CarComplaints.com Notes: The top problem trend for the 2014 Escape is transmission failure at around 70k miles.
This is relatively low mileage for an expensive transmission failure ($4,500 average to fix), but unless the trend becomes more established, we are only awarding the 2014 Escape our "Beware of the Clunker" badge for now.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
13 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,236 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
On January 10, 2020 while vehicle was being driven at approximately 30 mph on public road with slight decline in road at that point, the SUV spontaneously disengaged from gear. When accelerator pedal was pressed, the engine would rev at high rate of speed but vehicle acted as though in neutral. The driver coasted to side of road, shut off engine for a couple of minutes, re-started, put into gear, at which time the SUV would lurch forward about 15 feet and then disengage again. Proceeded down the road this way until SUV could not advance at all, now at uphill. It was towed to closest repair garage where diagnosis was complete transmission failure. Prior to this incident, the vehicle had exhibited no signs whatsoever of transmission problems, no difficulties shifting into gears, no hesitation of automatic shifting between gears. It has been properly maintained. Mileage at time of event was approximately 79465 miles.
On February 2, 2020 I was driving home and my car suddenly stalled and released as I hit the accelerator & then it wouldn't speed up at all, which is when I realized my transmission went out for the second time in 3 years. I am very meticulous with my vehicles and this never should've happened the first time or even a second time. I reached out to Ford about it, but they took no responsibility. The first time my transmission went out was at about 79K miles. There's absolutely no way to conveniently check the transmission oil without having to take it into a shop.
Car kept stalling in the middle of the road and then completely stalled out after going 40mph. No indication of a transmission error. Changed transmission fluid and still doesn't want to drive. Sometimes the acceleration on the vehicle is terrible and the ac gives out and I need to constantly turn it off and turn it back on to work. Having to tow it to Ford because it's not drivable and spend all this money on a car I'm still paying for, getting rid of it and not buying another Ford ever again.
Transmission went at 80K miles, extended warranty doesn't cover. No warnings only warning I got was when it was took late. No way to check transmission fluid as it is a sealed transmission. It's going to cost me $6K to get it fixed.
On 12/31/19 while driving on pch the the would not accelebrate it's like it in neutral very dangerous! had to pull over and get a tow home. Doesn't shift gears right. 2018 it was jerking fix the transmission now this. Only 71000 miles on it. !
- Inglewood, CA, USA
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I was driving on a city street. I was stopped at a red light and could not accelerate past 33 mph with the speed limit being 45 mph. I immediately became concerned for my saftey and pulled off on a side street still going 33 mph and not able to accelerate any faster. Once stopped, I had a dashboard message appear saying "transmission fault". it would not go into motion at this point after pulling over to stop. I had the vehicle towed to a local Ford dealership, where I was advised by my service advisor that the fluid was broken down per their transmission technician and that there are metal shavings in the system. He told me I should have changed fluid every 30K miles. The complaint I have against Ford is that my drivers manual states to replace transmission fluid at 150K miles. I am now faced with high repair cost that does not line up with Ford's recommended maintenance. Following the service manual got me a high cost repair and Ford is not standing by their product. Additionally, this could have put me in a more dangerous situation if I was on the highway since I live in a major metro area of the country. If there is a faulty transmission going bad before their service schedule, they should recall them for the customer's safety.
While in motion, on either a city street or on a freeway. From either in a slow stop and go acceleration while in city traffic the transmission slips and then catches in a jerking a effect causing the transmission to pause and then catch. This is also will happen on the freeway in the event of a quick acceleration to avoid change in the traffic or something in the road.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. While driving and pulling into a parking spot, the vehicle shut off and was towed to the contact's home. The following day, the contact attempted to drive the vehicle, but it shut off again. The vehicle was taken to crossroads Ford of prince george (4500 whitehill blvd, prince george, va 23875, (877) 331-9405). The contact was advised to use rolling stops to avoid the vehicle shutting off. The vehicle shut off in the dealer's parking lot. The dealer replaced the oxygen sensors after performing a small test drive. It was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer for almost two weeks. The total cost for the repairs was over $4,200. The vehicle was currently at the dealer awaiting repairs. The failure mileage was 79,000. The VIN was invalid.
After pulling onto the highway, I attempted to accelerate my automatic 2014 Ford Escape. My engine revved, but I had no acceleration. It sounded as if I was in neutral. I tried to shift gears, but the issue persisted as my car nearly came to a halt on the busy highway. I was able to make it to the right lane even though it put me in front of an onramp and guard rail. I was beginning to lose any forward momentum to the point that my car was slipping backward. I pushed the brake. I was able to quickly turn off my car, turn it back on, and accelerate a few feet before I lost acceleration again. I did this 3 times before being able to safely pull off the highway past the onramp and guardrail. I was about 15 minutes from meeting up with my husband and two young girls to travel further onto a busy highway toward Friday afternoon boston traffic. I feel fortunate that the timing was what it was, but unfortunately, the issue was my transmission failed at only 92,000 on a vehicle from 2014. I just had the vehicle in the mechanic shop on the Tuesday prior to this Friday event, and was told there should be no issues taking it on the highway for a trip with the family. My vehicle was towed to the local vip for an assessment. We were told it was likely the transmission, which they said was a "known issue" in this make and model. Fuming at the thought of this being a "known issue" and understanding the implications of this cost, I did a quick search. Sure enough, there are myriad people that have experienced this at 40,000, 70,000 and 90,000 miles on this same make and model. We had it towed to our local mechanic who assessed it independently of vip and shared again that this is a "known issue" with this make and model. I have to wonder why this "known dangerous issue" has not prompted a recall. Happy to provide my bill for the repair, which will take place 12/30.
