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Comments
One Thing does anyone else have this problem of the driverside mirror vibrating?? Figured i would check here before asking dealer! Sometimes dealers are slow on their knowlege.
Tomorrow I am taking my car to the dealer. I am sure that they will say that everything is OK. But, I do not want this car anymore. Safety is priority #1. I don't now how to do it, but I am going to get rid of my Escape
Vibrating MIRROR: An earlier poster with experience at a dealer said that the cause was someone manually forcing the mirror without using the electrical adjustment. It happens too often. The mechanism is damaged and must be replaced.
"One of two things come to mind. It could be a fuel quality issue or base idle concern.
There are always a few drive ability concerns that pop up this time of the year. Winter blend fuel might still be available even though the temp. is warm outside. The engine does not burn the winter blend fuel efficiently, causing a stall.
The other is the base idle setting on the engine. The PCM (power train control module) controls the idle speed through an IAC valve(idle air control). On certain decell conditions , the AC valve is dropping the idle below what the engine can run at. Which is base idle. This would have to be set at the dealer."
Dealer mechanics always try to isolate problems by looking strictly at the electronics; however, problems of this nature such as sudden engine shutdowns can also be indicative to mechanical component failures.
Does it sound like the engine is starving for fuel?
Is the fuel pump operational?
Problems like this are tough to troubleshoot but also consumers should not put up with the dangers of a car that stalls unexpectedly. Imagine if this happens on a busy intersection...
Escape owners should unite and make entries in the NHTSA database as this problem perhaps warrants a closer investigation.
Also in the mean time. become intimate with your State's Lemon Laws...
My passenger side door has the outside door lock on it, just not on the rear hatch. (for an earlier post)
Odie
Quite aggravating, but Mazda probably garners all of an extra $1 profit on each Tribute without headrest holes now.
http://pub59.ezboard.com/bescapecentral
That tells me that the Mazda Tribute (the one sold in the US, anyway) is more of a rebadged Ford Escape than the other way around.
The Escape is no more of a rebadged Tribute than a Ford Ranger is a rebadged Mazda B2000.
According to Edmunds.com's first look at the Tribute:
"For 2001 Mazda enters the sport-utility vehicle market with its first effort, the Tribute. Sure, Mazda previously had the Navajo, but let's face it, that was more Ford than Mazda. With this vehicle Mazda did the lead engineering, and while the Tribute uses major components from the blue oval folks, it is decidedly more Mazda than Ford."
There are more articles that you can check out via the "Additional Resources" box on the left hand column of this page.
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
As I've said, the Tribute is no more a Mazda than the B2000 truck. The Tribute is built alongside the Escape, just like B2000 is built next to the Ranger. Maybe if it didn't have so many problems I'd tend to believe the Tribute was more of a Mazda than a Ford.
Anyone who buys a Tribute thinking they're buying a Mazda, and not a Ford, is deluding themselves. They'll figure out soon enough that they've bought a domestic product with the numerous, repeated visits to their local Mazda dealership's service department for warranty work...
Decided to investigate the Hyundai Santa Fe, Mazda Tribute/Ford Escape V-6, 2002 Ford Explorer, and the Subaru Outback Wagon with 2.5 4 cylinder engine, automatic transmission. These vehicles were selected because of decent reviews, price and value to some extent, capacity, handling, cruising at 65 to 80mph, quality and opinions offered by many on various net sites, and last in importance trailering or towing ability. I currently own a Toyota Avalon and an 18+ year old 4 x 4 3/4 ton pickup rusty which is hardly used but operable.
My wife and I drove each "test" vehicle at least twice in different weather conditions. Here are our biased opinions.
