I have a 2007 Ford escape with 130,000 miles on it and have had a persistent "rotating" roar coming from the rear end for a couple of months. I finally took it in to the shop and they found the rear diff. leaking and diagnosed it as a bearing in the diff. Apparently they cant be re-built and now I have a new diff. on order and its going to run about $2,700 to replace it.
Can anyone give some input on whether this is a common problem? I know about Escape tranny issues but havent found that much about the rear diff.
Is the rear diff. really not repairable? How often should the fluid have been changed?

 

Ford says it is designed to be lubricated for the "life" of the vehicle with the synthetic lube, unless a leak occurs or it goes underwater. Ford's small print definition of "life" is 100,000 miles. (escape manual states 150k change) I found this out researching the new dual clutch Getrag 6spd auto in the the Fiesta's and Focus's. It is also a sealed and non serviceable unit. I have not seen high failure on these, never really looked at it either. I've always done rear axle lube @75k on my older vehicles... All bearings can wear due to various reasons. Uneven load, accident related stress, or just good old metal fatigue...

 

Thanks for the confirmation about the diff. not being repairable.
I guess I need to get up to date on servicing. Other than regular oil changes I havent done anything with the vehicle since I bought it. Most of the mileage was racked up commuting 80 miles a day on the freeway for a couple of years.

 

We drive ours 90 a day, each way. It does rack up quick...

Is is the recommended maintenance guide for your MY.

http://www.motorcraftservice.com/pub.../07frdmg1e.pdf

 

Archion, that link is bad?

 

Go to fleet.ford.com and look for manuals. You'll find it there. Along with the owners manuals.

 

Yeah, owner's manuals are free but not the shop manuals unless you have access to Ford's Oasis system.

 

Thanks Archion, I got it.
Wow, nothing on servicing the auto tranny or diff up to 150,000

 

try motorcraftservice.com for down loads of almost every ford owners manual.plus for a small fee you can down load the service manual,oasis reports and more

http://www.motorcraftservice.com/vdi...?menuIndex1=12

 

150,000 is what they recommend.
If you suspect water got in through the vent or had a leak, you
do it immediately. That's a good time to go to NAPA and get a drain
plug and put it in the cover even with the correct fluid level.

 

Thanks for the link. I guess unless you are a professional mechanic you subscribe for a short period of time-long enough to fix your problem. You cant buy the entire manual for your vehicle on dvd etc.?

 

You can buy it. If you have the coin. Go over to helminc.com.

 

I have the same problem on my 2007 Escape Hybrid. I have about 150,000 miles on my vehicle. When I first noticed the noise about two years ago, I was told by Ron DuPrat Ford that the noise was due to the regenerative brakes and was it was a normal sound.
My issue is that there is no maintenance required for the diff. It is a sealed casing. The manual does not list any fluid change interval. In other words, it was designed to fail. And in my case the replacement cost is $3,600. My *** is very tender now.

 

I did not know that hybrids were four wheel drive. Buy a used differential, at a lot less cost.
I would not have put a new unit in a 5 year old vehicle back in 2012 when this post was 'current'. For what it is worth, there must be some sort of access to install the lubricant when the differential is assembled.
tom

 

I didn't realize that this post was 4 years old. In any event, I have brought a used differential, which hopefully is being installed by an independent dealer as we speak.

I will find out if the replacement differential has a fill hole and what would be a good maintenance schedule to replace the fluid.

By the way, thanks for getting back to me and note that my Escape has been exceptional in just about every area. For example, it rides perfectly in the snow. I get 80,000 miles per set of tires, with tread left. I've only had to replace the rear brakes once after 140,000. So you can see, it has been a very good vehicle, except for the parts that have been sealed and given a "car lifetime" stamp of approval.