Problems with 2001 Ford Escape POWER TRAIN

Early failure of transmission. ford escape 2001 cd4e transmission failed shortly after ford recalled it and reprogammed pcm. this had been meticulously maintained and the product failed early. ford should bear the burden to repair this and they refused.*ak poor product and numerous design flaws are documented on line.

The transmission on my 2001 ford escape, went out i had 58,000 miles on the truck. had to put in a new transmission. now 4 months later, the engine light comes on. the engine coolant warning light keeps coming on even though it is full. all of the lighters/sun roof have no power to them they all quit. i have replaced all fuses, with no luck. now the all lights on the radio are gone, but the radio still works. *ak

Overdrive on/off light flashing coincidentally with the illumination of the check engine light after driving on the highway at 60 mph for 5 to 10 miles. while off the highway the transmission shuttered while accelerating from a stop. driver took truck to dealer and was told an internal bushing on the transmission failed. dealer said the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost $3,000. vehicle is 3.5 years old with 63,000 miles.*ak

Transmissions shifts roughly (jerks) when going into overdrive. 2001 ford escape with less than 40,000 miles. asked service manager about problem he said they were unaware of problem.-*ak

Transmission failure- while driving my od light started flashing. when i started car after 8 hours, could drive approx. 100 yards. transmission fluid pump failed without explanation, causing troque converter to fail, causing burnout of low gear. vehicile is inoperative. needs trans. rebuild or replacement $3,000. - $3,500. service dept at dealer can't offer an explanation for pump failure. vehicle has 60000 miles. to soon for this kind of problem! *la

While driving 30 mph transmission failed, and vehicle popped out of gear. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Purchased escape new in 2001. in 2002, with 30,000 miles, transmission had a severe shudder, so i took into the dealer and was charges over $100 for a transmission flush. shudder came back about 3 months later, went back to dealer and they said that another $100 transmission flush was needed. i did not agree and left. in june of 2004, without any warning, transmission started whinning and would not shift. i was driving in the city at slow speeds. managed to get it home(20 miles in about an hour!) and parked it. after that, it would not move at all. had it towed to transmission shop(dealer wanted $120 just to run a check on it) and they said it needed a new transmission at a cost of $2600. did not have the money, so it has been parked now for almost six months. transmission is the cd4e, a problem child for ford. i contacted ford and they acted as if they had never heard of such a problem, and said they could not help me. now, still making payments on it and with only 84,000 miles on it, i have no recourse but to let it sit until i can save the money to have it fixed. *jb

Consumer received recall 04v165000 concerning engine stalling. vehicle stalled intermittently when slowing down or coming to a stop position. vehicle was still experiencing this problem, and dealer was unable to correct this problem. however, dealer was s charging the consumer for diagnostic check when taking the vehicle back in for the same problem, concerning this recall.*ak

The vehicle is stalling more since the dealership reprogrammed the power control module as stated in the engine stalling recall 04v165000. dealership serviced the vehicle 3 more times, but it was unable to correct the problem.*ak

Stalls when shifting gears taken to dealership repeatedly. problem can not be found, take car home still stalls! *ak

2001 ford escape properly maintained, second time reporting drive train noise. first time dealer replaced stabalizer bar, now @ 41000 miles both tie rod ends need to be replaced. i bought a reliable car to save money, and now putting money into a 3 year old car. part on back order, wonder if anyone else is having the same issue.

While driving the odometer light blinked on and off. driver stopped the vehicle and shut off engine. then, attempted to start vehicle, but it would not move forward. transmission would work only when cold, once the system warmed up all gear selections were lost. vehicle was taken to dealer, who explained the transmission would have to be rebuilt. consumer stated that transmission fluid was not burning, clutches were okay, but a couple of the bushings were seized to the drums. this problem occurred with two days of slow city driving. *ak

At 50,000, the transmission began to shudder. i found out why on escape-central, and then proceeded back to the dealership. they informed me that they do not have the machine to perform the flushing, and to try somewhere else. wasted day one. i went to another ford dealership, and wasted a morning there before they told me that they did not have one either, and that i should try a lincoln mercury dealer. i finally got fed up and contacted the local mazda dealer, who had the machine and was more than will to take my $150.00. he did not perform the oasis change though. all was good, and the escape ran great. at 58000, the transmission shudder reappears. i take it back to dealer one, who informs me they can_x0019_t see any problem. one week later, i bring it back in saying that it is most certainly there. i get to take out the transmission expert for a test drive, and recreate the problem. he says _x001c_yup, that_x0019_s the torque converter problem_x001d_. _x001c_all the cars we make with that transmission have that problem at some point or another._x001d_ as he explained it basically water is attracted to the plate in the torque converter, and any moisture in the system causes it to shudder. i ask the logical question of _x001c_what should i do about it_x001d_. his response is that he would rather cut off his two arms than replace the torque converter. 12 hours of labor on top of the ~$300 part. he suggests i get it flushed again and see if that helps. back to mazda&. i have the flush done at mazda last week and they ask about the tsb oasis update. i said that it wasn_x0019_t done, and they perform the update and flush the escape. my escape now runs worse than it did before, and the shudder happens when both locking and unlocking the torque converter. it actually shakes the change in my cupholders.*ak

