Any Ford Escape Owners?

[462]

My wife and I have been thinking about getting her a new -- read used -- car, and this is the start of my research.

For a number of reasons, it needs to be small, but still have ample space to accommodate up to four grandkids. The Ford Escape looks to be the right size, while the Explorer seems too big.

Thus, I have a few questions for you Escape owners:
1. What do you like about it?
2. What don't you like about it?
3. What model year is the best?
4. What is your gas mileage?
5. Would you buy another?

Any other information would be helpful.

In case anyone would like to offer an alternative vehicle, we are not interested in any foreign owned company -- even if the vehicle is made in America -- Government Motors, nor its bail-out sibling Chrysler.

Thanks in advance.

[frkelly74]

So Ford it is then. I do wish I had bought Ford stock when it was $1.50 a share. We are on our second Windstar and have had pretty good luck. The second replaced the first when the insurance totalled the first. We were hit in the tailgate while at a stop light and it kept every one safe in our car. The electronics are just scarey complicated and prone to troublesome glitches which come and go. But it is a 2003 with 170,000 miles on it. A good grocery getter. i think they still make the Freestar which replaced the Windstar.

[BSkerj]

My company car is a 09 escape. It has 87,000 miles and I have not had a bit of trouble with it. I currently travel from Pocatello Id to Jackson Wy twice a week. I go to Jackson over the Teton Pass each trip and I have had no power issues when rapid accel. was crucial. Gas mileage is around 24 -26 mpg if I keep it at normal speeds. There is plenty of cargo space, the rear seats fold all the way forward making it nice and roomy for luggage etc. I love the layout of the electronics, i.e., radio,(mine has Sirius which I need), cruise control at your fingertips, nice climate controls too.
Now on the downside, I am starting to hear a little whine in the tranny. Our company has lost 2 transmissions that I know of under 20K, but Ford fixed free of charge. The newer ones may have this problem solved. My personal car is a Subaru Forester and in comparison I would take the Forester over the Ford. It seems alot tighter and the engineering that went into the Subaru for driving in the snow is unsurpassed. I drive alot in the snow. The Escape seems to have more leg room but the Subaru is more comfortable to ride.
That being said, I would not hesitate buying a Escape..in fact if I was not sold on Subaru engineering I would buy a Escape in a heartbeat. Hope this helps.

[Dannix]

You need to haul 4 kids + gear, or just 4 kids? If the former, you may run out of room with the mini SUVs or wagons*.

No foreign, GovMotors, or Chrysler -- is there any alternative to Ford? If you want USA-only, please note that "USA" companies at times make their cars elsewhere, so be sure to do your home work. (No sense in disregarding Japanese and German engineering and manufacturing only to end up with something made in Mexico).


*if the word wagon sounds too uncool, just substitute in the word hatchback. :mrgreen:

[bhn22]

I can't safely haul 6 people in my Explorer, so getting that many people in an Escape seems a bit ambitious. You'll need an Expedition to pull that one off.

[Frozone]

.....
In case anyone would like to offer an alternative vehicle, we are not interested in any foreign owned company -- even if the vehicle is made in America......



Well I'm not sure how much your 'Escape' is any more "American" than a Mazda Tribute, except for the name on the fender.

Both the Escape and the Tribute share every part except the grill and outside trim.

Not sure if Ford makes the Tribute or Mazda makes the Escape. but they both seem to come from the same mother.

BTW You won't get 5 (full sized) adults in an escape maybe 4 and a child.

[semtav]

bought one for our daughter for college.Seems to be nice enough. according to the consumer reports, 2006 seemed to be a pretty good year.

[leftiye]

I escaped from a ford!

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Having owned Fords and GM vehicles over the years I regrettably vow never to own another one. I would however highly recommend a Honda Pilot or CRV, both are roughly the size you are looking for and there are plenty of good used ones out there.
I drove a 1998 4x4 CRV for over 240,000 miles without an issue, always got 24mpg or more, my only complaint was the road noise.

[Recluse]

My wife and I have been thinking about getting her a new -- read used -- car, and this is the start of my research.

For a number of reasons, it needs to be small, but still have ample space to accommodate up to four grandkids. The Ford Escape looks to be the right size, while the Explorer seems too big.

Four adults total will be pushing it bad--an adult (or two) plus three or more grandkids and you're out of room.

I got one for my (then) adopted daughter back in 2007. My summary? Biggest rolling pile of junk nuts and bolts I have ever owned in my entire life.


Thus, I have a few questions for you Escape owners:
1. What do you like about it?

