NHTSA Complaint #10123750 — 2002 FORD ESCAPE

JUST AFTER THE WARRANTY PERIOD ON MY 2002 FORD ESCAPE EXPIRED, I STARTED HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE TRANSMISSION, SPECIFICALLY, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN REVERSE WITHOUT REVVING THE ENGINE AND HAVING THE GEARS JUMP INTO PLACE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LURCH BACKWARDS. WHEN I CONTACTED MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE SUV, I EXPRESSED TO THEM MY DISPLEASURE IN HAVING TRANSMISSION TROUBLE AT ONLY 35,000+ MILES AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS NOT UNUSUAL TO NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION AT THAT ODOMETER READING, AND, INDEED, THEY HAD REPLACED TRANSMISSIONS AS EARLY AS 12,000 MILES. I CONTACTED MY REGIONAL FORD CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITHOUT ANY SUCCESS. ON THURSDAY, MAY 12, WHILE TRAVELING 55 MILES PER HOUR ON THE HIGHWAY, THE TRANSMISSION FAILED, WITH THE CAR SOUNDING LIKE I WAS REVVING THE ENGINE IN NEUTRAL, AND I WAS LOSING POWER QUICKLY. I HAD TO GET OFF THE ROAD QUICKLY AND WAS UNABLE TO ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION IN ANY GEAR. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION FACILITY IN INDIANAPOLIS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM DID NOT ORIGINATE IN THE TRANSMISSION, BUT WAS THE RESULT OF A GROUND CIRCUIT PROBLEM. FORD CONSTRUCTED THE CAR WITH THE GROUND RUNNING THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH MEANS THAT EVERY TIME THE CAR IS STARTED THE HIGH VOLTAGE RUNNING THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION MELTS THE GEARS TOGETHER. ADDITIONALLY, THE TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING ONTO THE FRONT SUSPENSION, WHICH MEANT THE BALL JOINTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AS WELL. THE TRANSMISSION COMPANY REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION, REPLACED THE BALL JOINTS, AND ADDED AN ADDITIONAL GROUND SO THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, WHICH RESULTED IN A TOTAL COST OF $3655.