Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Care and Maintenance

Karen_S

Talk about your Escape/Tribute maintenance routine here.

jeffescapes

If I change the tranny fluid with a mechanic friend, does that effect the warranty? Do I need to have the dealer change it for $130.00?

snowman

As long as you have an invoice/receipt, should not be a problem.

richcub2002

Bought 02 LX used a few months ago. While it was in for the recall work, I had the dealership do a "winterizing" workup on it. I try to do most of the basic work myself, including changing out the broken fog lamp. Getting the oil changed every 3K has definitely helped keep the gas mileage above 23 MPG. I strongly recommend replacing the fuel filter yourself (dealership charged me $75) considering it's so easy to get to and doesn't require a special A/C clip to remove one side of the filter (I had a Windstar prior to the Tribby).

Though the oil cap says to use 5W/20 weight oil, has anyone determined whether a heavier weight oil being better for this engine? Also, there's been an ongoing "arguement" regarding the different grades of ATF and I am wondering which is better?

chris_notsis

Hi. Use the oil recommended by the manufacturer (maybe not the brand, but the SAE rating for the particular conditions). 'Heavier' oil will affect a range of things: consumption, friction ratings, loads on bearings and journals, heat conductivity (which affects eng. temp relative to the 'light-off' state of the catalytic converter and therefore fuel consumption). 'Light' oil such as 5W20 is ideal for alloy engines such as the Duratec 3.0 in the Trib. It is also ok to use semi-synthetic and synthetic oil (Mobil 1) which remain very stable, chemically, over a longer period and over broad temp ranges.

ATF: use ONLY the type specified by Mazda. In fact, with most OEM transmissions, use of a non-specified ATF could damage the unit. Note that OEMs engineer the high-tolerance internals of these complex trannies by factoring in specific characteristics of ATF which is often 'created' for this application. Other OEMs would do the same, making it economically viable to make it available for a broad range of transmissions. In the case of a single application of an ATF, to use any other type would cause failure of the tranny. For example, in Australia, Mitsubishi specified ATF - 2 - M for one range of car. Normal ATF2 led to burning of the internals. Type M prevented this, but because of its specific use, Type M was considerably more expensive.

Hope this helps.

(btw: I am an automotive engineer and mechanic).

darak

I have 49,000 (mostly highway miles). We do routine maintenance on our own. Would like to change spark plugs but wondering how hard it is going to be to get to them? Is this something we could do ourselves fairly easily or are we going to have to pay dealer because the spark plugs are too hard to get to?

escapenut

Oddly enough, I (with help from a machanic friend) changed out my plugs at 50K
miles. I did not believe the hype-promise that the plugs will truly go 100K miles,
per factory specs., so I changed them out with identical Motorcraft plugs. The
three (3) plugs underneath the fake intake cover on the front-side are no problem.
You just need a 10" extender on the ratchet with the proper spark-plug socket and
you have it done in under 30 minutes. The rear-plugs are at the backside near the
firewall and under the intake-manifold and require some up-top dissembly that only my mechanic friend could re-trace. You will need the change the intake manifold gaskets (pkg./kit~$10) after you remove both manifolds. It's a bit more labor-intensive for the back-three (3), but we still got it done in under 1 1/2 hours total time. If you are handy and are not afraid to tackle it, you may be able to do it just fine.

jvm

I just got a 2003 Ford Escape. I need to find the correct tool to remove the filter. Can you give me a part number and/or location to buy this???? Thanks.

lmartin

I had an oil change and some rear brake work done and the guy asked me did I have a timing belt because I had 70K miles on the car - he said if I did it was time to get it changed. How do I know if I do - I looked in my book and I didn't see a mention of one - so should I assume I don't?

escapenut

Your Tribute should have a timing chain for the V6 model. If it's the four-banger then I'm not sure. Call a Mazda dealer's service dept. and just ask a service
advisor, they should tell you.

