Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

tinoman1 · May 2001

I couldn't agree more RE: santa fe - UGLY but I did sit in one recently in a showroom and the interior is really cheap feeling - not even a good grade of plastic.

rsharp83 · May 2001

well she is filling up 3 or 4 times a week at $45-$50 a pop! That is one big reason to get rid of a big guzzler SUV. Plus she likes the styling and her husband loves the fact she could be happy with a car that dosen't cost him $40+ grand to buy.

As to the plastic in the Sante Fe. yeah it is plastic.... I have not noticed a better grade of plastic in other similiar autos. The triscape is mostly plastic, right?

mikelp · May 2001

I sometimes smell gas after starting my trib in the garage, but not at any other times.
Is this normal or the dreaded gasket problem?
I bought Trib in early March...but I want to find out the manufacture date of my Trib,
is it the last 8 numbers of the line above the bar code on the original window sticker?
Anyone know approx when the gasket prob was fixed at assembly plant?
If it ever was...
Gas Mileage has been 19-21 mpg so far, rarely using the air con.
I wonder where they got that 24 mpg Highway rating...

msdfyed · May 2001

After a grueling month of problems with my dealer, I finlly picked up my Yellow XLT today, only 5 weeks after I ordered (which seems super fast for NJ). I drove a long 50 miles today and I love it! HOpefully nothing goes wrong because I never plan to step foot in the dealership again.They really made my first car buying experiance a nightmare! See you guys on the road!

nattan · May 2001

i have a 01 escape and have nothing but problems am taking the dealership to court for selling me a lemon i bought it 0ne year old and have spent7000.00 in repairs in the 17 months i have owned it thank god i had extended warranty was able to recoup some of the 7000

gheimur · May 2001

I purchased 2 new keys from the Ford Dealer and programmed them according to directions. Both new keys worked after I programmed them according to the instructions. The car sat for a few days and now the car won't start with either the original key or the new one. When I get home tonight I'll try the other 2 keys. Anyone else experience the same problem?

chytraeus · May 2001

If you start your car in your garage and your vents are one, you no doubt are smelling exhaust. The vent just sucks in the outside air and all odors in that air. The gas smell will be noticed if, after you have parked your car for a brief period, you get back in, with vents on, and start it up. If you have the dreaded gas smell, you will NOT miss it. You will smell gasoline, not exhaust? Will you know the difference? Oh yes. Gasoline is unmistakable. Good luck. Hope you don't have it, but if you do, they can fix it. I just had my Escape fixed for it. No more gas smell.

ke4yyd · May 2001

Others that park their Escape in a closed garage are able to smell the gasoline in the garage itself without starting their engine.

gheimur · May 2001

Tried the other 2 keys last night . No good . Called Ford and had it towed to the dealer last night. We ordered it on Feb 16 and picked it up on April 17. The car arrived at the dealer on April 9. The car now has 560 miles on it and I haven't driven it yet as my wife uses it. Besides the don't start condition now, the only other problem that we experienced was the Gas gauge.She filled up the car, about a mile later it's on 7/8 and than 3 miles later goes down to about 3/4. The dealer knows nothing about it I. sent an mail to Ford , they called me, I wasn't home and never heard from them again. Otherwise she loves the moon roof, mach radio , pep and size. Gas mileage is still an unknown but may be a thirsty. The way I see it. You either have pep or mileage, can't have both. I was able to scoff up some 5w/20 oil. Castrol $1.79at R & S Strauss.18 qt, Motorcraft $1.77 at WalMart 19 qts., Texaco 24 qts at Advance Auto Parts at .$.99 . I have 61 qts, enough for the next 40k miles..

590476 · May 2001

Have had the ES for one week and only have 300 miles on it. So far the only quality issue I've found is that the negative terminal was not secured to the battery. It was just sitting loose on the battery terminal. Didn't catch my eve until about 250 miles. How it ran is a mystery to me. Don't know if the factory or dealer didn't install properly. Fortunately it caused me no problems and I took care of. Expect I'll use McGuires Wax on the finish, when I get to it. Right now the tree pollen has everything around here yellow. I know lots of folks are complaining about the shifter lever interfering with the radio controls, but honestly for me it's not a big deal, although I will admit it is a little akward. No doubt a cost benefit problem the Mazda engineers had to reconcile. As they say "Happy Trails!"

currey · May 2001

What, no Zaino? Your Chestnut Mica is perfect for that deep wet shine look. I can't wait until I get a chance to Z my Tribute, still it won't be the same (Desert Metallic).

gheimur · May 2001

Just recieved the car back from the dealer where I bought the car . He told me that the 2 new keys that were programmed were not the proper ones. The Ford Dealer near my job sold me the wrong keys The were IL CO keys. I went back furious and demanded my money back and went and bought keys manufactured by Ford. The bad keys wiped out the memory for the original keys also.

