Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

10seboy · August 2003

Just bought a '03 Tribute LX with Luxury Package, perimeter alarm, rear bumper step plate, cargo tray and cargo net. Sticker was $23,759. I paid $4,500 cash (Out-the-Door) + my 2002 Honda Accord LX with 14K miles. That $4,500 included all taxes and fees. By my calcs [ Invoice of 22,117  addl. Discount of 532 + Taxes of 415 + Fees of 200 = Trade of 15,200  Rebate of 2,500  Cash of 4,500], I paid $532 UNDER invoice (the dealer holdback is only 437!) and got $15,200 in real dollars for my car. I was trying to sell it myself for $16,200, so the $15,200 trade value saved me $962 in sales tax and effectively was worth $16,162. I think I got a good deal. Am I missing something? Did I get a good deal?

scape2 · August 2003

product by Turtle wax called Black Chrome. It comes out black but can be used on all plastics. I have used both the Meguiars and the Turtle Wax products. I would have to say I prefer the Meguiars it give the plastic cladding a like new finish.
One way to make sure you don't get wax on your cladding is to use tape. I have done this a few times and it works great. Does take time to put it on but saves you time in not having to scrub off wax off the cladding.
Also, I highly recommend the 3step Meguiars 3 step also. Takes about 3 hours to do it but makes your paint look great!

redpr5 · August 2003

Over the past few weeks, our 02 Tribute started a small shutter or lurch when going into overdrive. As time went on the shutter became stronger and it did it when it came out of overdrive too. We took a trip last weekend, and the shutter was very pronounced at 70 or above.

I took it in to our dealer at 8:00 am yesterday and by 11:00 they called me and said it was ready. I was expecting to get the old routine, "we can't duplicate the problem," but instead they said there is a bulletin to correct the problem. They flushed the transmission and flashed the pcm and this worked. We had not noticed how hard the transmission had been shifting in all the gears before the fix. Now it is very smooth with no shutter going in or out of overdrive.

We've had one experience with the Tribute's motor dying while driving at 35 mph and going downhill about a year ago. We took it in and they said they fixed and we have not had another incidence like that. With 27,000 miles so far, we have been very pleased with our vehicle.

By the way the tires still look new. Continental Conti tracs.

scape2 · August 2003

Escape sales up 14.2%.. Yeah!

thumbs2 · September 2003

Is this normal? What should I do? My 2004 XLT Sport's lights dim at night when I use the power window controls.

jfp2001 · September 2003

This is the lowdest vehicle I have ever owned or been in and it keeps getting lowder. I have 38,000 miles on my 2001Tribute ES 4x4. When I first got it I thought the Wind noise was too lowd and the engine lowder than it should be. Now I don't even hear the engine or wind noise the overall drivetrain noise has gotton soo bad. Yesterday my 2 yr old son was covering his ears because the sound is allmost painfull.

scape2 · September 2003

I own an 01 XLT V6 AWD Escape and the lights dim very slightly when you use the window switches.
I have never heard of any Escape or Trib being so loud its actually painful.. I admit the wind noise is there but painful, no. People must remember the Escape is an entry level SUV and a truck. More of a truck than others in this class..

bess · September 2003

You really should have that noise checked out. Could it be the brake squealers indicating the pads are low?

happymister · September 2003

Hi,
I bought a 03 tribute - knowing fully well that probably the only downside was the noise. while it is noisier than my other sedan - altima, it is about as noisy as my eclipse GSX that i traded it in.

Does anyone know if the noise levels in this SUV have been addressed since 2001 thru 2003/4 models ?

Also, have the earlier model owners found that changing their tires have addressed some of the problems ?