escapenut

For what it's worth, pursuant to my post about replacing the alternator, some further issue arose. Namely when the alternator is replaced on top of everything I
mentioned, the inner/outer CV joint or half-shafts have to be removed. Either upon
removal or insertion the inner-joint boot tore. The shop says thye did not notice it, because there was no initial indication it was torn. The next day I started to hear
grumbling (muffled marbles-sound) coming from the right front-end upon acceleration. ?The noise would go away or at least I couldn't hear it at speed.
I looked underneath the fron-end and notice a pile of grease on a support member.
I couldn't tell where it was broken, but I took it back into the shop. They admitted
that they hadn't noticed anything unusal, but also admitted that thay were the ones that took out the half-shafts and reinstalled the after the replacement alternator was installed. The shop owner took complete responsibility and sent the complete shaft assembly out to rebuild it. I came back that afternoon and the
rebuilt shaft was installed and car ready. So far so good. I am glad that the shop owner had the integrity to do what was right.
Be forewarned, that if your alternator is replaced on V6 models then the same sequence of removal and installation will be done. Make sure that the shop does it right.

jillh

:sick: My 2001 V6 with 23000 miles on it died in traffic yesterday. Turns out I needed new alternator. I was charged over $500 for just the PART! Is there a difference between new and refurbished alternators? Is there a reason alternators go bad? Thanks.

escapenut

I was told by a mechanic friend that the location of the alternator, in his opinion, was a major contributing factor (located lower-side of engine, passenger-side).
Close to the catalytic convertor and a lot of engine heat. This is his opinion, and
may or not be a contributing factor. GM alternators fail quite regularly and they're
located at the top of most of their engines. It sounds as if you were charged for a brand new alternator, which would account for the high price you quoted. My refurbished one (cleaned-up casing, but totally rebuilt innards) cost me $242.00, exactly what ALLDATA said it would, which I subscribe to. The labor was exactly right at $152.00 too as ALLDATA quoted as well. If you were charged that much for a re-built alternator then you were charged too much in my opinion. Your '01 only has 23K miles ? That seems to be low mileage for that year model Escape.
My milkes total 72.8K presently or roughly 18.2K per year. If it's the original alternator then I can understand that the time-frame seems to be right in-line
for getting one replaced or about 4 yrs.

ramzey28

Does anyone find that ventvisors cut down wind noise on this vehicle or add to the wind noise. I know this is not the true purpose of them but was hoping it would off set some noise. Please give honest opinion if its worth it. The tribute is not a bad noise level just sometimes noticeable.

atman

There's an 01 Escape for sale that we really like. It has around 120k miles on it!!! Which is enough to scare me away, however they said that quite a few of the miles came from pulling it behind their Winnebago.

Sooooo

If a vehicle is pulled rather than driven is there a difference? Should that even matter to me? I've heard some bad stories about ruining the transmissions and such because of the car being pulled.

The Escape has the V6, leather, moonroof, and all the goodies which is the big lure for us, they are asking $8900 for it which doesn't seem too bad...it's really beautiful without any flaws.

Thanks for any comments/suggestions.
Dave

basmati

Hello all,

In April, I purchased a new 2005 Ford Escape XLT V-6. My concern is the creaking sounds from what seems like the entire chassis/frame when driving at low speeds. To describe what it sounds like is fairly easy...stacked styrofoam egg cartons being squeezed together and released. I thought maybe it had to go through a settling in process. But, this a new car, there shouldn't have to be any settling in process...Bummers. Its new too.">

Currently my truck has 1600 miles on it and there are no other problems except for the creaking sounds. I suspect the problem maybe a body to frame seal or something like that. If it is something like that....thats major. How should I ask the dealership to fix the problem? Has anyone else had a problem like this? Thanks for your input...Aloha's

snowman

You can apply slicone spray to rubber material (door and windows seal-weather stripping-body frame seal) along with B pillar.
Under very hot conditions, rubber expands and creates creaking sound by touching clean metal sufrace inside of the door frame where rubber touches door. You can spray WD40 too, but slicone is better and more protective.

basmati

Aloha!