My wife thought the 2002 Ford Explorer had no real styling as compared to the Santa Fe at the other end of the spectrum, for example. The Explorer she thought looks like a box. She thought it lacked power and its mass above 70mph makes the engine work to maintain that speed or a greater speed. We also thought the interior was okay but nothing special and that the coin holder was basically unusable while driving. Fit and finish seemed good; however the vehicle handled like a big lumbering oaf. We decided it was too large for us, got fairly poor gas mileage, lacked styling inside and out and probably would have difficulty getting out of its own way in an emergency handling situation and had Ford "reliability" or lack thereof. Lastly, the Explorer XLT (2001 version in this instance)is a 4WD vehicle not an AWD vehicle and the Subaru Outback Wagon beats ALL in the snow. NO CONTEST. Last winter I test drove the 2001 Outback in an empty mall parking lot which was basically sheet ice and hard packed wet snow. I COULD NOT GET THE OUTBACK TO GO INTO AN UNCONTROLLED SPIN NO MATTER HOW I TRIED TO ABUSE THIS VEHICLE. I MEAN IT! TALK ABOUT GIVING A PERSON CONFIDENCE!
We then drove the 4WD Mazda Tribute V6 and Ford Escape V6. We both were impressed with the power. It is a lively vehicle to say the least. However it is NOT an AWD but a 4WD vehicle and will not perform as well as an Outback in the snow. It emits a fair amount of engine and road noise. As all SUV it does not give us the feeling of safety or confidence in an emergency handing situation with the center of gravity significantly high. Perhaps a great view of the road in a SUV but I don't want to flip if I have to perform an emergency swerve. In additon to the powerplant another strong point is the Tribute's/Escape's 3500 lb. towing capacity compared to the Subaru's 2000 pound capacity. Gas mileage fairly decent, interior straightforward and plain vanilla. The Tribute's/Escape's doors seems to lack any heft and felt rather "tinny" which probably added to the road noise.
The Santa Fe AWD in our view wins the exterior and interior design award. We drove 2 different AWD Santa Fes. We were very impressed. The ride was excellent and was similar to the ride we experience in our Toyota Avalon. The fit and finish were excellent. For an SUV there was a minimum of lateral swaying. The engine could use more power and it supposedly doesn't tow over 1500 pounds in the AWD model. It is VERY WELL EQUIPPED. However, the down side is that there was a noticeable smell similar to something burning when we existed one of the 2 vehicles. The salesperson tried to blow it off but we found similar comments re the Santa Fe on the net. Further we decided against it because of few dealers and limited dealer support, very limited numbers of Santa Fes for the marketplace and in many cases a premium of $1000 added to the MSRP. NO THANK YOU. I AM NOT A FOOL. However, I do believe that Hyundai is a real comer in the global quality marketplace.
All in all, the Subaru Outback looks and feels like a quality vehicle. It rides and handles superbly. The interior is tasteful and appealing, bordering on plush, 2 tone dash with complimentary tan/creme colors and nice tan fabric seats. Fit and finish are excellent thoroughout. The specs are great. The OUTBACK is 14 inches longer (& more stable) than the Tribute/Escape and 10 inches longer than the Santa Fe. The 2002 Ford Explorer is only 2" longer than the Outback, hard to believe. The Outback has 4 wheel disc brakes and the Tribute/Escape do not. Pickup and accleration are certainly decent. The Subaru Outback can cruise better and handle the road better and has a better top end than the other vehicles in this comparison plus it gets far superior gas mileage and is the clear winner in snow/ice conditions. Thus we chose the 2002 Subaru Outback, tried and true 2.5H 4 cylinder engine, auto transmission, All weather package (including heated seats), comfortable rear seats, a nice heavy duty cupped rubber mat for the rear cargo area. I feel I am getting the same vehicle for around $23k that would cost over 30k if I ordered the leather seats and 6 cylinder engine. In my mind, a great vehicle and even better value.
Perhaps this evaluation will help a few folks decide.
Murphy
Have you considered your state's Lemon Law? You have a strong case to argue due to a safety defect. If you win on a Lemon Case or BBB arbitration you might be able to recover almost all expenses connected with the purchase of your Escape minus mileage offset usage. Since you have driven the vehicle for 2000 miles, the manufacturer can charge you back in the ball park of $.20 to $.30 per mile. Still this is better than losing it all on a trade in deal, of course, it is up to you.
Ford sold you a defective product, why should you make their lack of quality control your total loss?