The reason i ask is that in the 2 days of driving my new tribute, I find that more than the wind noise.. the noise is really coming from the tires..

so maybe if u changed the continental contis.. to maybe the michelin cross terrain SUVs.. noise might reduce and u can get better handling.. esp in snow and wet traction.

any comments/feedbacks ?

turksteritis · September 2003

Last year I replaced the Goodyear tires on my 01 Tribute with BF goodrich long trail,s. It quited down the car at hiway speeds by about 50%.

thumbs2 · September 2003

I brought my car to the dealer (2004 XLT Sport)...they are looking into the following issues:
1) Ligths dim when using power windows.
2) Gas pedal vibrates more than normal in city and highway driving.
3) Rusting on front brake clamps where the silver metal piece enters the black clamp (sorry...not a techy).

clasley · September 2003

I have a 01 es tribute awd, and it seems to produce lots of brake dust. I have never had a SUV b/f so perhaps this is normal but I thought I would ask. The brake dust is on my front rims. There is a little on the rear but not as much as the front. Does anyone else have a problem with brake dust?

bess · September 2003

Look at most SUV's on the road, (and may cars too). You'll notice brake dust there too. You won't see much dust on the rears for 2 reasons:
a. The rears wheels only do about 25% of the braking vs the 75% for the front.
b. More importantly, the rear brakes are drum rather than disc.

I've noticed that my 01 Escape seems not to produce as much brake dust at 30K miles like it did earlier in its life. Still on origional pads/rotors both still have alot of life left in them.

bri66 · September 2003

Just turned 52,000 miles on our 01 Escape. I had the tranny fluid flushed around 30,000+ miles for the shudder changing gears. Drove it this weekend for the first time in a while and feeling it again. I guess this will be a normal 25,000 miles maintenance item. Anyone else have to do it yet twice?

my02tribute · September 2003

I have an 02 Tribute ES V6 and I do a lot of driving in hills. I have noticed that my car will hold on to a lower gear for an extraordinarily long period of time. If it happens to kick into second gear while on the highway it won't upshift for 15-20 seconds, even after you've taken your foot off the accelerator. For the most part it takes 10-20 seconds to just shift out of a lower gear once you have evened out to a flat section of the highway. I have generally only experienced this when towing a trailer or driving through hills and mountains. The dealer said this was a normal "hill climbing gear" function of the transmission. Have you had similar results?

doggyworld · September 2003

I am thinking of buying a new 2003 or 2004 Tribute/Escape.. but I am a little worried about the stalling problems some people have experienced.

Has anyone experienced these stalling problems on a 2003 model? Or does anyone know if Ford has addressed this issue already?

Also.. does anyone with a 2003 model have any comments on problems they've experienced?

Thanks in advance.

painfullessons · September 2003

I have a new 2003 escape, and have had no problems - I love the suv, and would recomend it to anyone

painfullessons · September 2003

though it sounds stupid, I tried the peanut butter on the cladding to get the wax off, and it works like a charm

stever · September 2003

That's good to hear! I always wondered if anyone actually tried that, lol.

Steve, Host

phaedrys · September 2003

If it helps, I have a 2003 Tribute (4 months, 7500 miles), not a single problem with it.

I just realized the other day that I haven't been to the shop yet for any problems, where as with my VW I was already there 3 times by 7500 miles :-)

grumpy9 · September 2003

At 400 miles, my 2003 Mazda ES V6 that I purchased in Feb03, experienced unexplained accleration while i was slowing for a traffic signal at 450 miles. When I applied both feet to brake the tribute, the AWD engaged and I had to shift into neutral to control the vehicle. In neutral the engine continued to rev up. It stopped when I shut the car off and after a few mintues, re-started it. We took the car to the dealer who advised that the car was operating normally at that time. No problems with the vehicle since that time, in fact was one of the best vehicles I've owned. Just drove 329 miles on Monday- Tuesday on I95 at hiway speeds. Ran great.

Today, my wife was stopping in a parking space outside her bank about to shift into park, when the acclerator reved again, sending her into the wall of the bank.