currey · May 2001

That stinks, but, at least you know that it wasn't a problem with the car, just a bonehead, don't waste my time with keys, dealer. Enjoy the ride.

asherman1 · May 2001

Almost everyday for a week I've been hearing a grinding noise when I turn on the ignition of my Tribute. It only happens the first time I start up the Tribute, never at any other time of day. Has anyone else experienced this or suggest possible causes?

hthomas · May 2001

I had a similar experience with my Escape at the dealership. A few weeks ago, I had taken it into my dealership to get its first oil change, and I also decided to get an extra key made while I was there. The key "slug" costs $30, which astounded me! But, I went ahead and decided to buy it, and the lady at the service counter told me that she would go ahead a program the key for free since I was already in for the oil change.

To make a long story short, in a attempt to program this extra key, the dealer ended up DEPROGRAMMING my other keys! So, none of the keys worked any longer. It took them over two hours to reprogram the keys to get everything to work again. I'm glad it was them who messed up, and not me!

On the bright side, they didn't charge me for the oil change! I've now got 3800 miles on my Black XLT V6 Escape (4x4, moonroof, MACH audio, side bars, privacy glass), and I love it!

Happy motoring!

mudpuddle · May 2001

I test drove a Tribute back in February and liked it. However, the trim (flat colored plastic) that surrounds the lower exterior panels/bumpers on all models except the ES is very, as you say, uuuggglllyyy. Also, the absence of foglights on all models except the ES leaves a lot to be desired on the front end. I've decided to wait for the 2002 Santa Fe to hit. I think over the period of the next 2 to 3 years people's perception of Hyundai is going to change. Their sales were up 24% last month (April) over the same period last year, the same month that Ford and GM recorded negative sales growth. Also, do you really think the plastic in a Ford/Mazda is better than the plastic in a Hyundai ? Let's get real. BTW, Hyundai sold more cars in April than Mazda did (in the U.S.) !!!!!!!

currey · May 2001

hthomas: why did you change your oil at 3000 or 3500 miles? I thought that the proper schedule was 5000 or 7500 miles.

mudpuddle: Both the ES and the next model down the LX have the colour bumpers. Only the base model DX has the flat plastic bumpers.

hthomas · May 2001

currey: I had my oil changed at 3500 miles because that's what my dealer recommended. It's true that the recommended interval is around the 5000 to 7500 mile mark that you mentioned, but the dealership that I purchased from recommends getting the first oil change out of the way earlier. In fact, they gave me a discount coupon at the time of purchase to have the first oil change done sometime between 2500 and 5000 miles. I don't know...perhaps the dealership just wants to make more money! But, since the industry standard for oil changes seems to be every 3 months/3000 miles, I didn't mind taking it in earlier than recommended for its first oil change. Plus, since they ended up deprogramming my keys, they didn't charge me for the oil change anyway.

prd66 · May 2001

It may just be a noisy fuel pump. When the car sits overnight the pressure in the fuel lines decreases and the pump has to work longer in the morning to pressurize the system. After hearing the noise, turn the ignition off and then back on again. The noise should be gone or you may just hear it for a second. Did it make the noise when you first got it? If it did not, have the fuel system pressure checked. A noisy fuel pump is a sign that it may be going bad.

valcourt · May 2001

I had the exact same problem except my escape was only a day old and only had 40 miles. It turned out it had a faulty "theft module" It was not reading the chip in the keys properly.

It took me 40 times of turning the key to get it started so I could return it to the dealer.

Since it has been replaced nothing has gone wrong.

escape4x4 · May 2001

I have seen some Hyundai owners here gloating on this list and I was just wondering what they think about the following link:

http://www.autonews.com/html/main/stories/power15.htm

Hyundai was ranked as the 4th worst as a brand name for initial Quality by JD Powers.

The only beat Daewoo, Suzuki and Kia.

scape2 · May 2001

last post hurts..

currey · May 2001

Hope you don't mind, but I am posting your link in the Santa Fe v. Sub v. Tribute forum. Should get some good reactions there. Thanks for the link.

A proud Tribute owner.

chytraeus · May 2001

LOL, love the Powers report!

jericho_ave · May 2001

You had to dig out a one year old article (May 15, 2000) to find something to throw at Hyundai and the SantaFe....which was not even out when the survey was conducted...

here's a more recent and updated news about Hyundai from JDPower and Associates...

http://www.prnewswire.com/gh/cnoc/comp/424987.html

a quote from the article says: " The Chairman's Award has only been presented on 7 occasions in J.D. Power's 33-year history and is awarded at the discretion of the firm'schairman"

escape4x4 · May 2001

The article reference by the award was quality improvement not flat out quality. When you start out at the bottom, moving up the list is your only option.

