I have not owned an Escape, but a friend of mine had an '05. He had over 200K mi on it and as far as he was concerned it was perfect. Until he got hit. He was at a dead stop in heavy freeway traffic and was hit from behind by a large sedan going 45 mph. No braking whatever. The woman driving was looking away and when she hit him, the back of the Escape accordianed up from behind, he was driven into the truck ahead of him. The front of the Escape was nearly in his lap it was so badly pushed in. BUT, although he did sustain a concussion, he was able to open the driver's door, undo his seatbelt and walk away. (He did get an ambulance ride.)
He went out as soon as he was able and bought a brand new Escape because he felt that the design and engineering saved his bacon.
__________________ Bruce, Nevada Chapter (gone power mad!)
I was married by a judge, next time I'm getting a jury!
I purchased a new 2009 Escape XLT V6 4X4 back in March and I too am quite disappointed with the shift points of the automatic transmission. It seems as if it is NEVER in the gear it should be in. For example: If you are slowing down to make a turn and start up a small incline, it shifts to a higher gear as soon as you get back on the "go" pedal, making the engine "lug" and bog down. If you give it just a little more "go" pedal, it shifts what seems like 2 gears lower and you end up flying up the hill with the engine screaming at you all the way. A few weeks ago I scheduled a visit to my Ford dealer for my free SYNC update and it's 1st oil change and told them about the shifting issue. Evidently Ford has issued a "re-program" of the computer on the 2009 V6 4x4 Escapes that is supposed to correct the weird shifting issues. They did the "re-program" but I see NO difference in the way the transmission is shifting. A friend of mine at work bought a 2009 Escape V6 4x4 and her's shifts exactly like mine. I know because I drove it. More than likely it's something we will just have to live with. I don't think it's a transmission problem, it's just the way the transmission is programmed to shift.
Another issue I have is that the cloth seats STAIN very easily. I left work a few weeks ago and it was raining. I ran to my Escape, opened the door and quickly jumped in. In the 2 seconds the door was open 8 or 10 raindrops got on the driver's seat. Now I have 8 or 10 dime-sized "oily" looking spots on the driver's seat. Did water cause the spots??? Of course! All I know is those spots were not there before the raindrops got on the seat..
I like my new Escape overall. It rides very nice and is relatively quiet inside for an SUV. The audio system is actually good as far as "factory" systems go. The air conditioning will FREEZE you to death! I'm just not sure if I'll ever get used to the weird shifting. How durable and reliable can this vehicle be if it's always shifting and hunting for the right gear - engine lugging then screaming all the time?
I've had several vehicles over the years - cars, trucks, SUV's... All by different manufacturers. Some I kept for years after payoff because they were so "issue" free and reliable. Some I traded off after only a year or two. Unfortuately my new Escape doesn't seem like a vehicle I'll keep very long.
Very interesting noblewv. Your explanation is EXACTLY what i experience. I too agree with the staining. My previous car was a VW Jetta with black cloth intetior. Had it for almost 8 years and in that time i had 2 children grow up inside the car! Very few stains. The Escape, already 3 places with stains that i just cannot get out. Another point i wanted to make. I have the slate colored escape with black/grey interior. Well... The centre console might be grey, however from all accounts it's just a black console with grey paint! I already have 3 places where the color has chipped off down to black. And i am by no means hard on my vehicles. In fact I am quite anal ... But these little annoyances so to speak are real downers and to be honest, a true let down.
And to respond to kw5413, i have yet to bring it in. Unfortunately for me, the dealerships is approximately 70 miles away in the opposite direction of my commute. In no way convenient and a real pain to get it in. I am / will be soon though, as soon as i can get mine and my wife's schedules in synch to accomodate one of us without a vehicle.
Cheers,
__________________ My project for the next ummmmm 15 yrs!!!! 1997 OD TJ with a few MODS 09Ford Escape XLT 4WD V6
08Toyota Matrix XR (Wife's Car) Welcome to Holland (Homage to my Boy)
My wife has an 08 Escape & lets me drive frequently if she is along She loves it; drives it everyday. We have taken 2 trips from VA to FL the past 2 summers and it has done a great job. No problems so far - 30K. We tried the 4 cylinder during test drive phase but it was very weak. Been real happy with the 6 cyl. Get ~23 mpg .
My wife has an '03 XLT 3.0 4x4 she loves - says it's the best car she has ever owned!! It hs only about 60,000 miles. Yes, she will eventually buy a new one!!
Maintenance - front brake pads(Hawk) and rotors(Brembo) which is SOP for these cars at 25-30,000 miles. It's a bit noisy even with the new Kumho tires, but for sure much better then the OEM Continentals or the Yokohamas which drove us nuts with the singing even with 8/32s tread left. Oil and filter every 3-4K miles, fuel and air filters yearly (fuel due next oil change)
The plastic in the back creaks - but so do most of the rest of the US fleet of Escapes
We just did a 1600 mile trip, and gas mileage averaged 23.9 - it has dropped about 1.5 mpg from new, but still a lot better (2X) then my avatar F350/V10!!
The sway bar links were replaced today to get rid of the front end clank. I'll start a new thread, most likely tomorrow, with a couple of photos on that ordeal.
my wife got her 2008 escape brand new. it is the first new vehicle she has ever owned. she loves it. sometimes she lets me drive it ... but only if she is there to supervise.
__________________
74 f350 4x4 dually 428scj,-HOOF BEATS ARE LOUDER THAN HEARTBEATS!
