Ford Escape Hybrid Interior & Passenger Comfort Questions

preferdiesels

I read a review that said the Escape Hybrid's A/C did not work if the vehicle was not moving. So, in the South in stop/go traffic or stopped at long traffic lights in Summer you would have no A/C. If this is true it is unacceptable, and the vehicle will not have many buyers in this region.

When it is 80 to 100 degrees with 80 to 90% humidity efficient A/C is one of THE most important features on a vehicle.(IMHO)

explorerx4

is there a way this article can be seen online, or can you tell us what publication?

dw438

Basic air conditioning on the Escape Hybrid works in electric mode. MAX air conditioning - yep turned up full blast - engages the gasoline engine.

The article you referenced is 1/2 right. Electric only on the Hybrid will not keep your hair uncurled in traditional Southern humidity.

cdold

"I read a review that said the Escape Hybrid's A/C did not work if the vehicle was not moving."

 

The A/C doesn't work fully if the engine is not running, which might happen at various speeds.

 

If you are hot, the answer is to not let the engine shut off. Either set the A/C to "max" or "defrost". The engine won't shut down, and the A/C will be working.

 

This would only be a problem when you are standing still, because otherwise the engine is running enough of the time that it's going to remain cool.

raptorhaven

We just bought a 2007 Escape Hybrid and wondered what was going on with the A/C. Any time that vehicle is operating off the battery it blows warm/hot air. We're in Virginia near Washington DC. If I had known that ahead of time, we probably wouldn't have gone this route. The A/C is fantastic when you're burning gas. But, of course, that topic just never comes up when you are car buying. We didn't do our research.

bigsweeps

You have to set it to MAX A/C to keep it on at all times (which will drastically reduce your fuel economy because then it keeps the ICE engine running all the time.) I found that to be very annoying in the summer when days were 95+ degrees.

mschmal

The Escape Hybrid does not have an Electric A/C compressor. Accordingly, the A/C can only work when the gas engine is running.

There are three "red zone" settings on the climate controll dial

Climate Controls
• Operating the climate controls in the Max A/C, Defrost or
Defrost/Floor modes will run the gasoline engine
continuously, thereby reducing fuel economy
• These modes are distinguished in orange color on the
climate control dial
• The Message Center will display
“Reduced Economy” A/C Mode
to indicate that the engine is
running in these modes
• Selecting the A/C and A/C
Recirculation modes will operate
the A/C compressor only when
the gasoline engine is running, so the air may not feel as
cold when driving in electric-only mode

Mark

smitty150

I have searched and don't think my issue is with the lengthy "junction box" thread.

My FEH locks its darn doors at times in ways which seem random. Yes, I can always hit the remote and get in, but I am talking about the times I park, get out, shut the driver's door, and try to open the left rear. It is LOCKED.

Steam begins issuing from my ears.

I have run the routine in the OM about re-setting some lock program or another, but I always wind up
4th down and 20.

Can anyone help?

I want all doors to remain open until I lock them with the remote or the inside rocker switch.

Thanks

mschmal

Nots sure how you can turn it off ifyou can..check the OM or call your dealer.

funky_b

My 2008 HEH door locks are possessed. Period. With about 8,000 miles on the odometer of my fully loaded 2x4, and no interaction with the key fob, the doors (all) lock when you open the door when you’re getting out of the vehicle (!). This all started at about 5800 miles. They sometimes lock or unlock when I’m driving down the freeway (!). The dealer has looked at it and they have determined it’s NOT the key fob transmitters as these can be across their dealership and the doors will still lock by themselves when you just open the driver’s door. They can’t believe it, even though they’re standing right there. It happens about 85% of the time. Sometimes, you park the car, take the key out, open the door, and the alarm goes off. Nice.

I asked them to completely disable the security system because I feel it’s just a matter of time before I can’t get into the car or are stranded in some desolate desert environ. They say they can’t because when they talked with the Ford engineers in Detroit about this (August 24, 2007), no one can come up with an answer as to why this is happening or what to do about it. They can’t even isolate this problem to the security system, which is why they won’t disable it. (Not even sure they can…) At least for the time being, the key fob still gets me into the car.

Oh, and the alarms goes off at the slightest movement when the car is parked. So you constantly have to reset the little red light/button under the steering column. Annoying.

Before I sold my 2005 diesel Super Duty and bought this money-saver, I noticed that the Ford website, on the “build your vehicle” site, did not offer a security system. The printed brochure that the dealer gave me when I purchased my FEH showed that no security system available. Gas motor versions showed “available” in both places. Then they hand me the 2008 FEH $100 key fob with the buttons on it, and the window sticker shows a security system installed. This is just truly curious to me.

