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9.5

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$5,390
Average Mileage:
78,750 miles
Total Complaints:
22 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. replace transmission (16 reports)
  2. new transmission (3 reports)
  3. not sure (2 reports)
  4. replaced parts (1 reports)
2017 Ford Escape transmission problems

transmission problem

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2017 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Oct 252023

Escape SEL 1.5L Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 133,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was getting a lot of scraping noise in low RPM on all gears. The shop I brought it to reported two major cracks in the flywheel. This was repair two in a year where this car cost me $13,000.

- Daniel W., Greensboro, US

problem #21

Feb 032024

Escape SE 1.5L Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles

We have had our Ford Escape serviced by the dealer at every single suggested service date. The transmission fluid has been checked, changed, and flushed on schedule. Never has there been a mention of a transmission problem. While driving, the car began to chug a bit. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it. The next day there was a whirring noise when I pressed on the gas and while driving uphill, the car started to rev while pressing the gas but it wasn't going any faster. It was like it was not in gear. We were out of state at the time, had to have it towed, and take a rental car home while someone looked at it. We were told that the transmission was completely gone and the pump was broken. We have taken excellent care of this car and there is no reason for the transmission to go. My nephew had the same issue and I see that many here have as well. Oh, and the cost to repair: $8400!! I am open to a lawsuit.

- Eileen B., Hingham, US

problem #20

May 222023

Escape

  • Automatic transmission
  • 101,000 miles

My 2017 Ford Escape's transmission went bad around 100,000 Miles. My personal 2017 Ford Escape just had its transmission replaced and it had about 100,000 miles on. I wondered how both of the Escapes would have their transmission go bad with a 4 week period, but they do have similar mileage. They say that the transmission is a sealed system, but there is a vent cap on the top where small amounts of fluid spits out which is evident by the black fluid near the vent cap. Is it possible that fluid slowly seeps out of this vent cap over the course of 100,000 miles? If fluid is venting, there is no way a vehicle owner can check it to fill it if the fluid is low.

I am hopeful that Ford will take a serious look at this issue and make things right.

- Mike M., Aurora, US

problem #19

Jun 052023

Escape Titanium

  • Automatic transmission
  • 101,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The Transmission stopped working. Took it to the Ford Dealership and they said that the transmission went bad. I understand that cars breakdown, but having a transmission breakdown around 100,00 miles does not sit well with me. I was told by the Ford Dealer that the transmission is a sealed system, but I noticed that fluid was on top of the crankcase where the cone shaped rubber piece with a plastic spring loaded cap is located. Based on information from Ford, this is a vent for when the transmission gets hot. If transmission Fluid is venting through this cone shaped Tube which was evident by the black fluid on the top of the crank case (Transmission), why is there not a way for a vehicle owner to check the fluid similar to the engine oil. If fluid is exiting the sealed transmission system, how does a vehicle owner put it back in since there is no fill tube similar to the engine oil. I am very disappointed with Ford as before this vehicle had to get a new transmission, my employer's 2017 Ford Escape with around 100,000 miles just had it's transmission changed due to failure.

- Mike M., Aurora, US

problem #18

Feb 062023

Escape

  • Automatic transmission
  • 54,354 miles

This is the 2nd Escape we have owned, happy with the first, and bought the 2nd to have problem free driving as we age and are taking less longer trips. Very unhappy to have a few symptoms starting about a year ago and then the warning light came on to not drive and take to a shop to evaluate. I was very disappointed that it was not repairable due to metal debris in the transmission. Replacement recommended with a 3 yr. warranty against a reman. transmissionn. There were only 54,354 in it and we have never had a car have a transmission problem on any of the cars we have owned in the 65 yr. we have bought and owned mostly new cars. I have been since told by another mechanic that this has been an issue for that year of Escape. I think this is very bad for a new car that was never abused.

- marcar63, Winlock, US

problem #17

Mar 152023

Escape SE

  • Automatic transmission
  • 121,000 miles

Driving about 40mph on a back road the car suddenly started jerking and slowed way down and then came to a stop. I was in the middle of a curvy road with no shoulder to pull onto. It wouldn't go into gear at all, drive or reverse. I turned off the car and turned it back on and got it into drive but it was jerky and very little power but I was able to limp it to someone's driveway. Had to get towed to a shop. They said the transmission went out and had to be replace for $7000 or rebuilt for $4000. A less than 7 year old car should not blow a transmission out of the blue!! Very angry.