Has anyone else experienced similar unexplained acceleration/reving problems?

tamiyaracer · September 2003

grumpy9, I hope your wife is OK. That is an absolutely incredible incident. And scares the heck out of me, as I am very close to purchasing a 2003 ES-V6. I am disappointed to read of the random stalling and now accelerating problems mentioned in this forum. No matter how few and far between, they are of too serious a nature to be ignored. And I am tired of sales people at different dealerships I've visited telling me they have never heard of any such problems.

grumpy9 · September 2003

Thanks Tamiyaracer. Wife is Ok, so is mother-in-law who was riding in passenger seat and sweras my wife was stoppped when the car lurched forward at hi speed. Luckily, there was a witness who also said the car Tribute was stopped and then he heard the engine rev up and jump forward. Perhaps this was the tight turn into the parking space that engaged the AWD, whatever, it should not go out of control.

I'd say on the plus side, the 5mph bumpers and air bags worked better than the brakes. In fact the front disc, rear drum combo on the Tribute is a real weakness, especially compared to the 4 wheel discs on my daughter's protege. Overall we loved the Tribute until now, even with some weak points, We only got 20mpg on the highway at steady speed, so that was poor. but handling and driveability was good, until the crash. Storage space was good too.

domettg · September 2003

I heard there is a TSB for wind noise. Anyone know about this? It sounds like it is coming from the passenger side.

wenreder1 · September 2003

I am quite shocked to find DRUM brakes on the rear of the ES-V6 Tribute, and I certainly "felt it" during a lengthy test drive. My Wife drives our recently purchased '03 Acura MDX and I refuse to buy another vehicle for $40K+. Other than the poor stopping characteristics, for an S.U.V. around $25K the ES-V6 Tribute impressed me very, very much. It had the power and plenty of interior "driver's" room (I'm 6'1" - 235 lbs.) and the fit and finish was impressive. The only problem is that I am currently residing in Florida (near Tampa) and just (last week) was transferred back to Connecticut (job) !! I wanted to purchase an '03 "leftover" but I WANT an AWD. Even with '04's coming in, down here the AWD is not readily available. I guess I'll drive my '00 Acura 3.2TL back up to Connecticut and buy the Mazda up there next month.

bess · September 2003

According to Edmunds. The MDX 60-0 stopping distance is 135 ft vs the Escapes 126 feet, (and that was the Escape 4wd model, Edmunds expects that the 2wd model will stop even faster).

As 80% of hard braking is done by the front wheels, it seems like the rear drums are more than up to the task.

wenreder1 · September 2003

.... but it's nice to have ALL WHEEL DISC vs. F-Disk / R-Drum when going thru lots of water, as we all know how drums are when "soaked". It takes several stomps on the brakes to "get that water out" and return them to normal, even though they will be doing only ~20% of the braking when used on rear.
Do you have a Tribute? Please tell me your likes and dislikes. All-in-all I am still very interested in purchasing one. Thanks !!

es1975 · September 2003

i have 57,000 on my 2001 ford escape. since january 2003 i have had to have 3 of the 6 ignition coils replaced. each time after a hard rain the problem came up--care shaking engine/emmission system light on or blinking. All ford could tell me was the which coil had gone bad. apparently a dealership can only hook a car up to a diagnostic computer instead of having real mechanics that can figure out what is causing a problem. Has anyone else experienced this? Again, the problem has happened after raining so i think water is getting somewhere it shouldn't and causing coils to go bad. It's an expensive problem to fix and not to mention it shouldn't be happening, so if anyone has an idea why or had the same problem i'd love to hear about it!

rep62ar · September 2003

Today my air bag light illuminated while I was driving my kids home from school. This will be my fourth warranty work on my 2001 Tribute including work for the famous "stalling" problem. I was just in a couple of months ago for SUV refusing to start on occasion and losing power when low idle. This loss of power happened when I was turning out in traffic among other times. They replaced the air intake valve (although I have yet to see a receipt - another story there - supposedly one will be mailed). With this most recent airbag problem among other past problems, I'm ready to get rid of this puppy. Any suggestions on another smallish SUV with a better long-term repair record? I don't have time to keep running this one to the shop and need something safe to drive two little ones around in. Thanks!

