Check a VIN

2005 Ford Escape transmission complaints

Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 117, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2005 Ford Escape transmission problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Jan 1, 2012 · Seat belts, Transmission · 96,680 miles · CA

1. On or near november 19, 2011, a spring from the clutch pedal broke. It seems to be one that returns the pedal to its default position as I have to lift up on it from beneath with my foot to get it back to its regular height. I'm concerned that it may cause premature wear on the clutch if it does not return to its standard rest position. The spring broke while the car was parked before driving. --------------------------------- 2. In late 2011, I began to notice the driver's seat belt begin to fray on the bottom (lap side). This is my first experience with a seat belt wearing out, and I generally keep my vehicles at least ten years (all previously owned). I've had this one for only 3 1/2 years and it's a total of 6 years old.

Filed Nov 21, 2011 · Transmission · 151,000 miles · TX

Driving down highway when engine failed, luckily was able to get restarted & drive into town 10 miles. Only able to drive 40 MPH while motor sputtered & tried to die when stopped at light. Towed to auto repair lot & told had 3 ignition coils bad. Computer check later revealed PCM bad in 3 spots & will cost $700 to repair. Other models have had recalls & so should the 2005 for the PCM. Owners should not be forced to have such expense, if part is known to fail.....numerous complaints filed on-line about 2005 ford escapes. With 2 minor children, I cannot afford to lose power while driving, or will have a major traffic accident. I was lucky in this case & will never own another ford. If ford knows of the problem, please hold them responsible for their actions!! It will take over a month to get the PCM remanufactured & re-installed. What am I supposed to drive in the mean time?

Filed Nov 12, 2011 · Engine, Transmission · 91,855 miles · CA

This 2005 escape failed when driving through the mountains in northern california. Ford has documented that spark plugs installed by ford at the factory can cause all coils and the PCM to fail as they did in this case. Three tsb's have been generated related to this problem. My car was repaired under warranty at approximately 60000 miles and the plugs were not checked and replaced as required in the ford tsb's. This was an expensive $2300 + repair that ford should take responsibility for. Good faith was not demonstrated in solving this problem and ford refuses to acknowledge their responsibility.

Filed Oct 30, 2011 · Engine, Transmission · 84,503 miles · OK

Driving along interstate engine suddenly lost power, would not go above 20mph, no check engine light. Took to repair shop and first catalytic converter completely clogged, number 2 converter partially clogged. Vehicle only has 84,000 miles. Warranty expired at 80,000 miles for exhaust. Repair shop this happens a lot for these vehicles.

Filed Sep 27, 2011 · Transmission · 107,741 miles · MS

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer and they stated that there was a PCM failure. The manufacturer was notified and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 107,741 and the current mileage was 107,743.

Filed Aug 31, 2011 · Steering, Suspension · 47,000 miles · OH

Loud squeaky noise from right front end. Took to mechanic. They say both front grease boots are cracked which allows dirt, dust, etc. To get in and up around the ball joints and tie rod assemblies. The right front ball joint had gone bad due to this boot crack so we had to replace it. They recommend replacing both tie rods, boots and ball joints, but we could only afford to replace the ball joint that was bad at this time because we just spent $3350 putting a new transmission in the car. This vehicle has less than 50,000 miles on it. Unbelievable!!!! What is ford building these cars with??? I suspect the cheapest parts they can get regardless of their quality so they can make more money. In the meantime the average working family has to pay twice for a vehicle's parts that should not go bad so quickly.

Filed Aug 11, 2011 · Transmission · 47,000 miles · OH

Complete transmission failure on 2005 ford escape. There was no prior warning. While driving is normal traffic at 35 miles per hour the car started lurching, jumping and making all kinds of awful metallic grinding sounds. Vehicle came to a complete stop and would not move forward or in reverse. I tried again a few minutes later and was able to move the vehicle in jumps and jerks around a corner to get it off of a main street. Transmission repair guy said it is a complete failure. I have pictures of the broken parts. This vehicle has less than 50,000 miles on it. We still owe $10,000 on it and are now told that it will cost $3350.00 for a new transmission. Of course ford isn't willing to help with this cost even though it is obvious to anyone researching it that ford is aware of the faulty transmissions they are using. By the way this vehicle was maintained with regularly scheduled maintenance and I have the records to prove it.

