Note: I'm a computer and gadget enthusiast not a car enthusiast, so please bear with me.

I drive a 2005 Escape with the in dash 6 CD changer.

What is this for?


Is it just another place to put stuff, or was it designed for something in particular such as installing a mount/dock for a GPS or portable media player/smartphone? Or maybe it's for an option that the original owner chose not to get? I've looked in my manual but didn't see a clear answer. It did mention something called a "message center" though.

I've been using it to sort of hold my iPod touch in place, but doing it that way means I can't glance at the screen to see track info, album art, etc.

It's about 3.5" wide, 1.2" tall, and 2.25" deep. Here's a close up if it helps any. Thanks in advance.

 

On my 2005 Limited, there are 3 buttons similar to the ones you have on either side. 2 are for the information center, one to scroll and the other to reset. The third button is to shut off the rear bumper back-up alarm. Evidently these are options not on your car so Ford just put a small cubby there to stick stuff in. Kinda useless IMHO.

 

I have that little cubby hole on my 2003 also. It is just a convenience holder. Guess you could put loose change in there. I use it to hold a small calculator.

Also it might be wide enough to hold a cell phone, never tried it though.

 

Ok, thanks for clarifying. I guess I'll keep using it to hold my iPod touch in place like I said in my original post. It works well enough for that.

 

I have a couple of these small cubbys on my F250 as well. I found that sometimes accelleration dislodges items I stick in there. You can buy velcro in a 1" roll in different colors to match your interior, so I use that to keep the items in place. Some of the items I have used this on are the garage door opener, stereo remote, or my cell phone. It doesn't take much to keep them in place. I'm sure it would work on an Ipod as well but I haven't made that leap in technology yet.

 

The gooseneck dock connector that plugs into the cigarette lighter has generally been enough to hold my iPod in the cubby. On the other hand, velcro might provide some extra reinforcement, which might help in some crazier driving situations such as relatively mild accidents. Dunno, but I might try that so thanks for the tip.

On the off chance that anyone is now thinking of using their cubby for what I'm using it for, I should point out that not being able to see my iPod touch's screen doesn't make me unable to control the iPod. That's because the particular accessory I'm using (Griffin TuneFlex AUX, but there are others) includes a steering wheel remote.

 

My Escapes have the message center but not the backup alarm so I have one dummy button. I always wondered what it would be used for.

I think if you cut a piece of foam rubber slightly larger than the cubby and then sliced a slot in it you could wedge it in the cubby and that might hold the iPod or cell phone a bit more securely.

My '04 had a bunch of cubbys in it but that was before they (foolishly IMO) decided to put the shifter on the floor and put in the ridiculously oversized center console.