bess · September 2003

I have an 01 Escape with 33k miles on it. No problems, good mileage, excellent performance, and more importantly the wife and kids love it.. I self installed a ceiling mounted vcr/dvd video system the first week I had it.
The Escape has been a great step UP from the mini-van we used to drive.

mhaynie1 · September 2003

I have a 2001 Tribute. I recently noticed that if I turn the steering wheel as if I were making a left turn, the front drivers side tire is aimed at 10 o'clock (12 would be straight ahead) and the passenger side tire is aimed at 11 o'clock. Is that normal? I have unusual tire wear, with an odd distribution of flat, worn patches

kcollins3 · September 2003

I HAVE A 2002 ESCAPE THAT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP EVERY OTHER MONTH. FOUR TIMES FOR THE POWER DOOR LOCKS, ONCE FOR THE TRANSMISSION, AND TODAY AFTER HAVING OUR ESCAPE FOR 18 DAYS, THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE ENGINE. THERE IS AN INTERNAL PROBLEM THAT WAS SO BAD FORD SENT AN ENGINEER FROM DETROIT HERE TO PENNSYLVANIA. OH, AND IT WAS ALSO IN BECAUSE THE HEATER KNOBS JUST SPUN AROUND WITH OUT TURNING ON THE HEAT/AIR. THIS VEHICLE LEAVES MY WIFE AND I WONDERING WHAT'S NEXT. I THINK WE'RE FINISHED WITH MOCK SUV'S.

wenreder1 · September 2003

.... along with so many other Escape / Tribute owners, has really scared the Hell out of me !!
I did not expect so many major problems that could actually be life threatening if they happend on the freeway at 60 MPH, in addition to repeatedly bringing the vehicle back to the Dealer. I myself, am living with a potential "time bomb"..... an Acura 3.2 TL, one of millions that sooner or later (hopefully MUCH later) have transmission failure and must get the entire transmission replaced.... and this is a $32,000 vehicle !! I started out last month, expecting to purchase a new MAZDA6s, but just two weeks ago I was notified I am being transferred back up to Connecticut (land of snow/ice/sand/salt) so my needs have quickly changed to an S.U.V., but one that handles and accellerates well.... and one that is on the ROAD more than in the SHOP !!

bess · September 2003

One thing to be aware of is that there are alot more Escape/Tributes on the road than any other mini-suv, so it makes sense that you'll see a few more owners who've experienced problems on boards like this.

You mentioned 'life threatening' problems? The Govt gets pretty hyper when vehicles have 'life threatening' problems and thus they issue recalls.
When the Escape was first introduced 4 years ago, there were some recalls. But none for 2002 or 2003.

capriracer · September 2003

What you have discovered is called Akerman. It is something built into every vehicle.

The purpose of akerman is to allow the vehicle to track correctly through a corner and since the inside steering tire travels a shorter distance through the turn, it must be turned more.

But the most likley cause of your irregular tire wear is: Rotation, inflation, alignment.

Because each corner of the vehicle does different things, that corner has a characteristic wear pattern. To prevent this wear pattern from becoming so severe that it causes irregular wear, tire should be rotated on a regular basis.

Misalignment and low inflation pressures will accelerate the wear, causing it to appear earlier.

Hope this helps.

kcollins3 · September 2003

after being told my 02 escape needs a new engine, i was then told they don't warranty the new engine. so.....i'm getting an unproven engine with no warranty. not even 30 days. I also presented this to ford: if your roof leaks and ruins your carpeting and you replace the carpeting without fixing the roof, your going to be replacing your carpet again. i would like to know what cause the pre-mature wearing out of the engine, but they don't have an answer. if i keep this vehicle i may be going through this again in 20,000 miles. i do have to give a pop to ford for their f-150, i had a 2000 that i had for 3 and 1/2 years, 50,000 miles before i rolled it over, and it wasnt in the shop for even 1 repair. nothing, not even the most minor thing. i then bought a 2003 f-150 super crew 4dr. and so far so good.

