The escape has a cd4e tranny, so there isn't a filter persay but a stainless non service ( accoriding to ford) screen thing.You don't drop the pan on this style tranny, there is a 3/8 style pipe plug on the side of the tranny. The real problem with a drain and fill is that you don't get the converter. The dealer doesn't just drain & fill they unhook the tranny lines from the radiator and hook them up to a tranny flush machine, the machine flushes the entire tarnny & conveter, they then add anti corrosive additives then the machine refills with fresh fluid. The machine service is by the far the best tranny service method out there for getting the entire tranny. That said I have never paid a Ford dealer $200 for this service on my taurus or explorer so shop around.
thanks for the info. i called the local dealer again (the shops here are worse than a dealer for service) and was told again $200. I am headed to Omaha in a few weeks, so I contacted a few to see what they quote. hopefully substantially less.
I just looked at my slip from my Ford dealer, it was $108.78 for a tranny service for my 06 taurus + my dealer gives the car a wash also. I'm thinking in these times they will do anything to keep customers happy. They beat all the local tire dealers also for tires/alignment for my explorer, you wouldn't have seen that in the old days $92 differance for the same service, something is way off with your dealers that's nuts.
I'm sure they must go by some giude for the service, I'm not sure if there is less room to get at the lines in the escape vs my taurus but it still shouldn't be that bad. still if they go by a guide the rate should be the same no matter what. The thing is the cd4e doesn't age well, there is post on here already for a contour that won't shift when warm, they used to have tss issues in the earlier years. If you can swing it getting the the machine flush is the way to go, like I stated it gets the converter. alot of times the issues with the cd4e is poor maintenance, fluid gets bad then valve body issues pop up, the sensors are easy to change but those are rare, unless you have the 2-3 hard shift.