I have had my 2011 4-cyl Ford Escape in service three times for this transmission issue. At lower speeds the transmission gives a feeling of hesitation, and the car shudders as it drops into gear. It feels as if its not sure what gear to shift to.

The first two times I brought the car in, the service tech installed a software update and reset the predictive shift aspect of the software. The third time I brought it in, the tech said there were no new software updates from Ford, so he just reset the software again. All three times, the car was fine for about a week or so, then the problem occurred again.

The service people at my local Ford shop tell me that there have been numerous complaints from customers on this issue and that they have been on the phone with Ford for a year or two on this issue, but it has not been solved yet. I've been told from the service techs that the issue is the predictive shift algorithm in the transmission. Basically, the transmission tries to be "smart" and fuel-efficient by shifting into appropriate gears based on your driving habits. So after the technician resets the algorithm, it spends about two weeks (or perhaps a certain number of miles) learning your driving habits, then starts applying that algorithm when it things its got you figured out.

I've asked them to completely disable this feature. Saving a few bucks on gas isn't worth having a vehicle that feels like its going to shake to pieces, or cause an accident if I'm trying to move out of the way in the event of an emergency. I'm also concerned about the wear and tear on the transmission that this may be causing, although the service tech says this shouldn't be a concern (which I don't completely buy). However, the techs tell me it is not possible to disable. They have asked Ford the same question, and Ford does not allow for it to be disabled.

The bottom line is that I've paid $30,000 for a vehicle that has issues that have not been resolved in going on two years. I've also wasted time with my vehicle in and out of the shop.

Also, the guy at the service desk was a little unhappy with that fact that I didn't answer "Completely Satisfied" on my recent Ford survey, which triggered Ford to call them and investigate the issue. I told him I'm always satisfied with the customer service that I receive at their service department, but not happy with Ford in general. He said the survey is only for "how did we treat you during your last service visit?" and not for general vehicle complaints. How am I supposed to express my dissatisfaction with my expensive vehicle? He also agreed that the survey can be misleading. Ford requested my local service shop to call me and have me bring my Escape in for an extended test drive of 100-200 miles for them to rule out any other issues. The service tech agreed with me that this is a waste of time since we both knew the outcome was going to be the same.

At this point I'm just dealing with the issue. I'm sick of taking it to the shop. As someone else suggested, I could dump the car before my warranty is up and try and trade it in for a different make altogether - disappointing, because I love my Escape otherwise. I'm underwater with the vehicle though, as I rolled in some debt from my trade-in for it. I'm considering contacting a lemon law attorney to help me get out of this car. With the number of complaints on this issue, we should consider a class action lawsuit.

Issue: steering column made creaking noise when moved, transmission slips, rear suspension was making a creaking noise at slow speeds

Picked up my car from the dealership and only the rear suspension was fixed. The transmission was making a horrible noise when you accelerated and the steering column was still making a creaking noise. The bill stated that the transmission was rebuilt. The bill also said that the customer said that I heard a noise from the belt so they replaced the tensioner under warrantee. I never stated that. It was done by the service department because when they fixed the transmission they heard this noise and could not diagnose it correctly and replaced the tensioner. The noise was still present but they gave me the car back. Steering noise and the transmission issues/noise remained so I called a day later to get the car back into the shop.

Car has been back 2 more times for the transmission. Rebuilt a second time. I picked up the car and I don’t make it out of the parking lot before I hear the same noises from the tranny. Steering has been replaced and fixed. I returned to the service department and told the service advisor that I wanted to speak to the service manager. The service manager comes out of his office and service advisor stops him and asks that he look at the car. Manager curses at the advisor in front of me and walks away. I walk out.

Now the wrench drivetrain light goes on and off but it does not kick a code. Great diagnostic light to put in the car if it doesn't help anyone. The manual says call your service department right away. Service says it goes away after you shut the car off. The transmission bucks while you drive it on the highway while you try and make a pass. I bring the car to a different dealership and since they cannot replicate the issue the will not look at the transmission. Really disappointed in Ford...they should know they cannot afford to treat customers poorly during this tough time with competiton.

