Power Train Problems of Ford Escape - part 1

I was driving to work and the transmission faltered, grinded, tried to shift, and I thought the vehicle was going to crash. There were cars around me, and I was going about 30 to 35 miles per hour. I was able to pull over and turned off the car. I then drove it to an auto shop and the mechanic stated that it is the transmission. My Ford Escape 2023 has 68,000 miles. It has stalled twice on the road at a stop light/stop sign since August 2026 also. I no longer trust that the vehicle is safe.

See all problems of the 2023 Ford Escape 🔎.

The car was driving completely fine, then when starting to go at a stoplight it had trouble shifting out of the first gear. At the next stop, it would not go uphill and began slowly rolling backwards as I am trying to move forward. This was in downtown [xxx] traffic with nowhere for me to pull over. It was very close to hitting the car behind me. I had to turn the car off to rest it for a few minutes and was finally able to slowly get up the hill to pull into a parking lot. I ended up getting it towed to a Ford dealership and they said it needed a whole new transmission put in. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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I replaced my transmission around 156000 miles the repair shop replaced my transmission with a brand new transmission from a Ford dealer. Less than 6000 miles on my new transmission it needed to be replaced again. My transmission is having issues again with less then 20000 miles on the second transmission.

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2020 Ford Escape is suffering from sudden, uncommanded loss of power, severe engine hesitation and violent stuttering during acceleration and problem is getting worse. Took to our service center to fix and they said the problem is a recall - NHTSA - 25v467 recall 25s76 (engine hesitant acceleration, rough idling, reduced engine power). Called airport Ford in florence, ky. They are saying they can't fix this issue -there is no remedy and that the program has been paused. This condition poses an immediate safety hazard. The unexpected failure of the powertrain to respond during high-demand situations - such as merging onto highways, passing vehicles or making left turns across oncoming traffic - makes me feel very vulnerable to rear-end or side impact crashes. The failure occurs at all speeds but is worse at 10-30 miles per hour. There is a Ford recall on this issue. If the recall is paused - I assume they are no longer trying to find a fix. This is a 2020 car - surely in 6 years the Ford experts should have found a viable fix. In addition to the dealership also talked to Ford consumer hotline and were given the same info as from the dealership. Please help! I love my Fords - I have had Fords all my adult life. Please help us.

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Transmission failed, car would only move at high rpms, created a dangerous driving situation known issue with Ford and the 6f35 transmission.

See all problems of the 2019 Ford Escape 🔎.

Failed component/system: the engine assembly/engine cooling system. The internal structural failure of the cylinder block (open-deck design defect) allowing engine coolant intrusion into combustion chambers, cylinders 2/3. Safety: the vehicle is experiencing severe engine stalling, immediate loss of motive power on active roadways, dense white smoke from exhaust which blinds trailing traffic. This causes immediate risk for rear-end collision, leaves others with the possibility to be stranded on dangerous traffic situations. The vehicle leaks hot fluids into the combustions system putting everyone at risk for under hood fires. Has the problem been confirmed: yes, my vehicle is currently at the pennyrile Ford dealership, they performed a cooling system pressure test and borescope inspection, and confirmed internal coolant intrusion requiring a total engine replacement. They have even confirmed and acknowledged that this is an on going issue! dealer inspection: yes warning lamps/messages: check engine soon light, raised engine levels, rapidly depleting coolant within days of refill, rough idling, cold start rumblings, sweet chemical smell and thick white smoke coming from tailpipe. Ford has already admitted this is an ongoing issue with these systems, I currently have a 2. 0 engine but the recall is for the 1. 0/1. 5.

