2017 Ford Escape

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate and decelerate. The vehicle was taken to a nearby mechanic who diagnosed that the alternator and alternator belt had failed and needed to be replaced. The alternator and alternator belt were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission warning light illuminated, and the vehicle decelerated, and the steering wheel was difficult to control. After stopping the vehicle and shifting to park(P), the vehicle rolled backwards causing the driver to activate the parking brake. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The transmission was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted regarding the failures. The failure mileage was 107,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle independently downshifted and decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. No warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road and hitchhiked to her destination. In addition, while the vehicle was being lifted to be towed, a transmission fluid leak was noticed coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic, where the transmission was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the same independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.

Please reference the NTSB tracking # 11683952 and review the two attached documents which are all listed below: 2017 Ford Escape Black Style: SE 4dr SUV AWD (1.5L 4 cyl. Turbo 6A) VIN: [XXX] Style: SE Sport Utility 4D Engine: 4-Cyl, EcoBoost, 2.0T Transmission: Auto, 6-Spd w/SelShft Drivetrain: 4WD Documents: 1.CedarCity.7.10.23.pdf; and 2.SunsetTransmission.8.12.25. On [XXX], we purchased the captioned 2017 Ford Escape VIN: [XXX] from Sunset Ford on with 73,912 miles on the odometer. In the subsequent 3.5 years, the car has been driven primarily on flat roads in St. Louis and Los Angeles and has had regular oil changes and maintenance. On Monday, [XXX], the Escape’s transmission began grinding and broke down near Cedar City Utah. It was subsequently towed to Cedar City Auto Repair & Maintenance where with only 99,436 miles on the odometer, it was diagnosed with a broken fly wheel and Ring Gear Assembly and subsequently repaired for $1,908.70 (Please review 1.JPEG, 2.JPEG, 3.JPEG, 4.JPEG & CedarCity.7.10.23.pdf.) The Escape performed adequately for the next 26 months. However, on Sunday, [XXX], the transmission began grinding again after only an additional 21,000 miles. It was towed to SUNSET TRANSMISSION on 8/12/25, where it was determined the Escape needed a new torque converter, a full transmission rebuild and a new transmission rebuilding kit, despite having only 121,361 miles on the odometer. These repairs cost $3,742.05. (Please review SunsetTransmission.8.12.25.pdf.) As you know, manufacturing quality has been an issue for 2017 Ford Escape’s. The NTSB has previously issued recalls relating to the Transmission Shifter Cable Bushing. In the last two years, we have spent $5,650.75 on our Escape with only 121,361 miles on it. This is unacceptable and we should be entitled to compensation for Ford’s shoddy manufacturing. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Please reference the following vehicle and review the two attached documents which are all listed below: 2017 Ford Escape Black Style: SE 4dr SUV AWD (1.5L 4 cyl. Turbo 6A) VIN: [XXX] Style: SE Sport Utility 4D Engine: 4-Cyl, EcoBoost, 2.0T Transmission: Auto, 6-Spd w/SelShft Drivetrain: 4WD Documents: 1.CedarCity.7.10.23.pdf; and 2.SunsetTransmission.8.12.25. On [XXX], we purchased the captioned 2017 Ford Escape VIN: [XXX] from Sunset Ford on with 73,912 miles on the odometer. In the subsequent 3.5 years, the car has been driven primarily on flat roads in St. Louis and Los Angeles and has had regular oil changes and maintenance. On Monday, [XXX], the Escape’s transmission began grinding and broke down near Cedar City Utah. It was subsequently towed to Cedar City Auto Repair & Maintenance where with only 99,436 miles on the odometer, it was diagnosed with a broken fly wheel and Ring Gear Assembly and subsequently repaired for $1,908.70 (Please review 1.JPEG, 2.JPEG, 3.JPEG, 4.JPEG & CedarCity.7.10.23.pdf.) The Escape performed adequately for the next 26 months. However, on Sunday, [XXX], the transmission began grinding again after only an additional 21,000 miles. It was towed to SUNSET TRANSMISSION on 8/12/25, where it was determined the Escape needed a new torque converter, a full transmission rebuild and a new transmission rebuilding kit, despite having only 121,361 miles on the odometer. These repairs cost $3,742.05. (Please review SunsetTransmission.8.12.25.pdf.) As you know, manufacturing quality has been an issue for 2017 Ford Escape’s. The NTSB has previously issued recalls relating to the Transmission Shifter Cable Bushing. In the last two years, we have spent $5,650.75 on our Escape with only 121,361 miles on it. This is unacceptable and we should be entitled to compensation for Ford’s shoddy manufacturing. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While driving the shifting became sluggish and the vehicle would surge/catch when shifting then while driving home the Escape just quickly slowed and stopped on a busy road. We could not get it to go forward, so we shifted to reverse in traffic to get the car off to the side of the road. The car was towed to a local shop who let us know the transmission had failed. The fluid was burnt/black even though it was replaced prior to the 150K mile service interval. The vehicle is currently in the shop and available for inspection. We were potentially in danger while driving when the car simple stopped moving forward on a busy road. The mechanic confirmed the transmission will work partially at normal temp, but slips/stops when warm. There were no warning lights or codes from the ODB port.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift properly and lurched forward while attempting to change gear. There was no warning light initially illuminated. Additionally, while the contact’s son attempted to drive the vehicle, the vehicle failed to move forward and rolled backwards with the powertrain warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 68,693.

Transmission failed rapidly like many other vehicles with 6f35 transmissions. Sometimes the car goes forward in reverse, sometimes the car goes backward in drive. Car loses the transfer of engine power to the transmission randomly, and also comes back randomly. The car behaves erratically and incredibly dangerously, making it impossible to drive. This is an incredibly common issue with the transmission and ford will not repair it for a reasonable price. The market rate for used cars with this transmission reflects the public's knowledge of this dangerous issue.

My 2017 Ford Escape began leaking transmission fluid in May of 2025. I had it assessed at my local engine and transmission exchange shop and they found that the leaking was coming from the font main seal and the front pump bushing of the transmission was damaged. The only fix to ensure that this issue would not happen again was to put a different transmission in the car, because this model was so prone to have this issue. I spent the money to have a new transmission installed and the car worked well. Two months later, however, the car began having episodes of not starting, or the engine completely shutting down, no matter where I was on the road. When this occurred, a messaged popped up on the dash counsel stating "Engine Fault, Service Now." I had the car looked at at the same car shop and they found the engine now had an issue. A head gasket was damaged allowing coolant to enter the piston cylinders, fluid locking the engine and shutting down the car. Like the transmission, the only repair is to replace the engine with a new model due to the original model being so prone to this issue. Ford does have a warranty for these issues for a model that is less than 7 years old and less than 84,000 miles. I purchased this vehicle preowned and already outside of that warranty date, therefore these expensive fixes are not covered. The dealership did not report these issue or recalls when selling us the vehicle.