Vehicle experienced the same problem described in engine stalling recall 04v165000. but this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak

I own a 2001 escape xls with v6, auto and 4 wd. have 29k miles on it. my transmission is completely ruined because of an internal failure which burnt off all the transmission fluid. this transmission (cd-4e) seems to have a history of problems in various ford and mazda vehicles. it is ridiculous that something like this is happening frequently. i would like somebody to look into this transmission and the various problems it has created. *jb

O/d light flashes, transmission will not engage in d, sometimes in 2 or 1. reverse works fine. if car moves starting in 2nd gear, then it can be shifted to d and all gears work normally, even if restarting from a full stop. *jb

My 2001 ford escape has a cd4e transmission which has a long history of problems. it burned up at 60,000 miles which is consistent with many other complaints that i have seen with regards to that model. one web site registers 25,000 complaints about that transmission. the problem seems to be consistent across the board, that the transmissions are not kept cool enough and the main shaft ruptures. the time table is also consistent. ford talks to me as if they have never heard of the problem before. how can they replace 25,000 of the same thing and have never heard of it until i mention it to them? the cost to me is $3,031.00. this is far less than the implied life of the part, in my opinion, and those of every transmission person i have talked to. *jb

Transmission shudders and shakes when accelerating on highway, will not go into reverse when in four wheel drive half of the time. ford service never finds anything wrong with it and says since there are no codes onto the computer it must be ok. *la

Linkage cable from column shifter broke, rendering vehicle non drivable. same vehicle had cable unjammed from column assembly approximately one year earlier. *la

While driving at 30 mph consumer heard a loud noise. vehicle engaged in neutral. driver behind him helped push the vehicle out of the road. vehicle was towed to an independent shop where they replaced the automatic transmission at the owners expense of $2400. there are two technical service bulletins containing information on how to fix the transmission. *ak *ph *nm

2001 ford escape 4cyl/standard... 64,000 miles pilot bearing in the clutch went... unable to shift gears... had to have complete clutch replaced... *la

While driving at any speed and without warning the engine stalled. the consumer pulled to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed. the transmission also failed. it wouldn't shift properly from first gear to second gear. *ak

2001 ford escape 33063 miles vin [xxx] could have resulted in crash. (1) no warning (2) transmission failure (3) transmission was rebuilt by dealer under warranty. *jb updated 07/19/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

2001 ford escape transmission went out after the vehicle kept stalling out! *la

Dear ntsa: i have recently submitted a service repair with ford motor. my purchase of a new 2001 ford escape has been most troublesome. i contacted the ford headquarters about the issue with i.a.c. vale causing sudden loss of power when releasing acceleration pedal. i never got a satisfactory service with their rep. i made more than 3 phones call about this event, and ford felt since it is over 36,000 mile warranty i am then obligated to pay for out of pocket cost for a defective product to the ford dealer service center. the ford dealer at my location diagnoses and determined a defective i.a.c. vale that require a replacement. the cost of the replacement including labor is $275. i can_x0019_t believe my suv is under 2 years old and is already due for a service repair. symptom: during the acceleration and passing of another vehicle, i noticed a sudden loss of power as i merged into a slower lane and releases the acceleration pedal while gently applying the brake. i could have been in an accident since a sudden lost power as the rpm dropped below the minimum requirement for idling and begin to stall. other vehicles were force to break. the car is no longer operational and being service at ford dealer. i will have to pay for the defective parts and labor totaling $275. i believed ford doesn_x0019_t care for my situation as long i make another ford purchase. this is issue affected my vehicle and may soon affect other vehicle as they meet or exceeded certain mileage. sincerely chatt fudurich 120 wisteria way covington, ga 30016. *ak

2001 ford excape 4x4 xlt. stalls while coasting downhill. i have taken this to the dealer (in warranty) twice to have this problem looked at. the dealer replaced various items but has failed to correct the problem. when the engine stops, not only does the steering wheel become very difficult to manage, but the brakes become very hard. i was barely able to stop the vehicle for a vehicle that was turning in front of me several hundred yards ahead.