Like other 2011 Ford Escape owners I am dissapointed in this vehicle. I brought it back to the dealership the day after I took delivery for transmission problems. I have been hurt starting it, it jerked forward so hard that my knee hit the dashboard, my head hit the windshield, and I jammed my index finger. Another time while starting the car it bucked backwards, and still another time it jerked forward and then stalled. It also revs but does not accelerate. I have experienced hesitation, bucking, and it sounds and feels like the transmission is going to drop out of the vehicle. So far, I have brought this vehicle back to the dealership for service five times and have not yet been satisfied with the results. The last time I was there the Service Manager said that "the transmission was reset and the computer will begin a relearn process which may reseult in firmer shifts for several days'. The service department also tried to blame these problems on my small floor mat, or that is was too cold, too hot...the moon was not aligned correctly...Like many other Escape owners, I paid too much for a vehicle that is clearly a lemon. I plan to do whatever I can to get rid of this vehicle.

I bought a new car for reliability and a Ford to help economy but now I have a piece sh*t machine.

Update from Jan 25, 2012: i bought my escape on march 2011. two month after I bought i was going on the HWY at 70 MPH when suddenly the car wouldn't accelerate over 20 MPH I was almost rear ended when changing lanes to exit the HWY. this happenned at 3700 miles. i took to dealership and they showed me pieces of metal inside trans. So they replaced de transmission. So picked it up on a friday drove it home and the same problem started again! it would hesitate upon acceleration. so i took it back again and they said that the transmission cooler had low flow. so it was replaced whatever they replaced. At 5500 miles both air bag light would stay on. took it back again and they replaced OCSM kit that failed internaly dont know what it is. it is now January at 9000 miles that i started having the same problems with the transmission. It revs up all the way 5500 RPM and would go over 20 MPH very dangerous cauze it just happens, i would pull up to the side of the road, turn it off wait for a couple of minutes and turn it back on and it'll drive fine. It has happened twice in less than 75 miles. I really dont feel safe in this car so i am doing my homework regarding Lemon Law in Arkansas where I live. I know how owners of this piece of sh*t feel, paying over 400.00 a month for something that you cannot enjoy driving for a long trip. i will do everything i can to get rid of IT. I will stay with Toyota. This is my firs Ford what a piece of crap!

Update from Apr 14, 2012: Well I send a letter to Ford giving them the last chance to fix the problem under Lemon Law of Arkansas since it was very dangerous to drive on the highway. they scheduled an appointment for me to take the escape to the Ford in Springdale Arkansas. So I did and the following day they called me and explained to me that it was my fault that I was pressing the brakes and accelerator at the same time, that pissed me off and I left work for the day and drove to the dealership. Once I got there he was trying to tell me that it was the driver doing this. So I asked him to take me for a spin and show me. so we drove for a couple of miles and started pressing the brakes and accelerator at the same time, of course the car is going to jerk. I couldn't believe what he was trying to show me so i got pissed off again and told him that i wasn't stupid to do that while driving. so anyways that was ther explanation and I took the car back home. Just the other day it did again the problem is, that it doesn't do it all the time. if I take it to the dealership the car won't do it. so iam stuck with it until for now I just hope it doesn't do it on the highway. any advices on this would be appreciated.

From the day I picked it up from the dealership the problem started. It would do a hard/delay shift between gears. I brought it to the dealership and they reset the program. They also told me I need to drive more and let it heat up. I work all day and its the middle of summer. Needless to say after I left the dealership the problem was still there.

Made another appt and they could only find the transmission fluid was low. So again I left the dealersip and again its still doing it. The third time my husband brought it and drove with a mechanic. Apparently the mechanic couldn't feel what my husband was feeling and seeing on the rpm's. So they wouldn't even look at it.

