NHTSA Complaint #11609044 — 2013 FORD ESCAPE

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while test-driving the vehicle at various speeds with the vehicle in sport(S) mode, the vehicle jerked, was hesitating, and failed to shift as intended. The dealer advised the contact to not drive the vehicle in sport(S) mode. The contact followed the instructions; however, the failure persisted while driving. The dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that there was stagnant water in the spare tire wheel well in the trunk. The contact also noticed that there was water leaking on the front driver's side seat belt and on the front driver's side floor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an intensive water entry testing was performed, and unknown related repairs were made. The vehicle was taken to several transmission specialists, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.