1998 FORD ESCORT Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

I HAVE HAD NEAR ACCIDENTS RELATING TO CAR FUEL PUMP OR TRANSMISSION SHOPS COULDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS BUT THE DRIVABLITY OF MY 98 ESCORT ZX2 COST ME MORE MONEY IN PROBLEM SOLVING, 1,500 PLUS IN RECENT REPAIRS INCLUDING EMERGENCY AND REPEAT REPAIRS AND FAULTY REPAIRS. MY FUEL ECONOMY IS 160 MILES PER TANK TO ALMOST 200 MILES. NO ONE CAN SEEM TO FIND THE PROBLEM(S). LARGE THUNKING IN REAR TRUNK (SCARY)WHEN IM TAKING OFF AND REACHING A STEADY SPEED. TAKE THE CAR TO MAJOR FORD DEALERSHIPS, TO NO AVAIL. CAR DOESN'T ALWAYS "GO" FROM A COMPLETE STOP IN TRAFFIC,THIS HAS CAUSED QUITE A SCARE AS WELL. THANK YOU FOR HELPING AND MAKING NOTE OF MY ACCOUNT. DEBBIE

THE FAILURE INVOLVES THE INTERLOCK THAT KEEPS YOU FROM SHIFTING OUT OF PARK WITHOUT APPLYING THE BRAKE. MY LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL BULB HAD BURNED OUT. I STOPPED THE CAR, PUT IT IN PARK, AND SET THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, TO GET OUT AND CHECK THE OTHER TURN SIGNALS. FIRST I TURNED ON THE LEFT SIDE AND VERIFIED THAT THE LEFT REAR BULB WASN'T WORKING. THEN I ASKED THE PASSENGER IN THE CAR TO SWITCH ON THE RIGHT SIGNALS. SHE LEANED ON THE SHIFT LEVER TO TRY TO REACH THE TURN SIGNAL LEVER, AND WHEN SHE DID, THE CAR WENT INTO REVERSE. IT MOVED BACK SLOWLY SINCE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ON, SO I JUMPED OUT OF THE WAY AND GOT IN AND STOPPED IT. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION, I FOUND THIS: THAT IF THE LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL BULB IS BAD, THE SHIFT INTERLOCK IS RELEASED WHEN YOU TURN ON THE...

WHILE DRIVING THE GEARS ON THE VEHICLE CHANGE FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL ON THEIR OWN. MANUFACTURER WILL BE CONTACTED BY OWNER.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY TRANSMISSION HAD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE GEAR. *AK

THE VEHICLES GEAR SHIFT LOCKED AND COULDN'T BE MOVED FROM PARK TO DRIVE. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *NLM

THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION FAILURE. IT WOULD ONLY MOVE IN REVERSE AND WOULD SLIP IN ALL GEARS. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION FAILURE IS DUE TO MODIFICATION CONSUMER MADE TO PROTECT THE TRANSMISSION WHEN IN TOW. WARRANTY REPAIR IS DENIED BY THE DEALER. *JG

TS

TRANSMISSION SLIPS IN EVERY GEAR AND SHIFTS HARD, ESPECIALLY ON COLD MORNINGS. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER 2 TIMES, CANNOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *AK

WHEN VEHICLE GETS STARTED UP IT WILL NOT MOVE OUT OF PARK. VEHICLE WILL JUST SIT THERE AND NOT MOVE ANYWHERE.*AK

WHEN YOU TRY TO USE THE WASHER FLUID IT LEAKS ON THE HOOD OF THE CAR CAUSING THE HOOD TO BECOME DISCOLORED FROM THE WINDSHEILD WASHER FLUID. ALSO WHENEVER YOU ARE AT A STOP THE CAR STARTS TO SHAKE, THEY FORD SAY THAT IT IS FROM THE ENGINE MOUNTS AND THAT IT IS NOT HAZARDOUS SO THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT. LAST THEIR IS PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISION, WHENEVER YOU ARE MOVING SLOW OR IN A STOP POSITION AND START TO MOVE THE CAR JERKS REALLY BAD. IT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE SOMEONE RAN INTO YOU OR THAT YOU RAN SOMETHING OVER. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO THE COMPANY, BUT THEY CAN'T DO NOTHING ABOUT. I HAVE HEARD OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE ECAXT SAME CAR HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS

TRANSMISSION BROKE DOWN WHILE TRAVELING 65MPH. PRIOR TO BREAK DOWN, HAD HEARD A SNAPPING SOUND. VEHICLE STOPPED DEAD. WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, AND HAD TRANSMISSION REPLACED WITH A USED ONE SINCE OLD TRANSMISSION WAS NOT REPAIRABLE.*AK

VEHICLE DOESN'T GO INTO OVERDRIVE ABOUT 60%OF THE TIME. VEHICLE IN A HIGH SPEED AND IT WILL DROP OUT OF OVERDRIVE AND DRIVE. SHE HAS TO PULL OVER TO THE SGOULDERS TO MANUALLY PULL THE VEHICLE INTO DRIVE. *AK

