What 1,035 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Ford Escape Gas

At 120k the transmission went bad. Dealership charged $7k to replace. We chose to replace because it was cheaper than buying a new vehicle. A few months after the transmission was repaired, we started losing a lot of coolant. The dreaded coolant leak through the head gasket into cylinder 2 is the diagnosis. Dealer, told us $12k for a new motor. This is not okay!!!

NHTSA ODI 11615586

The contact owned a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle died without warning. Due to the failure, the contact was left stranded in the middle of the highway. While the contact was on the phone with 911, another vehicle crashed into the contact's vehicle from behind. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact sustained mental trauma due to the accident, but no physical injuries. The police arrived at the scene and a police report was filed. The whereabouts of the other driver were unknown. No medical attention was rendered at the scene. No property damage was reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where the vehicle was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11612300

My daughter borrowed my car and experienced a loud rattling noise. We had it towed to our local shop who recommended bringing it to a Ford Dealership for the issue. We had it towed there and I was informed after they looked at it that we had a cracked flex plate. It horrifies what could have happened while she was in the car. There was a check engine light on, but that was not connected to this issue apparently because I had to pay an additional cost to get that fixed. I have never heard of a cracked flex plate but when I googled it I found Ford had several recalls for it, but not attached to my VIN

NHTSA ODI 11606016

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds up an incline, the vehicle shuddered and hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11603704

MY 2015 FORD ESCAPE SE HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER AND WOULD NOT EXCEED 5 MPH. THE INTERSTATE WAS BUSY AND I WAS ALMOST HIT BY 3 DIFFERENT VEHICLES SWERVING TO GO AROUND ME UNTIL I COULD FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OFF THE INTERSTATE. I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND THEY CONFIRMED THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. REPAIR ESTIMATE $5000.

NHTSA ODI 11597007

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the transmission malfunctioned causing the vehicle to jerk and lose motive power before the vehicle stalled. After restarting the vehicle, the message "Transmission Malfunction" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local transmission mechanic who rebuilt the transmission, and the vehicle was repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ODI 11595030

Was driving normal, got an engine fault light then overheated. Engine has coolant intrusion. Ford won’t do anything about it!!

NHTSA ODI 11592958

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of multiple leaks coming from the vehicle. The check engine and transmission warning lights were illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to several local dealers where it was diagnosed with coolant leaking into the cylinders. The contact was advised that the engine and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592200

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. While the contact's fiancé was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact's fiancé stated that the vehicle was shaking, and the transmission failure warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the RPM was elevated; however, the vehicle decelerated to 5 MPH unintendedly. The contact's fiancé drove the vehicle to a parking lot and parked the vehicle. The contact arrived and connected a digital diagnostic scanner to the vehicle. The contact retrieved DTC codes P07AA (Transmission Override) and P0219 (Engine Over Speed). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592247

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power and then stalled. The vehicle was eventually towed to the local mechanic who replaced the turbo and shifter cable bushing; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11590211

As I was driving my car started to jerk, drag backwards and stop. I put it in park in the middle of the road and turned the car completely off. It would start and drive, then jerk, try to slide backwards again then stopped. The car starts, but the shift freezes after try to go.

NHTSA ODI 11589421

I have 2 ford escapes, a 2015 (referenced in this complaint) and a 2016. Both have experienced catastrophic transmission failure within weeks of each other. The transmission would slip, shudder and eventually disable and indicate service is needed. This happened while traveling highway speeds and the vehicle became disabled on the highway. As it was sudden, there was not time to get it safely off of the road and presented hazards to me and other drives until a tow truck could be engaged.

NHTSA ODI 11586785

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to shift into the drive, the gear shifter was shifted into the drive, but the transmission failed to shift out of the park. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11586649

The Transmission has failed and is available for inspection. I was concerned for my safety because one minute the car would move and then it was as if I lost all power and then boom it would throw it's self in gear and take off with no throttle response when you touched the pedal. No the vehicle has not been inspected by anyone listed above. There were no other problems or warnings before this took place the only time I got a warning was a day later when I went to go load the car up on the trailer to take it to my mechanic. The issue occurred on 04-25-2024.

NHTSA ODI 11586241

The contact's wife owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle would jerk and hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal as an abnormal, grinding sound would emit from the vehicle. A yellow transmission warning light was illuminated. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer referred to contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

NHTSA ODI 11586172

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was inoperable and undrivable. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN had been included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) and 20V331000 (Latches/Locks/Linkages). The dealer confirmed that NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V413000 (Power Train) had been completed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired since the contact had taken ownership of the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11584495

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.

NHTSA ODI 11584360

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.

NHTSA ODI 11583394

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.

NHTSA ODI 11582656

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????

NHTSA ODI 11581991

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

NHTSA ODI 11580547

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.

NHTSA ODI 11578732

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 NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA ODI 11576226

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 NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

NHTSA ODI 11576272

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.

NHTSA ODI 11576275