Ford has not fixed the recall or offered a solution resulting in our car's transmission shift cable breaking while my wife was driving, resulting in her being STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET blocking traffic. The car was stuck in the middle of the street blocking traffic and buses for about an hour until a tow truck could come. We could not shift the vehicle out of park - the shifter moved freely forward and back, while depressing the shift button, but without *actually* shifting to neutral, drive, or reverse. We could not move the car at all, despite pushing or trying to shift it. This occurred in front of our home on Friday, April 19th, 2024. A tow truck towed the vehicle to our local repair shop where they identified the broken transmission shift cable and repaired it which we paid out of pocket. This could have occurred anywhere or in a dangerous intersection with the potential to cause harm to her, others, or any of her passengers like our infant son. I was notified of this recall in 2022 by a Ford dealership and have yet to see a resolution. My concern is now that the replacement Ford transmission shift cable will exhibit the same problem as before unless they make a better cable or mechanism! This also cost us over 5 hours of labor equaling $546 + parts, which we should not have to pay for. Ford should cover this cost completely and give us a reliable transmission shift cable.
2015 Ford Escape transmission complaints
Page 4 of 11: complaints 71 to 100 of 287, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My cluster panel went dead and there was a recall for it but the first owner got it fixed and ford wouldn’t do it for me. I couldn’t afford to get it fixed and so it stayed dead. My car eventually broke down on me while driving because I was unable to read the transmission fault warning (because the cluster panel doesn’t work). I just had to buy a whole new transmission and ford is still refusing to fix their failed recall. Had it been taken care of, I would have seen the warning and not drove my car until it broke down.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the "emergency transmission service" warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power while depressing the accelerator pedal and the engine revved but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to pull off the roadway and while attempting to shift into park(P), the gear shift lever failed to respond. The contact waited for approximately 30 minutes and the vehicle was able to shift into park(P) and the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that when he turned the vehicle on and shifted into drive(D) he heard an abnormal banging sound under the floorboard and had the vehicle towed back to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.
The dealership came and changed the recalled transmission part on my car while I was at work. When I got off I left work to go home and had only drove about 5 miles when my car rpms went above 4000 and the car downshifted really hard and dropped from 65mph to barely moving. I pulled over and called the dealership who changed the part since my car had not had any transmission problems before this. They come to where I was and began driving my car at 4000rpm or above for several miles and shifting through gears manually. Once the car would barely move he pulled into a church and had it towed stating I need internal transmission work and it is not their fault. No warning lights came on in the dash even when he put a computer to it he seen that it had no codes in it at all. This recalled part being changed has lead to me having no way to go because they say it is not thier fault yet I had no issues until they touched my car. And why didn't I have a warning light????
My transmission failed on 12-22-23 not the recall that is on it already i mean completly failed just stipped working all together with no warning of a problem until 2 days later when I got it to the transmission shop 2 weeks prior my thermostat failed with no warning the transmission shop made me aware they have alot of ford escapes with failed transmissions my vehicle only had 83,794 miles at the time I have always done regular oil changes I would like to have this issue further investigated for recall issue as I have driven vehicles with over 200,000 miles and never had a transmission issue
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving the vehicle, it made a loud noise and went into limp mode. The transmission fault service soon light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic and a diagnostic was performed and the contact was informed the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.
I drove at 60 MPH during rush hour on a very crowded highway. I tried to accelerate, but I was losing speed. My RPM was working, but I was not accelerating. I took my foot off the accelerator and tried again, and then the car accelerated briefly (without continuous pressure--it accelerated without me--- and again lost power. I had nowhere to stop. I got off at a ramp one mile away, coasting at 17 MPH. The "Transmission Fault" warning appeared as we entered a gas station. $190.00 tow bill. Our mechanic of 18 years diagnosed total transmission failure. My car has been well cared for, with recommended check-ups/oil changes. There were zero warning signs of trouble. The mechanic recommended this car be evaluated by a Ford dealership. The approximate cost from the Ford dealership is $6000.00. This was a VERY very dangerous situation with children in the car in rush hour traffic on a highway. I have 91,163 miles on the car with a total transmission failure.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the RPMs revved, but the vehicle failed to respond and decelerated to 17 MPH. The contact stated that she continued driving and pulled into the nearest gas station. The message "Transmission Fault" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the transmission was shifted into drive (D) and reverse (R), the vehicle failed to move. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the PTU, front axles, CV axle shafts, and bearing retainer needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the transmission had previously been replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
I was driving down the road and all of a sudden my vehicle lurched forward despite me depressing the brakes then would not shift into any gear or move at all. I turned the vehicle off waited 10 minutes and attempted to restart the vehicle so that I could move into a safer area out of traffic. The vehicle began shaking and would not go into gear but did roll enough that I was able to move out of the way of incoming traffic. There were no warning lights displayed on the dash and the vehicle was not malfunctioning prior to the event. The other issue has been that the backup camera repeatedly fails to function at all. Instead the screen is either blue or black and no images are visible.
