2015 Ford Escape Transmission Problems

The contact’s daughter owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact's daughter stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while attempting to shift gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

NHTSA ID

11675082

Incident

Jul 21, 2025

Mileage

106,000 mi

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 ID

11586785

Incident

Mar 26, 2024

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 ID

11576275

Incident

Mar 7, 2024

2015 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO TRANSMISSION SHIFTER CABLE BUSHING FAILURE SAFETY RECALL. THE CONSUMER PAID TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED UNDER THE ADVICE OF THE DEALERSHIP. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TO BE REIMBURSED FOR THE REPAIRS MADE DUE TO THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART WOULD FAIL AS WELL.

NHTSA ID

11484757

Incident

Sep 16, 2022

2015 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR EPAIRS MADE RELATED TO NHTSA SAFETY RECALL22V-413. THE CONSUMER STATED THE SHIFTER WAS STUCK IN THE PARK POSISTION. THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CABLE WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED.

NHTSA ID

11481329

Incident

Aug 26, 2022

2015 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER STATED THAT THEY EXPERIENCED ISSUES WITH THEIR SHIFTER NOT SHIFTING INTO GEAR AND LOCKING UP. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TO BE REIMBURSED FOR RECALL 22S25/22V254.

NHTSA ID

11481140

Incident

Aug 25, 2022

2015 FORD EDGE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ID

11479914

Incident

Aug 18, 2022

Mileage

1,109,754 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle was slipping gears. The transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 133,000.

NHTSA ID

11479549

Incident

May 5, 2022

Mileage

133,000 mi

2015 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO BEING REIMBURSED FOR NHTSA SAFETY RECALL 22V-413.

NHTSA ID

11477727

Incident

Aug 5, 2022

2015 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS MADE RELATED TO A SAFETY RECALL 22S43/22V413.

NHTSA ID

11477338

Incident

Aug 3, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15-25 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate and started stalling. The contact pulled to the side of the roadway and waited before continuing to drive. The contact stated that the vehicle then stalled four times while driving. The contact was in the middle of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle and was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact drove to her residence. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle and attempting to reverse, the vehicle moved forward instead. The transmission warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was inoperable. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be responsible for towing and repair expenses of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V254000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11468969

Incident

Jun 11, 2022

Mileage

80,000 mi

The contact's wife owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while the vehicle was on and parked, the vehicle rolled forward about 3MPH and crashed into the house. The air bags did not deploy and no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not destroyed and the house was slightly damaged. The police was not called. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle will be towed to a dealer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 123,082.

NHTSA ID

11466711

Incident

May 30, 2022

Mileage

123,082 mi

The bushing connecting the shifter to transmission broke and popped off causing the car to not go into park and not be able to turn on again after shutting the car off. Had to attempt to push broken bushing down to get it into park and have the car towed due to safety concern.

NHTSA ID

11466582

Incident

May 28, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 20-25 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact continued to depress the accelerator pedal until the vehicle responded. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced; however, the parts were not available. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ID

11462405

Incident

Feb 15, 2022

Mileage

68,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and running, she attempted to shift to drive however, the gear shifter would not go into drive. The contact stated that the gear shifter would move but would not go into any other gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission shifter cable bushing had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V471000 (Power Train) because her VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

NHTSA ID

11449717

Incident

Jan 30, 2022

Mileage

86,000 mi

At approximately 100,000 miles, the transmission blew out while my son was driving the vehicle on a bridge of a freeway. The engine, sputtered, locked up, would not stay in drive and died. He had to maneuver to safety in the middle of the road on a dangerous bridge. We had the transmission supposedly replaced at Future Ford of Concord. This repair took close to three weeks. Upon return of the car, the same thing happened again. We returned the car to the dealer. It stayed for another four weeks while they ran diagnostics, and supposedly fixed the car. Not more than 100 miles later the car experienced the same thing as the original incident. My son was once again on the freeway, the car lost all power, the transmission light went on and the car is again currently at Future Ford of Concord. Cars should not have transmission problems such as this with only 100,000 miles. And, if the problem was fixed, then we should not have had to take the car back two additional times for the same thing. I believe there exists a significant problem with the transmission of this 2015 Ford EXCAPE.

NHTSA ID

11432829

Incident

Sep 9, 2021

Earlier this year my car began shaking while I was driving it and when it was time for me to park, I couldn't move my shifter. I had to use the emergency break to keep my car in place. I noticed that my shift linkage had eroded and I had to place a temporary one from Auto Zone on there so I could continue driving. Ever since then, my new shift linkage continues to pop off and I am constantly having to use the emergency break to keep my car from going anywhere and placing the temporary shift link back on. I looked up recalls for my vehicle and noticed that other Fords had the same problem and were issued a recall, however, my particular vehicle did not fall under the recall list. There has been no warning signs that come on my dash which is very alarming. The only reason I ever know that the link is about to pop off is because my shifter becomes very loose and wiggles. This incident has happened several times dating back to around April 2021, and the most current time this has happened is today, September 7, 2021.

NHTSA ID

11431990

Incident

Sep 7, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER OWNS A 2015 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ROLL. THE CONTACT BECAME AWARE THAT THE SHIFTER CABLE AND BUSHINGS HAD FRACTURED AND DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CONTACTED ANDERSON FORD LINCOLN OF ST. JOSEPH (2207 N BELT HWY, ST JOSEPH, MO 64506, (866)922-2141) WHO CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE CABLE BUSHING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.

NHTSA ID

11414114

Incident

Apr 26, 2021

Mileage

122,000 mi