Thanks Snowman for the helpful tip. I'll give it a whirl and see what happens. Much mahalo's for the kokua! Basmati....

rcinmd

My 05 Tribute was quiet for months, then quickly developed what sounded like body flex creaks as well. Not only did I spray the weatherstripping with silicone spray, but I also had noted suspension noises / graunches. I liberally sprayed all suspension joints with both silicone and a lubricant similar to WD40. The noises for now are all but gone, but if those applications did the trick, then I am sure they will return from time to time. It is always good practice to lubricate CV joint boots with silicone as a matter of course, and while doing so, you might as well hit all moving parts on the underside.

snowman

As far as I know, there is no end user servicable part under the chasis. Everyhting is packed, including balljoints. But spraying silicone to CV boots helpful to extend the life of the rubber boots. Other than that there is no effect.

As I said before this is due to nature of the rubber they used for weather stripping, the creaks occur under hot weather. I think, regardless of the issue, it might be good practice to rub moldings with silicone, it extends life of the rubber.

escapenut

FWIW: Too much money for a vehicle with that many miles even if it's being towed.
Get a reputable mechanic to check everything out, especially the transmission and all connected hardware. Should cost you between $75.00 - $150.00 to get this done and it'd be cheap insurance.

s5805

I have a brake squeal in my Escape that has been a problem since I bought it new. However, now it never, ever goes off. It just continuously squeals and is driving me crazy. The dealership says it is a vaccuum leak but they couldn't find it to fix it. They said they couldn't hear the squeal. So I had the service manager drive with me and the squeal nearly drove him nuts. I asked him how they could claim they could NOT hear it. He said he didn't know. Somehow I think they don't want to deal with this problem. Can someone help?

cruise1

Hi:
I am new to this connection. I read your problem about a squeal that drives you nuts. Maybe this will help!

Usually when you have a squealing of the brakes you have a sound coming from the warning tabs that are attached to the front disc brake pads. They are telling you that the brake lining is ready to turn into metal and ruin your rotor. Sometimes you might have a warped rotor that is causing a in and out feeling as you depress the brake pedal. If the noise is coming from the back of the car it could be that a spring came off and released the brake shoe assembly.

I just bought a 2002 Tribute with a v6 engine. I decided to see what kinds of experience people are having with their Tribute.

See ya,

momonsantafe

I have a 2002 Tribute. I have had front brake issues since 10,000 miles. They squealed so the dealership turned the rotors. At 25,000 miles they squealed again, and after much determination on my part, the dealership totally replaced the brakes. Now at 45,000, the brakes squealed again so I took it to my local mechanic. He said that the pads were fine but the rotors were shot. The dealership from which I bought the vehicle said it is "normal" for rotors to need to be replaced every 20 - 30,000 on SUV's. Is this really normal?

brutus5

I am proud of you escapenut. I just had the plugs and coil packs replaced at the dealer for $820.

rib

anybody have experience with a low whine noise coming from the auto transmission (66,000 miles)?

piotrn

I have a question. Is it not necessary to replace the filter in transmission while transmission fluid change every 30k miles?
regards and thank you peter

mbd57

Has anyone had any paint issues on their Tribute?
I have a 2003 ES w/ 58,000 miles on it. The roof paint is starting to peel dead center in front of roof rack area ( right where the sunroof would be if I had one.

scape2

Many people forget the transmission and feel it is a "sealed" unit and will never need to be touched. This is wrong. There are moving parts in your transmission just like your engine. Granted it is "more sealed" than your engine. However dirt does find its way in. I highly recommend you change your transmision fluid at least every 25K-30K. This is much less expensive than having your transmission re-built or replaced. Just a bit of insurance.

cruise1

Is anyone having exhaust smell coming from heater vents in their Mazda Tribute? I have a 2002 model and this smell is driving me crazy. :P

