gears appear to be slipping coming off of stops. banging sound evident when gears change. reverse not working, and “overdrive off” light won’t turn off.
do we need a new transmission, and what should we expect to pay?
thanks for any advice.
You might want to add the year and model of your vehicle and im assuming this is an Automatic transmission?
Sorry - thought that info. was posted through the other fields. this is a 2003 Ford Escape, automatic transmission.
I assume that you have already done the obvious thing of checking your transmission fluid’s level, color, and odor. What did you find when you checked?
Also, please tell us how many miles are on the odometer, and give us the maintenance history for the transmission.
We just had transmission fluid changed (along with all other fluids for winter). We are at 75,000 miles. Have never had trouble with the transmission - the car has worked perfectly up to this point with only regular maintenance being performed.
We just had transmission fluid changed Was that the first time the transmission fluid was changed?
Did you have the fluid changed recently because of the symptoms that you reported?
If so, then it may have been too late to save a sinking ship.
The fluid should be changed every 3 yrs or 30k miles, whichever comes first.
So, unless your Escape had the fluid changed twice prior to the recent change, this could simply be a case of lax maintenance taking its toll. That being said, 75k is still fairly early for transmission failure, with somewhere between 90k-120k being typical for transmissions whose fluid was not changed on the 3/30 schedule.
My best advice is to take the car to an independent trans shop that has been in business for at least 3 years. Ask friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives for suggestions. You may luck out and find out that there is an electronic problem in the Transmission Control Module, rather than a mechanical problem in the transmission.
Whatever you do, DO NOT go to AAMCO, Lee Myles, Cottman, Mr. Transmission, or any other chain operation unless you want to be told that you need a new transmission–whether you really do or not.
We had not experienced any problems previously - just had regular maintenance performed.
Do these symptoms sound consistent with a problem with the fluid or filter? What does a transmission rebuild typically cost for this type of vehicle?
If you are saying the trans was operating normally before the trans service, but after the service it developed these symptoms; then I suspect the problem lies in the servicing of the trans.
Who did the service? Ford dealer? Chain trans shop? Chain tire shop? Quick lube shop?
This sounds like you have the wrong fluid in the trans after the service. A badly done flush could have sent dirt and gunk from the pan up into the workings of the trans.
At this point I’d suggest a Ford dealer drop the pan, clean it, replace the filter, and then refill with the proper fluid. See if this brings it back to normal shifting.
Okay - many thanks for advice.
Transmission re-builds can range from $1800 to $3600…More than that on a few models. Fords, because they are so popular and parts are reasonable, tend to be at the lower end of the price scale…Much of the cost has to do the the difficulty in removing and replacing the transmission… Have you ever towed with this vehicle?