The next week I made another appt. Dropped it off the night before so they could have it on a cold start. They have found a problem. The transmission fluid was low again. My question to that was why would the transmission fluid be low if it isn't leaking and they had just filled it the week before. There was also a problem between the 2nd and 3rd shift. Had to wait a couple days for parts. Problem so called "fixed". So I picked it up.

As soon as I left the dealership, it was worse than it was before. I thought the bloody transmission fell out. My mistake was driving it home instead of turning around and bringing it right back. I called the next morning cuz the dealership was closed when I picked it up. I asked if it takes time for the transmission to break in. I knew it didn't but I could not wrap my head around this. They told me to give it till after the week end. Which I did to no evail. Issue still happening. The 5th time I called the service manager directly. He set me up with a rental and kept it till it was so called fixed. After the service manager driving it for a couple days and it almost stalling on him, he seen that the problem hadn't been fixed. The problem was between the 4 and 5th gear. I told them this time I don't want it back until they fix it or give me a new one. I don't have time for this crap. I expect a brand new vehicle to be in great shape. I even called ford of canada about this. So after they said it was all fixed and the service manager test drove it I picked it up.

I have had it back for a couple months now and the car still drives like crap. Its loud and the way it shifts is still not quite right. I am a ford girl and have owned 5 escapes. This is the only one I have ever had any problems with and now I regret ever purchasing this piece of crap. No one should have to bring a car in 4 times for the same problem and still not feel safe in their brand new vehicle.

This car actually gave me whiplash one day it bucked so bad. The dealership says they can't get it to do what I am saying. They reprogram it and say it takes 1000 miles for it to get use to me. Ok well its 7000 miles later and the car is still doing it off and on I have brought it back to the dealership and other than drive the thing through their window. Today I emailed a lemon law attorney to look into my case because I am really upset to make a payment on a car that is such a piece of crap. Herb Chambers will never get business form me or anyone I know. I will never buy a Ford as long as I live. People can like them, I would rather walk.

This vehicle is really nice, rides great, looks great and the fuel efficiency is awesome but man oh man, just 4 days ago the tranny started to slip ( i think).

Upon acceleration it just reved up to 5k and nothing. Almost got rear ended when changing lanes on the highway. I went to pass a slow moving car and when i floored it to pass the car the car i had already commited to move over to the middle lane and all of the sudden i hear a screached behind me, the SUV behind me was cursing at me becuz he thought i did not accelerate but in fact I did. The damn escape did not MOVE..

That shizzle was for fizzle scary!

Took it to dealer on Monday 9/19/2011 ( by tow truck) and they said, well it could be the PCM needs adjusting cuz the new electric throttle in this SUV are shitzle bad shitzle..Also mentioned to me that maybe the trannies valve are bad....Had the vechile for only 3 weeks, my first real new car and this is what I get. The bad thing for us here in Puerto Rico is that we DO NOT HAVE ANY LEMON LAWS. They can try to fix the car for as many times as necessary within the WARRANTY period...uffff.......I love american cars, had a Camaro for years....Never one problem, except for rust,,,heheheheh..It was 76er.....Help anyone...

Update from Oct 5, 2011: Well here is my update...Got my Ford back the same day on 9/19 @ dealer closing time 5PM. They checked it and adjusted the PCM...Took it home, drove 20 miles to my residence and it did the very same thing. The tranny felt like it was slipping as I accelerated to pick up speed. RPM's would glide up towards 5500 and come back down quickly all within 1 to 2 seconds...Took it back the next day, Tuesday 9/20 and left it there until 9/23 when they called me and said that they changed the battery becuz it only measured 12.69 volts and it was not stable. The said the battery voltage fluctuations can cause erratic throttle signal and cause the problem I was having. I took it for a ride with the Supervisor and the vehicle perform the same if not worse. We took it back, they reset the PCM, took for a road test and this time it was a bit better.They ask me to drive it for 2 weeks to see if the adaptive system would get used to my driving habits......

