My mom bought the car, certified used, with only 16,000 miles on it. As it neared 37,000 miles it needed a new transmission. I had to pay for it. After that the transmission had to be replaced 2 more times before it reached 70,000 miles.
1997 Ford Escort: complete transmission failure
6 of the 543 complaints about the 1997 Ford Escort describe complete transmission failure.
- owner complaints
- 6
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 21 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Complete transmission failure by model year
What owners say
I have a 1997 ford escort. At approximately. 37,000 miles the transmission required service. Took car to board ford in whittier, ca. Two days after service the transmission failed. Board ford allowed an esp for power train and replaced transmission. At time of replacement, board ford indicated the new power train was warranted for 75,000 miles. At approximately 45,000 miles on the new power train, it literally exploded from the inside out (completely cracked the core). Called board ford and ford motor and was told that because the car has 80,000 miles on it, the power train wasn't warranted even though the power train only has 45,000.00 miles on it.
While driving on highway without warning vehicle will completely shut down, cause unknown. *ak the dealer had replaced the transmission twice.
Engine check light will come on when operating vehicle for a long period of time or climbing a hill. *ak the transmission failed twice and was replaced by the dealer. But the transmission's erratic shift uphill and check the engine soon light continued.
Manual transmission failure.
Ten transmission failures. Qcaw
Service bulletins that may apply
- General (PCM) power train control module programming procedures
- Brake shift interlock
- Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip
- Some vehicles may exhibit transmission and / or MIL on concerns relating to the diagnosis and replacement...
- Vehicles may exhibit transmission and / or malfunction indicator lamp on concerns relating to the...
- Information on the new flush and fill tool available through rotunda
- Brief information regarding transmission fluid appearance
- Brief information regarding transmission fluid
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1997 Ford Escort transmission failure
Is complete transmission failure a common problem on the 1997 Ford Escort?
6 of 543 owner complaints about the 1997 Ford Escort (1%) mention complete transmission failure. The model year with the most reports is 1999.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Ford Escort?
There are 0 recalls and 21 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Ford Escort
Fire or smoke 47Airbag light 33Coil spring 30Stalling 22No deployment 14Ball joint 13Brake failure 12Check engine light 11Grinding brakes 9Sudden acceleration 9Headlights 8Loss of power 6
VIN decoder
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