I have had intermittent installing since 2003. recall 04s13 was for the powertrain control module. took my vehicle in for the recall and still today 12/6/07, i am having the same problem. my car will stall in parking lots, drive thru's, at traffic lights, and in traffic when coasting. when i am finally involved in an accident, i will be suing ford for failure to meet my needs with this complaint. the dealers say i have to bring it in when it happens. i can't make it happen and it doesn't happen consistent to meet this "requirement." i will not buy another ford as a result of their lack of concern for my safety or lack of concern that their product is a good product. *tr

Loss of all forward gears in a 2001 ford escape. this occurred while driving on an on ramp to an expressway. *nlm

2001 ford escape has repeatedly stalled during normal driving. car currently has 33,000 miles; however, i began having problems early on. car has stranded me several times. car has been towed in several times and dealership can find nothing wrong it. dealership has replaced alternator, transmission, fuel hoses, sensor, computer, etc. and car still stalls. this week it had to be towed from my garage to the dealership because it would not start. dealership again could find nothing wrong with car. i love the car, but am terrified to drive it as when it stalls everything locks up and i have had a couple near miss accidents trying to get off the road. i have an infant and this is unacceptable. *nlm

I purchased 2001 used vehicle from hertz car sales with 27,000+ miles. transmission had to be replaced second week we had vehicle. also realized that ac/heating system had "whistle" which could not be turned off. major problem has vehicle stalling while driving, losing all power, brakes, etc. fortunate not to have been rear-ended. ford dealer has worked on problem, replacing transmission, fixing ac/heat system and attempted to repair the "stalling" problem. thought it had been repaired, however, it happened again yesterday. car at ford dealer once again. it is strange to me that they do not comment that this has happened not once but many hundred times! i definitely feel there is a major problem with the escape stalling and being unable to control. as we drive on mountain roads, this could cause a major accident. ford has certainly lost my future business by not facing this very serious problem. must there be fatalities before they act? *jb

I just bought a used 2001 ford escape v6 on dec 13th 2002. on 1 feb 2003, while driving down a hill, the car's engine stalled completely. with much difficulty, due to loss of all power, i was able to stop the car before it entered the intersection on a red light. i put it in park and it did start up again. i called the westland ford service dept. they said they had never heard of that happening. i asked if they could put it through a diagnostics check and find out what's wrong. they said unless it's happening when the car is there they probably wouldn't find anything. i called the ford customer service and they also said they had never heard of that happening. they agreed that it would be hard to diagnose the cause. they said they would submit my complaint to engineering... since i bought the car used, it's not under warranty. i feel that they sold this car to me knowing that it had a problem. do i have any recourse? help!

Backing out into empty road, stopping and turning vehicle with steering wheel is very difficult applying pressure to turn, straighten wheels. while driving and applying brakes to stop, the car shakes and the amount of pressure applied to brakes is enormously difficult to make car stop. with normal driving there is a grinding sound in the bottom of vehicle (drive train?). all these issues have been addressed with no apparent help!

I was traveling at 70 mph when i heard a noise, the transmission quit working, i had the vehicle towed to the dealer. he called and said the snap ring popped out of the servo case causing the transmission to fail. they repaired it and said it was fixed, started home and got 15 miles when it blew again. had it towed back and they tried to repair it again but said they could not , needed a new tranny. i questioned them that a 51,000 miles, the part should not have failed, they could not give me an answer. i took it some where else to be repaired. the person said that there is to much pressure that it blew it out. i feel that the part was defective. *ph **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**768335

At over drive shifting ,the transmission "chatters"when the car reaches about 2000 rpm. to upshift. this happens at any speed. problem seems to be torque converter pressure is not enough to engage the higher gear. ford dealer recommended transmission fluid change to fix the problem , but it still exists. i asked another repair dealership what it could be ,they recommend changing the torque converter,the fluid change will not correct the problem. they need to go back on the day it was still covered under warranty and replace the torque converter under warranty. *jb

While driving down hill, all dash lights came on and vehicle stalled out losing steering and brake power. dealer reprogrammed pcm and replaced eec power relay per tsb. *tt

At 50mph when foot was let up from accelerator, there would be a delay in deceleration, also steering column would shake. cause unknown. dealer notified.*ak check engine light came on and stayed on. the vehicle did not always accelerate or decelerate correctly. the dealer replaced the pcm computer system three times, but the problem continued to exist. *yh