I have coolant leaking into cylinder 4 of my 1.6L engine. I’m constantly having to refill my coolant tank because the coolant is getting burned up when it leaks into my engine which in turn produces big white clouds of smoke from my exhaust pipe. It is available for inspection. I’m constantly worried for my safety because my car could potentially overheat and lead to a fire if my coolant is going elsewhere other than its designated place. My car has been to numerous mechanics in order to figure out the issue and has recently been confirmed on [XXX] by Dave Knapp Ford located in Greenville, Ohio that there is coolant leaking into cylinder 4. My car has not been inspected by any other higher ups. My engine light has not been working since the day we bought the car in August of 2023 for reasons we do not know of, so we were not instantly notified that there was an issue with the engine. The symptoms we did notice were loss of coolant almost everyday even after filling up, no visible puddles of coolant on the ground, white smoke from exhaust, a burning smell, bubbling in coolant tank, violent shaking of entire car, car dying after starting engine, and very low rpm when in idle. These symptoms really became visible at the start of November of 2023 and have gotten worse since then to the point where my car barely wants to start. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Driving along just fine went pass another car on the road. While acelarating the made a sudden hard shift and then started to hessitate. The car did this down town phx 75 to 25 causing to cars behind me to crash into each other so yeah I have to say that would be a saftey issue. As it was doing this the car said transmission failure. So I had the car towed and when I got it home I hooked it up to my autel code reader bi directional scanner. There was a proplem with 1st gear not having the correct ratio and 6th gear invalid ratio. That is all it said.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he noticed a burning odor. Additionally, the contact stated that while making a right turn from a complete stop, he depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle hesitated to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated while driving several days later, the vehicle made an abnormal winding and knocking sound. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle at the residence and determined that the abnormal sound was due to the torque converter not receiving enough fluid from the transmission pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The contact stated that while accelerating from a Four-Way Stop, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road with the assistance of bystanders. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle, and he was able to drive to the nearby independent mechanic. The mechanic referred the contact to a Ford dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with internal transmission failure, which caused the low transmission fluid pressure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 87,265.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic signal, the vehicle started to vibrate and made an abnormal sound from under the floorboards. The contact shut off and restarted the vehicle and was able to drive to his destination. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact later drove the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission flex plate had cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that shortly after having the vehicle serviced by the dealer, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who diagnosed a general failure with the Eco boost engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 88,000.
Was in the middle of driving and hit the accelerator and the car would not go anywhere. Mechanic/Ford dealership said it was the transmission, that the trans pump fluid wasn't pumping correctly and it caused the trans to fail. Had no warnings that anything was wrong. Needed an entirely new transmission then was charged for extra parts(nuts, bolts), in addition to the new transmission. Cost was $7336.47
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud humming sound heard inside the vehicle. The contact stated that the transmission was shifting abnormally. The contact stated he drove the vehicle to his destination. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 132,010.
I am writing to bring to your attention a critical safety issue I recently encountered with my 2015 Ford Escape. I am deeply concerned about the lack of response and accountability from Ford regarding this matter, and I kindly request your assistance in addressing this potentially life-threatening problem. During a recent incident, my vehicle's power steering suddenly failed, rendering the car extremely difficult to maneuver. The lack of power steering made it nearly impossible for me to maintain a straight line, let alone perform any evasive maneuvers to avoid potential hazards on the road. Fortunately, this incident occurred in a drive-thru, and my children were not present in the vehicle at the time. I dread to think of the consequences if this failure had happened while driving at higher speeds or in a more critical situation. Upon taking my car to the Ford dealership for inspection and repair, I was shocked to learn that the power steering issue is not covered under my warranty. The dealership informed me that because my vehicle has exceeded 60,000 miles and is now over four years old, it falls outside the warranty coverage. I find it deeply troubling that Ford refuses to acknowledge the obvious flaw in the design of the car's power steering system, especially when comparable Ford models such as the 2011-2013 Fusion have been recalled for the exact same issue. As a loyal Ford customer, I implore you to thoroughly investigate and address this widespread problem, not only for my own sake but also for the safety and well-being of countless other Ford owners who may be facing similar risks. This dangerous design flaw poses a significant threat to drivers and their passengers, and it is utterly irresponsible for Ford to shirk responsibility and shift the financial burden onto the customers.