When they changed the Battery they seem to have burned the Radio Display board on top of the dashboard (that really sucks, I'm still waiting for the replacement part, almost 2 weeks now). The Cruise Control indicator on the Dashboard does not work either....

After 2 weeks of driving it around to see if the so called adaptive driving BS the mechanic told me about would get used to my driving habits I have called the dealer and they ask me to bring it in tomorrow 10/6/2011. It is performing really bad. RPM's revving to high, not getting enough speed, gas mileage is about 24 highway, that really sucks.

I will update once i get this lemon back, hopefully repaired...

I bought my 2011 Escape XLS 5 speed manual transmission with 300 miles on February 21, 2011. Almost immediatly I started having problems shifting into all gears but especially when shifting from 1st to 2nd and from 3rd to 2nd, there is always a grinding shifting into 2nd and Its extremely worse when its cold out side. Finally it became so bad (1,721 miles) I scheduled an appointment, sure enough they found a problem in the transmission and because the parts would take 2 1/2 months, Ford replaced my transmission. Now Im excited right, I jump in my NEW Escape with a NEW transmission and get ready to drive and enjoy it... wait the same exact symptions? !!@!, Ford did not fix the problem they fixed the result of the problem. 2 days later im back but this time they tell me nothing is wrong with the way it shifts.. HMMM let me think here, the shifting is exactly the same as before, infact it was so bad the first time that Ford actually replaced my transmission but now of course its perfectly ok?? They asked me to wait for a 1,000 more miles and then bring it back in to check because the mechanic could not be sure there wasn't actually a problem. 250 miles later I am scheduled for my third appointment. I do want to say the mechanic, service writers and my salesman have all been great and I do not feel like they are trying to pull a fast one. Crater Lake Ford is a reputable company and I am sure they will help make this right. I want the excitement of owning a brand new car.

New car. Going on vacation. leak in the transaxel. Take the car in,one day to verify leak.

Take the car back to fix the day before we leave on vacation,two days and over 250 miles round trip. Go on vacation. Notice it does not shift properly and lugs down when taking off.When we get back we call Ford dealer and are told to bring it in. They do not know how long it will take and offer nothing. My wife calls manager, she gets assurance she will get a loaner. Three days later the car is still not fixed and when we call they say they are calling a transmission specialist. Who was looking at it before? The car ran fine before they fixed the transaxel leak. The loaner car drives fine,same kind of car. Plenty of power and shifts like it should. We live over 60 miles out of town so it is a pain when we have to drive all that way and leave the car and wait on them.Monday will be five days this time. Thursday they called and said it was fixed. The manager we called test drove it and since he drives the same car he knew it was not fixed and called us to tell us they would need to keep it longer. At least he is honest. I hope they can find what is wrong and fix it,my wife the loves the car.

Update from Aug 31, 2011: Well it has been 13 days in the shop. They called once and said it was fixed. The manager drove it and said no it is not fixed so they kept it. 8 days after we took it in we call to see about it, they had not even looked at it yet. They have to have it taken out and looked at. Today the service manager calls my wife and tells her they fixed it. She asks them what they did and he tells her they replaced the strut that was causing the transmission to shift wrong. I tell my wife they are nuts and that a bad strut would have nothing to do with the transaxel lugging down and shifting when it shoud not. She calls and gets ahold of the owners son who is the manager and he says he will drive it tomorrow and let her know what he thinks about it or if it really is fixed. we will see and will update as we go along.

A few days after I purchased my new Ford Escape it would not start. The dealer arranged for it to be picked up and repaired (supposedly a ground wire was not installed correctly on the starter). While I was there I mentioned to them that the transmission did not seem to shift appropriately. I was told that I did not know how to drive the vehicle. Since that time the transmission has been giving me problems with jerking when changing gears and jerking and hesitating when changing gears. This is a real concern as I do not feel safe in the vehicle. Also the dash lights are changing from dim to bright and vice versa at will! How do we say sour!