scape2 · September 2003

I have had my 01 Escape for 2 years now and not one problem. I use mine to tow my 2 watercraft, visit my fishing spots along with my skiing spots in the Cascade range here in the Northwest. For every person you find that has a problem there are 5 that have had no problems.
After I bought my Escape I kept hearing about "All these problems". I took it upon myself to do a poll. Everytime I saw a person and was able to approach the owner of either a Trib or an Escape I took a minute to ask them how they liked there vehicle. I stopped counting after about 30. Not one person complained about "All these problems". Granted, there were minor gripes and issues. But not one out of the 30+ owners said they are never going to buy a Ford or Mazda product again.
My Escape has been perfect and flawless for me.... I am sorry for those of you who have had issues. But after 2 years and my talking with numerous Escape/Trib owners "all these problems" are in a very, very small percentage.

rep62ar · September 2003

With all due respect to Scape2's message #2232, those posting to this "problem" board have just that - valid problems and want input from others that have had the same experiences and/or valid solutions. It sounds like you have had a good experience. That is great. However, please understand that the 2001 V6 Mazda Tribute was named a "used car to avoid" by Consumer Reports due to poor reliability. Based on my personal experiences, I totally agree. The only other two people I personally know that have Tributes (also 2001 models) also had the stalling problem. If I seem a little testy, I am. Four warranty issues necessiting multiple trips to the dealership for lengthy diagnostic visits and (if you get lucky and they can replicate the problem) subsequent visits for fixes all the while balancing two kids and two jobs will do that to you. The moral of my story is please don't discount all of us who have had problems. Do we think we represent the whole of Trib/Escape owners? No. Do we want a place to exachange ideas and ask for help? Yes. Do I think there are enough of us that even Consumer Reports has noticed the poor long term ("subpar" in their words) reliability of these vehicles? Yes.

aprillb23 · September 2003

I have a 2002 Tribute LX. I am in love with the car, but have had it with Mazda service. I wrote a few months ago about a thunking in my engine when the car is started after sitting for a few days. It's been to the dealership 7 times, almost 40 total days out of use and here I sit with a warranty that does me no good. The first 2 times the car was in, I got the famous "could not duplicate" The 3rd time, I was overjoyed to find out they heard the noise and replaced my AC compressor. Unfortunately, my thunk happened again. Time #7, this past week, I dropped off the car and with a technician from the dealership started the car and "THUNK" Again, I'm so relieved someone heard the noise, however, he informs me that he heard a thunk in the engine, but has no idea what it could be. So the dealership keeps the car to try to determine the source of my engine thunk. Fast forward one week and I stop in to pick up the car after being told that they can't duplicate the noise (never mind the technician that heard it the week before) I called Mazda to find out why they wouldn't service the car and was told that the "wrong person" heard the noise. Apparently, the technician who was sent to the car with me was a master tech for Subaru, therefor Mazda had to pretend they never heard the noise. To top it all off, Mazda sent their area service rep to the dealership to inform them they are not to touch the car. I also discovered the technician who made the call to replace the AC compressor was reprimanded by Mazda for fixing what he assumed to be the problem. I was told by Mazda now the only way I can recover anything on my vehicle is to sue them under my state's lemon law. How's that for customer service?!? I am now starting the process of a lemon law claim against Mazda. I urge all of you who are having similar issues with your defective Mazda vehicles to consult your state lemon laws. It shouldn't be tolerated that a vehicle manufacturer can verbally void your warranty after 17,000 miles on a new vehicle when there is an obvious problem with it.

scape2 · September 2003

"verbally void your warranty" No way, no how.. This is a legal and binding warranty with Mazda corporation. I don't think this person you talked to knows what they are doing. They are setting themselves up for one heck of a lawsuit.
Sorry to hear about your Trib.
rep, with all due respect. I think your points are totally valid. If I had an Escape/Trib with issues I too would be posting on this board looking, hoping for some sort of advice to remedy the problem. In my experience I don't see these as the troubled vehicles some like to portray them as. My Escape has been through some pretty tough terrain, pulled loads just below its limit and has come through with flying colors. I have only done routine maintenance and it still feels strong and solid as day 1. For now, good luck to you..

tribnomore · September 2003

Remove cross bars from the roof rack and the wind noise will be gone.

happymister · October 2003

hi,
in response to wenreder, scrape2, i did a search on this discussion roup for 03 - looking for problems with 03 tributes. didn't find much.

