Shift Linkage Check
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Mercury Montego, 2005 Ford Freestyle, and 2005 Ford Five Hundred. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
Hydraulic leakage at the manual control valve can cause delay in engagements and/or variator slipping while operating, if the linkage is not correctly adjusted.