- Megan R., Chickamauga, GA, US

problem #16

Apr 012023

Escape S 2.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 47,800 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Torque converter failed which destroyed the transmission. No warning lights on dash. Symptoms were intermittent shuddering, loss of power, struggling to shift gears. Ford service technician said it's not caused by anything we did. It was just a bad torque converter.

- Jessica W., Severn, MD, US

problem #15

Mar 072023

Escape Titanium

  • Automatic transmission
  • 61,800 miles

My 6 year old, less then 62000 miles Transmission left me sitting. Needs a full rebuilt cost me 6400 plus tax, at a transmission specialty shop. So angry, was told Escape transmissions are junk, and they will rebuilt it better than new with a 3 year warranty. I feel like Ford should have picked up the cost, but they would only help me negotiate the cost if I took it to a dealership..I do not trust the expertise of the mechanics at our local dealership, having had inferior work performed there, so I guess I`m stuck.

- Sunni K., Reading, PA, US

problem #14

Nov 282022

Escape

  • Automatic transmission
  • 132,000 miles

We bought a Ford Escape because we were a Ford family. At 78,000 miles the engine went out. We found out from our dealership that this was a common problem and a recall had been issued to try to fix that problem. It did not work and we were left with a 3 year old car with no engine. We were 3,000 miles outside of our warranty but did negotiate with Ford to get them to pay a portion of the cost to replace the engine. Then in November 2022, the transmission started to slip. It needed a new transmission at a cost of $5200.

We have owned a lot of cars between my husband and me and none of them have ever had to have the engine and transmission replaced. And this car is only 6 years old. It also has an oil leak that needs to be fixed at another cost of $900.00. Add that all to the normal tire and brake replacement and we have paid way too much for a new car. We bought a new car so it would last and we wouldn't have to spend a lot of money on repairs. WE will not be buying another Ford vehicle.

- Charles H., Clyde, US

problem #13

Dec 022022

Escape Titanium 2.0L Ecoboost

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,000 miles

Driving vehicle on freeway in Orlando, with no prior warnings, fluid leaks, or indication that there was any problems. All of a sudden, I get the Transmission Problem warning message. I immediately change course and head to a local Ford dealership. While at a light, I try to go thru an intersection and car won't move. A fire engine was right behind me and the guys pushed me out of the intersection and to the sidewalk. Paid $220 to have it towed to the Orlando Ford dealership. This was on December 2nd and the Ford dealer's service dept said they couldn't look at it until January 3rd!! They said they only had 2 transmission guys and they were backed up. Needless to say, I wasn't about to wait a full month just to get problem diagnosed, so I towed it to a transmission shop closer to my home.

Their findings: Torque converter went bad and threw metal throughout the transmission.

Solution: New torque converter and complete rebuild of transmission. Cost: $4,400 (Paid by me this week).

Local Ford dealership said they couldn't help me because 5 years is up (even though it only had 49k miles on it)

Ford service rep said they have issues with torque converters in multiple vehicles but "good luck getting anything out of Ford 800#". I've read numerous Ford Escape complaints on the web about similar situations where there is no warning and then, poof! the transmission goes because the torque converter fails. Yet, no recall!! This is BS and I will never buy another Ford or Lincoln vehicle again. I am contacting Ford 800# to file my complaint tomorrow.

- P S., Vero Beach, FL, US

problem #12

Dec 112022

Escape Titanium

  • Automatic transmission
  • 92,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This is crazy. This car has less than 100,000 miles and the transmission is gone! I'm being told it's going to cost over $6k to fix! Ford needs to fix this problem.

- Lisa Y., Inverness, US

problem #11

Apr 012021

Escape LX 1.5L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 35,619 miles

Shocking to have a transmission failure in a vehicle with just barely over 35k miles. Dealership has been great so far and it's covered under warranty.

- SHANNON F., YORBA LINDA, CA, US

problem #10

Aug 152022

Escape

  • Automatic transmission
  • 59,000 miles

The car NEVER drove right from day one. When you were accelerating from a stop or in low RPMs, it would sputter and jerk (assuming this was the transmission slipping) which got progressively worse. Took it to be looked at several times and they said there was nothing wrong with it and we'd have to wait until a service light came on. Well, one day we got up to take our kids to school, turned the car on, and it was showing a transmission failure message.

I turned the car off and had it towed to the nearest Ford dealership. Yes, I am extremely thankful this occurred while still under warranty, but what car has a complete transmission failure under 5 years old and less than 60k miles driven and all maintenance kept up with?! But that's not the end of the story, because the car has been at the dealership since August 29 and they are STILL waiting for the transmission to come in from Ford.