77olds

I also have a 2003 Tribute with paint problems. I purchased my car,new, in April 2003. It now has approx. 75,000 miles. About a month ago I noticed 2 bare spots, between nickle & quarter size, on the roof just above the windshield. The Service Rep. at the dealers' body shop said that it is a paint defect. He also found a couple of smaller spots back near the roof rack. A Mazda rep. inspected the car last week. I'm still waiting to hear back from them. I have also learned that Mazda only puts a single coat of paint on the roof. No clear coat.

katz07

After reading some of the postings guess I'm one of the luck ones or unlucky ones. I purchased my 2003 Mazda Tribute new about 2 1/2 years ago. I liked how it drove handled in snow and on ice. Except for a few minor problems like too noisy(highway & gravel)and lots of dust coming in will driving on gravel roads I've had no major problems. I have had one recall which took about 5 months to have fixed kept telling me they didn't have the part.
This was getting close to the time my warrenty was up, they looked at my service book told me everything looked fine. No mention that I should have the transmisson flushed before warrenty was off.
Shortly after warrenty was off the transmisson went, now I have to pay $5000. to have transmisson rebilt. Called dealer to express how unhappy I was about this, didn't seem to care and told us if the transmisson had been flushed probably wouldn't be having this trouble and it wasn't their problem because I hadn't bought extended warrenty. Sounded to me like even if I'd bought the extended warrenty the transmisson wouldn't of been covered because my Tribute wasn't in shop for $48,000 mile service call. This is the first and last time I buy something other than a GM or Dodge. Drove them until they had over 300- 400 thousand with no problems. No Ford for me, Mazda's to closely related :lemon::mad:

himanshusoni

Hello

I went to a mom&pop service shop that was offering free brake inspections and was advised that my front brake pads need to be changed. I have about 35k miles on it and have not noticed any audible signs of problem with my brakes.

I was also told that Mazda tribute is equipped with BMW styled brakes and the front brake pads cannot be changed without changing the rotors.

Could anyone please advise if the fact about rotors is true and what signs should one look for before deciding to replace brakes if the brakes seem to function just fine?

explorerx4

i would be concerned if you have any shaking when applying the brakes. if not, i doubt the rotors need to be replaced.
i would not get my brakes serviced there.

katz07

:lemon: Have my rebuilt transmission still not very happy.
Was given one year or 20,000 km warrenty on it. That's not much for having paid out $5000. They told me not to worry it would more than likely last longer since they put all the updates on it. Didn't really understand what they all were for, but if there has to be updates made on Mazda transmissions maybe mazda should be letting their customers know. :P

73deacon

I recently found two spots just over the top of the windshield which are now about 5 inches long and two inches wide where the paint is peeling off down to the metal. I also found two spots at the lower corners of the back window. My 2003 Escape has @72,000 miles but is in great condition otherwise. I am waiting for the Ford rep to check it (this week, I hope). The service manager was doubtful that Ford would pay to have it repainted because it is so far out of warranty. Has anyone else had a similar problem? Any help from Ford/Mazda in getting it repainted?

utahescape

I just waxed my 2003 Escape which has Black paint. I was amazed how many blemishes and places where the paint appears to have fallen off. I have never seen a 3 year old car with this type of paint failure. I see by the other messages that Ford may have an issue.

I would never by another black car. It looks bad 2 days after a wash.

But I am disappointed with Fords fit and finish. I have so many squeaks and rattles in the car it's more like a 20 year old car.

Next time I will go with a Toyota 4runner.

:mad:

explorerx4

black(looking dirty soon after washing)has been that way since the model t.
our '04 has some chips in the hood and the spats in front of the rear wheels have the paint worn off. other than that, it looks new. it's kept in a garage.

tagger2

My daughter's 2003 Escape is White. It has a patch of paint the size of a sunroof that is peeling off of the primer on top of the car in front of the luggage rack. She only has 30K miles on it. From looking at the many posts here, I don't think that color is the problem, just poor quality at the factory.. but what else is new? I agree with utahescape... next time I will buy a toyota. Made in USA.. just doesn't mean the same as it use to.
Can't wait to hear the run around I get from Ford.. It took us forever for them to have the transmission replaced when it failed only after 22K miles.

vbarraz

117,000 miles on a Escape 2001 V6 model. Still has original plugs. Still get same gas mileage (21 combo city/highway miles) as the day I bought it. Engine still running smoothly. So why change plugs if things are running smoothly?

scape2

I guess your not up on Toyota quality issues...??

scape2

Wow@!! no issues at that... Keep spreading the word... I no longer have an Escape but it was a great vehicle. Traded for a Fusion SEL V6.. At trade my 01 Escape XLT v6 4WD had about 75,000 trouble free miles..

odie6l

75k..that all.

