23rd Jun 2008, 12:35
My 2003 Ford Escape is in the shop now... waiting for estimate (93,000 miles). I bought an extended warranty, to 100,000 but still waiting to see what is/isn't covered. I should know by tomorrow (6/24) on the damage and how much I owe. I will add to this post when I find out more. Same old story... O/D light, whining noise. I am expecting the worst.
25th Jun 2008, 10:11
I think I'm the first with a 2007 Escape (26K miles) getting a new transmission put in this morning, it just started losing power until finally I found myself coasting down a hill the other day and just 'revving' the engine when it was in drive and trying to accelerate. Thank heavens for the side road at the bottom of the hill, it could have been much worse.
Seems this is a similar theme with Escapes, wish I would've known before buying one.
29th Jun 2008, 14:40
Add me to the list too! I have a 2006 Ford Escape with approximately 55K miles and I need a new tranny too! Yuck!
20th Jul 2008, 13:54
Hmmmm last time I goggled for 2002 Escape transmission problems I did not find very many comments but now... My 2002 Escapes transmission went out at 36k, after the warranty expired of course, and it cost $2,500 to be rebuilt. I never abused it before and have been babying it ever since. It now has about 95k and the transmission is on the way out I think. i.e. flashing OD, shifting hard.
Here are a few things I have noticed and a couple of recommendations;
1) If the OD light starts flashing you will notice that it will start shifting "hard". Stop, turn off the engine, wait a minute and restart. The flashing will stop, the shifting will be smooth again. This tells me that there is a problem with the computer and turning the engine off and on is like rebooting.
2) Use your OD on "flat" roads only or not at all. I have noticed that my OD light will begin to flash if I use OD and get in to rolling hills. This creates a lot of shifting up and down.
Bottom line, I think OD is the root of the problem and I also think it is computer related. When they showed me the parts they replaced the first time I could not identify anything that looked like it would cause a catastrophic failure. So, I also wonder if these transmission shops know what they are doing or if they aren't taking advantage of us. Bottom line; Ford should have had a recall on this problem. How does one get a class action suite started? Any attorneys out there interested in making some money?
31st Jul 2008, 08:21
I was at a dealership last night and put a deposit on a 2002 escape xlt with only 48,000 km on it. I thought that was extremely low mileage, but now I am scared to death with all the talk of the tranny issues! Does anyone have anything GOOD to say about them?
4th Aug 2008, 18:16
I have been loaned a 2002 Ford Escape by a dealer to see if I like it so that I could buy it. I told my family that it sounded like I was driving a 4X4 truck with the rumbling sound even though this is not the 4X4 version. I was driving it home today and going uphill when it started to jerk. It did this on 2 different hills. From what I have been reading it sounds like it is about to lose its transmission. I don't think that I will be buying it. Any suggestions.
12th Aug 2008, 20:09
23:06, the trouble was the transmission, I think. The engine failed because it lost resistance from the transmission and drive train, and the RPM's shot over redline and the engine blew. The real problem was that the transmission had not been maintained. Checking the oil in the engine has nothing to do with checking the fluid in the transmission, so "having oil in there" doesn't mean the transmission was okay.
By this mileage, if you'd followed the recommended service, you should have had the transmission fluid and filter changed. This is not the same as having an oil change.
The engine was bad luck, and probably the result of having the cruise control on -- when the RPM's shot up, it didn't know it was supposed to disengage, whereas if you'd been driving without cruise, you would have let off the gas right away and could have saved the engine.
26th Aug 2008, 17:25
Add another one to the list. My 2005 Ford Escape with 35,000 miles, is at the Dealer now with transmission problems, and yes, just out of warranty.
Sort of Good News: the Dealer has worked out a deal with Ford to pick up most of the repair cost. I am told that I will only be responsible for 20% of the total cost. It appears that Ford is starting to realize, and acknowledge that they have a problem with the transmission on the Ford Escape. $800-$1000 is better than paying the entire repair bill, $3,800- $4,000.
28th Aug 2008, 22:14
I own a 2002 Ford Escape, and the other day I went to work, when pulling into my parking spot at work, my Ford Escape started to surge forward.
The more I pushed on the brake, the more it moved forward. I went into the brick wall of the building where I worked, taking out the wall, door, and 3 windows. I was very frightened, thinking that this building was going to collapse on me, so I put it in reverse, when I did this it surged backward about 10 feet and stalled out. Thank god no one was injured.
There was $2600.00 damage to the vehicle. And not sure what damage to the building yet.
I am told by the Ford dealership that it is locking into 4x4 wheel drive and is not drive-able. They almost wrecked in an attempt to move it. I am thinking of contacting the Ford company, as I think that this should have never happened.
I think it is a fault in my transmission 4x4 system. Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this, I would like to know. It really frightened me.
Now my insurance will go up for something that was totally out of my control.
29th Aug 2008, 09:54
When you push on a pedal and the vehicle surges forward, that is the throttle, not the brake.
6th Oct 2008, 19:29
I just purchased a 2007 Escape used with 21000KMs and the trans feels like it is slipping. The harder you try to step on the gas the slower it accelerates, the engine revs up but it accelerates harder if you just ease into the gas. Just does not seem right to me. If you need to step on it to pass someone you are screwed. I wish I would have read this before I made the purchase.
Don.
23rd May 2008, 13:13
Well, you guys can add me to the list as well. My 2001 Ford Escape is in the shop now getting a new tranmission repair. This is the second one since I've had the car. First one was about 100,000 miles. Great vehicle otherwise, but the transmission is terrible.