I can't find the 2001 list, have they done one yet?

I did find a better break out of the 2000 year:

http://www.auto.com/auto news/cwirh17_20000517.htm

rsharp83 · May 2001

I am amused by Triscape owners who now have no basis from which to argue saftey superiority as they once tried to do. So now they will use a survey published a year ago which means the actual data is closer to 2 years old, to promote (of all things) quality! Quality and the Triscape... hmmmmmmm those two things really have not gone together very well so far in the production and release of the triscape.

Let us just wait and look at objective quality measurments from the actual autos in question before we become too smug. Otherwise you will wind up looking completely foolish like your triscape friends Bobmazda and ptmccain who told us all months ago how safe the triscape was and how it would crush the Sante fe in the ratings. Well we haven't heard from either of them since the real results came out, have we.

I do recognize that Hyundai has had quality issues and they have made strides to improve those issues.

k9cop1 · May 2001

I picked up my Black 4WD/XLT on April 20th & now have 1,300 miles under my belt. Avg. gas mileage is 18.5 mpg. No odors,wind noise (unless you count the moon roof in the open position) or any other major problems. It handles great & has outstanding acceleration & braking response.
I have driven (not owned) Jeeps, Suburbans, Explorers & CRV's @ work. I have to admit that this is a fine automobile.
Although this & other forums are very helpful in exchanging ideas & bringing up issues of concern, it is only one tool in assessing a possible purchase of an automobile.
Talk to you all soon!
Dave

grlnxtdoor · May 2001

Hello, I was wondering if anyone has a problem with vibration? I have the Mazda LX-V6 2001 and as soon as I hit 110 (KM) my truck begins to shake. Can anyone help me please?!

escape4x4 · May 2001

I am amused by the fact that this list has nothing to do with "Shun-dai" but you continue to come and try to sell them.

Quality:

Please provide the current information from JD powers that shows where Shun-dai ranks (other than at the bottom) otherwise we can assume that is the most current study and still down there. I saw the letter referred to where they have improved but no one has been able to show the numbers to prove anything such as the "new" ranking. It really provides no concrete information.

About Safety there have been 3 reviews I have seen and 2 were excellent but the offset crash test was not so good. Here are the facts.

The bumper test -> Excellent: (the Escape is the only one to pass)

http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/04/09/collision.tests/index.html?s=2

The head on crash and side crash: (3 5 star ratings and one 4 star)

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/cars/1682.html

I actually like the competition, it will causes all the manufactures to build better safer products for us all.

rsharp83 · May 2001

I posted here because I was called out by name in the following post:
#824 of 830 RuSharp . . . .read it and weep

I have heard some auto experts discuss the various crash tests (long before the triscape sante fe tests) as to which test is the best. Their opinion was that the offset test is the most valuable indicator of saftey because it represents a more real world accident ie most crashes do not happen directly head on but offest to one side or another as cars swerve to avoid whatever they are about to hit. The bumper test has no saftey relevance at all and is designed to measure repair cost factors not saftey. no one is going to die in a 5mph bumper crash.

And since you are interested in surveys, here is one just out:

The Hyundai Santa Fe
sport utility vehicle is the top-rated vehicle in the Compact SUV Segment in AutoPacific's 2001 Vehicle Satisfaction Index.

escape4x4 · May 2001

So you are saying you only were called out one time on this list one time by #824???

About crash tests, your key words are "some experts" "opinion" etc. It sounds
like you are saying NHTSA are a complete waste because they rarely occur. Also,
it looks like you lumped the side star crash results from NHTSA in your attempt to
discredit one of the major test sights of vehicle safety.
(http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/)

I know the bumper test isn't as much about safety but I would prefer to
have the vehicle with the less damage, wouldn't you? Also, did you see the
video clips on those tests? Some of the spare tires on the back when through the
windows causing glass to fly everywhere. I wouldn't want my kids in the back
of that and I hope you wouldn't either.

About your survey, I can't comment on it because I couldn't find it. Can you
provide the link?

