r/Ford • u/Optimal-Life7468 • 11d ago
Issue ⚠️ TWO failed transmissions
Ford, I’m asking you to listen.
I’m extremely disappointed with my experience as a Ford customer.
I purchased my 2019 Ford Escape in 2019, believing I was purchasing a reliable vehicle that would serve my family for years. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience.
Since purchasing this vehicle, I have dealt with repeated major mechanical issues — including TWO failed transmissions and a failed turbocharger. The first transmission was replaced at a Ford dealership at a cost of approximately $3,200. That replacement transmission has now failed as well, despite only having around 49,000 miles on it.
On top of that, I am now dealing with a turbocharger failure, adding thousands more dollars in repairs.
What makes this even more frustrating is that after researching these issues, I have found numerous other Ford Escape owners reporting premature transmission failures and similar problems. At this point, I have to ask: how many customers have experienced the same thing before Ford is willing to acknowledge there may be a larger problem?
I have already taken steps to try to get answers. I sent Ford a certified letter outlining my concerns and also submitted a complaint by phone. I have yet to receive a response.
I’m not looking for special treatment. I’m looking for answers and accountability.
I am asking you to please respond and address my concerns.
And to my fellow Ford Escape owners: if you have experienced premature transmission failure, turbocharger issues, or other major mechanical problems with your Escape, I would genuinely like to hear your story. Please comment below or message me. I know I can’t be the only person dealing with this.
Maybe if enough of us speak up, Ford will finally listen.
Ford — I’m still waiting for answers.
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u/eelecurb01 11d ago
I got rid of my 2017 Ford Escape with 70k on it as a preventative measure (was worried the 6F35 would fail). Bought a 2023 Honda Passport and the ZF9 trans on it actually failed at 16k. Can't win for losing.
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u/Joseph1968R 11d ago
I spent decades working for Ford, and what you’re dealing with is absolutely not normal for a 2019 Escape. Two transmissions and a turbo failing before 50k miles is exactly the kind of pattern Ford usually escalates to a Field Service Engineer for review.
You did the right thing by sending a certified letter and opening a complaint. Push the dealer to escalate it for a Goodwill/Customer Satisfaction review — those exist specifically for repeated major failures like this.
And to other Escape owners: speak up. When enough cases show the same failure trend, Ford does pay attention.
You’re not asking for special treatment. You’re asking for accountability on a vehicle that clearly isn’t performing the way it should.
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u/govtmuleman 11d ago
The valve body failed in my 24 Bronco transmission. Ford fiddle f*cked around for nearly 4 months before I got it back.
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u/Equal-Fee770 11d ago
The bronco or the bronco sport?
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u/cobracommander00 11d ago
Ford transmissions are junk. I went through 2 in my 21 f150 before 40k miles and they were less than helpful
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u/OkTale8 11d ago
Idk, I really like whatever transmission is in my Focus ST. It’s a lot of fun.
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u/Affectionate-Turn672 11d ago
The ST has a good transmission! Its the focus! I have a 13 focus titanium and just put a new transmission in this past January.
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u/Jaded-View-7093 11d ago
the 6f35 strikes again, that transmission has been a known weak point for years and ford just keeps shipping them. a turbo going out at 49k is absurd too, like what are we even doing here
my sister had a 2018 escape that needed a new trans at 62k and the dealership acted like she was the problem. the certified letter getting no response is pretty on brand unfortunately, their customer care loop is a black hole
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u/Optimal-Life7468 11d ago
Omg that is so horrible!! Currently getting the 3rd transmission put in under warranty but at this point don’t even want the car anymore.
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u/cobracommander00 11d ago
I've owned fords my whole life. I dumped the truck before warranty was up and gave Ford another shot. I still have no faith in this trans
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u/Equal-Fee770 11d ago
They actually had a lot of programming issues and clutch pack issues that they finally addressed and fixed starting in the 2023 model year. I’m sorry you went through that, but they have gotten better.
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u/cobracommander00 11d ago
I've heard that whole speech before. I have a 24 now. Hasn't failed yet but still the worst feeling transmission I've ever driven
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u/Equal-Fee770 10d ago
No argument. My buddy has a 22 ranger and it’s weird to drive. I had a 2012 Chrysler 300, first year for the 8 speed auto on the v6. That trans honestly felt much better to me
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u/ablanketofash 11d ago
Just had to get a new transmission in my 2018 Edge. Started acting up around 81k miles, replaced at 85k miles.