We’ve owned some 18 Fords is a row now and have purchased my last 10 Fords in the last 10 years from the same dealer, same salesman (yeah, he loves me). Is there a diesel VW Passat Wagon in my future? Ford, you tell me.

(FYI – here in the Phoenix area, on my 28-mile commute which is 2/3 freeway, I can get about 32 mpg when temperatures are 100 degrees or below, but you really have to pay attention to your driving technique. Above that, I use the gas motor at stoplights a lot and get 28-29. If global warming continues, I’m expecting 26-28 mpg in the hot part of the summer time.)

Any ideas? I may just wait to get my $3,000 federal tax rebate and then sell it if it cannot be fixed. You just cannot be stranded in Arizona when your dash temperature gauge reads 117 degrees. I’d bet that this is going to happen eventually. And that 117 temperature has been displayed a lot lately, regardless of what the “official” temperature is on the radio. I won’t let my wife drive the FEH because of this problem.

(She’s still driving her 500, which Ford never supported with advertising. We're losing our buns on the value of that Limited 500. Thanks Ford. And do not tell me that the Taurus is “all new”. Please … a grill and some new badges and a motor that really doesn't feel any different and probably gets worse mileage. This is “all new”? ... But this is a different rant altogether.)

mschmal

You have an after market security system?

What redlight/button are you resetting? No Factory alarm system has a reset button. Also the Factory system on the Escape DOES NOT have a shock sensor. The only time it should go off is if someone tries to hotwire the car...and then it shouldn't beep the horn, it should just disable the engine

IF you have an aftermarket system then it was probably installed wrong.

Mark

smitty150

My only security problem continues to be the d**n door
locks. They lock up as soon as I close the doors.

The Owner's Manual has an elaborate routine one can go through to do something to the door locks that may resolve the problem. However, it not only involves hitting several very complicated combinations in a set time, it doesn't do the job.

Either I need Van Cliburn to try it or I am doomed to a life of yanking at doors in parking lots and yelling (and I do), "I HATE this car!"

Actually, I love the car but this door thing iks a real drag.

BTW, has everyone gotten their recall notice on the spontaneous shutdown problem? My dealership knew zip about it.

mschmal

Letter hit on August 22.

It concerns a possible false diagnostic trouble code. Please call your dealer with your VIN handy and request a service date for Customer Satisfaction Program 07B48.

If the service advisor claims ignorance, ask for the service manager.

Not sure if this applies to all hybrids or just certin specific VINs.

MARK

funky_b

Wow. 13,000 miles on my FEH with the possessed door locks, in for my 4th dealer visit and would have triggered the AZ Lemon Law :lemon: the very next morning and the dealer's technician finally thought to inspect inside the driver's door. Broken wire. With my report to them the very first time that I took the vehicle into the dealer that the door lock toggle switch on the driver's sometimes would not operate anything, you'd think they'd have looked there first!

So my FEH now has all new computer modules, new key fobs, and countless removals of the dashboard and center console, not including that they ripped the security system out of the car (FORD says that NO FEH should have any security system installed. Thanks Mr. Selling Dealer for installing that without asking and making me pay for it!). I have a car that runs great (34-35 mpg in the desert winter here) and has had way too many hands on it for my taste. And a tan leather interior with grease prints all over it that they can't seem to get out.

At this point, I'll just drive the wheels off this thing and see what that new diesel Jetta looks like when it arrives in a few months. This was exasperating, took tons of my time, and left me with a vehicle that I have to learn to trust again. This is all way too bad for Ford. They really needed to get better product information in the dealers hands earlier and check on the unscrupulous dealings of some of their sales staff. I will have a hard time keeping my wife in a Ford in the near future when she rolls out of her 500. All she talks about is getting back into Toyotas due to her past experience with them.

P.S. Everyone was correct. The security system was an after-market NON-Ford product that the selling dealer swears was a Ford system that was meant for the car. There is officially NO security system on the FEH and none is allowed to be installed. Ford should have no trouble determining which dealer sold me my FEH and which will NEVER see my face again. And I've told all of my friends about their shady dealings (had to have my purchase contract changed after they added a few thousand dollars to the deal without my knowledge!). I had my old (different) dealer perform all of the maintenance and finally find my problem broken wire.

mschmal

I use to work at a dealer who did the kind of things to people that you mentioned. With a place that treats their customers bad, you can imagine what they treat their employees like.

I now work at a dealer that continues to astonish me with the lengths they go to keep people happy.