It is October 16 today and still don't even have a ROUGH ETA on when I can expect to have my car back. Dealership has no courtesy vehicles and Ford will only cover $40/day on a rental which 1) FIND ME A $40/DAY RENTAL CAR (YOU WON'T), and 2) I still have to shell out the hundreds of dollars for the rental up front and pray they keep their word and reimburse me - and before I'm of retirement age. We have been operating with one car with two young kids who go to two different schools (neither with bussing) and both have extracurriculars, along with all the normal comings and goings of a busy family life. At this point it's outrageous and I am so pissed at myself for agreeing to buy this car because I KNEW BETTER than to ever own a Ford, but I can promise you I will NEVER AGAIN!

- Chelsie T., Morrisville, NC, US

problem #9

Sep 262022

Escape SE 1.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,200 miles

Stranded off highway exit. Car jerked and revved, then barely could go 10 mph. New Torque converter needed at 64K miles. However, torque converter requires significant transmission work in addition. Ford Dealership said part was back ordered with a 1 year wait at a cost of $4500. Other transmission repairman in area quoted me $6,000 and said he had another Escape with the same problem the week before I called. When I began looking for a replacement car, several dealerships refused to even accept the car as a trade in stating that this was a known problem with Ford cars.

I looked at replacement cars at County Ford in Graham, NC where I had purchased it 2 years previously, however, I felt the sales team was overly aggressive and not empathetic at having sold me a car 2 years previous that was now unrepairable at their dealership. Awful, awful experience. I thought I had invested a lot of money in a dependable car. No car should need a new transmission 4,000 miles out of warranty. The experience has been an absolute nightmare.

- Tania A., Pittsboro, NC, US

problem #8

Apr 252022

Escape Titanium 2.0L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 85,000 miles

Car shudders at 1500 rpms during gear shift between 45 and 50 Mphs. Mechanic said transmission fluid is black with metal filings. Needs to replace. At 85K, it appears to not be under warranty.

- John B., Chesapeake Beach, US

problem #7

Jan 192022

Escape SE

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles

Transmission need to be completely rebuilt and it is a pain in the ass.

- gacar123, Newnan, US

problem #6

Sep 042021

Escape ES 1.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 52,000 miles

The car would not get into gear without warning. The car would not produce power when I would press the gas. Then, again without warning, the engine would rev without input, however, the car would not accelerate. I had to pull over and the turn the car off multiple times. I ended up getting a warning light indicating to service the transmission, but when I turned the car off, the warning light would go away, but continue to not get into gear and then jerk, especially at low speed.

I ended up taking to the car to a mechanic and got an error code indicating that the car could not get into 5th gear. I was told that the vehicle needed transmission fluid change, which I did. I then drove for about 200 miles without issues. Then suddenly while driving at about 70mph, I the service transmission light came on.

I pulled the vehicle over and turned off the car. About 20 minutes later, I again started driving at highway speed for about 5 miles, and the service transmission light did not show and I had no additional issues. I then parked the car over night and then started to drive to the highway. Approximately 5 minutes of driving at highway speed the car would no accelerate when I pressed the accelerator, and I attempted to accelerate the car, but the vehicle would not rev the engine nor provide power, I had no warning lights. When this happened, the car started to decelerate as if the car was in neutral. I ended up having to get the car towed and serviced. I am currently awaiting the results of what is wrong with the car.

- Ranan M., Philadelphia, US

problem #5

Oct 292020

Escape SE

  • Automatic transmission
  • 71,000 miles

My 2017 Ford Escape started shifting weird and trans light came on. Towed it to dealership who says I need a new transmission but want explain why it failed. They told me it only cost $8300 (that's not so bad right?). Oh and yeah - I am out of powertrain warranty due to being over the miles. Currently trying to figure out what to do.

- Thomas F., Dallas, US

problem #4

Nov 102020

Escape

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles

90k miles and the transmission went out. I knew better than to buy a Ford but I'm an idiot and bought one anyway. Never again. Expensive lesson. Don't have a quote yet but I know it's going to hurt.

- Steve R., Austin, TX, US

problem #3

Feb 042021

Escape Titanium 3.4 Turbo V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 82,000 miles

I”ve taken good care of this car! I drive far to work on the highway, hardly any start stop driving! I changed the transmission fluidity & filter every 18 months! It was just changed 7 months ago!

Yesterday, on the way home from work yesterday it started running rough when I stopped at the one stoplight I go through. This morning I take it in and transmission fluid is BLACK!!! The transmission totally is gone!

Average miles before a transmission fails is supposed to be around 150,000 miles!! I have 82,000!

Ford needs to fix this problem!!

- rhouse6170, San Antonio, US

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