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Jerks & Hesitation When Shifting/Accelerating
2011 Ford Escape (Page 2 of 2)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.
8.0
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- No data
- Average Mileage:
- 29,700 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 37 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
- not sure (29 reports)
- transmission replaced (4 reports)
- changed the valve body (1 reports)
- fixed better than new (1 reports)
- replaced pcm (1 reports)
- transmission rebuilt (1 reports)
transmission problem
Helpful websites
- Possible Cause Of Jerk & Hesitation - Before you spend money on a mechanic, for a simple fix, check this first.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
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.
- Jason A., Wilmington, NC, US