Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 9943 | 03/08/1999 | 604751 | Information regarding reprogramming powertrain control modules (pcms). *tt | 05/11/1999 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 99152 | 07/26/1999 | 608431 | Information on the new flush and fill tool available through rotunda. *tt | 01/05/2001 | |
| 0015 | 01/10/2000 | 612203 | Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs | 06/06/2000 | |
| 6416 | 06/01/1999 | 606838 | Brief information regarding transmission fluid appearance. *tt | 09/03/1999 | |
| 12594 | 03/01/1999 | 605317 | Some vehicles may exhibit transmission and / or malfunction indicator lamp on concerns relating to the diagnosis and replacement of the transmission range sensor (tr). *tt | 06/08/1999 | |
| 9888 | 04/27/1998 | 601238 | Information on a new transmission fluid usage chart. *yc | 07/10/1998 | |
| BC2430970501 | 05/01/1997 | 52833 | Some vehicles may exhibit a slight delay from park-to-reverse and park-to-drive after being parked for a lengthy period of time. *tw | 09/18/1997 | |
| 97511 | 03/03/1997 | 51945 | Fluid- transmission fluid usage charts. *jd | 07/17/1997 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 042107 | 12/13/2004 | 042414 | 10014086 | General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt | 04/28/2005 |
| 13160 | 08/01/1999 | 6091974 | Vehicles may exhibit transmission and / or malfunction indicator lamp on concerns relating to the diagnosis and replacement of the transmission ranger sensor (trs). *tt | 11/17/2000 | |
| 6932 | 09/01/1999 | 6090273 | Some vehicles may exhibit transmission and / or mil on concerns relating to the diagnosis and replacement of the transmission range sensor. *tt | 03/13/2000 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||||
| BC3432972301 | 01/23/1997 | 51465 | Vehicles exhibit automatic transmission shifter issues resulting in either the inability to remove the ignition key form the ignition lock cylinder, or inability to move the shifter out of park. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| BC1020397230 | 01/23/1997 | 51563 | Vehicles which exhibit automatic transmission shifter issues resulting in either the inability to remove the ignition key from the ignition lock cylinder, or inability to move the shifter out of park. *jd | 06/27/1997 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||||
| 01181 | 09/17/2001 | 625715 | Brake shift interlock.*jb | 11/30/2001 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER | |||||
| 96249 | 11/18/1996 | 50908 | Torque converter - leak test procedure - service tip. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| 962612 | 12/16/1996 | 50997 | Transaxle - torque converter replacement guidelines and torque converter/transaxle cooling system cleaning procedures - service tip. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||||
| BC5197961001 | 10/01/1996 | 50474 | Some vehicles equipped w/ an ax4s transaxle may have been shipped w/ a low transaxle fluid level. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||||
| BC0760961016 | 10/16/1996 | 50396 | Wave spring located under the forward one-way clutch in no longer one piece. it has been 'split'. *tt | 04/24/1997 | |
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - CONSTANT VELOCITY JOINT | |||||
| BC0540961107 | 11/07/1996 | 50779 | Vehicles may exhibit a click noise from the area of the front cv joints while shifting between drive and reverse. *tw | 06/17/1997 | |
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 12834 | 06/01/1999 | 6092004 | Brief information regarding transmission fluid. *tt | 11/17/2000 | |
| 11526 | 04/01/1998 | 613790 | The workshop manual reference to transmission fluid temperature sensor resistance is incorrect. this bulletin list the correct resistance. *tt | 08/03/2000 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 03/18/2003 | 1 | 09/21/2001 | |
| Request for restitution of losses resulting from a vehicle fire. *mr the passenger area trans equipment/electrical wire) the consumer requested restitution. *scc the consumer stated she many mechanical problems with the vehicle. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| When consumer attempted to put the vehicle into drive, it did not move, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they put in transmission fluid.*jb | |||
| 07/31/1999 | 1 | 01/24/1997 | |
| The power train failed.*et | |||
| While driving speedometer works very erratically. vehicle will not give knowledge of speed it's traveling when moving. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 04/30/2002 | 37000 | 3 | 01/15/1998 |
| My mom bought the car, certified used, with only 16,000 miles on it. as it neared 37,000 miles it needed a new transmission. i had to pay for it. after that the transmission had to be replaced 2 more times before it reached 70,000 miles. | |||
| 11/06/2004 | 101000 | 1 | |
| Consumer stated vehicle will not shift gears properly. dealer indicated transmission malfunctioned. *ak | |||
| 100000 | 4 | ||
| Consumer complained about transmission axle slippage and defective brake problems. vehicle vibrated when accelerating. consumer had the vehicle inspected by a private mechanic. *ak | |||
| 04/06/2003 | 80000 | 2 | 01/01/1997 |
| I have a 1997 ford escort. at approximately. 37,000 miles the transmission required service. took car to board ford in whittier, ca. two days after service the transmission failed. board ford allowed an esp for power train and replaced transmission. at time of replacement, board ford indicated the new power train was warranted for 75,000 miles. at approximately 45,000 miles on the new power train, it literally exploded from the inside out (completely cracked the core). called board ford and ford motor and was told that because the car has 80,000 miles on it, the power train wasn't warranted even though the power train only has 45,000.00 miles on it.*jb | |||
