Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
My question concerns the battery life in the hybrids. I have read around and found some contradicting information on the battery life, cost to repair, etc. Basically I heard the battery needs to be completely replaced every 3-5 years, at a cost of about $3000. Any thoughts?
I figured this would be a good place to get some honest feedback on possible battery problems with the hybrid.
Be careful not to spend the tax credit before you get it. As with all credits, the tax code will only let you take the credits until they reduce your tax bill to what you would pay if you were paying the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) - even if you are not in the AMT range. Some of us buyers who are not paying AMT only received between 1/2 and 3/4 of the credit when we actually computed our taxes.
I do think the hybrid is a sweet vehicle and I wish all you lucky owners the best.
Ladyblue :shades:
If the window sticker or sticker under the hood says "california emissions" and you buy the car in a california emissions or "cross-border" state, you get:
8 years 100,000 miles warranty on the hybrid components PLUS 10 years or 150,000 miles full replacement cost on the hybrid high voltage battery.
Mark.
1.The service manager had me go out with their hybrid mechanic in one of their '08 Hybrid Escapes sitting on the lot. The mechanic agreed that the noise in my hybrid is the loudest of the three '08's he's driven. I was riding shotgun and honestly didn't hear any noise at all!
2.The service manager arranged for the Tristate field engineer to road test my car.
3.Dropped off Whistler on 6/22/07 and I went on vacation.
4.Checked my phone messages – Service manager called – the noise according to the field engineer and engineering is a “normal hybrid noise” - “the field engineer wrote a report” - the rest of the message was garbled.
5.Will pick up Whistler and the field engineer's report on 7/5/07 and post the opinion of the field engineer.
If anyone has a similar problem and would like to contact me my e-mail address is dave_f_n@yahoo.com
Mark.
After giving The Whistler a test drive here is what the Trisate field engineer wrote on the work order, “Road tested vehicle for a whine/whistle nose around 60 MPH. On road test, was able to duplicate noise. Noise also heard while driving at lower speeds. I have heard this whine in other hybrids (08’s) but contacted engineering for further assistance. Was advised noise is normal for the Electronic Continuous Variable Transmission (ECVT) due to transmission being on electric motor/generator. No repairs to be made at this time due to vehicle operating to design intent.”
Service manager’s comments were, “Live with it.”
My comment "BS" - not all '08's make this noise.
Comments/suggestions would be appreciated.
Mark.
If your FEH generated this noise significantly than other FEH. It is suggested to call Ford Customer Service and complain about this issue. Usually, OEM will take customer's complain more seriously than dealers.
Do others have this problem?
Floyd
My FEH was ordered on May 16 and now has an ETA of Aug 15 after at least one production delay.
Any other FEH users up here in southern Alberta?
Stephen
Anyone else have these issues?
this may be the dumbest post of all but I thought i might as well ask. I don't much get the tongue weight etc yet- I was looking into towing more than 1000 lbs. Is it the car itself which in that case i wouldn't risk going over the limit, or simply getting an after market tow which will enable the weight to rise. If this is possible I would love to do it.
Help folks?
Thanks
Cheers and peace.
Towing really taxes the transmission. That is the most important component when it comes to towing. The eCVT is not rated to tow more than a 1000 and would rather not tow that.
Mark.
Mark.
I have an appointment for tomorrow and the dealer tells my mine will be the first for this service. It's supposed to be a half day service but the service writer told me it will be most of the day since they have never done it before. I hope they read the instructions thoroughly. I'm not thrilled being the dealer's guinnie pig. I'm hoping this isn't a case of "If it's not broke, don't fix it" situation where I don't have a problem but will after the service.
Has anyone had experience with this particular service and, if so, what was the result? I'll post my experience with the service and the resulting performance.
Thanks.
Dan
Mark Fields(mfield27ford.com) or Alan Mulally (amulallyford.com). Usually, Ford works hard to satisfy customers if their dealers didn't. A guy in this forum did send an email and got a response next day.
Also, for the past 4 weeks Ford is not scheduling any further Hybrid orders. They may even be done for the model year.
As a sales rep, I follow my factory orders very closely, (its my money). I took a Hybrid order on 5/31 and it just came in this week. It took the intervention of my factory rep to get it scheduled.
Getting a factory rep to intervene is an option open to every dealer.
Incidently, I drove our stock hybrid to a Green Fest last Saturday and I got 30 mpg combined on mostly highway! Don't ask how my dealeship has a stock hybrid either, it cam in last week. How got it built is a secret.
