I have a 2005 Ford Escape XLT 3.0L V6 which I bought 6 weeks ago. It has 103,000 miles on the clock. I mainly use it for going to school and getting around town etc but on Sunday I had to take my parents back to O'Hare. It's a round trip of 230 miles. Weather was sunny. Traffic in Chicago was snarly on the Kennedy Expressway so a lot of slowing down, stopping, setting off cycles but no issues. On the way home, about two toll plazas from my exit on the I90, I noticed that the engine sounded and felt like I was driving in a higher gear than that required for the speed I was doing (5 mph). It's an automatic (which I'm not used to as I've always driven manual) so I don't make any gear changes but if I'd been in a manual, it felt like I was in 2nd when I should have been in 1st. Does that make sense? Anyhow, so I managed not to stall at the toll plazas but when I exited, the engine stalled 3 times (twice at intersections and finally when I pulled up outside my house). There is no problem starting the car after this has happened. I called my local autoshop who said to bring it in Tuesday so I didn't drive it Monday. Tuesday morning, it felt exactly the same when I was slowing down for traffic, intersections, turnings etc. The autoshop had it 3 days and couldn't find anything wrong with it. There is no data stored on the computer to show any of this happened and it has driven fine for them when they've taken it out. Beyond frustrated! I know what I heard and felt. Someone mentioned the overdrive staying on but I don't know what that means. Any ideas?

 

If I'm not mistaken this could be that the torque converter lock isn't unlocking when it should. It's solenoid operated and "might" be attached to the outside of the transmission.

 

In addition, it might also be a failure of the IAC valve. You need to better identify the symptom.

If it's the TC staying locked, it will "drag down" the engine as the car rolls to a stop. If it's the IAC valve, it just won't want to idle as you let off the gas.

 

Thanks both. I will go and tell my auto guys as she's in there now getting a replacement crank seal ring (I think?!). Any idea why this would happen intermittently and after a long journey rather than daily?