NHTSA Complaint #10479691 — 2002 FORD ESCAPE

A COUPLE OF FRIENDS AND I WHERE ON OUR WAY TO LA WHEN WE STOPPED FOR GAS. FILLED UP THE TANK AND THEN STARTED THE CAR, WHICH STARTED PERFECTLY FINE, I THEN PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE AND WHEN I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR SIMPLY REVVED THE ENGINE AND DID NOT MOVE. THE DRIVE GEAR WAS NOT ENGAGING BUT SECOND WORKED FINE. FIRST GEAR DID ENGAGE ALSO BUT IT FELT IT WAS SLAMMED INTO PLACE NOT SMOOTHLY ENGAGING. HAD A NEAR BY MECHANIC LOOK AT IT AND HE SAID THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS GIVING OUT AND THAT IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS TOLD THE CLUTCH HAD BLOWN OUT AND TAKEN THE REST OF THE TRANSMISSION WITH IT AND IT ALL HAD TO BE REPLACED. IT WAS A $3500 REPAIR THAT I NOW WISH I HAD DONE MORE RESEARCH ON BECAUSE THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE. THE CAR ONLY HAD 54000 MILES BUT IT WAS 10 YEARS OLD AND THERE WERE NO SIGNS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS GOING OUT. THE NEW TRANSMISSION DOES COME WITH A 3 YEAR, UNLIMITED MILE WARRANTY WHICH IS WHY I WENT WITH THAT INSTEAD OF A REBUILD WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN A BIT CHEAPER. AFTER LEARNING ABOUT ALL THE PROBLEMS THIS TRANSMISSION HAS, I WILL BE LOOKING FOR A NEW CAR IN THE COMING YEARS. I LIKE FORDS BUT THIS REALLY MAKING THINK ABOUT GETTING A NEW CAR FROM SOME ONE ELSE. *TR