FUEL GUAGE FAILS TO REGISTER THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FUEL. ALSO, TRANSMISSION WOULD JUMP/JERK FORWARD IF PLACED INTO GEAR. WHENEVER THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JERK. REAR PASSENGER DOOR CANNOT BE OPEN FROM THE INSIDE. TOOK TO DEALER & HAD TRANSMISSION REPLACED. MECHANIC INDICATED NOTHING WAS WRONG.*AK

VEHICLE STARTED, ENGINE RATTLED UPON ACCELERATION AT ALL SPEEDS AT 2300 MILES. AFTER NUMEROUS FAILED REPAIR ATTEMPTS BY DEALER,I SENT COMPLAINT TO FORDS DSB BOARD.WORKING THROGH ARBITRATION VEHICLE LOOKED AT BY ENGINEER.THEY REPLACED PCM.PROBLEM GOT WORSE,ALONG WITH NEW PROBLEMS,LACK OF POWER,HARD START,TRANSMISSION HESITAING.THEN THEY REPLACED FUEL PUMP,DIDNT HELP, THEN IGNITION SWITCH, DIDNT HELP,THEN MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR AND AIR FILTER, DIDNT HELP.FINALLY VEHICLE STARTED STALLING WHILE DRIVING, DURING ACC. TOWED BACK TO SHOP, FORD HAD IT SIX WEEKS THIS TIME REPLACED PCM TWO MORE TIMES.I HAVE VEHICLE BACK,STILL PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION HESITATING.VEHICLE IN SHOP EIGHT TIMES FOR SAME OR RELATED PROBLEMS AND TOTALLING ALMOST THREE MONTHS IN SHOP. STILL IN ARBITRATION, CONSDERING CLOSING CASE AND TAKING TO DSB. PERSONALLY. *AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL.

INTERMITTENTLY TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO STALL. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. *AK

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD. *YC

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL NOT DOWNSHIFT TO CHANGE GEARS ONCE IT HAS WARMED UP A BIT. HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER & IT WAS TEST DRIVEN FOR OVER A WEEK. MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND CAUSE OF NON DOWNSHIFTING. *AK

I HAVE BEEN IN THE SERVICE CENTER 3 TIMES FOR THIS VIBRATION AND 1 SPECIAL SERVICE BULLETIN.I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE SERVICE MANAGER AFTER HAVING MY IAT SENSOR REPLACED IN MY TRANSMISSON AND HE TOLD ME SOMETIMES THEIR SERVICE TECHNICIANS REPLACE PARTS THAT. *AK

BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY AND LOOKING IN THE MIRROR TO SEE IF ANY ONE WAS COMING, ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE FLEW FORWARD AND HIT FENCE. THEN WHEELS TURNED TO THE RIGHT, MISSING THE TELEPOLE. VEHICLE ENDED UP HITTING TREES AND STOPPED. AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. HAD SEAT BELT ON. *AK

I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON JULY 15TH AND STOPPED AT THE RED LIGHT BEFORE CROSSING THE TRACKS AND WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN I ATTEMPTED TO GO FORWARD AND THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FORWARD. I FLAGGED THE PEOPLE BEHIND ME TO BACK UP AND I COULDN'T GO BACKWARDS. I PANICKED BECAUSE IT WAS EARLY MORNING RUSH HOUR AND MY 5 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WAS WITH ME BUT AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES THE CAR SLOWLY WENT FORWARD. I CALLED SERVICE AND MADE THE APPOINTMENT TO TAKE THE CAR IN ON JULY 22 WHICH WAS THE EARLIEST THEY COULD GET ME IN. ON THE MORNING I WENT TO TAKE THE CAR IN I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AT 30 MILES PER HOUR AND THE CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN AND I LOOKED AT THE DASHBOARD AND REALIZED THAT THE INDICATOR LIGHTS WERE ALL ON. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE...

AFTER SLOWING TO TURN AND THEN ACCELERATING AGAIN, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND THE ENGINE REVS. VEHICLE MUST BE PUT IN REGULAR DRIVE TO MOVE. FEELS LIKE VEHICLE IS STILL IN OVERDRIVE AND IT NEVER DOWNSHIFTED. VEHICLE MOVES SLIGHTLY IF ENGINE IS REVED HIGH ENOUGH.

TRANSMISSION SLIPS IN & OUT OF GEAR WHENEVER VEHICLE IS AT A DEAD STOP OR WHEN VEHICLE'S READY TO TAKE OFF. TOOK TO DEALER TWICE BECAUSE OF PROBLEM, BUT MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO REPAIR IT. *AK

WHEN PULLING OUT FROM A STOP, VEHICLE MAY LOSE POWER. *AK CONSUMER STATES TRANSMISSION SLIPS WITHOUT WARNING WHEN PULLING FROM A STOP, ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON 4 OCCASIONS, DEALER CAN NOT FIND A REMEDY FOR THE PROBLEM. *SLC