2015 Ford Escape: jerking or lurching

Filed Aug 5, 2026 · Transmission · 89,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the transmission shifting from second to third gear, the vehicle was jerking, and the vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the coolant level was low. The vehicle became inoperable when the engine temperature became overheated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

Filed May 20, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · 111,400 miles · AL

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape SE. The contact stated that while idle at a stop light with the left-turn signal on, the vehicle started to jerk, and loud noises were coming from the front end of the vehicle. The Check Engine light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to move. The Fire Department arrived and assisted the contact with pushing the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic at Precision Auto Shop, who diagnosed that the coolant was leaking. After further inspection, the dealer also diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a claim was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 111,400.

Filed Mar 24, 2026 · Transmission · PA

Took care & kept up with car maintenance quite regularly, including oil and transmission fluid drain & fills. No signs of any issues. Going uphill and suddenly transmission starts slipping and pump is suddenly whirring loud. No urgent lights or dash messages. Drove it a little further (i was already super close to my destination) and within a minute the car is violently jerking. Loud metal bangs and clank sounds and lost power. RPMs up but can’t get into gear. It will jerk & move by itself at idle because can’t stay in park either. Still no warning message. Got it towed—dealership found NO transmission codes, but found one code, p0219, engine over speed; most likely from the RPMs spiking due to the slippage. The trans fluid level was ok but it was black and burnt, despite being serviced months ago. They confirmed it will need a total replacement transmission.

Filed Nov 21, 2025 · Engine · MI

The 6F35 transmission in my vehicle is shuddering and it seems like it’s going to possibly mess up my engine or anything else soon. It also jerks a bit forward from 0-25 along with gears slipping. This has almost caused an accident for me.

Filed Nov 9, 2025 · Transmission · LA

I purchased this vehicle $9000 cash from Toyota Morgan City in Morgan City Louisiana the end of September 2025 on a Saturday, not even a week later the car shifts real hard and it’s an automatic. You can see the rpm going up but the car steaks and then shifts hard to where it jerks. I called the car dealership where I purchased, they “looked” at the car and told me that it was not a problem they could fix because it was the transmission that Ford put in the cars. And proceeded to tell me that they were sorry that I need a new transmission but that’s not there problem and for me to take it to a Ford dealership even though I purchased from them. Why is this not a recall if you’re putting faulty transmissions in?

Filed Aug 4, 2025 · Engine · MO

Transmission sticks and only will tend to shift once it hits 3 RPM! And jerks

Filed Jul 30, 2025 · Engine · IL

On 7/25/25 at about 1pm my son was driving the ford escape 2.0 engine (2015) and it started jerking, stalling while driving. The AC shut off suddenly and the car was overheating. He almost got in a car accident when it suddenly stopped! Turns out it was coolant oil intrusion issue and now requires a new engine 12k

Filed Jun 16, 2025 · Acceleration, Engine · 110,000 miles · WI

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the RPM increased; however, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. Additionally, there was a whining sound coming from the engine compartment while attempting to accelerate and the vehicle was jerking and vibrating abnormally. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Filed Mar 14, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · 118,000 miles · MN

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, while driving or while reversing from a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormally loud whining sound. Additionally, the contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle temporarily responded as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle then jerked, lost motive power, and failed to exceed 2-3 MPH. The malfunction warning light and the check engine warning light were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the message "Passenger Air Bag Off" was displayed while the front passenger's seat was occupied. The contact stated that the failure recurred while her son was test-driving the vehicle. The contact's son was able to check the transmission fluid level and confirmed that no issue was found. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

Filed Feb 11, 2025 · Transmission · 8,000 miles · TX

The contact owned a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure persisted and the contact had repeatedly taken the vehicle back to the dealer and received the same information. The contact stated the transmission eventually failed and the transmission was replaced by an independent mechanic. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.

Filed Feb 5, 2025 · Engine · MA

The engine in my 2015 Ford Escape failed due to coolant intrusion leading to the long block and coolant system needing to be replaced. The problem was diagnosed by the Ford service technician and Ford service advisor when it was taken in for service after the heating system stopped working, the car started lurching when driven, and then the engine light turned on. If I had not taken my Escape in immediately, it was at risk of catching fire. The coolant had completely emptied into the engine and had corroded a spark plug to the point that it was stuck in the engine.

Filed Jan 7, 2025 · CA

I was stopped at a stop light and when it turned green and I stepped on the gas the engin reved up but the car would not move. I looked down to see if the gear shift had been moved and when I saw it had not I stepped on the gas again and this time slowly moved and then jerked to a stop. I stepped on the gas again and it started rolling and the spead up so that it peeled out and then jerked to a stop again. I was right by a Les Swab and very slowly was able to pull into their parking lot. I had just had my breaks done and thought maybe something went wrong with them. They checked and said it was the transmission. I was afraid to try to drive it so I towed it home. After seeing other Ford Escape transmissions haveing issues and being recalled I wanted to report this. It sounds just like the complaints that are listed for the recalled transmissions. After checking with a local transmission shop they told me they had replaced 3 of these transmissions in the last month. So I know a lot of people do not look into this kind of stuff but I want someone to know this was very scary for me and if there had been another car close to me there could have been a accident.