2001 ranger xlt supercab 4x4
2008 ford escape xlt
2006 harley davidson softail fxst
We purchased our 2008 Escape XLT new. Over all a great vehicle, but very disappointed in the cloth seats. They do stain easily! Our first experience was with a leaking drivers side window seal that occured within the first two months of ownership. Ford did repair the seal, but we had to request replaceing of the seat cover. They did replace the seat cover with no hassle due to it being obvious as to the cause. Since then we have had stains to appear on the other seats. We can only attribute it to rain (We don't eat or drink in the Escape). Wish Ford would do something about it, but unless it involves safety they want do anything about it other than whats covered under the warranty.
The other problem is the Continnental Tires that came on the Escape. First several months the tires were quiet and rode smooth. After that, they developed a load roar and not as smooth. The tires appear to be wearing evenly. I'm very deligent in maintaining proper air pressure. Tire dealers have balanced, checked alignment, and rotated. Still the same roaring noise.
Other than those problems, a great vehicle. Ours is a 4 cylinder with automatic transmission. Plenty of power and good MPG (about 26 to 28 MPG overall).
Listed the above to show that I'm a loyal Ford customer who believes that they make a great product, but wish they would help out with small problems that are not covered under the warranty's like the ones mentioned above.
We purchased our 2008 Escape XLT new. Over all a great vehicle, but very disappointed in the cloth seats. They do stain easily! Our first experience was with a leaking drivers side window seal that occured within the first two months of ownership. Ford did repair the seal, but we had to request replaceing of the seat cover. They did replace the seat cover with no hassle due to it being obvious as to the cause. Since then we have had stains to appear on the other seats. We can only attribute it to rain (We don't eat or drink in the Escape). Wish Ford would do something about it, but unless it involves safety they want do anything about it other than whats covered under the warranty.
The other problem is the Continnental Tires that came on the Escape. First several months the tires were quiet and rode smooth. After that, they developed a load roar and not as smooth. The tires appear to be wearing evenly. I'm very deligent in maintaining proper air pressure. Tire dealers have balanced, checked alignment, and rotated. Still the same roaring noise.
Other than those problems, a great vehicle. Ours is a 4 cylinder with automatic transmission. Plenty of power and good MPG (about 26 to 28 MPG overall).
Listed the above to show that I'm a loyal Ford customer who believes that they make a great product, but wish they would help out with small problems that are not covered under the warranty's like the ones mentioned above.
There's a new TSB 09-23-03 on the seat cover staining problem.
Some 2008-2009 Escape and Escape Hybrid vehicles (excludes Mariner) equipped with Cloth seats (excludes XLS) and built on or before 5/14/2009, may exhibit stains with a white ring outline around them. An updated seat cover is now available to reduce this specific type of staining.
Thanks for the TSB info. I have a feeling that my build date is after the date you specified but I also have the "white ring" mark from whereever water hit my seat covers.
Ironically, the "mouse fur" upholstery in my 2002 Tribute still looks like new after 164,000 miles.
Thanks for the TSB info. I have a feeling that my build date is after the date you specified but I also have the "white ring" mark from whereever water hit my seat covers.
Ironically, the "mouse fur" upholstery in my 2002 Tribute still looks like new after 164,000 miles.
Your build date is on a door sticker. I would have linked the TSB as a PDF but it's too large and I don't how to split it up. It's so large because it includes lists of part numbers by colors, etc. They replace the seat covers.
There's a new TSB 09-23-03 on the seat cover staining problem.
Some 2008-2009 Escape and Escape Hybrid vehicles (excludes Mariner) equipped with Cloth seats (excludes XLS) and built on or before 5/14/2009, may exhibit stains with a white ring outline around them. An updated seat cover is now available to reduce this specific type of staining.
funny this stain issue is mentioned. we had this happen on our 2008 escape too. the service writter at our dealership told us it was a water stain from opening the doors in the rain. they told us to get the seats steam cleaned and scotch guarded and the stains would not come back. we have not done anything yet.-THANK YOU, for this info! i will take it back on the next oil service,and ask them about it again. how do you find out about TSB reports?
__________________
74 f350 4x4 dually 428scj,-HOOF BEATS ARE LOUDER THAN HEARTBEATS!
2001 ranger xlt supercab 4x4
2008 ford escape xlt
2006 harley davidson softail fxst
funny this stain issue is mentioned. we had this happen on our 2008 escape too. the service writter at our dealership told us it was a water stain from opening the doors in the rain. they told us to get the seats steam cleaned and scotch guarded and the stains would not come back. we have not done anything yet.-THANK YOU, for this info! i will take it back on the next oil service,and ask them about it again. how do you find out about TSB reports?
I have access to the Ford system. Actually any Ford emplyee or retiree has access if they know how to. It limited as somethings don't work. I just stumbled upon it one day myself!
I drove a 07 Escape Hybrid AWD for about 50K miles as a govt vehicle when I was recruiting for the Navy. I was in Northern Nevada, and put 3000-5000 miles on it a month. I averaged 23 mpg and because I wasn't doing much city miles, the fuel economy sucked. In the snow it sucked, even with studded all season tires. I'd never get one as my personal vehicle and would not recommend one to anybody..
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... But these little annoyances so to speak are real downers and to be honest, a true let down. 
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they told us to get the seats steam cleaned and scotch guarded and the stains would not come back. we have not done anything yet.-THANK YOU, for this info!
i will take it back on the next oil service,and ask them about it again. how do you find out about TSB reports?
