NHTSA Complaint #11414613 — 2015 FORD ESCAPE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE STARTED WHINING, THEN LOST MOST OF POWER AND SHIFTED BY SELF INTO NEUTRAL GEAR ON TRANSMISSION AND CAME TO COMPLETE STOP (NOT THE INSIDE OF VEHICLE SHIFTER) AND WOULD’T DRIVE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED AT THIS TIME. CONTACT THEN PUT VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL VIA SHIFTER AND GAVE VEHICLE SOME GAS AND THEN PUT VEHICLE IN DRIVE POSITION AND SHIFTED HARD WITH A BIG THUMP BUT THEN DROVE FOR FEW MOMENTS WHILE TURNING AT A LIGHT BUT WOULDN’T ENGAGE PAST 1st GEAR. AT THAT TIME THE WARNING LIGHT FINALLY APPEARED AND BEGAN FLASHING FAULTY TRANSMISSION AND AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTED BACK INTO NEAUTRAL GEAR AND STOPPED. AGAIN CONTACT PLACED VEHICLE INTO NEUTRAL GEAR, GAVE SOME GAS AND PUT BACK INTO DRIVE POSITION AND AGAIN TRANSMISSION SHIFTED WITH ANOTHER THUMP INTO GEAR BUT STILL NOT PAST 1st GEAR. CONTACT WAS WITHIN COUPLE BLOCKS FROM HOME SO SAFELY REPEATING PRIOR STEPS GOT VEHICLE HOME SAFELY. VEHICLE HAD BEEN MAINTAIN AND ALL FLUID LEVELS AND INDICATORS WERE UP TO DATE. CONTACT HAD HER HUSBAND CHECK VEHICLE AND DRAINED AND CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. FLUID WAS CLEAN AND NO FOREIGN PARTICLES OR METAL IN FLUID. TEST DROVE VEHICLE AROUND BLOCK AND WHINING WAS STILL THERE AND THEN WOULD ONLY DRIVE FORWARD AND NOT REVERSE. CONTACT THEN HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO TUTTLE-CLICK FORD LINCOLN (43 AUTO CENTER DR, IRVINE, CA 92618) FOR A DIAGNOSTIC CHECK. EVEN THE TOW DRIVER STATED HE HAD JUST RECENTLY TOWED SEVERAL OTHERS DUE TO THE SAME ISSUE. CONTACT WAS TOLD BY FORD DEALERSHIP THAT TRANSMISSION CHECK AND MAINTANENCE IS 120K MILES ON THESE VEHICLES. IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE HALFSHAFT CENTER BEARING COMPLETELY WORN, RETAINER TIGHT BUT SINCE BEARING IS WORN, HALFSHAFT SLIDES OUT OF TRANS. THAT COULD EXPLAIN NO ENGAGEMENT IF HALFSHAFT SLID OUT. TORQUE COULD NOT BE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER AXLE DUE TO TRACTION CONTROL NOT ALLOWING ONE TO SPIN MORE THAN THE OTHER. DEALERSHIP RECOMMENDED FIRST REPLACE HALFSHAFT, THEN MAYBE ADDRESS TRANS