My daughter was driving our 2018 Ford Escape at highway speed when it suddenly began shaking and shuddering violently, with no advance warning. The check engine light came on for the first time as the shaking began. The vehicle lost propulsion, and the shaking impaired her ability to control it, creating an immediate safety emergency in moving highway traffic. She had to maneuver quickly out of traffic onto a narrow shoulder. It was dark, and the limited shoulder space made exiting safely difficult. She feared for her life due to the sudden failure and exposure to passing traffic. She reached the shoulder without a collision. The vehicle required an emergency tow through her insurance company, and she received transportation home. The vehicle had undergone a safety inspection in August before this incident. A Ford dealership confirmed an internal engine leak allowing coolant into a cylinder's combustion chamber. A borescope inspection found liquid on top of the piston, and a cooling-system pressure test confirmed coolant entering the combustion chamber. The spark plugs were severely carbon-fouled, causing a misfire. Replacing them temporarily improved the symptoms, but the misfire quickly returned. The dealership determined that the engine requires a rebuild or replacement. The diagnosis appears to correspond to Ford customer satisfaction program 21n12, dated June 9, 2022. We were not notified of this issue before the incident and found no corresponding safety recall for this vehicle in NHTSA's records. This sudden failure caused loss of propulsion and impaired control at highway speed, forcing an emergency maneuver onto a narrow shoulder after dark. The check engine light provided no advance warning. We request that NHTSA investigate this defect and determine whether a safety recall is warranted to prevent similar incidents and injuries.

I am reporting a dangerous manufacturing defect regarding internal engine coolant intrusion on my 2019 Ford Escape sel at less than 70,000 miles. Upon starting the vehicle after it sat parked overnight, a massive cloud of heavy white smoke erupted from the exhaust system and both sides of the vehicle, clearing after 1–2 minutes. The vehicle also exhibits a severe structural shudder and a mechanical groaning noise when shifting gears due to engine misfires caused by this leak. A physical inspection confirmed that the engine cooling system is losing fluid (which was just topped off again last night), which is leaking directly into the combustion cylinders overnight. This is a well-documented factory design flaw involving the engine block casting on Ford ecoboost engines (referenced in Ford customer satisfaction program 21n12 and multiple technical service bulletins). Ford corporate and local dealerships have refused to assist with repairs because my specific VIN was excluded from their limited voluntary campaign parameters. This defect presents an immediate, severe safety risk to myself and others, as internal coolant leaks cause sudden cylinder misfires, severe engine shuddering, engine stalling without warning in traffic, and the sudden eruption of heavy white exhaust smoke blinds drivers driving behind my car. . . Not to mention catastrophic engine failure. Ford should be forced to issue a mandatory safety recall for all affected model years regardless of VIN exclusion lists.

The transmission stopped working while driving in a thunderstorm in the middle of a busy intersection. These created a dangerous safety situation which was luckily avoided by the driver. We had the care inspected and the transmission removed, rebuilt and re-installed by nightingale transmissions llc in mcpherson, KS. There were no warnings or symptoms with this car until the accelerator jumped in the middle of the intersection. The only warning was that two other Ford Escape's in the kansas municipal utilities' fleet had to have transmission's repaired just a few weeks prior.

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My 2019 Ford Escape se was smoking during start up. Dealer says it needs a whole new engine due to coolant intrusion. I have been seeing there are many issues with this.

About a month ago, my vehicles dash lit up and the car told me to shut it off. I had it towed to the dealership who then completed module updates and said I was all set. 20 minutes after picking it up, all of the lights came back on the dash and I brought it back. They again completed some kind of update with little to no information on what they did or the steps they took. Once again, I picked up my vehicle and immediately had a lit up dash. It was brought back and they had my car for 2 weeks before installing a new module. After picking up my car, I again dealt with lights on my dash, but this time one in particular. I had a notice to “service advancetrac” and a notification on my Ford app about powertrain failure.

The engine began misfiring and causing the car to shake and causing an engine light on ignition, pulling an error code of p0304, pointing to an issue with the cylinders. Even after replacing all spark plugs and coils, the engine continued to misfire and cause the car to shake. When we brought it back to our independent mechanic, he diagnosed it as a coolant intrusion, which I've come to read is incredibly common on this type of engine from Ford. The engine has failed and will need a full replacement due to the coolant intrusion into the cylinders. With this issue occurring during a long drive, it put our safety at risk. The problem was confirmed by the independent service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer or police, just the mechanic. The warning signs that appeared were the shaking and engine light, though they did not point directly to the coolant intrusion, as those issues are often caused by things like spark plugs as well. The issue started occuring a week before it was finally diagnosed with the coolant intrusion.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while exiting the vehicle, the vehicle started rolling backwards while shifted to park(p). The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 22v413000 (power train); however, the recall repair was previously performed in 2024. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the transmission shifter cable bushing was missing. The shifter cable and bushing were replaced with similar parts and the vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 216,000.

