NHTSA Complaint #10102808 — 2001 FORD ESCAPE

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