Filed Jul 2, 2011 · Transmission · 92,000 miles · FL

This complaint is for a 2005 ford escape. While driving as about 45mph, suddenly the car turned off, I immediately put it on neutral and tuned the key and it started up again. About 10 seconds later it did the same thing. I parked the car, turned it off and on and it started misfiring and the check engine light turned on. The very next morning I took the car in for a check up to a certified mechanic in which I was told that the coils and spark plugs needed to be replaced. The parts were ordered and installed but still the misfire was present. The investigation continued and after the system wiring diagram fig. 43: 3.0l engine performance circuit page 5 of 5 for 2005 ford escape, coil on plug 3 ( c ) wire connection to PCM slot 24 cde not responding. This vehicle has had only one owner and a very systematic maintenance throughout it?s life so far. Online I have found several complaints about the same exact thing and all advised that the PCM was non-functioning. Ford has had issues with these parts in the past but no recall has been made. Pcm should be replaced by ford.

Filed Jun 28, 2011 · Transmission · PA

Letter from senator casey on behalf of constituent re concerns about her 2005 ford escape *tgw the consumer began having problems with the vehicle. When she took the vehicle to her mechanic, he hooked it up to the computer and it gave him a reading that the cylinder was not firing, but he thought there was more involved. After further examination, it was discovered the PCM was damaged. The PCM was sent to another establishment for repair. The technician at the establishment informed the consumers mechanic that ford recommended that all six coils and six spark plugs be replaced. The PCM was returned to the consumers mechanic. The vehicle needed to be reprogrammed at the dealership, but the consumer was unable to get an appointment right away. The mechanic called the consumer and informed her, that instead of the original circuit b misfiring, circuit c was misfiring. The PCM had to be sent back to be rebuilt again. All of the coils and spark plugs had to be replaced again. After the vehicle was reprogrammed again, circuits c,d and e were misfiring. The coils and spark plugs had to be replaced for a third time. The consumer stated the problem is due to faulty engineering. The PCM was placed behind the engine compartment where a lot of heat was generated from the engine and it interfered with the frequency of the PCM.

Filed May 31, 2011 · Transmission · 107,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact was driving 70 MPH when the automatic transmission slipped out of gear, causing the over-drive light to illuminate. This failure happened while the vehicle was still in drive mode. The vehicle was moved off the roadway and as the contact moved the vehicle, it would not shift out of gear and the engine rpms increased excessively. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic shop where the contact was advised that they could not repair the failure. The vehicle was then towed to the contacts home and was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted who offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 107,000.

Filed May 20, 2011 · Engine, Transmission · PA

Email from senator on behalf of constituent re concerns with her 2005 ford escape automobile (design of the powertrain control module computer). *kb the consumer stated while driving, all the lights on the dashboard illuminated. When she arrived at the repair shop, the mechanic performed a diagnostics test where it was determined that a cylinder was not firing. After further examination, it was discovered the power control module was damaged.

Filed May 18, 2011 · Transmission · 92,000 miles · VA

Transmission had to be replaced in 2005 ford escape (v6, 4wd) xlt. No issues prior to one day driving vehicle and it sputtered and slowed to a complete stop. The car was turned off and restarted just fine. But when the vehicle was put into drive, it only went for about 10 feet before it slowed to a complete stop again. The vehicle was towed on a flat bed to repair shop where owner was informed she must replace transmission totaling $2477.00. Vehicle has less about 92,000 miles on it with only one owner. Car was purchased september 2004 from ford dealer. 3 year warranty is obviously no longer valid and dealer offered no advice as to what could be done about it.

Filed Feb 27, 2011 · Transmission · AZ

Driving when stopped tried to put vehicle in drive and would not go. The failure is the transmission, have had the vehicle for a littler over a year and has been in the shop for at least 9 months. Rebuilt ford tranny still cannot get it right. 1st time would not do into drive 2nd time driving down the highway and went into high RPM's and wouldn't shift gears. 3rd time stopped went put vehicle into drive would not engage. 4th time would not engage to reverse. 5th time would not engage into any gear.