As others have said.. 01' being the 1st year model. had some problems.. as happens with many new intro. models. but since then, i think ford/mazda has done a good job and fixed the problems.

I am not aware of any major trends or problems on 03 models.. and none of the existing under 20k wagons fit our needs.. so we ended up buying a SUV. an 03 Tribute EX AWD. This car is for my wife. so i wanted to buy her a safe car.

Mind you.. with any car, there will be a few with problems...even the famed toyotas. just something to keep in mind.

Finally to wenreder1...
if u r moving to connecticut - and was considering a Mazda6 before.. I am not i understand ur need for a Tribute.

Unless u want to tow a lot of stuff once u r living in connecticut.. or something like that... i don't think SUVs are in general that much better for the snow. Mind u.. i own a tribute and live in Boston.

so check ur needs and buy a vehicle accordingly. If all u need is a sedan, then be rest assured that most NE states are pretty good in cleanign the roads.. so very unlikely that u will be travelling in roads that are covered with many inches of snow. unless u happen in live in rural roads. in that case, u need a SUV. and a tribute will do u good. else. Mazda6 will be just fine. If AWD gives u that sense of satisfaction, then most NewEnglanders tend to buy a Subaru.
u may want to consider that.

hime1 · October 2003

We purchased a 2002 Ford Escape almost exactly 2 years to the day - 36,100 miles! It completely died on us while making a huge noise and had to be towed to the dealership. Our Ford dealership says if the inspector doesn't approve installing a brand new engine - we will have to pay for it. A total of $2200. We bought the extended warranty.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Please email me @ jaimesturg@yahoo.com

Thank you

turksteritis · October 2003

The 02 3.0 duratec had a problem with the connecting rods in the engine. Ford went to a lighter part & there were a lot of failures in the 02escape/tributes!

scape2 · October 2003

Please link me to where it says Ford/Mazda had problems with connecting rods. I think you are mistaking the 4.0 SOHC with the 3.0 Duratec.

turksteritis · October 2003

There is no link. I have numerous buddies that are techs at Mazda & Ford dealerships & they have all told me the same info on the 3.0 engine.

scape2 · October 2003

a Friend who has been a parts person for Ford Motor Company for 23 years. I spoke to him today and he has never heard of this issue with the 3.0 Duratec Engine.

nvbanker · October 2003

Neither have I ever heard it.

bess · October 2003

been monitoring the various Escape boards for years. This is the first I've heard of any type of internal engine problem (connecting rod).

bri66 · October 2003

I purchased a 2000 Explorer in December 1999 and I also bought Fords extended 100k powertrain warranty, (thank God). The first engine was replaced with a brand new engine at no cost to me shortly after I bought it. A few months later they pulled the heads on the second motor and replaced the gaskets, again at no charge to me. A few months later they replaced the second motor with a remanufactured engine at no cost. Fords claim was at the time was they were no longer producing the 4.0 ohv motors and could not get a new one from Fords assembly plant. I guess Ford was only using the 4.0 sohc engines in their Explorers. That failed as well and Ford bought the Explorer back from me and I choose a 2001 Escape as its replacement. If I had not purchased Fords powertrain warranty at the time of purchase I trully believe Ford would not have bought their lemon back from me. It was costing Ford way too much money to keep me in that Explorer for another 65,000 miles. If you purchased Fords powertrain warranty you should not have to pay a any more than a deductable seeing you have gone over the 36,000 mile period. Good luck.

Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

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