Once a year on my trucks as normal maintenance, I lower my spare tires and lube the hanger cables and crank them back up...on my F150s this works fine. This year it was jammed tight on the Escape. Finally got it down a couple inches, but then it wouldn't go up or down and I had the donut tire danglin in the wind. All the spray lube this side of hel- wouldnt release it. Had to cut the cable to get the tire down to make the vehicle drive-able. So now what? Is it worth replacing or will the next one just seize again and cause me grief on the side of some Interstate in a snowstorm? Anyone had problems with theirs or have I just got a bad assembly? Thinking of just keeping the donut in the hatch but it limits cargo space.

 

Wow, never expected that to happen. But, then again, you may have a lot more winter precipitation and salted roads than a lot of other owners. If it were mine, I'd take it apart as much as I could, and get some cable at a hardware store or perhaps a boatyard to replace the original. If it was swaged together, it may be hard to replace just the cable.
My only other suggestion would be to check with your dealer or a boneyard for a replacement cable or complete assembly. If you do replace just the cable, I'd also suggest lubricating the arm the tire rests on just to make sure it is movable.
This is one of those "Wow, I never thought I'd see that...." type moments. I guess you can be glad it did not happen out there in Alberta or somewhere hundreds of miles from anywhere, in the dark, in the rain or snow, alongside a busy highway or on a curvy mountain road. Driveway failures are much more tolerable.
You may have given owners a warning, but most don't read here...
tom

 

Just had a similar issue on my girlfriend's 08 Escape. The piece that you turn actually busted though, so I can't get at the tire at all. I guess I'm gonna have to just drill out the retaining piece or something and replace the whole assembly.

Western NY winters are tough and they use way too much salt, but damn. This is a pain in the ***!

 

same thing happened with mine---the cable to the back bumper jack port broke with the tire suspended in mid air on the other cable. Only way to get the tire down was to cut the other cable with a Sawzall. Called the auto wreckers looking for a used one but they said save your money---it will just fail again. Poor design.
We put the tire in the back hatch & built a plywood/carpeted box around it. You lose some cargo space but the tire is readily accessible.

 

Well, we're not talking about a real heavy load here, so why not use some nylon or other material that won't rust? Couldn't the thing be re-strung with that or stainless metal rope?
Did I look at it too quickly and miss some reason it can't be done?
tom

 

as I recall the mechanism was a sealed unit; I suppose if you had the patience and skill to open it, drill out the rivets and had equipment to weld a new butterfly on the end of the cable, maybe, but I have neither the skill or the patience to f with poorly designed junk.

In this situation, my father always said "throw the ******* out!" and I never went wrong listening to his advice...hence the b is long gone. ;-)