Filed Nov 30, 2010 · Transmission · 28,000 miles · NY

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact noticed that the vehicle was losing power. She then heard a clicking noise and the vehicle would not move faster than 10-15 MPH. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the transmission was defective. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 28,000. Updated 03/16/11 *bf updated 03/21/11

Filed Oct 14, 2010 · Electrical, Transmission · 82,000 miles · CA

I own a 2005 ford escape and have numerous issues since I purchased the vehicle in november 2004. The transmission has been replaced and one coil pack. Throughout the time I have owned the vehicle the theft light comes on and tried to shut the vehicle down while I was driving (40+MPH). It cleared for a little while after the transmission was replaced, then it returned. Ford changed one ignition coil and said that if we changed the spark plugs it would probably fix the theft shut down problem. Well we changed the spark plugs and the vehicle continued trying to shut down the vehicle while I was driving(40+MPH). Now the vehicle will not start at all. There is juice from the battery, all the lights and radio come on, but the car refuses to turn over. We have checked everything possible, including: the battery, fuses, and having it tested by a certified mechanic. The anti-theft system or ford pats ii system seems to be defective which also be connected to the PCM. There are thousands of complaints regarding the 2005 ford escape pats ii system and PCM. I do not understand why a recall has not been forced. The 2005 ford escape were initially released with the wrong spark plugs which causes damage and they did not recall the spark plugs. With these very evident manufacturer defects, and tsbs that have been distributed through ford - there needs to be a recall and items repaired. Consumers should not have to pay to fix the problems that ford caused and will not take responsibility for. My vehicle is a 2005 ford escape xlt v6 3.0l purchased at ukiah ford lincoln mercury in ukiah, california.

Filed Aug 5, 2010 · Transmission · 49,700 miles · PR

2005 ford escape bin [xxx]. Broke clutch pedal spring. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jul 29, 2010 · Transmission · 2,519 miles · MD

2005 ford escape.4x4. I backed out of a parking space, put the car in drive and accelerated. The vehicle bogged down, as if out of gas. I shifted out of drive, put it back in drive and drove off. I kept hearing a knocking noise. I drove to my next location and the noise persisted. I took it to a repair site and when they pulled the plug from the front differential there was no draining and a part of a tooth from a gear came out. I took it to the dealership and they tell me it is because I replaced the two tires they kept telling me to change and not all four. They also informed me of black fluids in the power steering and brakes. It's going to cast me approximately $2700.00 to get all of this done, including the purchase of the two tires needed to make the four tire change. The location where I had the tires installed tell me that a two tire change is normal. The dealership itself wanted to do the same thing. This is messed up.

Filed Feb 25, 2010 · Transmission · 87,000 miles · MD

I have a 2005 ford escape v6 with just over 87,000 miles on it. The vehicle began giving me trouble back at christmas, but I was able to drive until a couple weeks ago when the whole thing shuddered to a stop on the highway on the way to work. I was doing 55 and the car dropped to almost 0. I have been told it is the PCM which was fried because the spark plugs caused rf interference that fried the ground on it and ruined the PCM. This is a $2300 or more repair to an otherwise perfect vehicle. If I hadn't been in the righthand lane at the time of the power drop I could have been in a real mess. I have researched this online and there are literally hundreds of other complaints of the same thing going on all over the world. There is one complaint from ghana. The tsb that came out says the original sparkplugs cause the problem and ruin all the coil packs and the PCM. I think this would make it ford's responsibility to fix the problem on all these vehicles since it was their original configuration that ruined the system. If this had happened when my wife was taking our son somewhere and she wasn't able to get off the road I am quite sure there would have been a crash.

Filed Dec 17, 2009 · Transmission · 30,000 miles · WV

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. When attempting to accelerate, the vehicle would hesitate and then jerk forward violently. She took the vehicle to the dealership and the transmission was flushed and drained. However, the issue was not remedied. She was then told that the transmission needed to be replaced. She had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. The vehicle had not been repaired to-date. The current mileage was approximately 71,000. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. Updated 01/29/10 *bf upadted 01/29/10.

Filed Dec 1, 2009 · Transmission · 72,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. When driving in colder weather conditions, the vehicle will down-shift. He has not taken the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed. The current and failure mileages was 72,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Aug 13, 2009 · Transmission · 93,255 miles · VA

Taking off at a light, my 2005 ford escape jerked back and starting making a grinding sound. My escape does have a lot of miles on it (94,000) to be exact. It was no longer drivable, when put in drive or reverse it would thrust my car backward and forward profusely. Inevitably, I had my car towed to a shop they concluded that my torque converter had blown up and all the pieces from the converter were sucked into the filter causing my trans to lock up, therefore costing me $2200 to fix. I understand that it has a lot of miles on it however, I was googling trying to look for some help as I am 19 years old and don't have that kind of money and I came across a website with over 200 entries from different people about their transmissions in their ford escapes. You all need to look into this because a transmission is not cheap and I need a reliable car.

Filed Jul 14, 2009 · Transmission · 49,000 miles · MI

While on freeway ford 2005 escape with 49,000 miles had sudden and complete transmission failure. Car lost power and was a safety issue getting it out of fast moving traffic and onto the side of the road. Car needed a complete transmission rebuild.

Filed Jul 13, 2009 · Transmission · 68,000 miles · MI

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving. When the failure first occurred, the vehicle would hesitate while idling. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, but they could not duplicate the failure. A month later, while driving 25 MPH, the rpms increased, but the vehicle did not move forward. She pushed the vehicle off the road and noticed that the override light began flashing on the instrument panel. She restarted the engine and drove for a block, but the failure recurred and the vehicle would not move any further. She took the vehicle to a mechanic and was informed that the transmission fluid was completely black. The mechanic further stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the transmission was not the primary cause of the failure; however, it ended up being affected. Through research, the contact found numerous complaints for this same failure. She believes that a recall should be issued. The failure mileage was 68,000 and current mileage was 72,000. Updated 08/14/09. *lj updated 08/17/09

Filed Jun 8, 2009 · Transmission · 81,034 miles · FL

Recently took vehicle in for service. Mentioned transmission shudder at 55mph or when over drive took over. They flushed the transmission and updated the PCM and said it was fixed. A week later the ford escape is shifting hard and shuddering into over drive gear at 45mph. Now they want to replace the transmission for $3800. I see where many owners are having problems with this transmission.

Filed May 18, 2009 · Transmission · 30,000 miles · KY

Tl*the contact owns a 2005. The contact stated that the vehicle rolls backward when parked on an incline and without the brake pedal being depressed. The failure occurred one year ago at 30,000 miles, but has recently recurred at 39,000 miles. The vehicle has only undergone regularly scheduled maintenance. The VIN was unknown. The current mileage was 39,000 and failure mileage was 30,000. Updated 6/18/09 *cn updated 06/22/09.

Filed Apr 16, 2009 · Transmission · 38,900 miles · MN

2005 ford escape gas pedal sticks - dealer advising no issues, I have seen hundreds of complaints about this. What is going to be done as this could cause a safety issues.

Filed Apr 14, 2009 · Transmission · 88,000 miles · MI

I have previously sent in a complaint about the transmission of my 2005 escape I purchased from three oaks ford in 8-2005. The danger involved in the transmission shifting hard is being hit from the rear. When it shifts from reverse to drive it jerks extremely hard and doesn't engage enough to continue forward. I have had three different times that this has happened and I was nearly hit all three times. My original complaint number is 10265230, filed 04-13-09.

Filed Apr 14, 2009 · Transmission · 66,395 miles · MI

From the time I purchased my 2005 escape on 8/31/05 the transmission makes a loud thunking noise and jerks when shifting from park to drive or reverse. Repairs as follows: 08-22-07 replaced shaft and joint assembly. 03-03-08 replaced torque. Found fluid leak from around the front pump, resealed it. Replaced broken oss sensor. Test drove stated trans operational normal. 6-27-08 replaced trans tone ring that was out of round. 8-11-08, replaced valve cover set due to ticking sound. Work done at midas auto service, not ford dealer. This was done due to a technical bulletin they received that was originally sent out 2-20-06. Which I never personally received. I didn't know the problem existed until they told me. On 8-22-07 replaced shaft and joint assembly. Road test confirmed repair. 9-9-09 tsb removed p-side valve cover , loosen cam shaft bolts ,retorque to spec. Found a loose exhaust manifold torque to spec. As of 4-14-09 the hard shift problem still remains.

Filed Mar 5, 2009 · Transmission · 66,000 miles · MI

Transmission. 2005 my escape with only 66,000 miles. The transmission's direct cylinder broke and it cost $1600 to repair.

Filed Feb 26, 2009 · Transmission · 51,150 miles · OH

No major events lead up to the incident. The transmission went out. It was discovered at the dealership that the planetary gear was destroyed, and is attributed to causing all other issues with the transmission. The vehicle had to be towed on a flatbed truck, and now, they are going to replace the transmission. Old parts are available.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2005 Ford Escape?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history