Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1994 Ford Probe submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 26 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 26, in the owner's own words
3RD TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITHIN A 4 YEAR PERIOD EVEN WITH A TRANSMISSION COOLER INSTALLED. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 115000 MILES. LAST TRANSMISSION LASTED ONLY A LITTLE OVER A YEAR. *NM
I JUST BOUGHT A 1994 FORD PROBE GT, ONLY TO FIND OUT THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD IN IT. AFTER SOME EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ON THE CAR I FOUND OUT THE 626 MAZDA TRANSMISSION THAT WAS PUT INTO THE CAR IS KNOWN FOR FAILING. I WAS DRIVING DOWN A HIGHWAY DOING 60 MPH WHEN MY CAR SHIFTED DOWN AND DROPPED ALMOST 15 MPH IN A MATTER OF SECONDS. I WAS NOT INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT BUT IF A CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND ME I LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR ENDED. I HAVE HEARD FROM SEVERAL FORD PROBE OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED MAZDA WHO SAID THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH FORD AND I WAS UNABLE TO GET A CALL BACK FROM FORD. *NM
FIRST, THE CAR MAKES A LITTLE JERK AND THEN THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT STARTS TO BLINK AND THEN ONCE THAT HAPPENS, THE RPM'S STARTS TO JUMP AND THE WHOLE CAR BUCKS AS IF YOU HAD HYDRALICS. THE ENGINE STARTS TO JUMP BACK THEN FORTH. IF YOU STEP ON THE GAS THE CAR SPEEDS UP BUT IT BUCKS A LOT. I THOUGHT I COULD STOP IT BECAUSE I HAVE PLAYED WITH THE OVERDRIVE BUTTON AND IT HAS STOPPED , BUT THAT WAS WHEN IT FIRST STARTS. THE WEIRD THING IS THAT IT DOESN'T DO IT ALL THE TIME. THE GUY THAT HAD IT BEFORE ME WHICH IS MY BOSS RAN EVERY TEST THEY COULD AND IT CAME OUT PERFECT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO? *AK
I HAVE 1994 FORD PROBE WITH A BAD TRANSMISSION, THE CAR HAS 132,000 MILES 3RD TRANNY TO GO BAD. *AK
TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS: OVER DRIVE LIGHT BLINKS AND DOESN'T SHIFT PROPERLY. HAS BEEN REBUILT.
ATX TYPE FORD CD4E FAILURE. O/D LIGHT ON, SLIPPING CLUTCH. STABILIZER LINKS WORN OUT. CRUISE CONTROL WIRING DEFECT. *JB
CD4E AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS A SEVERE SLIP BETWEEN THE HIGH GEARS. THE ENGINE REVS VERY HIGH, THE TACHOMETER HEADS TO THE RED LINE AND THE TRANSMISSION WILL SLAM INTO THE HIGHER GEAR. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THIS VEHICLE NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. *AK
O/D LIGHT FLASHING ,CODE 628 RETRIEVED....CONVERTER CLUTCH SLIPPING.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT THE FAILURE OF THE CD4E 1994 TRANSMISSION. THERE IS ONLY 113000 MILES ON THIS CAR AND THE TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE OUT. I WOULD LIKE HELP IN PAYING TO GET THIS WELL KNOWN PROBLEM REPAIRED.
TRANSMISSION FAILED. ONLY 2 WEEKS AFTER SPENDING NEARLY $600 ON REPLACING THE FRONT AXLES, THE TRANSMISSION TOTALLY FAILED. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT 35 MPH AND FELT A SLIGHT JERK. AFTER WHICH, THE CAR WOULDN'T KICK INTO GEAR. I MANAGED TO MAKE IT HOME, BUT WHEN I TRIED TO TAKE IT BACK TO THE SHOP, THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE CD4E TRANSMISSION WAS DESIGNED TO FAIL. I'VE BEEN TOLD THIS BY MULTIPLE PEOPLE, INCLUDING ONE EX-FORD MECHANIC. HE ALSO USED THE TERM "THROW AWAY CAR?! I USUALLY GET RUDE LOOKS, OR LAUGHED AT WHEN I MENTION THAT I NEED A AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FOR A FORD PROBE. HELP ME! MY CAR HAS BEEN UNDRIVABLE FOR NEARLY 7 MONTHS.*AK
CONSUMER HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. NLM
O/D LIGHT BLINKING- COMPUTER ERROR REPORTS GEAR RATIO PROBLEM. TECHNICIAN REPORTS THAT FORD HAD MAJOR PROBLEMWITHTHE TRANSMISSION, REQUIRING REDESIGN OF PUMP AND OTHER PARTS. FORD RAN OUT OF PARTS ANDOPTED TO REDESIGN. FORD NOW REPLACES TRANSMISSION WITH A REBUILT ONE RATHER THAN ATTEMPT REPAIRS, PER FORD TECHNICIAN. THUS, FORD ACKNOWLEDGES A POOR DESIGN BUT REQUIRES OWNERS TO BEAR BURDEN OF $2,000+ COST. WHOM DO I CONTACT AT FORD?