She liked it because it was cute and it was her first ever car. I liked it because the salesman was obviously smarter than me and practically gave it to me just to get rid of the damned thing.


2. What don't you like about it?

I could write you a book, but I'll just start with this to chew on. . .

Came time to change plugs. I'd got her the six-cylinder. To get access to the rear three plugs (front-wheel drive *** with that transaxle ****), you have to damn near disassemble the entire top-half of the engine. This is PER Ford's service bulletin and SM. The entire throttle bottle assembly has to come off, and then you remove the entire intake manifold.

Just to get to three $3 sparkplugs. [smilie=b:

You don't change wires--you change "coil-on plug boots" and they run you between $50/$95. . . EACH. There are six of them.

O2 sensors? Today's ethanol plays hell with O2 sensors. The Escape has one for each cylinder.

I called the Ford service department to get an estimate to have six plugs changed. That was it. only change the spark plugs. $550--90% of that estimate was labor and labor only. It's a full day job at the shop (they told me).

God help you if you ever need to change an alternator. Another full day job. You have to remove the entire front left wheel and assembly just to gain access to the alternator. Take it to a shop? $1200--and another all day job.

I could go on and on, but in short, it's the biggest piece of fecal matter ever engineered by Ford since the Pinto. It has proprietary parts, uses proprietary tools, access to almost nothing under the hood or beneath the chassis, rides like hell, has poor acceleration, lousy gas mileage and is damn near impossible for a DIYer to do anything on other than change the oil and swear at it.

She was at a friend's house doing a sleepover and one of the friend's ex-boyfriend came in, drunk, took her car keys off the counter and basically STOLE the Escape. Ended up rolling it and totalling it.

Happiest day of my life. The police had to FORCE me to press charges--I kept telling them the drunk SOB did me a huge favor.



4. What is your gas mileage?

I can't remember precisely, but I remember it was surprisingly bad. Of course, a teenager with a heavy right foot doesn't help, but I drove the car quite a bit and was thoroughly unimpressed with its fuel economy.


5. Would you buy another?

I'd be tempted to vote for the Kenyan imposter for a second term before I laid down cash for another Ford Escape.

:coffee:

[felix]

My son, Tommy, finally got a cheap truck, a 1999 Ranger, motor and auto tranny rebuilt. He paid 2750, much to my questioning. But, it does run very good with good stability. His expected mileage will be no more than 5K per year with it, so I said maybe OK under those circumstances. I could not realistically say no, because it is his money, and he is 28 years old with a very good paying job. The bottom line is that it is sad that the American folks WON'T (not CAN'T) build a competent vehicle that can possibly obtain a competitive reputation like our aircraft has. ... felix

[Ford SD]

I do Not Own a Escape

I was thinking about it and bought a Focus for the wife less $$

If you get a Escape get the V6 with the 6 speed trany (newer Escapes)

The 4 has power problems and a few others

the 6 speed gets the best MPG

[Harter66]

We looked at a swarm of Fords and GMs. Mind you our just 14 yo daughter is 6ft. We settled on an Expedition w/3rd row and all the goodies. This was to replace my wrecked Explorer. This explorer has to have been a" Wednesday"car. It came to me at 82000 mi, its a 99', to date I've put lower control arm bushings in the front ended and a set of plugs in it,3 sets of front brake pads 1 rear. Now I've run the dickens outta this truck its half way through the 4 set of tires and it gets the oil changed when its down a qt,about 7500 mi,about at a time. The trans is getting soft. In late 01'early 02' a tree fell on it so it got alot of right side bodywork, I bought it in September of 05' . Last November my lovely wife smoked a Forerunner on Donner pass, more right side damage, it was ruled her fault so its a drive hard till it quits rig now. I gave$ 5000 for it, right now its got 234187 on the odometer. I ran an off road poker run about 3weeks ago in it, I ran right w/a group of $30k plus Jeeps,and tricked out full sizes in sand washes,shale hills,and a moderate small boulder 3 on the ground obstacle.

The plugs were a hassle long extension from the wheel well on the right side and acrobatics around the ABS on the left. The back hatch wont close if the body is twisted like 1 ft on a curb.

18/26 like clockwork.

[462]

Qualifiers:
Hauling the four grandkids would not happen more that twice a year. Most of the time there will be no more than two adults, sometimes one grandkid.
We have a double-car garage, but due to my reloading/work bench, anything longer than an Escape sized vehicle is too long to fit, eliminating the Explorer.
Foreign cars I've owned include two MG Midgets, an Austin Healy Sprite, a 240 Z and a 260 Z, and two other Nissans, but would really prefer to buy American, this time.

