2017 Ford Escape · symptom sheet
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard
- 92owner reports
- 83,800median miles
- $5,000median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Jul 10, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
391 of the 2,689 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 92 of those describe transmission shudder.
Narrower sheets: Transmission jerks, lurches or bangs into gear (47 reports) · Transmission hesitates when accelerating (27 reports)
Tick what matches of 92 reports
Transmission shudder on other Escape years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
What this problem usually is
This is the biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the torque converter (13 reports) and the transmission (9 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2017 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.
All 4 recalls on the 2017 Ford Escape, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
What owners paid
19 of the 92 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $3,000 to $7,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 62,798 and 108,000 miles, from the 68 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2017 Ford Escape that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Some 2017-2019 Escape vehicles equipped with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine and all-wheel drive (AWD) may exhibit a bump or clunk from the rear drive unit (RDU) when turning at low speeds and parking lot maneuvers.
What owners wrote
“Transmission, AAMCO inspected and verified, no warnings just grinding noise and jerking of vehicle”
Filed Jul 1, 2026
“2017 ford escape titanium needed a rebuilt transmission due to it slipping gears while driving. slipping would occur between 1000-2000 RPM at speeds between 40-60 MPH. this problem caused my car to have to get towed to a dealership to have fixed because my car would not accelerate.”
Filed May 10, 2025
“Transmission went out. No warning. 121,000 miles. No lights on dash, nothing. Complete transmission failure. Car started whining upon acceleration out of nowhere, jerked really hard, and then out it went. Have had it serviced and maintained meticulously. Ford is aware of the problem and doing nothing to fix it.”
Filed Nov 11, 2024 · 121,000 miles
“When pressing the acceleration pedal, car does not always switch into the next gear. On other occasions, while accelerating the car jerks and does not switch into the next year smoothly”
Filed Feb 26, 2024
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 92 reports involved a crash and 1 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Engine overheats or leaks coolant 1562 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 1332 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 623 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 295 reports
- Transmission fails or needs replacement 88 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 82 reports
- Turbo failure or loss of boost 56 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 49 reports
- Loses power when accelerating 48 reports
- "Service Transmission" message or wrench light comes on 44 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 38 reports
- Auto start-stop will not restart the engine 30 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 27 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 27 reports