Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

twhite99 · January 2001

I live in Idaho my Mazda dealers are in spokane wash. I have been trying to buy one since I first heard of the tribute one dealer was a jurk the rest act like they are doing you a favor if they call .i am thinking about a different brand

jsmurray31 · January 2001

There is Post Falls Mazda, have you tried them?

ptmccain · January 2001

How about you just be extremely happy with your Santa Fe and stop insulting Escape owners and posting misleading and misinformed things about the Escape?

Or, how about you formally apologize here for your post in which you stated that anyone who buys an Escape is "out of their mind"?

Then I would take your "challenge" seriously.

bartlinden · January 2001

for my wife. I will be sure to post information on our ownership experience in the future. So far, no complaints - but we only have 700 miles on it. No fuel smells, mileage OK for break-in period (17-18 MPG avg), and this one's build date is past the five recalls. I will do my best to be objective. Insult me for buying if you wish, but IMO it was a good value and rode and drove the best of the smaller SUVs we tested. Stay tuned...

1jimv1 · January 2001

Ford top management has strongly redirected manufacturing emphasis from quantity to quality. Hasty production and delivery to the dealers had generated too many embarrassing recalls, too much expensive rework at dealers, and too much inconvenience to buyers with their cars in the shop waiting for parts. The solution decided for all of this is to only ship highest quality "perfect" vehicles from the plant. Another top priority is to fix and ship all the September and October orders that had been unfairly left behind in the rush. The wait for delivery should not get longer, because the recent economic downturn is expected to reduce demand by about 20%.

jennifer2020 · January 2001

The dealership in Pensacola, FL was so rude, so we went to Ft. Walton. They were great before we bought the car. We bought it and nothing! Still waiting for it, freaking about everyone's comments. Whatever happened to customer service?

jmlbrads · January 2001

I just took possession of my escape Saturday night So far I love it!! I hope that no problems turn up. It is a V6, 4x4, xlt, white, moonroof, side step bar. It really feels nice!

merzjohn · January 2001

I have a 2001 Tribute ES-V6. My only major complaint is getting about 19.4 mpg doing mostly highway driving. This is based on over 2,000 miles of driving (miles 2100-4200 on car) and fillups. It is winter in Md and we have oxygenated gas; however my 1992 Ranger 4.0 V-6 is bigger, heavier, and gets 19 mpg still after 9 years!

Anyone get any real info on why this isn't close to the 18-24 advertised? Dealer said "everything checked out (codes)." Anyone know details on the O-ring problem with the injectors /fuel lines?

bobmazda · January 2001

I can tell you this factually regarding the Tribute and Santa Fe.....first this vehicle has its typical volume of recalls for a first year vehicle. Santa Fe's number of units sold in the U.S. equal a grand total of the Escape/Tribute sales between April and June ORDERS before it was out. Meaning more ordered them before it was out than your HYUNDAI product currently has on the road...Secondly, the Santa Fe is using a platform from a vehicle that not only performs poorly in the crash test it got a big black X for occupant death rates. Thank you very much I'll take a Ford/Mazda anytime!! Third, we took our Tribute 2wd from Fla. to NE Pa. snow county and encountered the Noreaster almost 2 weeks ago and we had 3 massive suitcases, ski gear bags, 3 adults, a huge cooler, 4 bushels of oranges for friends and still chugged up mountains in snow past semi's cars etc. Now for the kicker...I had a Santa Fe running with me on the way home....BTW...it was a pretty one in Gold but anyway...loaded as I was, he was also....the tail end of his camber of the rear suspension bowed outward and ours didn't...why...a sophisticated multilink rear end on the Tribute. Now up mountains he kept up until mid way when it lost its momentum from the previous hill. I slowed down laughingly allowed him to catch up and pulled away UP HILL at a good clip. So my summation is simply the Santa Fe is very new, fewer sales so fewer gripes, underpowered, not as safe, and cannot take any great loads. By the way..."class leading warranty" in Hyundai means EVERY SINGLE SERVICE literally must be met to enable your "powertrain" warranty" to be good. Mazda does not do that....they bumper to bumper including a free rental car with a warranty repair for 3/50K and you can go 6/100K for 1.5% of the vehicle MSRP. BUMPER TO BUMPER...Zero deductable.

There...counter that one!!! Zooming past ya!!

bob

jrfish · January 2001

Has anyone had a problem with a burning transmission fluid smell when using the 4WD?

Have had my truck for 3 months, over 5000 miles, and only this past weekend really needed the 4WD-- snow and ice roads, unplowed, unsalted and unhanded, with steep hills (other people were sliding around a lot). However, after only about 15 minutes of slow driving in these conditions with the 4wd locked, I really noticed a burning smell, which is sweet like burning transmission fluid. While in 2WD, this smell is not apparent. The truck is at the dealer now as they inspect it.

I love the Tribute, and have not found anything else I would have bought instead, but is this another recall or design problem? Has anyone else had such a problem?

hunt29 · January 2001

What can I expect to pay for an automatic Escape or Tribute? No 4WD or V6. What about the Sante Fe? About the same??

nwwoods · January 2001

There have been numerous statements made as to numbers of recalls, number of vehicles affected, and so on. The NHTSA Safety Recall database has the actuals.

There have been five Safety Recalls on the 2001 Tribute/Escape models, affecting from 1,800 (first recall - throttle cable) to over 58,000 vehicles (most recent recall - windshield wipers.)

Is five Safety Recalls within the first six months of full production typical? Examination of the NHTSA database shows there are 11 instances of 5 or more recalls within a six month period on a given model year over the last 5 years of manufacture. The affected vehicles are:

1995: Chevy Caprice, Chevy/GMC pickups, Dodge/Plymouth Neon, Ford Explorer, F700; 1996: Ford Explorer, Windstar, Chevy/GMC pickups, Dodge/Plymouth (Grand) Caravan/Voyager; 1998: Ford Windstar; 2000: Ford Focus; 2001: Ford/Mazda Escape/Tribute (with Dodge Stratus coming on strong.)

In contrast, Toyota 4Runner and RAV4 have had 2 recalls each in their entire history. Nissan Pathfinder has had 2 since its last redesign in 1996 (12 in its entire 15 yr history.) Nissan XTerra has 1 recall. Honda CRV has zero recalls. Subaru Forester has zero recalls.

Of course, Safety Recall data is only one factor contributing to overall quality, and should be weighed accordingly.

bartlinden · January 2001

Unfortunately you cannot get a Tribute/Escape without getting the V6. I suppose Ford/Mazda decided to keep powertrain options simpler to help keep the production cost lower... I don't know about elsewhere, but due to the immense popularity of these vehicles you can do no better than MSRP in the area I live. At least they aren't jacking up the price like the VW dealers were when the new Beetles came out and like the local Dodge dealers are with the PT Cruisers. There are several web sites to check the prices including www.fordvehicles.com where you can use the "build your own" feature and see how much MSRP is on the one you'd like.

Hope this helps.

dniehus · January 2001

Re post #415: Sorry, but your information is simply incorrect. Both the Escape and Tribute may be had for either a 4 cylinder (127 hp) or 6 cylinder (200 hp). In addition, you can buy either in front wheel drive or all wheel drive. Obviously the price varies significantly depending upon the combinations. The Escape comes in two models: the basic XLS and the more "loaded" XLT. The Tribute is available in three trim lines: DX, LX and ES. In all cases, additional options are available. MSRP varies from around $17,000 for the most basic model (4 cylinder, front wheel drive, no options) to about $25,000 fully loaded. Excellent pricing information (both invoice and MSRP) is available on Edmunds, www.kbb.com, and several other places.

rsharp83 · January 2001

I hate to be the one to break this news to you Bob, It's a TRUCK. I know I know, the cute commercial about being raised by sports cars and all that but, in the end, it is still a TRUCK. Does it have a peppy engine, yes. The Sante Fe in a perfect world might have a little more zip. But again if you want a sports car get one. I traded in a BMW for my Sante Fe. BMW is a sports car and it would zoom your [non-permissible content removed] off any day. But ya know what, after the Bimmer and a 4 wheel steering Honda Prelude I was ready to not have a sports car. And a truck pretending to be a sports car does not impress me much because it still drives like a truck in many ways. If you want a SUV that is a sports car go pluck down 50 grand and get a BMW X5. Other than that there isin't one.