TRANSMISSION FAILED. MJS
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
HAVE HAD TO REPLACE AUTO TRANSMISSION TWICE,FORD IS TELLING THE REPAIR PEOPLE THAT ALL THE TRANSMISSIONS ARE BAD IN PROBES.PLEASE HELP ME I HAVE SHELLED OUT 2,300.OO DOLLARS SO FAR AND I ONLY HAVE 50,000 MILES ON MY CAR. *AK
NO SUMMARY
CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, AND IT WOULD JERK, AND NEVER SWITCH OUT OF FIRST GEAR.
TRANSMISSION FREEZES; VEHICLE WON'T MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD WHEN IN GEAR. OD LIGHT FLASHES CONTINUOUSLY ON DASHBOARD. COMPUTER INDICATES A FAILURE WITH THE VSS SPEED SENSOR. PART WAS REPLACED BUT THE VEHICLE IS STILL NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. CAR MOVES FOWARD IN REVERSE; MOVES BACKWARD IN DRIVE. DEALERS CLAIMS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. CAR WAS BROUGHT IN UNDER WARRANTY WITH 10,952 MILES. DEALER REFUSED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION.
THIS CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO DEALER WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY WITH TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THEY SAID IT WAS FINE. ONE MONTH AFTER WARRANTY WAS UP AUTOMATIC OVERDRIVE WOULD NOT DIS-ENGAGE AND TRANSMISSION WAS OVERHEATING. DEALER LET CAR SIT FOR OVER 10 DAYS AND DID NOTHING. TOOK CAR TO DIFFERENT REPAIR SHOP. THEY SAID SHORT TERM MEMORY WAS WIPPED OUT, NEEDED OVERDRIVE WARNING LIGHT TO COME ON AGAIN IN ORDER TO GET CODE. TOOK CAR AND DROVE FOR A LONG DISTANCE. AT THAT TIME THE TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED CAUSING LOSS OF SPEEDOMETER AND MASSIVE FLUID LEAK WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH. ADVISED TO IMMEADEATLY STOP DRIVING CAR AS IT COULD CATCH ON FIRE. VEHICLE SINCE FIXED TWICE BUY A DIFFERENT DEALER. DEALER STATED THAT NOTCH WAS MISSING OUT OF TRANSMISSION PISTON FROM THE FACTORY. TRANSMISSION ALSO HAD NUMEROUS OTHER PROBLEMS AND TOTAL REPAIR COST 1,328.58. I HAVE SINCE BEEN TOLD (TO LATE) THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL BULLITENS OUT FOR THESE TRANSMISSIONS.
VEHICLE STARTED SWERVING AROUND WHEN DRIVING., MECHANIC CONTACTED AND DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS RUN. STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS GONE. DEALER CONTACTED, NO WARRANTY. PROBLEM CANNOT BE DUPLICATED.
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER HEARD SOME FUNNY NOISES COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. PARKED THE VEHICLE AND WENT INTO THE STORE. CAME BACK TO START THE VEHICLE AND PUT IN REVERSE AND THEN INTO DRIVE, AND THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T GO ANYWHERE DUE TO THE DRUM GEAR UNIT BEING CRACKED. FORD AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT DIDN'T PROVIDE ANY HELP. *AK *ML
OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHED AND VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SHIFTS TO A LOWER GEAR AND CRUISE CONTROL SWITCHES OFF.
TRANSMISSION FAILED.
WHEN DRIVING THE CAR STALLS. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .