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- 3 Front-brake jobs, w/2 change of rotors.
- 1 Rear brake job.
- Replaced tires twice (2) past originals.
- Replaced alternator once.
- PCM reflashed 3-times for software upgrades, once under
warranty.
- Replaced battery once.
- Sub-woofer replaced under warranty.
- EGR sensor replaced under recall.
- Transmission flushed three (3) times.
- Radiator flushed three (3) times.
- Power steering flushed two (2) times.
- Brake system flushed three (3) times.
Religious oil changes (Mobil 1 5W-30) every 4K miles.
Changed to synthetic (Mobil 1) transmission fluid at ~45K miles and flushed twice with it.
At this point everything seems to be in working order (knock on all the hard-plastic in the Escape). Would I do it over again ? Probably. I made the best choice possible and got a heck'uv a deal at the time. The choices in '01 were less numerous and appelaing at the time. Would I buy another Escape ? Depends... I'd have to be convinced that an '07 or the upcoming '08 next year is that much better. The choices have gotten a lot more numerous and more appealing. My next purchase will have to integrate gas-mileage more heavily into the total equation. I don' think Ford can squeeze too many more mpg's from the 3.0 Duratec. Currently I'm averaging 17.0 City/21-22 Hwy. no matter what I do to save gas.
First, I've noticed that the car shudders when I put it into and out of gear (shift, wait a couple of seconds, shudder). I'm not sure if this always happened, but I've read it could be a problem with the transmission.
Also, a couple of brake-related issues. I sometimes get a lot of groaning/shuddering from the brakes when applying them lightly to come to a stop or start up on an incline. For instance, backing out of the driveway with the brakes applied to control speed. It is much more pronounced when the car has been in the rain. Also, I've been doing a lot of highway driving the past few months, and I've noticed that when braking from high speed, I get vibration sort of like a very toned down version of the ABS system. Basically, high speed braking is not very smooth.
Well, I guess there are a few other minor things. In cold weather, the driver-side window makes horrible screeching noises when it's operated. I told them about it last time and they said they tightened some bolts inside, but it didn't seem to make much difference. The rear of the car often groans when you step out of the front -- it's caused by the parking brake, and they "fixed" it last time only to have it return after a couple of months. Also, the windshield defogger obviously misses fairly large areas of the window at the sides (you can see the blowing pattern). The Mazda dealer says this is "normal", but it means a good portion of the windshield is obscured all Winter! And finally, I've noticed that the bolts and metal fittings under the front seats have a lot of rust on them, as well as some spots on the windshield wiper base.
Sorry for the long post. Please bear with me and comment on any of these items, even if they don't scream "YOUR CAR IS ABOUT TO BLOW UP"
Your issues are common with lots of other car models, even high-end ones like Acura and BMW.
Idle vibration could be due to tranny, or to low idle speed, or a bad engine mount.
brake vibration/poor high speed braking: warped rotors or deposits on rotors due to pad compound. Aftermarket pads might solve it.
for noisy windows, try using a silicone spray lube in the window track (lower window part-way, spray track, then raise/lower to work it in) this will also solve any "slow windows" you might have.
check attachment of rear parking brake cable. spray silicone lube onto spring perches.
for misted windows and rust, inspect to see if you have a cabin water leak, consider using a de-essicant product and/or removing the floor mats to dry them out in the winter if you track in lots of snow. Don't use the recirculate option, and check to see that it it functioning properly (ie not stuck in recirculate). inspect AC drains to make sure condensation is not entering the cabin. inspect climate control system air inlet/cowling to make sure water is not entering the cabin.
I don't think I am getting any idle vibration. For the transmission, I didn't describe it correctly. It happens when shifting INTO gear and BETWEEN gears, but not when shifting into park. When I switch gears, there is an immediate shudder and another shudder a second or two later. Sometimes it is quite pronounced, and I heard a "ping" this morning. It is actually rather disconcerting, especially given the poor track record of the Escape/Tribute transmission.
I will definitely have them check the brakes. I don't have any trouble with braking distance or performance, it's just the noise and vibration.
I will try the silicone spray for the window. It is only the driver side window, and only when it is moved up or down in cold weather. It's obviously rubbing on something internally, which produces an incredibly loud and piercing screeching noise.
I don't know what causes the parking brake groaning, but the parking brake itself works fine. They seemed to be aware of the issue at the dealership last time we mentioned it, and whatever they did "fixed" it temporarily.
As for the window fogging, pretty much all cars here get fogged up a lot in the Winter, so it's not exactly a surprise. The issue is that the defogger doesn't cover the sides of the windshield. The dealer says it's adjusted to factory specs and that we should basically just live with it. I was thinking of trying an anti-fog product mentioned here, but I can't remember the name (Rain-X?).