The Sante Fe ride is more car like. That is what I wanted. The crash test data for both autos is not out. The Sante Fe rides much higher and is heavier than a Sonata. Ford's rollover record released today is not impressive either. Who knows how the Escape Tribute will fare.

But let me clear up a couple of things that seem to have gotten lost in all the mccain smack. My original comment was "are you out of your mind" but it delt with the fact that AT PRESENT the quality issues would overshadow the good points on the Escape. This discussion is filled with very serious concerns about things that are not minor first year build problems. They are problems that clearly indicate a lack of quality control likely resulting from a rush to market of this auto. Clearly, quality was not job one. BUT, I do think that EVENTUALLY (future tense) the Escape/Tribute will be a pretty good auto, say in 9 months to a year. With all the quality control issues so far one should wonder what else may be lurking. I think that the early track record would make people very leary. When I find posts that obviously are ignoring concerns I don't understand it. When I saw a post chastising owners of the Escape for posting their complaints and doing so very vocally, in essence saying tone down your complaining because I love the Escape, I don't understand it.

Fule smells, lemon law returns, bursting fuel lines...these are NOT minor problems and they still are not getting solved according to posters on this discusion.

The Sante Fe may not be perfect and I am under no delusions thinking that it is. But there have been no significant issues with it. As for the coverage, 10 years is 10 years and where else are you going to get your service if not from the dealer. (plus 5 yrs roadside and 5 yrs bumper 2 bumper)By the way BMW and Mercedes do the same kind of thing with their service. You have to have the records certified by BMW. If you want to take a new car to a corner mechanic go ahead.

If Ford has halted the rush and is actually addressing the quality then buying one makes more sense. But if those issues have not been solved...you take a pretty big risk.

Zoom on....

drhb1 · January 2001

I took delivery of my ES with Sunroof and ABS on December 15th, and I couldn't be more pleased. No problems with gas fumes, wipers, or ANYTHING!!!
The ES handles like a dream, and goes on snow and ice as if it were magnetized :-)

The quality of my green ES is quite good for the price, and I love the openness the sunroof provides. I have read the previous posts for many months, and I really think that the pleased owners as I am, have not been posting. I have yet to find any problems with my ES, other than the mileage being lower than expected (arount 18-20MPG). I would recommend this to anyone in the market. The only complaint is one which is inherent to all suv's, that the bumpers are not impact absorbing bumpers as on cars and on the Subaru. I think all of the problems with the Tribute have indeed been corrected...hopefully. Anyway, I for one am pleased as can be. It is more than I anticipated it would be!

lovemyescape · January 2001

I was one of those people in other Escape forums that asked owners to stop whining and complaining about their Escapes. No one likes to hear people complain all day long. In fact, I specifically asked if anyone likes their Escape because all I heard was moaning and groaning.
You don't make sense - tone down your complaining because I love my Escape? What kind of a comment is that?
I bought my Escape because I like the looks, performance and value. No it isn't a BMW X5 and I agree with you I'm not putting 70K down on one. To me it is a poor man's Lexus RX300. The dimensions are all very close, but the Escape is 10K less. I tried the Hyundai and at 6'8" I just didn't fit. Even the saleslady at the autoshow said it wasn't big enough. It was clearly designed by Koreans for Koreans meaning by short people for short people. Besides, even if I did fit do you really think I was going to buy an SUV from a company that has never built an SUV before and has an even worse reputation for quality than Ford? Are there any long term Hyundai owners out there that have good things to say about their Hyundai's?

varmit · January 2001

Nwwoods - Minor correction: Both the CR-V and The Forester have been recalled. The Forester for brakes and the CR-V for a wire harness.