While driving at about 40 mph, with both children in the car, my car stalled in a busy intersection. my brakes, steering, accellerator, and electrical(radio and speedometer) went out. i was forced to coast down the street to find somewhere to pull over. i have sent it to the dealership and they acted like it was my fault that it happened and that they hadn't heard of such complaint. i am scared to drive it even after they said it is fixed. i have heard of this happening,after i did some reasearch and people have reported it happening again. i would like some kind of trade or reimbuirsement. my reason being is for the saftey of my children and myself. the car is only 11 months old.*ak

While driving on highway shifter popped out of gear in a downward position, and brakes were squeaking. if shifting vehicle from park to drive there is a noise underneath the pedal. *ak

Vehicle is stalling at low speed. has been taken to dealer 4 times. powertrain control module/ wiring assembly and pcm relay were replaced. did not remedy the problem.*ak

The shifter on the steering column jumps out of gear while driving on the road. i have taken this car to the shop numerous time for the same problem. the first time they looked at it the linkage cable to the drive shaft & steering column was loose. other times they state they couldn't find anything wrong with it. however, as of this day the same problem occurs at least 2-3 a day. i have a 16 yr old son who just started driving and uses my car from time to time. this is a very serious issue and a real safety concern. this is not normal for any vehicle to have the shifter jump out of gear. a field engineer took a look at the car on 3-18-2002. he stated that the condition described is operational characteristic of this vehicle and is completely normal. the service & parts manager stated that no matter what we do to the car nothing will make it any better. he also stated that there hands are tied and they are unable to fix it. this could cause a real serious accident for me, my 16 yr old as well as other drivers on the road. also there is a clunking noise when engaging the gears from park to reverse and drive to park etc, which they also state is completely normal.

Shifter on steering column jumps out of gear while driving. when engaging gears from drive to reverse and drive to park, etc it makes a loud clunking noise. engineer as looked at the vehicle and stated the condition discribed is operational characteristic of this vehicle. they are unable to fix it.*ak

Nar 02/13/2003. the automatic transmission would shift to drive from over drive, the vents automatically switched to frost. the vehicle completely stalled on a separate occasion, the relay assembly was replaced. the cruise control was inoperative from the time of purchase. the windshield wipers stopped working, the consumer continued to experience problems with the transmission and the gas mileage was poor. *jb

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Consumer is calling to report a failure in gear shift. vehicle will jump from reverse to forward without going into neutral. dealer has yet to be contatced. please provide further details. *ak

1.) complete loss of power and all electrical systems while vehicle was being operated. vehicle refused to restart; and 2.) gear stick shakes or shimmers vigorously when engaged in third (3rd) gear.

1.) complete loss of power and all electrical systems while vehicle was being operated. vehicle refused to restart; and 2.) gear stick shakes or shimmers vigorously when engaged in third (3rd) gear.

I was traveling at approximately 30mph when suddenly i could not steer the car. i noticed the oil light on first and managed to pull over. all the dash lights were then on, the car had died while i was moving. i was able to start it back up. in reviewing edmunds auto site i then discovered that others had this same problem with the escape and tribute. i printed off some of the responses, took the vehicle in to long ford in eureka, mo on 9-11-01. they were not able to find any problem and also talked with the ford engineers. they would not replace any parts stating that ford would not authorize it unless they knew what the problem was. i then contacted ford directly so there would be a record, but was not advised of any "fix" for this serious problem. this is an extremely dangerous situation especially when driving the number of miles i drive each day on very busy interstate highways. i am nervous even moving out of the right lane because i feel like i need to be close to the shoulder in the event this occurs again. i have been told you can shift into neutral and restart and hopefully if this happens again i will be able to do that before the vehicle slows and i have an accident. i am especially concerned when making left hand turns as well. surely with as many people as have complained, they must have some idea of what is wrong and how to fix it. *ak

The left front axle made a clicking noise as the vehicle turned. the problem was fixed by the dealer. my concern is that the dealer replaced the axle with an axle from the original design. there's a good chance that this axle may cause the same problem since ford has not redesigned this part. i'm also a bit suprised that my dealer had replaced the same axle on another escape and ford still has no tsb or recall.*ak

Hose clamps on both trans cooler hoses in front of vehicle were not fixed onto hose. top hose blew from transmission cooler and resulted in lose of most all trans fluid. trans stoped working. fluid was all over front lower part of vehicle including both insides of disk brakes. we were traveling at 40 mph and in a residential area. warranty repair is in progress. tow truck operator stated this was not the first time he had encountered this situation with this particular vehicle.*ak

Briefly, the transmission fails to shift upon acceleration above 50 mph, this has caused 2 near collisions on i-95, tire split open & roof rack blew off while driving*ak (dot number: a3083jj390 tiresize: a3083jj390)