New EPA test: Appearently under the average number in big print for mpg there is now a range in small print showing what you can get if you don't drive like an idiot. The high numbers for the 4WD FEH are 34 city, 30 hwy. The averages are 29 city, 27 hwy.
Mark
My question is: Does a Hybrid still depend on a conventional battery charged by an alternator etc for STARTING purposes and other purposes. If not, I assume there would be no way to start the gasoline powered engine should the Hybrid batteries die? In other words, I assume if the Hybrid batteries go dead, there isn't a way to "jump start" the gasoline engine to restart the Hybrid charging process of the hybrid batteries through normal driving and braking? (Or am I missing something here?)
The FEH PCM (computer brain) is very conservative with the HVBattery and never lets it go below 40% charged. In an emergency situation if the HVBattery is somehow drained, there is a procedure to use the 12V battery to "heat-up" the HVBattery and "jump-start" the FEH. (The opposite situation of the premise of your question) Again, 95% of the time the FEH is using the HVBattery to send power othe wheels, runs its electrical accessories, and to re-start the ICE.
From reports of owners over the last 3 years, the HVBattery seems to be one of the most robust components in the FEH. [It is made to Ford design specifications by Sanyo and comes with a 10-year warranty]
Since the first reply did not answer the question, here is the answer:
Your assumption is correct; if the hybrid battery dies, the vehicle will not run. The hybrid system on the FEH (like the Toyota HSD) will not allow the vehicle to run if the hybrid (called "traction") battery fails.
The Honda IMA system will allow the vehicle to run on ICE only, but the full hybrid system of Toyota, Nissan, and Ford require electrical energy to be provided to the transmission.
Doesn't look like there would be much use in carrying jumper cables as part of an Escape Hybrid's Emergency kit.
Looks like a bicycle would be a more useful item to carry.
Thanks again
Rnarg
Carrying a bicycle in a Hybrid Escape "incase the Hybrid Battery" dies would be like carrying a bicycle around in a non-hybrid vehicle incase the crankshaft breaks. We are talking about components that are designed to last the life of the vehicle.
The Hybrid's HVBattery is a complex component designed to last 150,000...200,000...or more miles. It shouldn't be compared to 12V automobile batteries that may not hold enough charge to start the car after 24 months of use.
PS Jumper cables for your car battery has nothing to do with the Battery in the back which suppliments your power.
Carrying a credit card and/or joining AAA seem to be better ideas.
Thanks
Rnarg
The hybrid batteries are designed to be a reliable and consistent part of these vehicles....one of the many components that do not require a on-board back-up (or 'spare tire')...........it is a good question and one that deserves an answer and some explanation.
Actually, the vehicle needs the 12 volt battery to start, so jumper cable can be used if the 12 volt goes flat.
Basically the 12 volt powers up the electronics so that the main hybrid batteries and system can be engaged.
Personally I don't carry jumper cables in my ICE vehicles any more - I use my AAA card for problems like that!
When I got the car, I discovered that something was not quite right so I sent it back to the shop and it was found that the dead battery condition caused the hybrid control modual to "self distruct". Naturally it was fixed under warranty before we deliveried the car but the part had to be back ordered.
Mark.
If the HV battery is discharged :sick: (through weeks of inactivity or by running in 5 mph "limp home" mode, like what happens when you run out of gas ), you will instead need to use the HV Battery Jump starting procedure on page 248. This allows the user to use the internal HV inverter to charge the HV battery. You have to remove a plastic cover on the left driver's side kick panel :confuse: and press a button. The process takes about 8 minutes and you will hear a high-pitched whine similar to what you hear when a camera's flash unit is charging.
One more thing: This procedure tends to drain the 12V battery after several attempts, so make sure your car's 12V battery is fully charged before attempting to do this. Hope this helps!
Looking forward to all your comments!
The person that told me this said that with the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid that either you use full electric or full gas, but never a combination of both. Is this true? I really hope not. If someone could point me to some documentation from Ford that says otherwise then that would be great!
Cheers
Also, I have noticed that once your gasoline powered engine has heated to its operating temperature and you are traveling on a flat or any degree of downgrade, (one where you need hardly touch the accelerator), if your gasoline engine is still engaged, simply tap or apply the brake slightly, and the vehicle will switch to the electric mode and stay there until the nature of the roadway changes to where more than electric power is needed. (This is the way my 2008 is working, but whether it's normal to let you have this little bit of control, I don't know)
Thanks,
John