IMHO, where you buy a car is as important if not more important than what you buy. Over all, Ford dealers do better in customer satisfaction than Toyota dealers who have some of the worse reputations in the industry.

Ask around, find a good dealer, and stick with them.

Mark.

pje123

I have a 2006 ford escape hybrid and the bars within the back seats seats are rusty. (I can see them when I fold down the rear seats.) The bolts connecting the front seats to the floor are also rusty.

I live in San Francisco so I am not dealing with snow or salt, and I am not parking the car in the ocean or doing anything out of the ordinary.

Has anyone else experienced this issue?

papalima

I haven't got my FEH yet, but I've seen that in other cars. It's kind of normal- metal that's got iron in it rusts. Yes, it kind of stinks, because it means they didn't use something that wouldn't rust, but a little rust alone doesn't mean you should worry.

Rust comes from having just about ANY water vapor around. What I'd say you should check for is to see if there's any *unusual* amount of water in the car on a regular basis after you drive in the wet. Feel the floor carpeting and see if there's a noticable damp area or something; you might have a drain that's clogged and somehow getting into the car, or a seal that's not sealing.

But... odds are it's just plain normal water vapor in the air, when you get in with your shoes wet, whatever. The rust is dirty and such but it's not a sign that the car is going to fall apart or anything!

helo_driver

My wife has the 2008 FEH. The Air Conditioner (intermittently) seems to go into "econ" mode –no cold air at all and the compressor is not running even when the gas engine is running and the A/C switch is selected and showing “on”. The local dealer is telling us it's a fleet wide problem. We’ve been to the dealer three times and still no solution. Help or I'm going to have to go after them down the lemon law route....and I love the car but we need the A/C in So Cal in the summer with small kids

stevedebi

" Help or I'm going to have to go after them down the lemon law route....and I love the car but we need the A/C in So Cal in the summer with small kids "

Not much help here, but I've had my 2008 FEH in SoCal for a year now, the A/C has never stopped except when I wanted it to do so.

lisap3

I bought a used 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid. The second day, I was putting in new floor mats and noticed that the undersides of both front seats are totally rusty! What would cause this rust? The carpet seems slightly damp.

escape6

I own a 2006 FEH that came from SO California as a salvaged vehicle., I noticed the rust on the seat rails and bolts when I bought my car in San Diego in 2007. I was out looking at a 2009 on a dealer lot in Edmonton. New car made in Kansas City, same rust problem in similar areas, on a factory new car in a relatively dry climate Alberta. Ford must be getting it seats built by Toyota. Haven't yet had a chance to check out a 2010. Their lowball offer of 4500 for my 2006 FEH fwd which I just spent over 10 grand getting back on the road caused me to go check out the local Honda dealers instead.

escape06

didmi

On our 2006 Escape Hybrid, we noted a leak near the left, rear wheel from what appeared to be a coolant line. After 2 visits to a dealership, they said it was the auxillary a/c lines leaking for the battery cooling. The lines were corroded through and the vehicle has 36k miles! The service manager said this could be an overheating problem and could cause a fire! But this is not covered by warranty and the cost would be $1000 to $1500! What is Ford's backup to the a/c lines if they leak and don't cool the battery? Why wouldn't Ford cover this item and protect the consumers from the potential safety issue?

stevedebi

"On our 2006 Escape Hybrid, we noted a leak near the left, rear wheel from what appeared to be a coolant line. After 2 visits to a dealership, they said it was the auxiliary a/c lines leaking for the battery cooling. The lines were corroded through and the vehicle has 36k miles! The service manager said this could be an overheating problem and could cause a fire! But this is not covered by warranty and the cost would be $1000 to $1500! What is Ford's backup to the a/c lines if they leak and don't cool the battery? Why wouldn't Ford cover this item and protect the consumers from the potential safety issue? "

I think that if the battery overheats the vehicle will simply stop - before it catches fire or something like that.

I've often wondered how Ford and other hybrid makers could get by with saying that the Aux A/C was not required for the hybrid system to work. Hybrid components are covered for either 8 yrs / 100K or 10 yrs / 150K, depending on the state. It seems to me that if the hybrid components won't work without the aux A/C, Ford should be fixing this stuff under warranty.

I've also wondered about the wisdom of Ford routing those aux A/C pipes outside the vehicle chassis. I had assumed they were aluminum and would not corrode. Did they corrode outside the vehicle?

didmi

I didn't see the corrosion myself, but I saw the leak area and it was outside the vehicle.

I've sent an email to Ford asking about this situation, but don't have feedback yet.
I'm also going to contact another Ford dealership in the area that will probably be more helpful than the dealerships in Dearborn (Ford's hometown).