Become intimate with your state's Lemon laws and contact an attorney if you have any doubts. Don't give up the fight, just yet.
Good luck
New to the list here, so please pardon if I duplicate things. Read with interest the several posts by folks having engine problems. Unfortunately you can count me in. Engine dies, usually when going downhill around 35-40 mph, like on rural roads and off-ramps. However, it has also happened at stop lights or signs, just as you go to pull out the engine dies, and has occurred going 65 down the interstate. The vehicle has 11,000 miles and it has happened maybe 15 times. Absolutely no idea when it will happen or forewarning that it is about to happen. One minute you're fine, the next you have no power to anything. Makes for interesting driving and my entire family knows to sue the crap out of Mazda if this vehicle kills me.
At first I was told to change gas dealers. Then, one time the engine light came on and stayed on and they fixed something (they wouldn't give me any service record... it's like pulling teeth from a mule), but it is still stalling.
The dealer has no clue and essentially said so. The Mazda rep has looked at it and also has no clue (so they say). The last conversation I had with them they said, and I quote "We can't help you." So... I called Mazda customer service. Their reply was that I should file under the state Lemon Law.
I've been through that route before with a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee (great SUV, but had to have a complete new set of brake pads/rotors every 3,000 miles). At least in my state, it is better if you have 3 repair attempts (I've had 6 on this vehicle), BUT you can start the process with only one (again under our state laws -- check your own) with only one repair attempt if the problem is bad enough to cause severe danger to you.
Oh yes... one other weird thing about this Trib. Occasionally, upon start up, it won't go into reverse. After going into drive and pulling ahead it will then engage in reverse... or, if it sits with the lever in reverse (but without the tranny actually engaged) it will slip into reverse after 3-5 minutes. Again... the dealer and Mazda have no clue how to fix the problem.
Arbitration paperwork is filed with the state ... just waiting for the hearing and hope I don't have an accident before then.
Murphy
Another vehicle owned by members of my family is the Lincoln LS - Ford has learned as much from Volvo and Jaguar as is has from Mazda.
Maybe these are just the "New Ford"... with a little of the old - hence the recalls...
to murphy, my heart goes out to you (and others with the stalling problem). I can take a defective part or a QC problem here & there, but there is nothing worse than an unreliable/unpredictable car.
Sound system is concert-like. I haven't enjoyed music in a car like this since I was a teenager.
Left for Maine with 900 miles on it, towed a camper for 1300 miles and averaged 18 mpg. I kept having to check to see if the camper was still there. The Tribute handled it without a problem.
Drove 6 hours the first day of the trip with just one gas stop and 9 hours the last day of the trip. This arthritic old body was not tired, and I could walk just fine. I cannot do this in many vehicles on long drives.
I'm proud to own it and I couldn't be happier.
1. Hatch latch and catch
2. Hatch window latch and catch
3. Hatch bumpers
Supposedly, there is also a TSB where some metal is taken off of the latch, but I haven't seen the TSB.
Engine died suddenly with a loss of brake assist and steering assist. This happened just as the vehicle was entering steep downhill with sharp curves.
Many drivers do not know how weak the steering and braking feels without the engine running......
I cannot think about more dangerous situation,resulting in panic and facing possible head on collision etc.
The Mazda dealer did not find anything wrong. Interesting: We did not get the work order copy we were told that it will be mailed to us.
Any comments to share??
Murphy
What things are common about your stalling instances?
How often downhill?
How often uphill?
How much does power steering affect this?
Has anyone noticed RFI towers or Police cars?
Has weather been consistent?
A friend told me that Radio freq. could cause a stall if there's a faulty wire.
Also, I read in the other forum that tapping on the PCM Relay with the back of screwdriver is an indicator... Has anyone noticed this fix anything yet? I tap on mine gently and it sputters- but that only makes sense (it is a relay contact afterall)
I don' t know - I just don't want this to happen to me
Or does the fact that, when the relay is tapped, your engine sputters but does not stall, mean your PCM relay is okay?
Wish I had answers for you, but I hope this helps.
ejp