Rust is not uncommon here because of humidity in the Summer, but I would expect metal fittings to last a little longer than this. I noticed it about 8 months after we got the Tribute. Our other car ('96 Escort) has rust on the same parts (the seat bolts and such underneath). Yay Ford...
Anyway, I really appreciate your reply, and I hope this will help with further clarification. Thanks!
It is becoming very irritating, specially for new car. Does anyone have any similar experiences with a new Mariner, Escape or Tribute?
Bruce
Thanks
Sparkyd
I'd noticed rough idle when cold start in the morning around October and it's getting worse(sometime stall) as the tempature went down. Once the engine tempature goes up to normal, no more rough idle.
I've also noticed that if I use "block heater" during the very cold days, rough idle is not so bad.
Finally, I got the engine check light on, so replaced spark plug, fuel filter, air filter, IAC valve and ECT senor by myself. Sadly, I still have the rough idle in the morning.
Are there anything I can do before I go to mechanic or dealer?
Please help....
As soon as the temp gets into the 30's (F) the idle goes to hell in the morning. Once it's warmed up it's fine.
I replaced the plugs about 2 weeks ago, but that did nothing. I haven't had the check engine light come on, yet, but I am dreading the morning it does.
I have also run a small heater (blowing warm air under the engine compartment) overnight and this does seem to help.
Wish I knew something to be of help to you. I'm just hoping someone out there has some idea of what our vehicles problems are.
I've been trying to figure out how to adjust the parking brake on my 2005 Tribute. I assume there is a screw to adjust under the center console. The problem I have is I'm having a difficult time trying to get the console off. Being that it's made out of plastic, I don't want to try and force it too much.
Thanks for any help.
Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be a problem with the shop that I use?
You say the transmission shudders from 1st to 2nd between 40 and 45 mph. Don't you mean it shifts from 3rd to 4th at that speed range? If it is at 40+ you are winding the engine way too far for 1st to 2nd. What is probably happening is the torque converter is locking up at that speed range or you have just gone into overdrive--4th and the engine has lugged momentarily. I don't think it is serious.
Who ever you are taking your escape to, whether it be a Mom and pop auto repair or a dealership, you might want to change repair shops. i see this all the time, you might get a bad master cylinder once in a while, but to hear your repair shop saying, this happens to all escapes, and it usually takes a couple of times to get it right. :P BALONY!!! There was air in the Brake System, and he was too lazy to purge the System. That is why the Master Cylinder went bad. Please take it somewhere else. I hope this cleared up anything.
After 3 'attempts' to address the issue by what now appears to be an incompetent service department at the Hagerstown, Maryland dealer, I am seeking any input I might obtain here on this forum
Note that this issue only appeared this past Fall, when temps began to drop. I did not have any problems during the first two winters I had the vehicle.
Here is what is going on...When I start up in the morning, or when heading home for lunch, as I shift from first to second, the rpms will jump to between 2500 and 3000. The same thing occurs in subsequent shifts, for perhaps 30 seconds or a bit longer. As soon as I depress the clutch, the engine races that high. The problem is clearly temperature-related, since it did not occur this past December in Florida. But the first morning back home, it did.
The dealership actually duplicated the problem, wonder of wonders, yet when they called Mazda USA, they claim they were told this is completely normal, which is of course a bunch of bull. When I asked if every Tribute, Escape, Mazda3, Mazda6, Ranger, Fusion, etc, etc did the same thing, I was told that they had been told by Mazda that it was something the 05 models did. Talk about pulling that out of his backside (note, I am being very euphemistic).
Any ideas? The dealer said there is no IAC valve on the 2.3, but I have not confirmed that. All I know is, I have never owned a fuel injected vehicle that did anything like this, and it is certainly not normal operation.
(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, not like the engine at all. I'm not crazy; my adult daughter was in the car with me once when it happened!
The scheduled transmission fluid change is more often than what I am used to (every 25,000 miles?). However, I waited until about 50,000 to do the work, which is more in line with my previous vehicles.
I keep hear two sides to the power flush argument, but it's worth considering the pros and cons. Here's my usual example of the con:
amigo_john, "Isuzu Trooper" #8070, 30 Jun 2003 6:46 am
I have heard horror stories from people trying to flush the trans at non dealerships as its supposedly not easy to do.
Mark.
Should I continue with the mazda purchase? or go with a 2003 toyota highlander instead. Which I found for the same price.
2005 mazda tribute GT(v6) 39,000km
or
2003 toyota highlander base 78,000km
I've researched the heck out of these two vehicles and am most concerned with build quality and reliability.
any insights would be much appreciated.