Odie
Odie's Carspace

jastump

As a matter of fact.... I have exactly the same problem with my paint....in exactly the same areas. I have a 2003 Ford Escape and when I first reported the paint problems to the dealership, it had about 70,000 miles on it. I was told by the dealership (Pearce Ford Motors in Kentucky)that there was nothing that they could do because it had too many miles on it. I'm not happy with Ford's lack of concern and I will be taking further action. It would be nice to have the paint last longer than the payments!

debbiew2

I have a large spot at the bottom of my back window also. Last year I had it at the windshield, the dealership covered it eventhough it was out of warranty. This year they will not. I'm trying to find out how I can locate the Ford rep in my area. To me mileage doesn't have anything to do with the paint. If anyone knows how to contact a Ford rep in the Northern Virginia area, please let me know

csos1

I have a 2003 ford escape with 50,000 miles. The front hood has bubbles on it and the paint chips off from them. I have 3 of them at this time.. Does anyone know of any recourse?
I've owned 20 year old cars that have never had such obvious paint defects or problems!

csos1

I also have paint problems. I have 3 bubbles on the front hood of my car that peeled and exposed the metal.. Has anyone found out if ford will repair?

csos1

I don't have a tribute but I do have a 2003 escape and I'm having paint problems. The front hood has bubbled the size of a quarter and the paint peels right off!! Probably the same paint was used for both cars

Karen_S

A local television station is looking to interview consumers who own a Ford Escape who might have corrosion issues in the interior of the vehicle. The current customer is saying that there is corrosion underneath the dash (near the glove box). Please send an e-mail to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Friday, November 10, 2006 by 2:00 PM PST/5:00 EST containing your daytime contact information.

fordtough3

I have a 2003 Ford escape with 54,000 miles that has paint peeling in two locations "top of cab near windshield and back hatch near corner of glass. Ford customer service offered to pay half of the Ford dealer $850.00 repair quote. Has anyone had more success in getting the repair paid in full when their lame 36,000 mile "paint" warranty has already expired?

genome1

I purchased a new 2 wheel drive 2005 Tribute 9 months ago. It now has about 14,000 km. An intermittent problem began 2 weeks ago. During braking to a stop (city driving, no ice or rough pavement), there is sudden resistance of the brake pedal combined with the sound of some sort of pump or fan motor from the rear of the car PLUS a distinct acceleration forward; ie it feels as if the car is being pushed forward. Further pressure on the brakes does nothing. In order to stop the car from moving forward, I have to release the brake (which causes the car to surge forward) and immediately hit the brake pedal, which is now working properly and stops the car. The feeling of acceleration and the sound of the "pump" stops as soon as I release the brake and then hit it again. Since this has only happened when I'm braking behind a stopped car, I don't have time to check whether the tachometer is racing; I'm too concerned about rear-ending the vehicle ahead. The dealer has driven the car for a week and has not experienced the problem. He says the ABS system is working properly. I have never been in a situation where ABS has activated. My theories: (i) the ABS system is malfunctioning. Rather than shuddering the car to a stop with its intermittent braking, the ABS is seizing up.
(ii) the faulty accelerator cable problem that resulted in a 2004 Tribute recall exists in my 2005.
However, if the engine were revving, I would hear it from the front of the vehicle. The noise I hear that accompanies the acceleration comes from the rear and sounds like some sort of pump motor, not like the engine at all. This is a front wheel drive vehicle, not all wheel drive. I'm not crazy; my adult daughter was in the car with me once when it happened!