Sorry to rant but I am getting fed up with my freckin POS 14 Escape. Aside from the fact it has all kinds of squeaks and rattles, the fact the the DS rear door is not even properly shaped to fit the body, it has been in the shop multiple times to try and get the body sealed so it doesn't fill with dust (I live in the country and my 09 was just fine) and the fact that I get about the same mileage with the 1.6 ECOBoost that I got with my 240 hp 3.0 in the 09 and I have to really work at getting that mileage. Oh and this thing is only half the vehicle that my 09 was on dirt roads. This past weekend we had a fairly large rain for a couple days and yesterday I had to go to work and the roads were quite muddy. Iget home after lunch to see that mud of all things had got on the passenger side rear inner fender liner and the weight of the mud pulled that stupid felt inner liner down on the wheel and shredded it. So I have to ask what person that had 2 brain cells to rub together would put a felt inner fender liner in an SUV? Unless there is a warning somewhere in the car that I missed that says "Only drive this POS on dry paved roads in sunny weather conditions" I am out $151.00 for something those boneheads at Ford thought was acceptable for a fender liner and the worst part is the replacement is made out of the same crap. I am very disappointed with this vehicle to the point that when I am at the dealer for service of any kind I will make sure anyone I see looking at these POS vehicles knows jut how poorly they are made.

Again Sorry for the RANT.

 

I personally don't like the look of the newer ones so this is something I'll never need to worry about unless I run across an incredible deal somewhere.

I would consider copious amounts of aftermarket undercoating to the wheel well, install the liner pressing it into the undercoating as much as possible, then reapplying the undercoating and let the whole mess dry thoroughly.
Another alternative would be using that liquid to rubber compound seen on TV lately. Dries to a solid rubber so maybe that as a final coat?

 

Too bad Canada doesn't have a Lemon Law.

 

I looked at a bunch of CUVs before I bought the wife one & I bought her a 16 Kia Sportage EX AWD. With one winter & one summer behind us & 25,000 miles we sure happy with it. On the road we get 24-28 mpg & this is suppose to be the worst of the CUVs for gas mileage. It performed well in snow & ice this last winter. She was commuting 100 miles round trip to work. We drive it in the desert & it handles the sand, dirt, & gravel well.
The Kia has a 6yr/60,000 warranty with a 10yr/100,000 mile power-train warranty & for $1300.00 we got a complete 10yr/100,000 mile warranty. That was a big selling point. But so far have not had a single issue. Maybe a wasted $1300,00.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. The price we have to pay for these vehicles then to have one that is a problem would **** me off too.

 

Thanks guys, I had to order one today. Thank god I get cost + 10% pricing so it only (haha) cost me $106.00. Parts manager and I had quite a discussion about these and he basically said it is not a matter of but when these things do what mine did. He has looked around all over for an aftermarket one that is plastic and not the lovely hardened felt like the factory units. No luck though.

 

Like I had mentioned, I would try to coat it with something that would prevent absorption of moisture and act as a repellent to keep mud and dirt from sticking or getting between the inner fender and the liner. For the extra few bucks it can't hurt.

 

I am going to put 2 or 3 coats of rubberized undercoating on it. I do that with my truck and it seems to keep them good.Interesting that the super duty and F150's have the same type in the front and I have not seen anyone complaining about them. So I guess the truck engineers specifiy better quality standards than the SUV team.

 

I am often under the 2014 2.5L base model for oil changes and basic inspections. I noticed the felt like panel that I have to remove when doing oil changes. It is hardly a skid plate and my guess is that it will fall off at some point in its life. Not the best design. Sadly these vehicles have lost what little off road pedigree that they once had. Focus groups, studies and feedback have taken the Escape mainstream which means that this vehicle is not expected to go off road much. Add the heavy safety features and you have an urban vehicle that will pump adrenaline into the masses who may take it down a grave road once in a blue moon.

Somehow the recipe is working as Ford sold over 25K of these things in September alone. Most people, including the overwhelming majority of folks who would never consider using a forum like this, treat their cars like appliances.. a to b... that's it. Sad.

I am frustrated with the battery location in my wife's 2014 Escape. It is a 15 minute acrobatic exercise to wrangle it out of the cubby every year to check the specific gravity and to ensure that the fluid levels are okay. Ford could have put this in a more accessible position. But remember... most folks don't go under the hood... ever. Scary.

What I do like about the Escape is that it rides well, gets decent gas mileage and handles very well. For the time being I will focus on the good and try to forget the bad... and for those times that I need to get muddy I will use my 2006 Sequoia SR5 4WD as I drive from muddy roads to the nearest gas station!

Forums like this rock. I use this one for the Escape. TundraSolution.net for the Sequoia and various Isuzu forums for my 86 Trooper.

 

The "new" Escape introduced July 2012 as a 2013 model has been sold in Europe since 2008 as the 'Kuga.'

The European version, AFAIK, is only available with the 2.5L

The 2013 Escape had at least 10 recalls, 2 for the 1.6T Eco-Boost.

Comparing the Escape to "She who must be obeyed" 2013 Toyota RAV-4, the Escape has less interior space, especially the 2nd seat legroom, it's very cramped.

I also like the RAV-4's dash better than the Escape. I leased a 2013 Escape SE for 3 years.

 

My wife is happy with her 2013 escape 2.0 ecoboost, 38,000 miles and no issues, runs well and averages 26.5 mpg, have had no issues with the fender wells or the shields underneath, no engine recalls and only a couple of other minor recalls, never back for warranty.