About a 11 days after my car stopped pulling after pulling off at a red light and had been to the dealership and getting a dose of B.S. I had another problem. I left for work one morning and the car started jerking really bad while shifting gears even down shifting and it was also feeling strained kind of like it had a heavy load but I think it was from not shifting up to the next gear. I made it about 1 1/2 miles from home and turned around and went back home. It was so bad I felt like I wouldn't make it back home. The dealership had my salesperson come and pick up my Escape. She said it drove fine on the interstate but when she got onto other roads it didn't seem to want to change gears unless she really put her foot on the gas hard. Now they say its the computer that runs the transmission they reset it once and when they drove it they got to experience the same rough ride I had the morning it drove so badly. Now they are resetting the codes in the computer again and they want me to drive it for 500 miles to retrain the transmission of my driving habits. I haven't gotten the car back yet but maybe today or Monday. I am so afraid of driving it and the thought of being broke down on the side of the road. I haven't even had this car 2 months yet and it is a NEW car. I cant explain how disappointed I am. I was wondering if anyone else has had these problems or has any knowledge of this kind or transmission.

Update from Apr 14, 2011: I have had my Escape into the dealership 2 times now and I am still having the same problems with the harsh shifting and the hesitation. I have been told by the dealership that the problem is in the computer that controls the transmission. They said they are in contact with the engineers at ford about the problem and they are waiting for info from them about how to fix the problem. The service manager has told me my Escape is 1 of 4 that they are having the same problem with. Sounds like this could be a problem with alot of them. While I am waiting for a fix I am afraid that all the jerking and harsh shifting is going to damage the transmission and I will have more problems later on. I have been a lifetime Ford owner but I may need to think long and hard before I buy Ford again!

Update from Apr 14, 2012: After many trips to the dealership I sent in one of the surveys that ford sends out about your service experiance. I got the attention of someone because ford called me and I got a case number. When I took my Escape back to the dealership this time they were able to be in contact with ford for help. The dealership changed the valve body (aka mechatronic). Since then it has been so much better. The only thing I notice now but rarely is when it is very cold it might jerk just enough to notice and sometimes it will hesitate 1-2 seconds before taking off at a red light. I feel much better about it now but I still think the transmission is not exactly right but it is much better than it was and I am not afraid to drive it anymore. In my opinion the fix is a good one because it is running much better and the dealership did the fix last summmer.

I bought the 2011 escape towards the end of January 2011. For the first 200 miles i thought the transmission was tough, much tougher than any other vehicles i ever owned or driven before. Then it got worst after 2 weeks.

Whats happens is the following, it shift ''ok'' from 1st to 2nd gear then from 2nd to 3rd and from 3rd to 4th its a nightmare, the revolution of the engine will go from 3k rpm to 5k rpm back down to 2k rpm in a matter of a 1.5 sec. Its like it has a lot of difficulties engaging into gear and that creates a really uncomfortable driving. Its like someone would kick you in the ass feeling. (Sorry for the metaphor)

To this day i have brought it to the ford dealership 3 times to be told its normal.... Last night i went back and got the director of service to come for a drive with me. The problem occurred again then finally admitted that something is definitely wrong.

So we decided to try another one exactly like mine on the lot, so i picked one of out like 20 trucks. Guess what .... SAME EXACT PROBLEM....

I left it there now and waiting to hear back from today or tomorrow. We'll see what they come up with.

At the time of purchased i had only tried V6 engines and i can tell you for a fact that it never came close to this kind of problem in terms of shifting. It just seems like the V4 has issues handling the 6 gear transmission.

I was also told that these new transmission are electronically controlled now but that all the 2011 Escape with V4`s have the latest firmware installed....

I really hope they come up with a solution because so far i feel like im a lab rat...

If anyone else has the same issue please let me know.

