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Ford Escape Hybrid Interior & Passenger Comfort Questions
preferdiesels
Member Posts: 30
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)
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)
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The article you referenced is 1/2 right. Electric only on the Hybrid will not keep your hair uncurled in traditional Southern humidity.
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.
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
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
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.)
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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?
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!
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.
escape06
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?
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).