coolant leaking not the water pump or thermosat or heater hose it is coolant intrusion on cylinder 1 and 3
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the "Service Transmission" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle started to rev at a high RPM without the contact depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the engine was revving abnormally loud, and the vehicle continued to lose motive power. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact stated that the dealer attempted to diagnose the vehicle however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,031.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound, and the gear shifter was difficult to operate. The transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to reach out to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,503.
We were driving our Ford Escape when the RPMs shot up, and our car would no longer accelerate. The transmission is whirring, and we are unable to operate the vehicle safely. It keeps losing the ability to accelerate and move forward. This comes only a year or so after we had the recall for the bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission.
After transmission shifter cable brushing repair I Received a transmission error warning on my car . Car is now going in reverse while in driving almost got into car accident with my kids in car. I believe there is a transmission problem with these model vehicle. Local shop unable to diagnose properly. Unable to drive.
The vehicle started and appeared to be working properly. Without warning, the message center displayed a message indicating that the automatic transmission had failed and advising the driver to pull over. Pressing the accelerator caused the engine to rev past 3000 RPM but did not cause the vehicle to move. After the engine had been shut off for a few minutes, the vehicle could be restarted but would only move a short distance before the transmission once again failed to engage. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer on a flatbed. The service department's inspection revealed that the torque converter had failed catastrophically and distributed metal shavings through the entire transmission hydraulic system. The service advisor noted that the transmission filter was clogged with metal fragments from the torque converter. She suggested that turning the engine off allowed enough fragments to drop out of the filter so that a small amount of fluid could get through -- enough to move the vehicle a very short distance before the problem repeated. The recommended repair is to replace the transmission and torque converter with remanufactured parts, flush the cooler and lines, install a new thermal switch, and fill the system with fresh fluid. The vehicle, with the defective transmission installed, is at the dealer awaiting parts. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or an insurance carrier; the only inspection was performed by dealer personnel as part of the trouble diagnosis. If this sudden failure had occurred on a freeway or major surface street instead of a side street with light traffic, it would probably have triggered a rear-end collision involving the Ford Escape and one or more vehicles behind it when the Escape abruptly lost drive and coasted down. The potential for injury in such an accident should be self-evident.
While putting the vehicle in park, the vehicle continued to roll and accelerate in an unintended direction, forward. This caused the vehicle to crash into and through a house, causing around $15,000 worth of damage. The vehicle remained difficult to control for the driver.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son-in-law was driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an unusual grinding sound and stopped the vehicle and shifted into park(P); however, when he attempted to shift back into drive(D), the gear shifter was inoperable. The driver was only able to shift into reverse(R). The vehicle was towed to the dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the transmission had been replaced twice. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
Transmission Converter Torque. I have had the car 7 months and had nothing but issues with this used car. However, since the first day of having, there was a hesitation and sputtering which I was told was due to the fuel line. The dealer fixed that but than washed there hands of us. After, It kept shuddering so I took it back to a mechanic and was told the above. After reading the reviews, this should be recalled immediately and is dangerous to drive on and can cause a serious accident or injury for anyone in the car.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while coming to a complete stop at a traffic light, the vehicle shuddered significantly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taking to the service station, where an independent mechanic replaced the sparks plugs. The contact stated while reversing out of the service station, the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted while reversing and while attempting to drive from a complete stop. The contact stated that she would quickly depress the accelerator pedal after shifting into drive(D) or reverse(R) to prevent the vehicle from shutting off. The contact stated that the failure had been occurring increasingly more. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and attempting to drive, the engine revved, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle was undrivable. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Update to previous report filed Report No. 11521661. Another class action lawsuit filed on this same issue alleging FORD's knowledge of this issue and lack of response. Is the federal safety agency going to act? This is dangerous. https://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2023/ford-canada-lawsuit-ecoboost-engines-leak-coolant.shtml
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the transmission was replaced; however, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to two different independent mechanics, who were unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2015 Ford Escape?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history