COMPONENT SPOTLIGHT

Ford Escape transmission problems

552 distinct owner reports with a transmission-specific component in this snapshot.

General power-train reports are not automatically counted as transmission problems. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.

10 crash reports4 fire reports8 injury reports

Reports by model year

Recall and investigation columns show each year’s full history. A report naming several years can appear in more than one row.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

399 reports with mileage · 153 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What owners actually said

552 reports
2012 model year · 70,000 miles · Jun 16, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting out of park(P) into drive(D), the vehicle started jerking. The contact kept the brake pedal depressed and shifted back to park(P) before attempting to shift to drive(D) again. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer …

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The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while shifting out of park(P) into drive(D), the vehicle started jerking. The contact kept the brake pedal depressed and shifted back to park(P) before attempting to shift to drive(D) again. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the PIN needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI #11469554

2015 model year · 80,000 miles · Jun 13, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15-25 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate and started stalling. The contact pulled to the side of the roadway and waited before continuing to drive. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled four times while driving. The contact was in the middle of the …

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The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15-25 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate and started stalling. The contact pulled to the side of the roadway and waited before continuing to drive. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled four times while driving. The contact was in the middle of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle and was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact drove to her residence. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle and attempting to reverse, the vehicle moved forward instead. The transmission warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was inoperable. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be responsible for towing and repair expenses of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V254000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI #11468969

2020 model year · 4,800 miles · Jun 3, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the transmission shifted earlier than designed to shift and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repai…

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The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the transmission shifted earlier than designed to shift and the vehicle started shaking abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 4,800.

NHTSA ODI #11467278

2015 model year · 123,082 miles · May 31, 2022
Power TrainCrash

The contact's wife owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was on and parked, the vehicle rolled forward about 3MPH and crashed into the house. The air bags did not deploy and no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not destroyed and the house was slightly damaged. The police was not called. The veh…

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The contact's wife owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was on and parked, the vehicle rolled forward about 3MPH and crashed into the house. The air bags did not deploy and no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not destroyed and the house was slightly damaged. The police was not called. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle will be towed to a dealer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,082.

NHTSA ODI #11466711

2015 model year · Mileage unknown · May 29, 2022
Power Train

The bushing connecting the shifter to transmission broke and popped off causing the car to not go into park and not be able to turn on again after shutting the car off. Had to attempt to push broken bushing down to get it into park and have the car towed due to safety concern.

NHTSA ODI #11466582

2015 model year · 68,000 miles · Apr 27, 2022
Power Train

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20-25 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact continued to depress the accelera…

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The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20-25 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal until the vehicle responded. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced; however, the parts were not available. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ODI #11462405

2017 model year · Mileage unknown · Apr 14, 2022
Power Train

Torque converter failed at about 70,000. Ford denies a known issue and will only pay for 2/3 of the repair bill. Uploading two phots with the first photo of the torque converter with a blue high heat burn mark in the top left and the second photo is the grinding teeth or gears on the torque convertor pump.

NHTSA ODI #11460823

2014 model year · Mileage unknown · Mar 24, 2022
Power Train

I was driving in Manhattan and stopped on East 5th Street in the East Village on my way home at around 7 pm. I stopped the car on a bit of a diagonal in the middle of the street in order to get out and quickly hand something off to someone there. I put the car in park and stepped out for maybe 30 seconds without even closing my…

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I was driving in Manhattan and stopped on East 5th Street in the East Village on my way home at around 7 pm. I stopped the car on a bit of a diagonal in the middle of the street in order to get out and quickly hand something off to someone there. I put the car in park and stepped out for maybe 30 seconds without even closing my door. Then when I got back in and tried to drive the car I had no ability to shift into any gear. The gear shifting didn’t click in in any way. The car didn’t register as in park. No lights highlighted the gear on the dashboard. The 4 tires were locked but the steering wheel moved freely and everything else in the car seemed to be perfectly fine. No warning lights came on. We turned the car off and back on many times hoping the computer system would resolve the issue - but that never changed the situation. I could not drive this car. I could not move the car. I was blocking other cars. I called AAA which took an hour and a half to get to me. I had AAA put the car on a flat bed truck and bring it to my Darien CT driveway ( at great expense) and then the next morning spoke with my Ford dealership and had AAA move the car to the dealership While now having to take a subway and a train to get back to Darien I looked up what could be wrong and discovered there had been a recall of many 2014 Escapes in 2018 to replace a faulty bushing which could detach from the transmission cable and make it impossible to control the gears. MY ESCAPE WAS NOT RECALLED - BUT IT CERTAINLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN because that is exactly what happened. This was very dangerous and expensive. I’m extremely disturbed that had my Escape been fixed in this recall this then would not have happened to me. And my life would not have been in jeopardy. What if this happened minutes later when I was again driving in NYCity or on the highway ? The Ford dealership in Stamford CT discovered that “the shifter cable bushing on transmission is broken and not connected to transmission…”