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We've been having check engine light on "cylinder 2 misfire". We had the spark plugs replaced and the ignition coil replaced, which fixed it for about a month, but it returned. We had further diagnostics done with video into cylinder 2 and found that we have engine coolant leaking into the cylinder. Apparently, this is a known, unrecalled issue from Ford on this engine with the coolant intrusion. Only fix is to replace the motor. Car has about 120,000 miles on it, but well taken care of. Works great otherwise, but with this issue, the engine could lock up or catch on fire on the road.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Escape 🔎.

At 56000 miles have had dealer replace transmission now dealer wants to replace the fuel pump even though the code reader says po0087 , a sensor this is the 2nd time this vehicle has had to be towed to the dealer. Now the dealer says he will just put the fuel pump back in not replacing it. Help !! they have had this vehicle to repair for approximatly 30 days.

Description of defect & safety risk: complete structural failure and collapse of the entire 3-part powertrain mounting system (right engine mount, left automatic transmission mount and rear lower engine torque strut mount). The severe defect was discovered at a mere 27,000 original miles by a certified independent technician fount the broken motor mounts during inspection, and I confirmed experiencing excessive, violent vibrations inside the vehicle cabin radiating heavily through the chassis. Total failure of these primary structural supports creates an immediate under-hood hazard. Severe engine shifting or total powertrain displacement while in motion can pinch fuel lines, sever electrical wiring harnesses, or snap cv axles. This poses an imminent risk of sudden highway propulsion loss or loss of vehicle steering control. Consumer notes that Ford TSB 20-2215 identifies an identical 3-part powertrain mount failure on this exact vehicle platform.

Transmission fault.

Transmission failure needing full replacement.

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There is a malfunction in the awd system that gives a code for low voltage. I tracked down the issue to a factory defect where the connector to the awd module doesn’t have a ground wire. Ford has acknowledged the issue under “Ford customer satisfaction program 21b19” but it has since expired. (expired after the vehicle was purchased) as a result of the fault, it disables awd, hill start assist, forward collision assist.

Driving on I-70 and exiting into salina, KS when the transmission began to slip and drove very herky-jerky. Could feel begin to slip the day before and scheduled an appointment to have it looked at. Luckily the exit was close to the location. Safety was not too much of concern because it could still drive about 30 mph and the traffic was not too busy off the highway. The slippage from the day before was a warning. In addition, another car from the kansas municipal utilities fleet of Escapes had had the transmission slip just a day prior and there as another one at the end of September. All of them had loose transmission pins that required a complete rebuild.

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Transmission suddenly failed causing vehicle to violently vibrate and stall. No warning lamp or check engine light. Vehicle has been repaired by independent repair shop by installing remanufactured transmission.

There are no warning lamps on at this time but the transmission is not shifting at the right points. It seems to search a lot for the right gear. Also half the time you hit the gas there is severe transmission lag. It makes it dangerous to pull into traffic. I first had the transmission replaced at roughly 36000 miles. It now has 47000 miles on it and I believe it is already defective.

Vehicle diagnosed with dtc c0095 (sub-codes :71 and :19) indicating a total mechanical misalignment of the internal rear drive unit (rdu) actuator motor magnet ring, as documented in Ford service bulletin ssm 51117. This defect causes an immediate, unprompted shutdown of the all-wheel drive (awd) system while driving, defaulting the vehicle strictly to front-wheel drive (fwd) and significantly degrading vehicle traction, stability, and handling control in adverse weather conditions.

Vehicle purchased from dealer with concealed total loss history and federal/state odometer fraud. Official state title records show the odometer froze at 73,539 miles between tennessee title issued March 2025 and ohio title issued January 2026. Live obd-ii scanner diagnostics confirm true vehicle mileage exceeds over 86,278 miles. Vehicle was in a severe crash (December 2024) resulting in a junk/salvage total loss declaration at auction, later fraudulently rebranded and re-titled as rebuilt without mandatory consumer disclosure. Vehicle has undisclosed structural and mechanical damage presenting serious safety risks.