Cheers

My 2011 Ford Escape had stopped pulling just after pulling off from a red light.(@1,590 mi) As I had accelerated at the red light it was like the transmission got caught between gears and stopped pulling, therefore I had to coast to the side of the hwy. I put the car in park for a few minutes and decided to try to drive again. The car drove off fine. I contacted the dealership and took it in for them to look at. The service guy said it was a little low of transmission fluid. (on the low end of norm just not at the max line) I may be a female but I know this is B.S. The car continues to not want to shift in 1st 2nd &3rd and sometimes jerks when shifting up and down gears. I am very disappointed. I have bought 10 new Fords in my lifetime and have never had a major problem. I don't feel safe in my car now and am very afraid of being broke down on the side of the road. I wonder if there are others experiencing the same problems.

I did a lot of research before purchasing this SUV. I was aware of the transmission problems of the past, but was reassured that they had been corrected with the 2011 model. From the first day the vehicle would hesitate upon acceleration, but only 10% of the time. When it did hesitate, it was like the engine stalled. The vehicle would then accelerate rapidly, as if a switch was thrown.

I've had it in the shop twice and it is scheduled for another appointment. I have no confidence in them finding the problem because it is due to this totally computerized transmission. Ford does have a serious problem with this transmission. I foresee them scraping this transmission in the future because they can't seem to get the software straightened out. Other than this particular problem, I love the car, but I can't live with this problem.

Update from Mar 9, 2011: Well, The service dept. detected a vacuum leak in a hose, which they replaced.

I have not noticed the vehicle hesitating since they repaired the leak.

Lets hope the problem is indeed fixed.

The user manual said that it takes about 1000 miles for the car to break in and the computer to adjust to your driving habits, so maybe it will be alright.

The car is very nice for the money.

If you do decide to purchase one, I would think twice before getting the light colored leather.

It does show dirt and wear quickly.

Update from Nov 11, 2011: Well, I've got about 10,000 miles on my Escape now, and the vehicle hasn't given me any problems other than the original complaint.

The transmission is pure junk and needs re engineering.

I'm still having the hesitation from time to time.

I break with my left foot and it seems to be associated with the way I break.

It appears that if I break and accelerate to quickly after breaking, it acts like it tries to stall for just a second or two.

It doesn't do it consistently, but enough to be annoying.

I'm with everyone else who pays $30,000 for a car and has problems that can't be fixed.

Update from Feb 10, 2012: Well, thought that I would update you on the Escape purchased in February of 2011.

I've got 13,000 miles on it, and I'm still having transmission hesitation at times.

I plan to dump this Escape before the warrantees up.

There's no way that I am going to keep this car with the problems that it has been giving me with this piece of junk transmission.

Ford will not deal with this problem because it has not become a safety issue yet.

The government screamed for better fuel economy, and Ford responded with this piece of crap of a transmission.

Might as well hitch it to a team of mules and enjoy it.

Update from Jun 16, 2015: Well, here's a little update on the 2011 Escape with automatic transmission.

If you are bent on buying this car, be advised that you are going to have issues with this transmission.

Not maybe, but definitely.

I originally told myself that I would not keep this Escape beyond 36,000 miles, but faced with several more years of car payments and the junk that is available today, I couldn't convince myself to spring for another car.

The problem that I originally started with was a design problem, due to the safety issues that arose on the Toyota's when the gas peddle got stuck and accelerated the car if wound up killing the driver.

Toyota adopted an electronic safety switch which disengages the throttle when the break is applied. I have developed the habit of breaking with my left foot, because it give me a slight edge in busy traffic.

Well, that caused issues which no one could figure out.

But, that being aside, the transmission is still a pure design. The transmission has shifting issues, no matter what the service department tells you. The transmission shifts erratically at time, down shifts hard, hesitates between shifts, like it doesn't want to let the last gear disengage.

Now the overdrive is failing to engage when it should.

I would avoid all new cars until the auto industry gets the message that we are fed up with the status quo. These toys are just to expensive to be jerked around with the excuses that we get, and the dollars that we are paying out.

Enough is enough!!!