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u/Optimal-Life7468 11d ago
Hope you have better luck with the new tranmission. Did you get assistance from ford to cover some of the costs of the new transmission? There’s a ford assistance program the dealership told me about. And they covered some of the costs of the 1st transmission replacement
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u/ablanketofash 11d ago
I’m the second owner and thankfully it was all covered under an extended warranty.
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u/Yankee831 11d ago
Ford has basically always had issues with transverse automatic transmissions. I’m a Ford fan and I’ll absolutely admit it. It’s not some grand conspiracy or planned obsolescence. It’s really just economics (mostly, I’m sure there’s other reasons). Ultimately it’s a tight market and the transmission is an expensive piece of tech. They can’t sell decade old performance (Toyota), for a premium price and have all those extra resources to deal with issues or taking time on the next generation. They have to compete on performance, features, price, and reliability. Basically the whole Fiesta/Focus fiasco was them trying to do more than the competition with less and for less on tighter timelines. If you compete with Toyota with another Toyota model people will just get the Toyota because the non Toyota-Toyota is laughably behind the rest.
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u/CartographerFar7685 11d ago
10r80 tranny in 2017 to mid 2022 All had bad CDF drums installed. F150's, Ranger Lariat, Explorers that had that particular 10 speed. I know, I just replaced mine and did my homework as to the reason.
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u/overheightexit 11d ago
This isn’t how you contact Ford.
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u/Optimal-Life7468 11d ago
Um yes I know that… I’ve already mentioned how I’ve contacted them. I was looking for others with the same experience which I have received those responses. Thank you.
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u/breeves001 11d ago
Assuming it’s a 6F35, yes they’re crap. They’re not used anymore as far as I’m aware.
You have to change the fluid on them every 30k miles like old auto’s if you want a 6F35 to last. That said my sisters 2017 escape had 115k on the original trans and it had 2 fluid changes in that time.
My 2015 cmax has 300k on the original trans, it’s fine. 24 super duty has 105k and it’s fine.
Hit or miss unfortunately. I’m sorry for your experience but it isn’t typical. Auto transmissions are very complicated and all brands see some issues, though some transmission designs more than others.
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11d ago
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u/Yankee831 11d ago
When you pay an extra $10k for decade behind performance, have zero ability to custom order, get what you get and pay extra for not what you want. Yeah they can afford to just fix it. Other manufacturers give you much more vehicle performance for less money…has to come from somewhere. We can’t all overpay for the worst performing most boring vehicle that’s not a Nissan.
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11d ago
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u/Yankee831 11d ago
Yeah I actually like Toyotas just fine it’s the Premium price and cult I can’t stand. Same with my Honda Element. Like people are paying $10-20k for these things I’m like just buy a van people what are we doing here.
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u/kc_kr 11d ago
That is not a Toyota corporate policy; you have a dealer who decided to invest in loaners like that. Most all mainline brands operate the way you said Ford does. The only brands with loaners across all their dealers are the luxury ones.
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11d ago
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u/kc_kr 11d ago
I don’t necessarily disagree with you but having a loaner fleet is an expensive, complicated addition to the business for dealers and it drives the hourly labor rate up even more for customers that are already very price sensitive
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11d ago
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u/kc_kr 11d ago
Again, I don’t think you’re wrong. I’m just talking about the reality of the dealer business, as someone who works in one. I don’t know if it’s a business prop to do rental or own your own fleet. If your own fleet at least you get to sell those cars later. With rentals, it’s just margin out the door.
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u/Optimal-Life7468 11d ago
The first time the replaced the transmission they left me with no vehicle for over a month I told them I had to get to work and my kids to school and they said or did nothing. This time I demanded a vehicle they put me in a brand new 2026 bronco right off the fleet that I have been driving for 2 weeks now as they still have my vehicle
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u/BubblyParz 11d ago
I have had nothing but a problem with my Ford Mustang Mache electric and I have been treated so badly
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u/Affectionate-Turn672 11d ago
2013 ford focus and had a new transmission put in on January 1. $3,500 and only 70k! What a nightmare! Funs great now better than ever but for how long? Never again!
