I was driving my 2002 ford escape at 25 MPH on a suburban side street. Suddenly there was a loud clunk sound on the right front of the car with the front dropping and the car grinding to a stop. Inspection revealed the right front wheel was basically broken off with that side of the car sitting on the ground. Further inspection revealed that the lower front suspension a-frame pulled loose from the engine cradle due to rust on the crossmember.
2002 Ford Escape: harsh or hard shifting
7 of the 1,027 complaints about the 2002 Ford Escape describe harsh or hard shifting.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 93,000
- recalls
- 2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 15 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Harsh or hard shifting by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle made a clunking noise. After inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that the frame was completely corroded. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The current and failure mileage was 93,000.
While driving through a parking lot my 2002 ford escape suddenly made a clunking sound then suddenly stopped. I could not steer the car to the side or move it forward or backward. I exited the car and looked at the drivers side tire and it seemed fine . I then went over to the passenger side and saw that my wheel was completely turned in the opposite direction. I figured that I probably broke a tie rod. I called aaa to have the auto towed to a local service station. When the tow driver arrived he took a look at my escape and said that my subframe was rusted so bad that it had separated in two. By doing that my wheel axle had completely separated from the transmission. His opinion was that if I was driving on a highway and this had happened it probably would have caused a major auto collision and maybe even causing my escape to roll over. This to me seems to be a very dangerous flaw in the design and construction of the subframe and I am very fortunate this did not happen on the highway. It could have caused major damage and even death to innocent people.
Driving 15mph down home street and heard a clunk. Put in reverse to get back to driveway and right front wheel was sideways and dragging. After calling local garage was informed it was the subframe that holds the control arm that was rusted through. Able to maneuver car onto front lawn where it still sits.
No events leading to this... It just started about 2 yrs ago summer of 08. Clunking noise in the front of car. Can be felt by the steering wheel (which also has the squeaking problem). Occurs only when the temperature outside is warm. Went to the ford dealer several times complaining of this... Never was able to recreate the problem. Finally had both left and right arm assembly link, bolt, hex for front suspension replaced june 09. On sept 09 noise returned and had everything tightened, lubed. Problem went away until again the weather warmed up then is now back worse than ever. Not only when turning the wheel but when driving straight.
Steering started to clunk and bind on occasion. Effort would go up but it would respond when turned. It rapidly got worse where it would clunk and bind and skip a section while turning. Only three days from start to skipping while turning. Finally it was skipping and binding on every turn. Took to dealer they found rack and pinion was bad. (the car was never in an accident or taken off road.) rack was ordered and replaced.
While driving down the interstate at around 70 MPH, the vehicle made a clunking noise and the engine stopped. This all happened within 30 seconds. I was able to coast over to the side of the road without incident. The problem was a seized engine and ford is replacing with a new one.
Service bulletins that may apply
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- Wheel speed sensor removal tip
- General power train control module (PCM) programming procedures
- A final drive whine at 25-45 mph (40-72 km/h)
- Clutch chatter when cold
- Transmission control indicator lamp (TCIL) on with diagnostic trouble code P1783 and/or P0733 cold climate...
- Final drive whine most noticeable at 25-45 mph during light acceleration or deceleration
- New transmission cooler flusher - service tips
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.
- Risk
- If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.
Recall number 15V606000 · Recall details
Power train: automatic transmission: control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
- What is wrong
- On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with 3.0l v6 engines, during deceleration, the engine can stall.
- Risk
- Should the engine stall, a vehicle crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the power control module (PCM) with the appropriate calibration. Owner notification began on april 21, 2004. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673.
Recall number 04V165000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2002 Ford Escape harsh shifting
Is harsh or hard shifting a common problem on the 2002 Ford Escape?
7 of 1,027 owner complaints about the 2002 Ford Escape (1%) mention harsh or hard shifting. The model year with the most reports is 2005.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 Ford Escape?
There are 2 recalls and 15 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Ford Escape
Stalling 226Fire or smoke 90ABS 89Ball joint 56Airbag light 46Loss of power 43Check engine light 37Power steering loss 34Brake failure 28Engine failure 26Transmission failure 26Adaptive cruise 25Sudden acceleration 17No deployment 16Grinding brakes 16Door locks 15Jerking 12Won't start 9Knocking 8Headlights 8Hesitation 8Steering lock-up 8Slipping 7Steering noise 6Won't shift 6Wipers 6Shudder 5Tire blowout 5
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