Recalls happen. The important thing is that the manufacturer recognizes the problem (instead of hiding it in an employee locker) and then does something about it. Ford/Mazda have done a very good job of owning up to their mistakes.

With that said, I agree that we have to wonder when they are going to stop finding them. The shear number of problems (even those that are not published recalls) is absurd. Completely absurd! The design of the vehicle seems to be pretty solid, but with this many quality issues brought to light in such a short time, you cannot ignore them.

zebo6986 · January 2001

i bought my tribute LX-V6 4x4 in october. at first there was no fuel smell in the car. after a few thousand miles, i started getting the fumes after i would restart the car after sitting for a few minutes. today i went to the dealer for the windshield motor recall, and had them check the fuel smell problem. at first the mechanic said that he couldn't duplicate the problem, and they gave me my tribute back. i drove around for a few minutes, went back, and had the service advisor sit in the car and start it. he admitted smelling the fumes, but they don't admit hearing of this problem, and want me to bring it back on thurs. they checked all the recall campaigns. any suggestions?

jericho_ave · January 2001

rsharp is right to point out that the crash test result for both truck is not available yet. So assuming that the Triscape is better and the Santa Fe would bring a high death percentage to those who drive it just because it's a Hyundai is not 'factual' comments at all.
For the sake of everyone who owns either vehicle, lets just hope both of them get a good rating, and for owners to conitnue driving safely.
Of course Ford/Mazda will have a bigger sales volume than Hyundai, but consider the RATIO of units produced and defective units sold, SF would have significantly lower ratios (BTW that is not factual). Also having a higher volume of order doesn't excuse them from rushing production and sacrificing the quality of the vehicle. Consumers who have done their research, knows that Escape has 20+ HP more than SF so it is no surprise that you would do better on that uphill race yours.
And for people who chastise others to post messages about the problems that they have with their Tribute/Escape, if you haven't noticed yet... the title of this forum is 'Mazda Tribute/ Ford Escape problems'
so if you're tired of reading about them, do ur self a favor and skip this forum. Or better still, balance it out by posting how happy you are with your truck. But I think people are already doing that.
When I was doing my research (Sep - Dec 00), I tried very hard to look for forums where I could find satisfied buyers so I could get an assurance that those problems were isolated and 'typical' first year model problems, I found one in yahoo, but to my disappointment, the bad outnumbered the good.

That being said, maybe we should start a new room for this topic.

frank117 · January 2001

I am thinking of buying an escape and am wondering if anyone is getting reasonable deals on these. The dealer I spoke with also said that since demand was high and that it would be about a 10 week wait. Also, another issue.. anyone have any good/bad experience with online financing?

rsharp83 · January 2001

I went throught E-Loan.com and got 6.56% for 5 years on a new auto. Check with the dealer first because some "don't want to deal with them internet banks." But under 7% is pretty darn hard to beat, when I told them the percent and said I'd finance with them if they could match it their eyes kinda bugged out. The dealer finally relented and the process was not really difficult. They send you a draft check for up to an amount you specify say $25,000. So you can write the draft at the dealership for any amount between $7,500 and $25,000. The percentage is unbeatable, but you get rated by your credit raiting so if you have so so credit you would get a higher % rate.

lovemyescape · January 2001

I agree with much of what jerico ave has to say. However, if you read my previous message you may have noticed that I wasn't referring to negative posts in this forum, but rather sharps comments about another (less negatively named) forum. If he (or she) is going to bad mouth people in other forums he had better be ready to be bad mouthed himself. I see there is already of history of negative comments between him and ptmccain.
Also, when I did my research I also looked at other forums. There were only two recalls that people complained about the most - windshield wipers and the fuel smell. I scrutinized the recalls and realized that for the most part they only affect a few compared to the thousands produced. The biggest recall was the wiper blade problem. If you were to research other makes of trucks you would see that many don't get recalled until hundreds of thousands of vehicles are made. To me this says that those manufacturers aren't listening to their customers. At least Ford is admitting to their problems.

bartlinden · January 2001

I guess I need to proofread better - what I meant to say was you can't get an AUTOMATIC TRANS in the Tribute/Escape without getting the V6. The earler post by hunt29 asked about getting a 4 cyl with automatic.