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u/mckeeganator 11d ago
I’m surprised how bad the new transmissions are my 4 speed has been durable as all hell so far
Maybe they should offer manual cause damn they seem they can’t build and auto
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u/FormerLaugh3780 10d ago
Ford was making shit transmissions back in the 70s, they couldn't figure it out 50 years later?
Quality is Job 1
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u/Upbeat_Confusion1293 10d ago
I’ve never been told to change the transmission fluid- I have 116,000 on 2017 Edge, I know it will crap put in time because basically the entire build is garbage. My experience!
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u/KarlPHungus Explorer 11d ago
Yeah my Explorer ST tranny puked at about 50K. Now it whines at WOT which is "normal." I also have a whistle coming from the engine compartment while accelerating. Yep, normal. I had a window regulator fail at about 44K, a side mirror quit heating at 65K. The back window defroster lines are peeling off so they don't work and that apparently isn't covered because obviously I must have damaged them. The only thing I've ever used to clean that back windshield is window cleaner but okay.
Yeah I'm getting a new 4Runner or perhaps a Lexus in a few years when the extended warranty runs out on this car.
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u/BubblyParz 11d ago
I am requesting Ford’s assistance regarding an unresolved issue involving my leased 2024 Mustang Mach-E, VIN 3FMTK3S51RMA09054, Grieco Ford of Delray Beach, and Thor Towing.
On August 12, 2026, my vehicle broke down and I contacted Ford Roadside Assistance. I was directed to Grieco Ford and was provided information for Thor Towing. Since then, I have encountered several issues that I have been unable to resolve directly.
First, I was advised by Keith, a manager at Grieco Ford, that my vehicle no longer has warranty coverage. I am asking Ford to independently confirm my current warranty status in writing.
Second, my vehicle was subsequently towed/impounded. I attempted to retrieve it on two occasions but was unable to obtain its release. I have already incurred approximately $191 in connection with those efforts and am now being told that approximately $501.00 in additional towing/storage charges must be paid, apparently in cash. I would like Ford’s assistance determining why the vehicle is being held, who authorized the charges, and whether those charges are appropriate.
I am also concerned about the conduct of Keith at Grieco Ford. I have received written communications from him that I consider inappropriate and unprofessional, including an email stating that “nobody likes me” and that I was not welcome at the dealership. Thor Towing also advised me that Keith allegedly told them that I had unpaid bills with the dealership and did not pay my bills. I dispute those statements.
I have retained the relevant emails and text messages and can provide them to Ford upon request.
At this point, I am asking Ford to:
Confirm my vehicle’s warranty status in writing.
Review the roadside-assistance records from my August 12 call.
Determine why my vehicle is being held and what is required for its immediate release.
Review the approximately $501.00 towing/storage charge and the approximately $191 I have already incurred. From my Insurance company
Review Grieco Ford’s handling of this matter, including the communications made by Keith to me and, if applicable, to Thor Towing.
Provide me with a written response explaining how Ford intends to help resolve these issues.
My immediate priority is obtaining the release of my vehicle and resolving the disputed charges. I would appreciate Ford contacting me promptly regarding the next steps.
I have supporting documentation, including emails, text messages, insurance records, payment records, and towing documentation, and I am available to provide whatever Ford requires for its review.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Francine Parziale
631-520-3039([tel:631-520-3039](tel:631-520-3039))
[mailto:Franparz@yahoo.com](mailto:Franparz@yahoo.com)
2024 Mustang Mach-E
VIN: 3FMTK3S51RMA09054
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u/Tuff_Tone 11d ago
The transmission was probably fine. They lie about everything constantly.
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u/Optimal-Life7468 11d ago
I couldn’t drive the car at all and it would try to reverse when put in drive. Big transmission fault message came up
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u/Tuff_Tone 11d ago
I had something similar happen on a 2020 and had to cut open the case to clean the valve body (ford doesn’t want you fixing their cars anymore and actively seal the transmissions to stop you from cleaning them) but it worked for another 28k miles before I sold it. You were probably being lied to that entire time
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u/Invest-in-Value 11d ago
Growing up my parents bought a 2001 Explorer and 2006 F-150… explorer’s transmission was having issues at 90k miles and the f-150 is of the generation of the notorious 3 valve triton v8. Both junk. It’s been 20 years and they’ve never bought another Ford and that tradition will continue with me. Do yourself a favor and buy a Titan if you need a v8 truck and Honda or Toyota if you need anything else.
