Hello. My girlfriend and I just purchased an 04' escape this last friday and it had just a few issues.

Those being,

• power locks didn't work when car was off
• Dome lights didnt work
• Radio wouldn't power on at all

i replaced the gem fuse #27 and that fixed the doors locking with the remote clicker and while the car was off. The dome lights also work now. However the radio still isn't coming on even after I replaced another 10amp fuse labeled "AUDIO" in the manual. From what I can tell with little experience the wiring harness behind the radio looks fine as I've bought the din tools and removed it.

My question is this: do many escapes around 02-05 have this issue with the stock radio? Ive read they're all the same unit until 06. And if it is the unit being bad and not the wiring what steps do i need to take to install a new bluetooth stereo? Would i need to change the wiring harness if the stereo fits ford models?

In advance thank you for all advice.

 

Use caution. That gem fuse was likely pulled for a reason. There are issues with these model years of battery drain/going dead if left sitting for more than a few days and other electrical issues.

I'd check things out real good and keep an eye on it for awhile. While it could be a bad radio, did you check for power at the harness plug?

 

I would use a volt meter to check the power of the harness. Check both the constant for memory and the switched for main power.

We never had an issue with the radio going bad (well the display was half out when I replaced it with an aftermarket) or the battery going flat when sitting for several days, even when gone on vacation for over a week.