Thanks for keeping me honest. I'll try to be more attentive in the future...

bartlinden · January 2001

I have used E-loan twice within the last year (including last week) with two different dealers with great results. Not only were they able to beat the local banks' and dealers' rates (I also received the 6.56% rate), I was approved in about a half hour and never even had to talk to anyone (no being put "on hold", etc).

Also, regarding the waiting period for an Escape - don't hold your breath for the 10 week wait quoted - I've been told 3 to 6 months! During my search (I went to over a dozen dealerships in search of one) IF any dealers had them on site, they were either bone stock or fully loaded. I bought mine off the lot (fully loaded - the dealer had two) at MSRP. That's the price you pay for wanting something really popular I guess. Anyway, so far, so good. The wife loves it and it's fun to drive. I'll post updates as we put more miles on it.

rsharp83 · January 2001

My original post in all of this mess was in fact "are you out of your mind" like I explained. Because all the problems posted in this discussion were totally being ignored in the Ford Escape discussion, like no problems existed! My post was short and took no personal shots at anyone. In retrospect maybe it should have been tamer but geez I have seen much worse.

The next day ptmccain proceeds to call me a moron and it just went downhill from there. But in a way it was kind of entertaining. His vicious defense of the Escape no matter what was hard to understand (since he dosen't even own one). So I played along, again entertaining reading.

But no matter what, there are still enough problems that are not fixed and people who are mad as heck at Ford/Mazda that it should not be ignored as a factor in considering purchase of this auto.

By the way, I think our new poster lovemyescape maybe someone else in disguise. Just a guess.

bobmazda · January 2001

I referred to a person who namely rsharp83 who came to THIS board and challenged and ran over the edge on the Santa Fe....go back read the post. And for your information there is crash data from Japan done to every vehicle sold in that country that is tougher than the U.S. Each manufacturer must present data regarding safety to any country they desire to ship the vehicle. Korea does have data of similar origin and testing I'm sure however, Hyundai has one of the highest death rates per capital of any manufacturer EVER. So don't tell me about Ford/Mazda.... Mazda developed this shell structure.... find ONE Mazda that is in crash data with Hyundai. NEVER....FYI....We survived a 45 MPH smack from a 76 NV towing a Mercury Sable in our 626 while on vacation in SC.. So yes, I am partial but I also checked the substructure of the Tribute which has Mazda's patented "triple H" substructure as well as some things nobody on this board knows of except ME. I got my information from a personal friend at Mazda Corporate named John Cunningham. Each vehicle is equipped with enertia boxes built into the bottomside of every passenger area. This is part of the vehicle body not seat. Another feature is solid pillar " B" and stamped into place by a multi-ton press which gives a stronger side structure. The spare tire well is part of the rear crumple zones as part of the passive safety built into the body. When the tire is placed into the well....you have a wrap around rear absorbtion FREE. The fuel tank is puncture resistant with a Ford feature....fuel cut off. For offset safety the front "clip" is not only made with crumple zones in the fenders but has purpose in the subframe where they make stress indentions in a predetermined place along the clip. Each side is attached to the upper motor mount bracket which will cause the front to crumple rather than tear or worse yet remain a solid piece and cause intrusion of the safety cage causing the #1 modern injury...LOWER BODY..legs, knee, ankle, foot. Had enough or shall I give you more???? I KNOW Mazda's....I make it my business to know automobiles in general.

Oh, BTW...I am soooo impressed that you traded a BMW on a Hyundai...you sure do know your sports cars. You had a 4ws Honda Prelude....too bad the MX6 GT 4ws beat it huh...the Prelude was manual and the MX6 electronic. Guess who holds the Guiness WORLD record for sports car sales....??? MAZDA Guess who was forced to add weight to their car to build competition because they dominated IMSA....RX7. Now guess which UTE has the best braking 60-0 AND also can do 0-60 respectfully...Tribute/Escape.