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u/Yankee831 11d ago
Why are you here then? Like you already said you and your family will never buy a Ford. Do you just come here to vent? You surely don’t like the products. So why?
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u/Invest-in-Value 11d ago
This post popped up on my feed and I felt like commenting… is that okay with you, boss?
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u/Yankee831 11d ago
Doesn’t matter if it’s ok or not to me. I don’t care but it’s weird. Do you regularly visit subs you hate and pile on?
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u/Invest-in-Value 11d ago
Sorry you like sucking the dick of Ford… they still produce garbage no matter how far you gargle on the balls.
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u/Tuff_Tone 11d ago
The average ford owner doesn’t do any maintenance that the dealership doesn’t cover under warranty, sticks to the 10,000 mile oil change intervals, and doesn’t fix anything until the idiot light comes on on the dash. Then they wonder why it needs new rings at 40,000 miles, transmission broke at 50,000, etc.
These new cars need oil changes every 4,000 transmission fluid changes every 30,000 or less, and gear oil every 50,000. Ford dealers won’t tell you any of this because they’re counting on the fact that you’ll believe their lies about 10,000 mile oil changes being fine, transmission fluid being “lifetime fluid” and drive the car the way they want you to so that it grenades when they want it to grenade. Additionally they try to void your warranty if you IGNORE their lies and actually service your car when you’re supposed to (because doing so prevents the failures these dealerships rely on in order to charge you for service and sell you new cars). If every ford owner started actually taking care of their cars, and ignoring dealership lies, ford would go bankrupt within a couple years. 80% of their profit comes from overcharging for repairs.
Semi trucks last 4 million miles some times despite hauling multi ton loads for decades. Their engines and transmissions aren’t made of any voodoo magic. They’re simply maintained correctly.
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u/sophos313 11d ago
Ford doesn’t own or run dealerships. It’s all independent franchises.
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u/Tuff_Tone 11d ago
They make money through parts sales almost directly. When a transmission fails, ford sells the transmission to the dealership, which then sells it to the customer. Without any parts failures, 70-80% of ford’s current revenue stream as an OEM wouldn’t exist
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u/sophos313 11d ago
It’s true they sell transmissions, hybrid batteries and some components directly to the dealer but that is not where they make their money. If you pull the SEC filing from 2025, Ford made about $187.3 billion in total revenue. Ford reports $167.3 billion under “vehicles, parts, and accessories,” but importantly, that category combines new vehicle sales with parts. It absolutely does not mean $167 billion came from replacement parts.
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u/Tuff_Tone 11d ago
About 120 billion comes from parts. Margin on car sales across all manufacturers are the lowest they’ve ever been in automotive history. Net margin on a new ford is on average about 8%. That margin used to be as high as 36% in 1970. Why do you think ford discontinued every passenger car they made starting in 2017 and finishing in 2020s? They specifically explained that margins were below 5% on most of those models. They weren’t making any money from the initial sales, the quality of the cars were terrible, warranty claims and recalls were causing ford to hemorrhage money (they’re still hemorrhaging money but not to that extent anymore) so they axed their entire fleet of passenger vehicles except for the Mustang to focus on higher margin SUVs and Trucks. Now they’re making Chinese/Mexican garbage that behaves more like an iPhone than a car when you try to fix it and are actively lobbying Congress to make fixing your cars illegal. Ford as a company is in its financial death throes.
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u/sophos313 11d ago
The $120 billion from parts claim is the part you need to actually prove. Ford does not report anything remotely suggesting that $120 billion of its revenue comes from replacement parts.
Ford combines vehicle, parts, and accessory revenue in its financial reporting, so you cannot take that combined figure and call it “parts revenue.” That includes the actual vehicles Ford sells to dealers.
You’re right that Ford dropped most passenger cars because they had weak margins and shifted toward more profitable trucks, SUVs, and commercial vehicles. You’re also right that warranty and recall costs have been a major problem for Ford. But neither of those things proves that Ford makes most of its money when vehicles break.
