I have a 2009 Ford Escape XLT with just under 145k miles on it and think I am having transmission issues, however, I am not very knowledgeable about cars. I am a single mom and need to get this solved so that I can have a reliable and SAFE vehicle to transport my daughter and myself. Any advice or thoughts on what might be going on would be greatly appreciated!!
Symptoms:
when in heavy stop and go traffic for 30+ minutes, it seems like it gets stuck in low and won’t go over 15-20 mph. (I refer to these times as a “fit”). Edited to add during these times, if I really push on the gas pedal, I can hear my car trying to go faster and can see that it’s running 3500 - 4500 RPMs but still won’t go over 15-20mph. Usually, if I stop and turn my car off and let it rest for a while, then turn it back on, it runs fine.
- recently, during one of these “fits,” I stopped, turned it off and let it rest for a while, then when I turned it back on and put it into drive, I tried to accelerate and I didn’t move. I then put it in reverse and when I began reversing, it felt like it caught on something before moving backwards. I reversed a bit, then put it in drive, and was able to drive perfectly fine like nothing had happened.
Occasionally, after one of these “fits” it will smell like something is burning. The burning smell seems to be the strongest on the passenger side (not sure if that means something or not)
During said “fits” when I try to go over 15-20 mph, it feels like my car is stuttering.
Actions taken:
I have had my car looked at by three shops, two general auto repair shops and one transmission shop.
Shop #1 (general auto repair):
plugged a computer in and didn’t find any fault codes.
checked transmission fluid and said the levels were great and that it looked ok
could not recreate the problem Never determined a specific issue
Shop #2 (general auto repair):
plugged a computer in and didn’t find any fault codes
checked transmission fluid and said levels were great, however there are metal shavings in it
proposed a transmission service but said that it might make it worse and I might need to replace it anyways
could not recreate the problem Never determined a specific issue
Shop #3 (transmission shop):
plugged a computer in and didn’t find any fault codes
checked transmission fluid and said levels were great, however there were metal shavings in it
could not recreate the problem Never determined a specific issue however they mentioned something about the possibility of the fan that cools my engine not working well enough, but my car has never overheated or alerted that there was a temperature issue
Service history:
consistent oil changes every 3k miles or less
semi-consistent tire rotation
consistent brake replacements
Again, I am not very knowledgeable about cars but it seems like everywhere I have taken my car, no one has been able to tell me what is wrong with it or definitively how to fix it. My granddaddy doesn’t even know what is wrong with it!
With those symptoms, yet no diagnostic codes found, this is a bit of a mystery. One idea, your brakes may be locking up. That could make the car feel hard to make it move, cause a burning odor, yet fail to produce a diagnostic code. You might notice one or more of the wheels are getting hotter than the others after a drive.
Yes, 20 mph seems too slow of a vehicle speed for engine running at 3500 rpm. Definitely too slow for 4500 rpm. I presume such a thing might be possible in certain situations, but not if attempting to slowly accelerate on a level surface, dry pavement, in D. That sounds like something inside the transmission may be slipping.
The next time this happens, pull over and walk around the vehicle and put your hand against each wheel. Not the tire, the metal part of each wheel. Make a note if one or two are hotter than the others. Then tell a repair shop what you learned.
Sounds like you are having valve body solenoid issues possibly… When you are taking it to the shop(s) are they allowing the vehicle to cool down before test driving it??
I would drive it around close to the shop (let the shop know what you are doing 1st) until it has it’s fit and then once it does drive straight to the shop, DO NOT turn off engine, have them test drive it and check for any pending codes…
Your 6F35 Gen1 Transaxle does have some known issues with it that a reg shop would not be familiar with (unless they work on them)… I am wondering why it has not thrown a code yet though…
A lot of transmission shops are just replacing the newer 5,6,8+ speed transmissions (yours is a 6 speed) and not rebuilding them so I recommend finding a transmission shop that rebuilds or at least is capable of rebuilding your transmission as there builder will be more familiar with your systems…
That being said, there are some known issues with your transmission/transaxle and they may or may not be what is wrong with your vehicle…
The shift complaints are often the result of wear at the solenoid pressure regulator valve bore. The purpose of the solenoid regulator valve is to limit the pressure going to the solenoids. The solenoid regulator valve spring is calibrated to prevent the solenoid feed pressure from exceeding a predetermined PSI, no matter what main line pressure is. This is necessary to prevent more fluid from being fed to the solenoids than they can effectively regulate and limit what max line pressure output is. If the pressure feeding the solenoids is too high or too low, their output will also be too high or too low. As a result, shift quality complaints and solenoid performance codes can occur along with low or high main line pressure.
Other complaints are TCC (torque converter clutch) slip problem and related trouble codes, no reverse and 2-3 cut-loose (“Flaring” or “Slipping” into Gear). Lastly, quite often the D2 checkball blows through the separator plate which ruins the plate and results in the no reverse as well as the 2-3 cut loose conditions.