Please define "truck"....look it up in Webster's dictionary...

What ALL these new UTE'S are doing is appealing to those who don't want a truck, like a sporty car but want the convenience of an SUV. The first was the RX 300 Lexus. It was the ONLY one to blend car ride, platform with the "function" of an SUV.

I can end this by simply stating that I don't want a war of words but answers and solutions to FORD/MAZDA Escape/Tribute PROBLEMS....not Hyundai.

Fact is I love my Tribute and for the last time mine produced in late Oct. '00 has ZERO recalls pending and one that was a dealer check prior to delivery which was the wiper issue and that checked out fine. Can't we get back on topic for those of us who own MAZDA/FORD Tribute/Escape and not cause each other grief. I can flame just like you....but I prefer FACTS and I "try" to help on Tribute/Escape boards....I didn't find this site on the net....I was asked months ago by many on Yahoo to post here. This is not a whose is bigger and bad but fixes to this first year production vehicle that OBVIOUSLY has its flaws.

bob

rsharp83 · January 2001

"Hyundai has one of the highest death rates per capital of any manufacturer EVER"

well of course they do, their cars for many years were all sub compacts, almost all sub compacts, be it Ford Fiesta or Hyundai Excell, have dismal death rates because anything that hits them is bigger and weighs more.

"who came to THIS board and challenged and ran over the edge on the Santa Fe"

Yes I challenged ptmccain, more as a joke than anything. mcain has been on my case ever since my first post, it was directed at no one but him and he did not bite on it.

"Please define "truck"...."

The Tribute Escape is built in Claycomo Mo. Ford's TRUCK facility. built on the TRUCK line, by people who have spent their lives building Ford TRUCKS. I grew up in the area, I know many of these people. It is built on a truck style platform.

"I can flame just like you....but I prefer FACTS"

I responded to your message, asking for a reply to Zooming by ya. What facts are you refering to? You posted no facts that I recall in your message, just a quip about racing up the mountain.

pluskin · January 2001

"The Tribute Escape is built in Claycomo Mo. Ford's TRUCK facility. built on the TRUCK line, by people who have spent their lives building Ford TRUCKS. I grew up in the area, I know many of these people. It is built on a truck style platform."

That's funny. I thought the Tribute/Escape was being built on the old Contour/Mystique line. You must know your people at Claycomo very well. I also wouldn't call a unibody vehicle with fully independent suspension a "truck style platform."

atekchi · January 2001

I got my Escape in three weeks. Took one they had coming in for stock. Had to take privacy glass [which I like] and the side step [which I'm not sure about]. Everything else was perfect.
Used People First for financing. Got 7.05 which everyone around here was in shock about it being so low. Bank here [Oklahoma] was 8.5. I think some of the complaints about the recalls are to get you to buy something else. [their brand]

bobcatbob · January 2001

Is the 3-6 months and sticker due to the fact that the car is so dang hot that everyone and their 12 year old nephew just has to have one, or the fact that (a) Ford has cut production or (b) the line has been shut-down for days on end waiting to "be better engineered to avoid quality control issues" (Ford Quote) or (c) Ford dealers love gouging customers?

Is 3-6 months and sticker price after a year in release really worth it? Is the Escape so revolutionary that it demands this sort of pricing and wait? Hardly. Houses are built in a shorter time. Heck, some children are conceived and birthed in the same amount of time that some people are waiting for this vehicle.

tonychrys · January 2001

I take exception to the statement "some children are conceived and birthed in the same amount of time that some people are waiting for this vehicle". Please don't compare the conception of my child to one of these vehicles. I'm very good at what I do and believe in QUALITY, not quantity.