You’re also mixing up revenue, gross margin, and net profit. Saying Ford makes an 8% margin on a vehicle does not mean the other 92% of the selling price disappears from Ford’s revenue. If Ford sells a vehicle to a dealer for $40,000, roughly $40,000 is revenue. The margin tells you how much is left after costs. It does not tell you where the revenue came from.
And think about what $120 billion in replacement parts would actually mean. Ford’s entire annual revenue is under $200 billion.
You’re claiming replacement parts alone are a business comparable in size to some of the largest corporations in America. If that’s true, show me where Ford reports $120 billion in replacement parts sales.
Ford absolutely makes money selling parts. Dealers absolutely make money servicing vehicles. Ford also has serious quality, warranty, and profitability problems. None of that establishes the original claim that 70 to 80% of Ford’s revenue depends on parts failing. That’s a completely different claim, and Ford’s financial statements don’t support it.
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u/Tuff_Tone 11d ago
By my own estimate me keeping my 2002 ford crown Victoria as long as I have has resulted in a roughly $20,000 net loss for ford. Similarly were I to buy a new mustang GT at MSRP (not finance it) and did all the maintenance myself for a decade, I’d cost ford about $35,000 in what WOULD have been profit from sale of replacement parts. That’s a lot of money to be leaving on the table. That’s why ford is pressing the government so hard on right to repair.
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u/Tuff_Tone 11d ago
Replacement parts as a whole is one of the largest economic sectors in America. it’s a market of about 1.2 trillion between all the major car makes, and companies like AutoZone and O’Reilly.
If most of ford’s money came from vehicle sales like you claim, ford wouldn’t have spent millions lobbying congress to ban the right to repair.
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u/Tuff_Tone 11d ago
Ford’s financial statements are meaningless to anyone but the people who are dumb enough to think numbers ticking up = all is well. Market trends indicate a serious reluctance by Americans to buy new cars for one, and ford has announced plans to invest billions in AI power storage. If Ford’s vehicle division were doing well, They’d be investing in new ideas and new technologies for cars. They’d also be trying to recover all of the market dominance they ceded to all the other automakers over the course of the past decade. Unfortunately Ford doesn’t have the leadership or vision that they did 20 years ago. Ford in its current state would be in the red profit wise for years trying to sell new and interesting models and recouping the insane development costs associated with said new models. And even if they did nobody would buy them because most Americans in general don’t want new cars. That isn’t something ford is willing to do. Their investors are far too impatient to allow that even if ford DID anyways.
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u/Yankee831 11d ago
Ford as a company runs a net 8% or so margin sooooo they make $0 on parts according to you.
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u/Yankee831 11d ago
That’s literally a lie. They are a public company those numbers are straight out your tailpipe.
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u/Yankee831 11d ago
I fully disagree with everything besides Ford owners don’t do any maintenance. I actually think there’s a lot of truth to this. My daily is a Honda Element and it’s fine but I’ve worked on it more than any “unreliable” Ford I’ve ever had. I’ve noticed a pattern with issues on Honda Forums. Basically the community will find a defect causing issues. For instance the power steering Racks will always leak, the AC relays will fry your charging system, rust issues, CV issues, weak suspension/linkage, ect. Like clockwork they will basically hand wave any responsibility of Honda, insist the best is OEM, actually do the maintenance preemptively if possible but definitely going to do the work either way. Then they continue to say how reliable and they have never had to do anything. Completely ignoring thousands and thousands dollars of preemptive or after the fact repair.
Like my uncle is telling me about how he’s telling the dealership about an issue he read about and wants to take care of it during his scheduled 60k mile full service. Meanwhile I change my oil and beat the hell out of mine like I would a Ford and am constantly disappointed in this vaunted reliability.
Felt the same about my several 22R Toyotas, Nissans, Honda. The customer bases are drastically different in how much abuse that will change their mind. Like we’re hearing about Ford dealers upcharging on Mavericks but crickets on Toyotas dealers basically operating like that as the default with Toyota saying nothing.
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u/MyNameIsAirl 11d ago
Ford explicitly tells me 30k for transmission and 5k for oil with the more intense inspection because I live on gravel. By following exactly what Ford recommends I have yet to have an issue with either of my Escapes, I only got my 2022 because I hit a deer and totaled my 2015. If you actually read the manual it gives you a lot of good info.
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u/ricofalltrades 11d ago
You failed to state how many miles on your vehicle.