2014 Ford Escape-79K miles- while driving the car wouldn't give power and hesitated when trying to take off. Also puttered and eventually didn't want to drive at all. I had to shut off the car in the middle of the road and restart it to get it to move and eventually made it home doing this several times. Thankfully I was not on the highway as it would have been a complete disaster. Took the car to my mechanic the next morning, mechanic informed me the transmission fluid level was full but transmission had failed. Said this is rare for a fairly unused car with low miles but common problem in Ford Escapes. I left the mechanic in tears with a $125 fee and a $3,500 quote to have it repaired. Working on those funds now to repair the car, which is not yet paid off. If it was I would trade it in and never get another Ford again. Incredibly frustrating. I've had a Honda Accord with 200K+ miles and this never happened. Along with my Toyota highlander. Ford needs to do something and recall this issue along with reimbursements because this is insane.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. While the contact's daughter was pulling into a parking lot, the transmission did not shift into park, which caused the vehicle to roll. The contact stated that the gear shift was in park at the time of the failure. The contact applied the emergency brake to stop the vehicle. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle shut off and was towed to romano Ford (315-637-4491, located at 5431 N burdick St, fayetteville, NY 13066) where it was determined that the VIN was not included in a recall and not under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
Wastegate solenoid needs replaced, we have replaced so many parts on this vehicle and had to have the transmission replaced as well. We should not have this many problems with a vehicle that's only 5 years old. We also had to replace the transmission shifter cable after it left our vehicle completely disabled in a town an hour away from our home. We've also replaced the coolant bypass solenoid. These are all known issues and should have been covered by a recall but our vehicle, even though it matches the recall specs exactly, our VIN # was not listed on the shops oasis sheet so we've paid for all of this out of our own pocket. Ford needs to do the right thing and reimburse everyone that has had to deal with these issues and pay out of their own pocket for a known issue that have been recalled on several of their vehicles already. The recalls obviously need to be expanded to reflect the true numbers.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the transmission indicator illuminated while driving and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who checked the vehicle and provided technical service bulletin number: 192100, P1744. The mechanic stated that the torque converter performance circuit was high. The vehicle was taken to bob gillingham Ford (216-398-1300, located at 8383 brookpark rd, parma, oh 44129) where it was determined that an unknown module needed to be replaced. The part was on backorder. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.
A check engine light came on and I took it in to have looked at. The dealership told me the torque converter went bad - even though I only have 51,000 miles on my vehicle. Basically the clutch slips when I drive. They told me to replace that it would be almost $5000 but that they recommended just replacing the whole transmission since it's only $900 more. I asked if this needed to be replaced immediately and they said it was just a matter of time before the whole thing goes out completely. Now I am trying to figure out whether it is safe to even drive to try to get a second opinion. Parts of a transmission should not go out on such a low mileage car. Clearly there is an issue with the transmissions in this model as numerous other people have reported similar issues. The dealership said this would normally be covered under the powertrain warranty - because I am under 60,000 miles - but they said it isn't covered because that expired in August. I called 'Ford customer care' and they just said there was nothing they could do, no explanation. Ford needs to fix this.
Transmission failed at 70,000 miles while traveling 60 miles per hour on a state highway. Lurched 2 - 3 times then transmission failure light went off. No power at all. Fortunately there no were vehicles behind me or surely I would have been rear ended. Was able to get off road. Need total replacement $3,700. 5 payments left on original loan. Extended warranty at dealer was too expensive.
My family and I (wife and newborn) were driving on the highway and I noticed a lack of power when trying to accelerate. Suddenly the Ford Escape began shifting up and down rapidly. The rpms would increase when trying to accelerate, and the engine was working, but there was a total loss of power and slight grinding noise. It felt as if the vehicle shifted into neutral. We coasted to the shoulder and waited for a tow truck. The shop that received the Ford Escape found internal transmission failure and quoted us for a replacement. The price for the replacement is over half of what the vehicle is worth! (according to kbb)
My wife and kids were driving home from her sisters home and about 5 miles in a line of traffic on a 2 lane roadway crossing a bridge when she lost power an the vehicle would not reach over a speed of 10mph. This in turn put my wife and children in danger with traffic moving at a rate of 40mph dropping to 10 mph with rpms jumping to between 6 an 7 rpms. She luckily made it across the bridge where she found a wide spot to pull off. When I arrived I checked for fluid on the ground there was none. I put the car in drive and reverse and it was abundently clear it was the transmission. When shifting into drive the transmission would make a slamming/booming sound as it tried to engage. When I tried to accelerate there was no power behind the vehicle to pick up any acceleration. We had it towed to a transmission specialist the next day where he was quick to let me know we needed a new transmission.
While in motion, the vehicle shudders and/stumbles between 1800 and 2000 rpms causing the vehicle to become unstable. The dealership was not able to address any issue. I then contacted 2 other dealerships. I suggested that it may be an issue with the transmission and I was told that they were not looking at any transmission issues. "this came down from management" the service technician shared. My teenage driver is driving the car and I am concerned that an accident is eminent.
Every time I get gas the car have trouble starting back up. The vehicle accelerate on it's own while driving, and randomly stops. Today 10/28/2019 I was on the eway going West of 465 indianapolis and the car slowed down nstopped before I can even pull over. I sat there for 5 mins car off and it turned back on. I have to shut the car off N start back up. Engine light battery and trans light have all came on amd it shuts off and come back on like nothing ever happened yet auto shops can not find a diagnostic for the problem. This is an ongoing issue and I have only had this car for a month
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New Ipswich, NH, USA