| 02/27/2002 | 2 | 08/01/1997 | |
| I do not drive my escort wild i try to take care of my car. i have contacted the company to get it repaired; they only cover part's. i am fighting the warranty company that cancelled me; that paid for this at the time.no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| Vehicle can be put into gears without applying brakes, also, at times gears will not release from park position, cause unknown. dealer cannot identify the problem. please give any further details.*ak | |||
| 07/12/2000 | 2 | 09/01/1997 | |
| How can a dealership not acknowledge the motor/transmission are both foreign items. if i wanted to purchase a foreign car i would have. and for both motor replacement cost $2600 and transmission $2800 to go out the same time. isn't there some law that states a dealership/mfg must acknowledge the type of equipment (parts) being used in a automobile?? | |||
| 2 | |||
| While driving on highway without warning vehicle will completely shut down, cause unknown. *ak the dealer had replaced the transmission twice. *yh | |||
| 09/29/1999 | 1 | 01/22/1998 | |
| Engine check light will come on when operating vehicle for a long period of time or climbing a hill. *ak the transmission failed twice and was replaced by the dealer. but the transmission's erratic shift uphill and check the engine soon light continued. *yh | |||
| 11/15/1999 | |||
| Everytime when in park consumer is not able to disengage the shift lever gear. in the owner's manual it tells consumer which screwdriver to use in order to release overdrive. *ak | |||
| 02/01/2000 | 1 | ||
| Consumer was getting ready to make a left hand turn and parts of the transmission started to fall off. consumer could hear the parts falling off, and car stopped. vehicle had to be towed . mechanic told consumer that it was parts of the transmission that fell off. *ak | |||
| 08/13/1999 | 1 | 01/01/1997 | |
| Car was towed to local station as dealer could not find the problem. we understand that we purchase one of the last selector shaft assembly shifters available. total cost: $349.00. | |||
| While driving vehicle vibrates and jerks and hesitates when shifting gears. dealer cannot identify the cause. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| While driving vehicle jerks or vibrates and hesitates when shifting gears. dealer cannot identify the problem. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| 10/13/1998 | 4 | 12/01/1996 | |
| Transmission has prematurely malfunctioned and burned out, has been replaced four times. *ak | |||
| 11/16/1998 | 3 | ||
| While driving vehicle died and had a fire in the engine compartment without prior warning. dealer cannot determine the cause. another times, the transmission fell out without warning. after repairs, the vehicle started making noises and was slow to take off. vehicle was traded in. *ak.et. | |||
| 01/01/1997 | |||
| Ten transmission failures. qcaw | |||
| 1 | |||
| The gear shift handle safety lock failed. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 05/12/2003 | 41000 | 1 | |
| I was driving my 1997 ford escort at 70mph down interstate 75 when all of a sudden the wheels locked up. here to find out the transmission was what locked up the gears just locked up tight causing the wheels to lock. i am 48 years old and have a cdl drivers license. i drive a 40ft. bookmobile everyday for a living. my complaint is ford needs to look into this because a less experianced driver would have rolled the car or been run over by other traffic. i had the transmission replaced with a used one at a cost of 887.24. i contacted ford 2 times and they do not care. just told me there was no recall so the problem was all mine.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - FLOOR SHIFT | |||
| 11/15/1999 | |||
| Everytime when in park consumer is not able to disengage the shift lever gear. in the owner's manual it tells consumer which screwdriver to use in order to release overdrive. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||
| 1 | 10/01/1996 | ||
| The gear shift handle safety lock does not perform its function. by inadvertently touching the handle, the gear changed without pressing the safety lock on the handle. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 100000 | 4 | ||
| Consumer complained about transmission axle slippage and defective brake problems. vehicle vibrated when accelerating. consumer had the vehicle inspected by a private mechanic. *ak | |||
| 06/04/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 65 mph, suddenly the right axle broke ,damaging the transmission/ steering wheel, forcing the consumer to pull out of the road. dealer notified. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||
| 04/22/1999 | 1 | 08/01/1996 | |
| Transmission blew going at the speed of 35 miles an hour in heavy rush hour traffic. cause of failure has been linked to the differential in the transmission. outer case of the transmission box was cracked becuase of the force of impact. loss of power almost caused a major accident because of loss of power and coming to a complete stop | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||
| 07/13/1999 | 1 | 03/01/1999 | |
| While driving under normal conditions, the crank shaft pulley slipped off the shaft and lodged against the inside of the engine compartment. vehicle could not be driven and had to be towed in for repair. neither ford nor fidelity warranty service, inc. (extended warranty purchased at the time the vehicle was purchased from the dealer, would cover the repair. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 1 | 03/20/2002 | ||
| Consumer purchased the vehicle. within the same week the vehicle demonstrated problems with the transmission, consumer states the vehicle is of no service to her. *jg | |||
| 08/01/1998 | 2 | 09/19/1996 | |
| Manual transmission failure. | |||