NHTSA Complaint #11539655 — 2015 FORD ESCAPE

The vehicle started and appeared to be working properly. Without warning, the message center displayed a message indicating that the automatic transmission had failed and advising the driver to pull over. Pressing the accelerator caused the engine to rev past 3000 RPM but did not cause the vehicle to move. After the engine had been shut off for a few minutes, the vehicle could be restarted but would only move a short distance before the transmission once again failed to engage. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealer on a flatbed. The service department's inspection revealed that the torque converter had failed catastrophically and distributed metal shavings through the entire transmission hydraulic system. The service advisor noted that the transmission filter was clogged with metal fragments from the torque converter. She suggested that turning the engine off allowed enough fragments to drop out of the filter so that a small amount of fluid could get through -- enough to move the vehicle a very short distance before the problem repeated. The recommended repair is to replace the transmission and torque converter with remanufactured parts, flush the cooler and lines, install a new thermal switch, and fill the system with fresh fluid. The vehicle, with the defective transmission installed, is at the dealer awaiting parts. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or an insurance carrier; the only inspection was performed by dealer personnel as part of the trouble diagnosis. If this sudden failure had occurred on a freeway or major surface street instead of a side street with light traffic, it would probably have triggered a rear-end collision involving the Ford Escape and one or more vehicles behind it when the Escape abruptly lost drive and coasted down. The potential for injury in such an accident should be self-evident.