Windows sometimes don't roll up or down, driver side doors do not lock, vehicle doesn't properly accelerate/very slow to go like gas isn't reaching where it needs to go, the transmission area makes a clunking noise, and the back sensor seems to have fallen out and it constantly beeps as if I am going to hit something, the side mirrors sometimes tell me there is something next to me when nothing is around, dash warning lights go off randomly sometimes.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but later became persistent. The vehicle was taken to o'reily's where it was diagnosed with fuel control module failure, turbocharger failure, and powertrain failure. The contact was notified of three open recalls associated with the VIN. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle lost motive power and the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact was informed that the parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v467000 (fuel system, gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The failure mileage was 100,000.

I visited the dealership for a shift bushing recall service. When I checked the car after leaving, I noticed that a required part of the repair, the white cap shown in the official documentation, was missing. When I returned to let them know the job wasn't done right, the staff insisted it was done correctly. However, under part 573 safety recall report 22v-254, that cap is required to be installed.

The transmission failed while driving around I-70 near the legends in kansas city, KS. Restarting from a stop the transmission clunked and after parking it would no longer go in reverse. Safety was a concern because the incident happened in a heavy traffic area. There were no other warnings from the car itself. The day before it had a little difficulty starting but it worked fine once driving began. In retrospect, that may have been a sign. Now, the company kansas municipal utilities has had three Escapes from the fleet have failed transmissions for the same reason, loose pins, over just a month, that it seems like a larger issue.

Vacuum pump went and replaced then rpms spiking between 1500 and 2000. Then traction control light came on and noise in from end. All within a week.

* August 19, 2026, while driving my 2023 Ford Escape on interstate 57 (I-57), with approximately 35,575 miles on the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly accelerated unexpectedly. I immediately attempted to apply the brakes, but the vehicle did not respond as expected and I could not stop it immediately. I became very frightened and started sounding the horn and turned on the hazard warning lights. I noticed that the lane immediately to my right was relatively clear, so I moved into that lane and applied the brakes again. The vehicle then responded to the brakes, allowing me to slow down and stop. I moved as far to the right as possible and stopped on the side of the road. I was extremely shaken and felt dizzy after the incident. I stopped to catch my breath and contacted my husband to tell him what had happened. During the incident, the check engine light came on and the vehicle displayed the message “powertrain malfunction / reduced power. ” I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer for inspection. The dealer diagnosed a turbocharger problem and advised that the turbocharger needs to be replaced under warranty. The vehicle was left at the dealership for repair, and I was provided with a loaner vehicle. The vehicle and the affected components are available for inspection upon request. No collision occurred, but the unexpected acceleration and the vehicle’s initial failure to respond to braking created a serious safety risk and I nearly had an accident. **.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon shifting into drive(d), the vehicle jerked significantly. The contact continued to drive the vehicle despite the failure, which intensified while coming to a stop. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

When im driving sometimes it stalls. I give it gas and car wount go. It only idles.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Escape 🔎.

Transmission spudder when accelerates only at 75k miles.

When I was about to park, the transmission failed. I couldn’t reverse, and it got stuck in neutral. I wasn’t able to shift it into park. When the mechanic came, he said the shifter cable bushing was faulty, which was exactly the part covered by the recall they had previously done.

My Ford Escape powertrain went out when I was driving in town, it went from driving fine to not getting out of 1st gear. No warning prior got it towed to my mechanic and he did a diagnostic and it is indeed the transmission. This was extremely dangerous since I was close to being rearended because of the sudden failure. I still didnt get the transmission failure message on the screen until we went to load it up on the wrecker. This is a widely known transmission failure that has plagued this vehicle for years yet it was still sold to me. Ford knows about it and does nothing and it not recalled, unbelievable. Now my only vehicle is down, I cannot get to work and cannot afford thousands for a new transmission and labor. I am still paying on this car.