2009 Ford Escape

antoninb

I haven't noticed this with my 2009 and I use the sunroof whenever permissable, but I suppose it would depend on how you determine that a buildup of air pressure is occuring. One solution would be to buy the deflector for the front of the sunroof opening. Having said that, if there is additional air coming into the vehicle via the open sunroof, then that additional air has to have some place to go. Opening a window a bit would seem to make sense.

explorerx4

ok, i will play nice.
open the right rear window a bit.

dontshop

I Own a 2009 Escape. Great truck but if you live near Chicago don'r buy from HAWK FORD in Oak Lawn. They will Cheat and steal your money after the purchase.

aloha2006

According to Edmunds, the braking distance of Escape is quite poor compared to its rivals. Any experience and comments? This is one main reason stops me from buying it so far. Thanks.

bdyment

I was somewhat concerned when Ford went to rear drum brakes on the 2008 Escapes. I had four wheel disc brakes on our 07, however after test driving the 2009 V6 with rear drums we purchased the vehicle. The brakes are very good--smooth, nice pedal pressure and the stopping distances seem every bit as good as our 07, if not better.

stever

You may want to visit Dealer Ratings and Reviews too.

Kirstie_H

If you own a 2006 – 2010 Ford Escape or Escape Hybrid and live in the Los Angeles area, please contact ctalati@edmunds.com by August 12 if you’re interested in being contacted for more information on your vehicle ownership experience.

aloha2006

bdyment: thanks for your comments. You meant Ford had disc brakes in 07 and then went back to drums in 08 and 09. I was concerned about the braking distance compared to its competitors like RV4, CRV or Rogue. I had a 1999 4Runner before and found the brakes are not as good as German autos. I know it's not a fair comparison. I'm thinking to get the Escape as my next car.

explorerx4

the distances you see are not all under the same conditions and are extreme tests.
our 04 escape has rear drums and the only problem we have had is getting hit from behind(twice).
we also have an 09 which has rear drums and it stops just fine.
rear drum brakes are known to last a long time.
80% of braking is done by the front brakes.

chuckfromli

Probably looking at a new car purchase in about 6 weeks. My last new car is my wifes, a 2004 Toyota Sienna. I am giving my 2000 Nissan pathfinder to my son. I love the Pathfinder-Bose, leather, heated seats, sunroof. I would love a new 4Runner, but I want leather, sunroof, upgraded sound system again and don't want to pay over 28K before TTL. I am thinking of a Honda CRV EX-L, a Toyota Rav4, or an Escape/Mariner/Tribute. The last new Ford I had was a '93 Aerostar, back when "quality was job 1" and the water pump failed at about 37K, a thousand out of waranty, followed quickly by the a/c condenser or compressor at around 38K. The dealer did make good on the a/c repair and I paid only a small deductble.

Anyway, I was wondering if any other buyers here looked at the Rav4 or CRV and how they thought all these SUVs stacked up in terms of comfort and reliability.

bdyment

I don't see how you can go wrong with the Escape. We have had two--2007 and 2009. Great vehicles. Lots of features and so far very reliable. Our friends have a 2004 with high mileage and no repairs other than normal service.

vg33e power

...plus if you are questioning the "Ford" brand, dont do it with the Escape. Everything but sheet metal is all Mazda, so you are still buying Japanese so to speak.

explorerx4

as i have said before, the 09 has all the things we like about the 04, but everything is better.htey both have the v6, but the new one gets much better fuel mileage and is much quieter.

chuckfromli

I was under the impression that Ford built the Escape and Mazda just sold a rebadged version as the Tribute. Am I wrong? I think it's assembled in the U.S. and uses Ford engines.

vg33e power

The Ford Escape platform is sold globally and they are US built Escapes as well as Japanese ones, althought they may or may not share the name. We do not get the Japanese built Escapes because of cost efficiency. Mazda Tributes are built here in Japan and we get those here in the states...why the difference I do not know. What I do know is that at least the 3.0L, 2.3L and now 2.5L that Ford and Mazda share are built between Ford's and Mazda's parts bin. So in reality you would be getting a hybrid Japanese/American vehicle if you bought either an Escape or a Tribute.

PS...just as an observation, my brother owns a 2007 Focus ST with the 2.3L DOHC and I own a 2006 Mazda5 also with the 2.3L DOHC my valve cover is identical to my brothers but mine has a molded circle in which it houses a Mazda logo and my brother's has the molded circle but without the Mazda logo.

Anyone can correct me if I am wrong.

pandaz3

I bought mine under the Clunkers program. My '98 Ranger had 113,815 miles and the the Air conditioner had given up, but otherwise got me to work rain or shine. I really wanted to buy a new Ranger, but the program did not allow for that. The dealer was very proud of his four cylinders. (I did overhear several "Dealer Trade" calls all looking for 4 Cyl Escapes and Fusions, one Focus). I still got a deal acceptable to me.

Mine has the 17" wheels and so the ride height is similar to my old Ranger, my wife likes that!

I got the FWD, XLT with leather, it does not have sync. It did have both the regular carpeted floor mats and the much heavier rubber all weather ones. I really prefer the rubber all weather ones, worth the $75 extra they cost.

I don't expect the rear seat to be used very often and I have removed the headrests for better visibility in the inside rearview mirror.

The light Sage green doesn't remind me of sagebrush all that much, but the wife really likes it.

explorerx4

one way the mazda 2.3 differed from the ford 2.3 is the mazda version has vvt.
the 2.5's may be completely the same.
also the mazda 3.0 had different turning than the ford 3.0, so 95% the same.

antoninb

Hi everyone,

I've had a new 2009 Escape for a few months. In most respects, a great SUV (my previous vehicle was a 2008 Escape). I'm finding though that occasionally, when I look to accelerate, and therefore hit the gas, the revs clearly go up on the tach, but the transmission stalls for about 5 seconds before kicking in. By then, I've generally taken my foot off the gas, and have waited for the transmission to find a gear that it's comfortable with. I vaguely recall others in these forums reporting similar problems, and am eager to hear of their outcomes. I've booked an appointment with the selling dealer on Tuesday to have this checked out. Thanks!

cruisin66

I mentioned this in another forum, but felt it was worth repeating... If you own a Ford Escape (or any Ford car), you should enroll in the Ford Owners (http://www.fordowner.com) website. Its everything online, and allows you to keep track of your cars’ complete maintenance records, calendar/mileage of recommended maintenance, and tons of coupons to use when you have your car checked at a Ford dealer.