I’ve had to have the transmission replaced THREE times and only was covered ONCE under warranty and then told that there’s nothing they can do. I want a RELIABLE car not a bunch of junk car. I lost my one main job over this too the first time and the second time almost got into an accident.
This issue started at about 50,000 miles. When driving at low speeds, the transmission would hesitate, the engine revs spike, and then the car jumps into gear with a very hard thud.
Within the last month, this problem has gone from a once-daily occurrence to a frequent occurrence. It's always at lower speeds (20~40mph) and driving at constant speed - not accelerating.
I've yet to contact Ford. Since the vehicle is at 61k miles, it's out of warranty. I went to change the transmission fluid today only to find that the fill cap is obscured by several other hoses and components - meaning I'd have to disassemble several things before I could get to the ATF fill port. That's very disappointing; I was hoping a ATF change would help, but I can't even do that myself!
Update from Nov 9, 2020: At 65,000 miles, I took this into my Ford dealer for investigation. They reported the transmission fluid level was good (remove the overflow plug and oil slowly drips out) and that the fluid was dirty. They reported that the transmission had failed and needed replaced.
They're now doing an overhaul of the transmission.
Update from Nov 9, 2020: After disassembling the transmission (4 hours labor), the quote received shows:
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=== GRAND TOTAL $4558.81 ===
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Update from Dec 5, 2020: I opted for a rebuilt transmission for the additional 3 year warranty it provides.
Diagnostics: $99.95
Remanufactured Transmission: $3472.85
Transmission Fluid: $30.55
Gasket: $2.07
Labor: $1984.95
=== Total: $5490.42 ===
Bought my 2015 Escape used and did not notice the hard shifting around 3rd gear when I test drove it. Noticed about a week later that it was shifting hard, and that when I would backup it would jerk into gear first thing in the morning.
Took two trips to the dealer get it fixed. Turned out that the torque converter had failed and started sending metal particles through the transmission. My extended warranty covered the repair. They replace the torque converter and several additional parts in the transmission. Working good now. The service tech told me that if I did not have the warranty, this would have cost me around $4000 to repair.
The transmission fault warning came on and now its gone. I used the engine scan on the steering wheel and ran a scan that showed nothing. I was wondering if this would include the tranny and why the alert is no longer showing.
When the car is cold, at low speed in reverse or forward (DRIVE) the transmission change shifts harshly, with a "thump". The car has 5,545 miles on it. So it is almost new. Sometimes driving on the highway, when I tried to accelerate to pass another car (Overdrive) it feels like the transmission is lost, meaning, the computer does not engage the right shift for a few seconds and the engine stutters.
Update from May 12, 2017: IT WAS FIXED. WALKER FORD of Clearwater FL. performed a complete transmission inspection and they replaced the SSB SOLENOID (Shift Solenoid B) and the TORQUE CONVERTER. The problem was fixed and the transmission is shifting smoothly. Everything was done under FORD WARRANTY.
- Alvaro L.,
Clearwater, FL, US
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I noticed that the car was shifting hard and decided to take it in for the recalls that were on it. I told ford about the transmission issue and they said they would check it out and do the outstanding recalls as well. Ford called back five hours later after doing the recalls (which included reprograming the ICP and reprograming the body control module) and told me that there was definitely something wrong with the transmission. Ford said the vehicle is shifting really hard and jerks in and out of gears, they are going to pull the transmission in the next few days and figure out why this is happening. I brought the car home since the dealer did not have a loaner available for me and the repairs were not due to commence for another five days. On the drive home the car was shifting way worse than it was before I brought it in, possibly due to reprograming the computers for the recall? Ford said that this issue is covered under the factory warranty. More to come as things progress.
Update from Mar 19, 2016: Ford gave me a loner car while mine was in the shop. They took apart the transmission and found that two solenoids and a valve had gone bad. It was going to take two weeks to get it fixed. Ford said I could use the loaned car for the time it was in the shop. All repairs were to be covered under the factory warranty. I sold the car to the dealer before repairs were complete on a trade in. I took a major loss on the trade in 6,000. buying the Escape was the worst design I have ever made.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I’ve had to have the transmission replaced THREE times and only was covered ONCE under warranty and then told that there’s nothing they can do. I want a RELIABLE car not a bunch of junk car. I lost my one main job over this too the first time and the second time almost got into an accident.
- Brenda C., Stroudsburg, US