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 Sep 9, 2026

390 of the 2,670 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 92 of those describe transmission shudder.

Tick what matches of 92 reports

shudders or vibrates at low speed

slips or revs without pulling

bangs or clunks into gear

hesitates when I accelerate

fluid was changed or flushed

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.

22V-413Jun 10, 2022

Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Gear Position Indication (Prndl)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2019 Escape, 2013-2018 C-Max, 2013-2016 Fusion, 2013-2021 Transit Connect, and 2015-2018 Edge vehicles. The bushing that attaches the shifter cable to the transmission may degrade or detach.

Risk and remedy

Risk: A damaged or missing bushing may prevent the vehicle from shifting into the intended gear, and cause the vehicle to move in an unexpected direction. Additionally, the vehicle may roll after the driver selects the 'Park' position. Either scenario increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the under hood shift bushing and add a protective cap over the shift cable bushing, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 1, 2022. Remedy parts are expected to be available in 4th Quarter 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed October 27, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S43.

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.

$3,000$5,000$7,000

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 62,798 and 108,000 miles, from the 68 reports that gave a mileage.

117

318

419

520

621

1922

1023

1924

1925

626

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.