TC
8-P
(tongue in cheek)

samc3 · January 2001

I have 1500 miles on the Tribute and really enjoy its tight
and precise steering. There are just 2 things that bother me.
Has anyone noticed a thumping when the left side of the car
hits a bump, typically at low speeds?
The other thing is the user's manual says that you can
turn fog lights on either with parking lights or low beam on
and in my case they only work with low beam turned on.

bobmazda · January 2001

Thumping if you go over a bump could be the top part of the strut tower. I am not 100% sure if the bushing is plastic or not but nonetheless...the problem sounds simple enough to have the dealer find it...I'd ask the service person who writes you up to go for a ride with you so it can be properly relayed to the technician OR better yet have the tech. go with you once it is in the shop. As for question 2 the fog lights are able to do this as I saw a Tribute with this setup. I was wondering myself how they did it....again, perhaps the dealer would know...

bob

dana · January 2001

After reading some of the posts in this Discussion, I feel it is necessary to remind some of you of the Terms of Use Agreement you signed when becoming a member of Town Hall:

"I agree to disagree in a civil manner should I take issue with the statements of another Town Hall participant or any Edmunds.com, Inc. Editor or content contributor. I understand that civility and respect underlie the success of an on-line community such as Town Hall."

Discussion and even debate is encouraged amongst our members. Please attack the issues, not each other.

Thank you for your cooperation in making Town Hall a comfortable place for all to participate.

Sincerely,

Dana S. Livingston
Community, Manager
Town Hall
Edmunds.com
dlivingston@edmunds.com

merzjohn · January 2001

I have a Mazda Tribute ES-V6, with 4,300 miles. I like the SUV, but don't like my gas mileage --
19.4 mpg doing mostly highway (and I feel I have a light foot on the petal; rarely go over 65 mph).

Anyway my question is on the 5W-20 oil they spec for the V6 engine. I've only been able to get Motorcraft 5W-20 at Walmart. No one else seems to make it, and I really want a synthetic (like Mobil1 which I've used for 10 years).

Mobil1 says they have no plans to make a 5W-20. Castrol said they were coming out with a 5W-20 this year. Does anyone know of source or mfr for a synthetic 5W-20, or even other 5W-20 regular oils ?

ii31 · January 2001

Hello,

I bought my Tribute from Menlo Mazda in Oct 00.
Right from the first week, I could detect fuel
odor. After taking it back couple of times,
one mechanic acknowledged the problem and contacted Mazda customer support. Here is his
report in work order:

"Check Fuel leak. Use engine analyzer to detect fuel vapor smell. Verify leaks from intake manifold. Call hotline and talk to Les.She told me
to pull out intake manifold and inspect intake O-ring. It was not fitted right (uneven). Check for parts availibility. Intake manifold in on national back order. Mazda hotline told me to reseal the O-ring for now and order parts.
[After two months]
Removed intake manifold assembly clean the gule. Install new i.m. assembly and transfer throttle body and ISC valve. Torque intake bolt to 12nm. Even Torque. Check for fuel smell. OK!"

---

My observation for last 24 hours is: It has fixed the problem! Finally!!

I.I.

oberfieldwebel · January 2001

Sure not a problem finding Escapes here in east central Florida. Last week I visited two local dealerships and there were several XLTs on both lots. The sales managers were offering to sell for under MSRP. Since I'm not convinced all the problems have been solved, I didn't get involved in negotiations. The Tributes are another story, to my knowledge there are none to be had. One salesman told me the did not expect any for 12 - 14 weeks and that they were told by Mazda not to take any new orders. What is going on? I might take a chance on a Tribute, but there aren't any.

bironb · January 2001

CEO Jac Nasser upbeat for 2001 -
discloses costs of new quality initiatives

A quote from the text: " Another challenge Ford Motor Company faces is shaking the recall bug that has pestered Ford for the past couple of years. Last year Ford Motor Company issued more recalls and thus broke it's record setting 1999 numbers. However, many of the recalls were on new model introductions and Ford admits that it may have brought some to market somewhat early to meet the strong consumer demand. That now seems to be changing with reports in from various Ford plants around the country that the new message coming from the top down is quality first".