Frozone,
Ford owns a huge portion of Mazda, and I'm aware the two badges share a lot more than just components. I saw an Escape that had a window sticker that named the American plant in which it was made, but can't remember where it was.

Recluse,
I understand not being able to do any more shade-tree mechanicing. I've still not found a way to change the four passenger side spark plugs, on my '96 F-150 4WD. My wife's present car -- front-wheel drive -- needed a serpentine belt...had to have our mechanic do the job, and the oil filter is nearly hidden and requires that the car be on a lift to get to it. It's sad, for sure.

[kmag]

Bought my wife an Escape when the 2002 model came out. She had 142,000 miles on it when we traided it in 2008. I bet she told me 25 times while she had it how much she liked it. It had a V6 engine and gave good gas mileage. We had one repair on it, can't remember what it was. but cost 157.00. I do keep my vehicles serviced well and on time. I think that helps. If you are wondering why we didn't keep it, my wife lost her right leg below the knee and we had to get her a vehicle without a console in the front so she could move her artificial leg out of the way and drive with her left foot. She would probably be driving it today if not for that.

[dualsport]

Bought it new in '06, it's an '07. We got the hybrid as my wife commutes in it in stop and go traffic. 39-40 mpg in town, 28-30 on the highway. The only complaint I have is the valve stems on the wheels all were ****, had to be replaced, went bad after a few years. Other than that it's gas it up and drive. Zero problems. ZERO. My daughter got a Subaru, wouldn't trade it no way. It does ride a little stiff, it's a SUV, not a touring car. Power is more than adequate, if you floor it the 4 banger and the electric both kick in and it hauls ass. Faster than you need, that's for sure. Ford's 4 cylinder is legendary for solid long life. Tranny is 100% aok, what can I say? Great car, fun to not feed so much money to the Arabs. Whether or not it's big enough for you I can't say. Oh, the thing has a 110 volt outlet in the cab if you want to dry your hair. The hybrid battery is warranteed for 10 yrs. Going to the store on electric is a kick, silent and smooth as heck. It is an independent system, charges itself from the alternator and brakes. If I didn't get the hybrid I would have got a 4 cylinder anyway. The v6 is unneccessary and a waste of money and fuel. Like I said, Ford has that 4 banger down, I've seen them go 300,000 and still going fine.

[waksupi]

This is a message I got from a friend.

"I saw a Forest Service Hybrid Escape yesterday and thought I'd run the numbers. A Hybrid Escape costs $9330 more than the standard version and gets 3 mpg better ( combined city/hwy driving weighted 70% to hwy). The hybrid version would have to be driven 311,000 miles to recover the additional cost. ( 9330 cost difference/.03 (cost per mile difference))"

[Dannix]

bought one for our daughter for college.Seems to be nice enough. according to the consumer reports, 2006 seemed to be a pretty good year.
That generation was apparently recalled 10 times and has had mixed safety ratings. I'm certainly glad it's working out for you guys though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Escape

[dualsport]

This is a message I got from a friend.

"I saw a Forest Service Hybrid Escape yesterday and thought I'd run the numbers. A Hybrid Escape costs $9330 more than the standard version and gets 3 mpg better ( combined city/hwy driving weighted 70% to hwy). The hybrid version would have to be driven 311,000 miles to recover the additional cost. ( 9330 cost difference/.03 (cost per mile difference))"

The mileage numbers your friend gives are bogus. Being an actual owner I'm very sure about my numbers. With a 4 cylinder non hybrid the highway mileage will be about the same. In town the difference is about 10 mpg. BUT, the great gas mileage and the money it saves me isn't the reason we bought it, we can afford gas. We just chose to use less of it because it's a good thing to do. Before the Escape we had an Explorer, very nice car, no problems, but we realised it was about more than just Our wallets. It's voting with your wallet. Putting your money where your mouth is. Having loved ones fighting in the middle east over oil contracts and control of oil fields makes you hypersensitive to the blood for oil thing. Everybody cries about dependence on foreign oil blah blah blah but will not do much to achieve that goal, it seems. So the decision to buy a hybrid was not really an expectation to save money, although the $2,500 tax Credit helped a lot. Think about it though, does it make sense that a company like Ford would even make a hybrid that only beats a 4 banger by 3 mpg? So, the next time you see someone with a sticker that says "Support Our Troops", ask them what they drive.

[dualsport]

This is a message I got from a friend.

