able to get it in the driveway! I had it towed to a automotive shop. The technician determined I have transmission failure! I am having to get a new transmission!!! I the car has 58,000 miles on it when it happened. It-??s my understanding that this has happened to other people with 2014 Ford Escape.

- Silver Creek , GA, USA

problem #269

Oct 222021

Escape

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while stationary, the contact shifted into reverse however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the shifter cable bushing replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #268

Sep 082021

Escape

  • miles
The valve for the eco system is stuck open which causes car to stall while driving and loses power on a flat surface(most do that uphill) and revs engine rpms way too high and tranny slips. I have a aftermarket warranty that is bumper to bumper but seems everytime i take it to garage the warranty company claims the parts aren't covered. I can't afford this repair which is going to cost me $600. The company doesn't even pay for the diagnosis which is another $90. Ford investigation needs to recheck their results over

- Milton , PA, USA

problem #267

Jul 022021

Escape

  • miles

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

Driving on the highway I lost braking power the brake vacuum pump ceased up and broke the bolt in the cam shaft that had to be drilled out and replaced then that caused more damage to the cam and bottom end of the motor for the motor to throw the following codes: p0365 p0369 p0012 p0299 b1215 p0234 U3008 U3003 U0300 p1594 U0140 U0154 U2300 U0422 B1B36 With all these codes I did the following and am now without a vehicle thanks to FORD. This vehicle only has 58000 Miles is single owner and was well maintained till this incident now I am told the motor has to be rebuilt as the cam and bottom end are the issues with this vehicle and this has happened to a lot of people and could have cause a crash or deadly accident as no brakes and now no vehicle. The three sensors were replaced and brake vacuum pump and bolt that drives the pump from the cam along with new spark plugs and valve cover gaskets plus oil change and filter plus new battery and tires along with front rotors calipers brake pads and rear rotors and brake pads. I blame Ford for this as this is a well known issue with 2014 to 2019 models of Ford Escape Titanium 2.0l Eco Boost Engine with turbo. Garages all over the US and Canada have been just replacing the engines due to poor engineering on Fords part and I believe Ford should be held responsible to the engines replacement as it is not even 60000 Miles and I try to take good car of my vehicle only to have none now to drive. Ford Should be held Responsible.

- Winnipeg, CA, USA

problem #266

Jun 062021

Escape

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle would not shift out of the park. The contact also stated that the vehicle proceeded to drift forward. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where they diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The contact had the transmission replaced. Recently while at a gas station, the contact attempted to park the vehicle while in reverse; however, the gear shifter failed to shift out of reverse. The contact stated that the vehicle continued to drift backward. The vehicle was turned off. The contact took the vehicle to another independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective gear linkage system. Unable to repair the vehicle, the contact was informed by a mechanic that he would be able to shift the vehicle into drive position however, once the vehicle was turned off, the vehicle would not restart. The contact drove the vehicle home and parked the vehicle with the parking brake activated. The vehicle then failed to restart. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that there were no recalls on the Vin. The contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

problem #265

Aug 102020

Escape

  • 107,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine, the transmission, the manifold, and the computer needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

- Rhinebeck, NY, USA

problem #264

Mar 182021

Escape

  • 155,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while approaching the driveway, the gear shifter lever failed to engage properly and indicated that the vehicle was still in neutral. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to turn off the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to turn off. The battery was disconnected and the vehicle turned off. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

- Oswego, IL, USA

problem #263

May 262021

Escape

  • 151,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the message "transmission failure" displayed before the speed was reduced and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not notified. The failure mileage was 151,000.

- Virginia Gardens, FL, USA

problem #262

May 062021

Escape

  • 67,500 miles
The car started skipping while driving on city highway. When I would stop at traffic light it would hesitate to pull off then lurch forward. It eventually stopped in traffic and wouldn't move at all. There was no warning light, my system check said it was ok. I only have approximately 67,000 miles on the car. It had regular maintenance last month and transmission fluid was checked "ok"

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #261

Feb 142020

Escape

  • 69,000 miles
At 69,000 the transmission would not work any more. The car would not move in gear. It started slowing down while driving, until it wouldn't move any more.

- Burlington, NJ, USA

problem #260

Apr 122021

Escape

  • 92,000 miles
The car suddenly lost acceleration power while driving at approximately 35 mph. Driver pulled to safe area and stopped car at which point it would not move. No warning/emergency lights displayed in the instrument cluster (no check engine, battery, overheat, or other had been previously displayed). Towed to closest Ford dealer. Diagnostics stated transmission failure (92,000 mi; bought used from Ford dealer in 2017 with 60K miles). Transmission replaced. During test drive following replacement, Ford dealer mechanic identified a rattling noise. This noise was not heard prior to the failure but may have been present during the transmission failure but not heard because of the sudden loss of power/ability to accelerate while driving in traffic. The mechanic returned to the dealership where further inspection revealed a cracked flywheel/flexplate. Research shows that there has been a recall for similar Ford cars (I.e. edge) for this exact issue and repairs included in the recall included repairs of transmission. Additionally, transmission/flexplate failures in the 2014 Escape is included in a 2020 class action settlement alleging Ford actively concealed engine & transmission failures. Vehicles identified in this settlement should be recalled. Consumers who have already paid for identified failures should be reimbursed parts/labor by Ford. The vehicle in this incident was also included in a prior engine recall. The engine was replaced by a Ford dealer in May 2018.

- Monroe, GA, USA

problem #259

Apr 042021

Escape

  • 170,236 miles
Transmission problems slips gear and kicks when going from 2nd gear to 3rd from time to time I'm afraid I'm gonna have to pay for a new transmission

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #258

Apr 162021

Escape

  • 140,000 miles
I tried to park my car as usually, put the shift in P, but the car continued to move. I was scared and unpleasantly surprised. I had to to drive around the parking lot in front of home depot in dickson city and finally decided to turn of the car. After that I was not able to turn on the engine. I had the car towed away to gibbons Ford.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

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