This was on the show (jan 5, 2013) but the boys didn’t know the cause. Car has a 5 speed and sticks in 5th if the car is stopped prior to downshifting. The fix is to replace the bushings in the shift linkage - sloppy linkage/shift throw travel is the problem- a fairly easy and cheap fix ( if you call small plastic parts for 20 bucks cheap). Had this happen on two escorts/5 speeds with high mile… car shifts like a new one after the bushing are replaced.
Thanks for pointing this out @Roger47. As I listened, I noted it was strange that this happened in 5th gear the worse. Usually inability to shift problems which are due to fundamental clutch problem, or transmission gears binding, they occur in the lower gears first. So it’s not surprising in retrospect it is probably due to the shift linkage.