It seems to me that this quality first policy should have been the norm from the get go. It's a little late for current owners of Tributes/Escapes and Ford vehicles in general.

debmom · January 2001

I recently purchased the Escape. Has anyone had a wind noise problem in the door panel area and have you been able to resolve this problem? I love the vehicle but hate the noise. You can hear the noise after 50m.p.h. and it increases in intensity with higher speeds.

quedee · January 2001

I also notice the wind noice at 50mph. It seems to come from the area that the windshield meets the sidewindow. I even taped off the seams as a test to see if I had leakage (I didn't). It seems that this tribute is not very aerodynamically designed. Perhaps a hood deflector would change the air flow to reduce the noice.

bikertrash · January 2001

I noticed when I had my Escape at highway speeds
{65} after 20 minutes or so, it chugs, bogs down & simply loses power. It feels as if you disconnected a couple plug wires. It's still at Planet Ford in Dayton, Ohio. Been there a week now. At first they used their diagnostic & it showed nothing. Then it sat there for 4 days until I finally got the service manager to drive it home after work. It seems during a regular work day, there's simply nobody with enough time to waste 20 minutes on a mere test drive. Anyhow, the service manager confirmed that he experienced the loss of power. That was 2 days ago & I'm still walking! My father is a retired GM worker. He warned me about Ford. Maybe I should have listened.

uptownlumber1 · January 2001

I am a new Escape owner. Love the car. Hate the frequent clicking noise in my left ear coming from the seat belt mechanism located beside the drivers head and between the front and back doors. Has anyone else experienced this problem and, if so, what have you done to correct it? The noise is terribly annoying. Thanks, Bob

kingdude · January 2001

Merzjohn.....I have also been wanting to change to a synthetic 5W20 but alas...Castrol seems to be the only one who is going to produce it any time soon. I have researched this quite extensively and the only major oil company (besides Motorcraft) that produces the 5W20 oil is Pennzoil and Quaker State. It's on the Market now but you might have to go through a distributer to get it. It all depends on where you live. I just bought a case for $24.90 thru my local distributer. Grant Weidler is the tech from Pennzoil that enlightened me. He said that "there's no full synthteic 5W20 being planned for introduction into the Pennzoil and Quaker State lines. However, the current 5W20 being marketed in both brands does use some Group III synthetic base oil, so you could call these synthetic blends, but we're not marketing them as such." Grant's e-mail address is: GrantWeidler@PZLQS.com. Hope this helps. Ty

oberfieldwebel · January 2001

Do your vehicles have a roof rack? If so try removing the transverse members and see if the noise goes away.

landscaperjoe · January 2001

I'm new to the Town Hall discussion about the Escape but have been reading the comments about the vehicle and the recalls since late summer. Have owned quite a few fords in the past ten years and am considering an Escape. I just received a quote of $500 over dlr. inv.for a fully loaded 4wd xlt. Told to expect approx. 10 was. for delivery. Seems to be a good deal at the moment yet I do believe that in the next 3-6 months this may be the norm for dealers with all of the new competition, such as the liberty, highlander, saturns sub, and buicks new addition. Enjoyed driving the Escape but might wait and go to the auto show and view all of the competition under one roof and then select a couple to compare to the Escape.

falag · January 2001

Escape - Leather vs. Cloth

I'm about to purchase an Escape, but am debating between the cloth interior on the XLT and the leather. I'd prefer cloth, but it seems rather industrial and potentially uncomfortable. I'd like to here from owners who have purchased the cloth and how they like it.

quedee · January 2001

I hear this noise as well and it is making me crazy. Anyone have a fix?

edtass · January 2001

Has this been a problem for anyone driving on the slippery stuff in the northern climes? Thinking about a 2002, but that new Jeep sure looks tempting...

rsharp83 · January 2001

Be careful about agreeing on a price and then waiting 10 weeks. My uncle just did that with a new Ford Explorer Sport Trac and guess what...when it finally showed up the dealership "adjusted" the price! It is in the contract you sign that the price can be changed by the dealer. He had a lawyer review it and there it was! He was basically screwed, he had the exact auto he wanted but he got shafted on the price at delivery. He wound up buying the truck but he won't be going back to that dealer anytime soon.

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