NHTSA ODI #11458266

2017 model year · Mileage unknown · Oct 25, 2021
Power Train

For several weeks experienced shudder/judder and hesitation. Most noticeable at around 40 mph. Vehicle serviced and inspected by both dealership and independent auto repair shop. Hesitation unsafe. Issue Not uncommon as found on FMC Escape forum. Dealer recommended transmission replacement after finding transmission fluid bu…

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For several weeks experienced shudder/judder and hesitation. Most noticeable at around 40 mph. Vehicle serviced and inspected by both dealership and independent auto repair shop. Hesitation unsafe. Issue Not uncommon as found on FMC Escape forum. Dealer recommended transmission replacement after finding transmission fluid burned and contaminated with metallic debris. Verified Torque converter clutch shudder. Independent auto repair shop confirmed hesitation, engagement in higher gears is abnormal. No warning lights or other symptoms aside from shudder/judder/hesitation. Vehicle currently available for inspection. Vehicle had less than 76,000 miles when issue first started.

NHTSA ODI #11438032

2014 model year · Mileage unknown · Oct 24, 2021
Power Train

Transmission quit working and the vehicle stopped forward progress abruptly. There were no warnings on the dash. Vehicle will not shift and transmission disengages with no warning. Repair shop quoted a complete replacement at $7000.

NHTSA ODI #11437995

Related Official recalls

8

24V330000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

May 10, 2024

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Maverick, 2020-2022 Escape, and 2021-2022 Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The Hybrid Powertrain Control Module (HPCM) software may cause the vehicle to shift into neutral unexpectedly, causing a loss of drive power.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the HPCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S33.

22V413000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl); Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

Jun 10, 2022

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

22V254000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl); Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

Apr 14, 2022

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Escape vehicles equipped with 2.0L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shifter bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S25.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:shift Linkage/cable/rod

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Escape vehicles equipped with 2.0L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shifter bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S25.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015 Escape vehicles equipped with 2.0L engines. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Consequence: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shifter bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S25.

20V550000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Sep 10, 2020

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Edge, Transit Connect and Lincoln MKX and 2020 Escape and Lincoln Corsair vehicles. The start/stop accumulator endcap may have missing or loose bolts.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Missing or loose bolts on the start stop accumulator endcap could result in a transmission fluid leak and may progress to a loss of transmission function. A transmission fluid leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the start/stop accumulator, free of charge. The recall began September 23, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S49.

18V471000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift

Jul 16, 2018

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Ford Escape, and 2013-2016 Ford Fusion vehicles, equipped with six-speed automatic transmissions. The bushing that attaches the transmission shifter cable to the transmission may degrade over time and cause the bushing to detach from the transmission. The condition could allow the driver to move the shift lever to Park and remove the ignition key, while the transmission may not be in Park, with no warning message or audible chime.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the vehicle is exited without the transmission being in Park and without the parking brake being applied, the vehicle may unexpectedly move, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the shifter cable bushing, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S20. Note: Owners are directed to use the parking brake until the recall remedy repairs can be made.

15V606000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl); Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift

Sep 29, 2015

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:floor Shift

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.

Consequence: If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.

Consequence: If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.

10V222000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

May 24, 2010

FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 FUSION, MILAN, AND ESCAPE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 27, THROUGH MARCH 26, 2010. THE PARK ROD GUIDE RETENTION PIN MAY NOT HAVE BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENT OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 114, "THEFT PROTECTION AND ROLLAWAY PREVENTION".

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A VEHICLE PARKED WITHOUT AN ENGAGED PARK PAWL AND WITHOUT AN APPLIED PARKING BRAKE MAY HAVE UNINTENDED MOVEMENT WHICH MAY CAUSE A CRASH.

Remedy: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 28, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332 AND FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED CALL 1-800-232-5952 (TDD). REPRESENTATIVES ARE AVAILABLE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: 8:00AM - 5:00PM.

04V165000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Apr 6, 2004

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.0L V6 ENGINES, DURING DECELERATION, THE ENGINE CAN STALL.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: SHOULD THE ENGINE STALL, A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE POWER CONTROL MODULE (PCM) WITH THE APPROPRIATE CALIBRATION. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

Related NHTSA investigations

0

No component-matched exact-year investigations in this snapshot.