"I saw a Forest Service Hybrid Escape yesterday and thought I'd run the numbers. A Hybrid Escape costs $9330 more than the standard version and gets 3 mpg better ( combined city/hwy driving weighted 70% to hwy). The hybrid version would have to be driven 311,000 miles to recover the additional cost. ( 9330 cost difference/.03 (cost per mile difference))"

The mileage numbers your friend gives are bogus. Being an actual owner I'm very sure about my numbers. With a 4 cylinder non hybrid the highway mileage will be about the same. In town the difference is about 10 mpg. BUT, the great gas mileage and the money it saves me isn't the reason we bought it, we can afford gas. We just chose to use less of it because it's a good thing to do. Before the Escape we had an Explorer, very nice car, no problems, but we realised it was about more than just Our wallets. It's voting with your wallet. Putting your money where your mouth is. Having loved ones fighting in the middle east over oil contracts and control of oil fields makes you hypersensitive to the blood for oil thing. Everybody cries about dependence on foreign oil blah blah blah but will not do much to achieve that goal, it seems. So the decision to buy a hybrid was not really an expectation to save money, although the $2,500 tax Credit helped a lot. Think about it though, does it make sense that a company like Ford would even make a hybrid that only beats a 4 banger by 3 mpg? So, the next time you see someone with a sticker that says "Support Our Troops", ask them what they drive.

[leftiye]

I think I'd rather go to church. Less preaching, and just as much baloney. Unfortunately, american cars haven't been worth a fart since Bosch invented fuel injection and we got stupid and put it in our cars. Course it makes the dealerships a lot of money when all you can do to your car yourself is to cuss it or dump it. I used to say I wouldn't have one if it were given to me, then my wife's mother passed, and we inherited her olds. No choice if I want to remain married. When it croaks it's back to them old diesels. I'm working on an Isuzu 2300cc in a sedan, and I've got a VW 1900cc diesel quantum (oh, they didn't make them? I put a new engine in it).

[lylejb]

That generation was apparently recalled 10 times and has had mixed safety ratings. I'm certainly glad it's working out for you guys though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Escape

The thing to understand about recalls is that 99% are lawyer-phobic bean counter over reactions.

I've performed hundereds of recalls. Most are minor, maybe as small as updating the software in one of the vehicle's computers.

The gross majority of vehicles I've performed recalls on DIDN'T have the problem they were recalled for. Yep, that's right. Most didn't have a problem, but were built within a build date / vin number range that MIGHT have a problem, so they were added to the list.

I wouldn't let the fact that a vehicle has had a recall(s) stop you from buying it.

There's alot more fear than fact surrounding recalls, especially if the news gets ahold of it.

[firefly1957]

I do not think my recent problems with Mercury/Ford is normal but their people at warranty desk could not send a tow truck to my location for over three hours!!! After my cell phone battery died I flagged down a state trooper to get towed. The fuel pump went on our 2009 Grand Marquis second day they still do not have the part in the car? I am still in the process so do not know how things are going to turn out. If it had given me 100 more miles I would have been in Canada!

[blackthorn]

Fuel pump you say--Hmmm--- I own a 1991 3/4 GMC with 300,000+++ Kilometers on it. Put in a new fuel pump every 100,000 KM (give or take a few). Now it might not be so bad if they didn't put the dang pump on top of the tank so that the tank has to come out to replace it. Over 300.00 each time the dang thing goes! SO--yesterday I bought 2006 Toyota Tundra with about 74,000 KM on it. It is in showroom condition and if it does as well as the 2004 Toyota Highlander we got three years ago I will likely be a happy camper. Until I bought the Highlander I always bought North American autos! Oh well----

[Circuit Rider]

Guess I better stock up on parts for my '84 4X4 Ramcharger. I can work on it myself, bumper to bumper. I'll be danged if I'd pay those prices for what used to be simple repairs.

[Three44s]

Ford Escape?

An employee's wife dumped over $800 into getting the alternator changed!

Not fun ........ they had to drop the motor to get'er done!!!

200 for the alternator and well over 600 for the labor!

Ford Escape? None for me thanks!!

Three 44s

[firefly1957]

blackthorn I had a 1990 Chevy 3/4 ton van same as your except for grill it was a great vehicle for me it ran great was ok on gas . It had a Canadian built 5.7 350 cid 9.5 -1 compression engine I got 16 MPH but it was a conversion van and was heavy. It could smoke the tires and pulled my 5500 lb. boat like a champ I got rid of it in 2001 with 142000 MILES on it still ran great. I saw it two years ago still on the road do not know what has been done to it though. The only problem I had with it was the A/C compressor seized.