Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Transmission slips
Most reported: 2014 Ford Focus with 162 reports. Across the 165 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 2,588.
- 2,588owner reports
- 165model years affected
- 57,139median miles
- 47involved a crash
- 3involved a fire
This is the narrower sheet inside transmission shudder for slipping: the engine revs up but the car doesn't pick up speed to match, as if the transmission lost its grip for a moment. The wider sheet also covers jerks and vibration. Here, every report uses the word slip.
Part of Transmission Problems (Shudder and Hard Shifts), which counts 15,027 reports.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of transmission slipping reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12014 Ford Focus3 crashes1627% of its complaints42k mi
- 22018 Ford F-1501 crashrecall1517% of its complaints70k mi
- 32019 Ford F-1501 crash1128% of its complaints70k mi
- 42016 Ford Focus1 crashrecall988% of its complaints56k mi
- 52015 Ford Focus2 crashesrecall767% of its complaints49k mi
- 62017 Ford Focusrecall637% of its complaints47k mi
- 72014 Jeep Cherokee3 crashes1 firerecall623% of its complaints32k mi
- 82020 Ford Expeditionrecall5012% of its complaints69k mi
- 92020 Ford F-1501 crashrecall436% of its complaints72k mi
- 102015 Jeep Cherokeerecall422% of its complaints26k mi
- 112019 Ford Edge2 crashesrecall405% of its complaints70k mi
- 122017 Ford F-150recall383% of its complaints85k mi
- 132016 Hyundai Tucsonrecall342% of its complaints13k mi
- 142021 Ford F-150recall313% of its complaints65k mi
- 152014 Ford Escaperecall301% of its complaints80k mi
- 162015 Chrysler 2001 crashrecall302% of its complaints48k mi
- 172018 Ford Focusrecall304% of its complaints50k mi
- 18298% of its complaints89k mi
- 192017 Chrysler Pacificarecall292% of its complaints37k mi
- 202019 Ford Expeditionrecall296% of its complaints76k mi
- 212016 Ford Escaperecall272% of its complaints83k mi
- 22272% of its complaints19k mi
- 232014 Ford Fiesta1 crash245% of its complaints32k mi
- 242017 Ford Escape1 firerecall231% of its complaints74k mi
- 25223% of its complaints90k mi
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe transmission slipping. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12020 Ford Expeditionrecall5012% of its complaints69k mi
- 22019 Ford F-1501 crash1128% of its complaints70k mi
- 32016 Ford Focus1 crashrecall988% of its complaints56k mi
- 4298% of its complaints89k mi
- 52015 Ford Focus2 crashesrecall767% of its complaints49k mi
- 62017 Ford Focusrecall637% of its complaints47k mi
- 72014 Ford Focus3 crashes1627% of its complaints42k mi
- 82018 Ford F-1501 crashrecall1517% of its complaints70k mi
- 92020 Ford F-1501 crashrecall436% of its complaints72k mi
- 102019 Ford Expeditionrecall296% of its complaints76k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford F-150437
- Ford Focus429
- Ford Escape126
When it happens
1,463 of the 2,588 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 25,000 and 85,000 miles; the median is 57,139. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of transmission slipping, grouped by the model year of the car. 47 involved a crash and 3 a fire. 17 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 2,588 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
About 2,600 complaints on this site describe it, with a median mileage of about 55,000, later than the jerking and hesitation sheets. More than a quarter mention the engine revving or the RPMs climbing, about one in seven mentions a clutch, and roughly one in eleven says it slipped out of gear or between gears. The 2014 Ford Focus and the 2018 and 2019 Ford F-150 have the most reports.
Firestone describes slipping as a failure of shift timing, with the engine over-revving on an upshift or making harsh, late downshifts, so the car struggles to accelerate and slow down under control. Low or contaminated fluid is its first suspect for shifting trouble, and a burnt smell means the fluid has overheated and isn't protecting the transmission as it should. Software can cause it too: Subaru's 21V-955 and 22V-485 reprogrammed the transmission control unit on some Ascent, Legacy and Outback models after a programming error could let the drive chain slip and break, cutting drive power.
Expect a fluid check (level, color and smell) and a scan for codes. Tell the mechanic when it slips, how far the revs climb and whether it has been getting worse.
Firestone warns that driving on with the warning signs can end with a failed transmission. Avoid heavy loads and towing until it's checked. Look up the VIN on NHTSA's recall site and report the problem during the warranty; the FTC says a defect reported then must be fixed even if the warranty expires before the repair.
Sources
- 8 signs of a bad transmission, Firestone Complete Auto Care
- NHTSA recall 21V-955, Subaru transmission control unit
- NHTSA recall 22V-485, Subaru transmission control unit
- Check for recalls, NHTSA
- Warranties, FTC Consumer Advice
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,040 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 27, 2026. All problem explainers.