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Ugh, I thought the issues were resolved in the 2010's, but apparently not. Anyway, I'm torn what to do about the transmission in my 2009 Escape. I've taken it in for the PCM flash, which did not help. I took it back to the dealership, complaining of the hard shifts after revs, intermittent jerky shifts, and general roughness of the transmission. This particular Ford dealership had it for several days and never called me back. I took a surprise stop by, and it appeared my Escape had never moved from when I dropped it off. I asked a tech, and they claimed they tested it thoroughly for 15 minutes, and they didn't find a thing wrong with it. They never even wrote up any kind of paperwork, so I wonder if it was ever truly looked at. I was not happy with this dealership and won't be going back. This transmission is driving me nuts though, because it will sometimes have a pretty smooth day, which clouds everything up. It seems I get the worst shift flare and jerk after the car hasn't been driven for a couple days. The mileage is at 54,000 now, and my time is running out. I otherwise really like the vehicle, so I don't just want to dump it really. Has anyone had complete success to a smooth, competent transmission after repeated complaints to Ford, or is this a lost cause? I feel like this problem is being covered up, as my local Ford dealer is claiming they're unfamiliar with the problem. Yet, my cousin who was a mechanic at a local non-Ford shop claimed there was a never-ending stream of 2009 Fusions and Escapes for shifting problems. He said very few felt the problem was resolved after the PCM flash also. Anyway, I'm ready to take another swing at resolving this issue, so what is the best route for getting success? Should I complain to Ford customer service, rather than just taking it to another careless dealership?

Though a front license plate is required here in Ohio, I think it ruins the look of the Escape Limited. Unfortunately, after I agreed to purchase a 2009 Escape Limited, the dealer drilled into the Chrome Piece and riveted a front license plate bracket on it with their dealership branding, which was a huge downer for me when picking it up (almost refused purchase, but it was a great deal). I removed the branding and added my front license plate, hoping I'd accept it, but it has irked me ever since. I'm on the brink of purchasing a new OEM chrome bumper insert, but I was wondering if anyone here knew how easy it is to install? Is this something I can purchase, simply unclip the old, and clip on the replacement myself? Or is there some kind of complex clamping / riveting that only a dealership / body shop could do?

Wptski -- Thanks for all the replies and helpful info. I have another problem with my Escape transmission that I'd like to confirm is an actual issue before I contact the dealer. When using cruise control and holding the accelerate button to get up to speed ( and then releasing), my transmission gets stuck at 3000-4000 rpm's for about 2 seconds, then downshifts. It's a really delayed downshift with cruise control that I've never noticed on a car...isn't the process supposed to be nearly instantaneous?

I can confirm that after having the PCM reflash for awhile now, the shifting actually seems worse! I've gone from absolutely loving the vehicle to now worrying constantly about driving it (I feel like the transmission is going to outright fail right out of the 60k warranty). Not to mention, the city shifting is actually making me slightly motion sick. So, apparently my Escape passed the load test when they reflashed it. Does that mean they're not going to provide further repairs to the transmission, or should I just take it back and complain some more? I've bragged up the latest Ford vehicles to everyone repeatedly and now almost feel embarrassed for having this issue. With Ford's recent quality strides, I'd never think their new 6-speed transmission with great reviews would have these problems. So, if I take it back to the dealer, what do you expect they'll do this time? Have they been instructed by Ford to start transmission replacement components? Also....the shifting really seems the worst when the car has been sitting cold for a day or so. After driving it several hours, it doesn't feel all that bad. Does this information help narrow down what the problem could be?

I took my 09 Escape to the dealer for the transmission issues with 46,400 miles. He told me that it was officially recalled by Ford; I don't think this is true? Just a TSB was issued, correct? They wrote up the job as "RECALL 10B15C - PCM REPROGRAM" Anyway, after this was done, the bad 1-2 shift has disappeared when the transmission is warm. However, in its place are bad 2-3 or 3-4 shifts, especially when the transmission is cold. The shifts just have a slight jolting feel, and I doubt it should be this way. I think I'm going to ask them to test drive a 2010 to see how smooth it is. Anyway, has anyone else continued to experience the shift flare or slow shifts when accelerating slow & steady AFTER getting the new PCM flash 10B15C? How long does it take for the transmission to learn and adapt before I call the dealer back and complain that it didn't help? I'm torn what to do... Also, I have the transmission "hoot" noise from a stop, everytime. I see there is a TSB for it. Where can I read this?

Ugh, I think my early build 2009 Escape V6 Limited has the shift flare problem. Can anyone that has a good working transmission or 2010 Escape describe how smooth it is with the V6? Maybe I'm expecting too much, but I've been overall disappointed with this supposed miracle 6-speed transmission that was getting great reviews. I can't figure out if it's a problem transmission, or if the transmission is aggressively tuned with jolting shifts under light acceleration. For reference, I drove my parent's archaic 2003 Escape 4-speed automatic transmission with 135,000 miles, and it actually had smoother shifts than my 2009 6-speed under light, steady acceleration! I'll try to describe how it feels. First off, my acceleration from a stop (the 1-2 shift I guess) or from slowing into a corner, then accelerating out....there's a slight jump, that feels like the transmission found the correct gear about 1 second too late...it actually jolts me a tad and just feels off. Then, when applying light, steady acceleration on a straight away, the transmission just clearly shifts...you can feel it rev, and then you get a very slight buck in your seat...as if it's finding the correct gear like 1-second too late. I also did notice some surging before shifts, up to 500rpm. Now, here's where it gets interesting. If you nail the accelerator, the transmission shifts very smoothly and confidently...a steady band of aggressive acceleration without any jolting. Do I have the shift flare problem? With the way everything out of Ford has been top notch lately, I really was expecting this new 6-speed to be Lincoln-quality butter smooth, and I'm disappointed. I just bought it with 45,000 miles on it, there is no service history, and I've put 1,000 miles on it. Should I take it to a dealer? The shift flare problem would be covered under the 60,000 warranty, correct?

Thank you so much for your help, baggs! It is much appreciated and so nice of you.

Oh I missed that key word "winter." That would mean the dreaded passenger side is bad. Ugh. I'm going to continue to monitor air temps closer before attempting anything though. That noise when sitting idle is just grating...is there an updated metal part that doesn't break? I'd hate to go through all this just to have it break in another few months.

Thanks for the reply. I just noticed my passenger side air vents seem to be blowing warmer air than the driver vents. This sounds identical to everyone that has had this problem, and it always turns out to be the driver's side blend door actuator. I have no clue what I'm doing, but I'm going to attempt this repair myself. Please oh please be the driver's side...no way I'd ever touch an air bag system...

Ugh, this EXACT issue has emerged on my 2009 Escape V6 Limited, so it's the blend door actuator. The problem is that it's just out of warranty with 45,000 miles on it. Has anyone repaired this out of warranty? How much did it cost? I'm sick now that this is going to be something expensive...do you think I'd have any success complaining to Ford that it's a common problem that needs to be addressed?