How come you never provided this new information on how Shun-dai has improved on
quality so much (JD Powers)? If JD Powers had the award to show a major quality
improvement, there should be facts to back it up like a new list. The claim was
the link provided showing Hyundai at the bottom was old but now one ever showed
any more current info. The link I found was at autonews.com and clicked on a JD quality link (on the lower left) and it just may be the most current information.

taylair · May 2001

I stated earlier I bought an Escape XLS(4 cyl,5 speed manual)Sat. 5/12/01.About 2 days I noticed it was making grinding noise in the transmission while acclerating during a turn.I didn't think much,told my wife "i'll bring it in to get checked out in a couple of days".Well,about 2 or 3 days after that,it began jumping out of 5th gear while crusing on the highway.Once I got it home,I decided i'll check the transmission oil.I removed the drain plug slowly,waiting to see oil start leaking,& you guessed it,not a drop of oil in the transmission!
I was not happy!No way was I gona have a brand new car,less than a week old with a rebuilt transmission(if they would rebuild it-probally put oil in it,& hope it works for A while).
So,I brought it back & got my old car back.Like I said, I don't want that one,& they didn't have any others other than that gold parchment,& that wasn't happening.
I may get another one,but it's gonna take some real hard thinking.

escape4x4 · May 2001

Interesting, a propaganda web sight. I looked at the link the Shun-dai fan listed (the one you referenced) and found no new information. I saw the letter that was linked to on this list saying they have improved (JD Powers), I saw the offset crash test that was already mentioned on this list and I saw the a letter that talked about AutoPacific’s survey.

I saw no information on the AutoPacific’s survey like who took the survey, what the survey was about, what manufactures were in the survey, ratings, results etc… Either I did not dig deep enough to find new information or you are looping..

Here is the latest JD powers test I could find and I did not see Shun-dai in any category.

The link below is JD powers 2001 Initial Quality Study and it lists the top 3 in each class.

http://www.jdpa.com/presspass/pr/images/0113bfull.gif

This is clearly off topic and it is going nowhere. The most important thing is everyone enjoys there vehicle and is safe. Good luck.

rotarykid · May 2001

Mazda tech here....got a trib yesterday that had its self tensioner for the drive belt blow up. The thing just came apart. Customer said he/she heard a tapping noise first and then lost steering etc., I'm gonna stock a few of these after it comes off backorder.

nyy4lou · May 2001

Looking to buy an Escape. Anyone honestly love theirs? Hate theirs? I have a '92 XLT. Any words of wisdom appreciated. Thanks to all.

escape4x4 · May 2001

Go to the "Hyundai Santa Fe vs Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute" town hall, this does not belong here...

rotarykid · May 2001

All this whining about which vehicle rates better is pure nonsense. Test drive whichever vehicle you may be interested in buying and draw your own conclusions. Feedback reports from satisfied/dissatisfied customers is not the best indicator for rating a particular vehicle. Some people will complain about anything, and others are too proud to admit they bought a piece of junk. The Tribute is certainly not the best suv out there, but if you like it- so be it.

drew_ · May 2001

This is the Mazda Tribute/Ford Escape problems topic. Please stick to the topic in the discussion topic title. Any continued posts on the Sante Fe do not belong here, which is why I have removed some of the off-topic messages.

Thank you for your co-operation,

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

k9cop1 · May 2001

Good work copper! LOL
Dave

cathy805 · May 2001

I did my first car wash on my 1 week old LX V6. And I'm wondering if any of you can tell me how to unhook the drivers side floor mat from the floor. It's very perplexing, and I'm embarrassed to take it to the dealer for this problem. Nothing in the car manual will explain the procedure. Thanks, for any advise.

jimmydelray · May 2001

Shimmy at 80mph......won't go over 85mph. No not the tires, the engine seems to cause the shimmy. No problem as long as you don't go 80mph????? Can this be a governor or something.....

Thanks,
Jimmy

ii31 · May 2001

Hi Cathy,

The driver side floormat is kept in place with
a plastic hook. Just lift the mat near the hook/hole,
move the floormat towards the seat. It will come out.
Trick is to lift the floormat a little as the hook is like

__
|

Give it a shot.

I.I.

my1stsuv · May 2001

I have done 15,000 Km in my Escape and have two major problems with the design. First the inflexible ventilation system. You cannot turn off the air conditioning system (A/C) in either of the defrost modes. You cannot get other than A/C air to the windshield, if you drive in the defrost mode the A/C will be on all the time, and this makes worse the second problem - the poor fuel consumption. Anybody have the same view on the A/C design? Ford needs to add an A/C button to turn on/off the A/C in any mode, per many truely Japanese designed vehicles. When driving in damp or wet weather you need to switch back to defrost occasionallly to clear the screen. Non A/C air to the windshield all the time is the best mode, with air to your feet at the same time. Most of my drivers do not like the air from the vents, therefore the only mode of choice is air to the feet, and this makes the mist build-up on the windshield the worst in damp weather.

In the A/C mode also you cannot select where the air is vented, but this would be solved if the A/C button was provided in all modes.

Any comments!!!!!

my1stsuv · May 2001

I have one of the first XLT models built without wheel arch trims (looks like an XLS) and in Canada, Ford are fitting four mud flaps and offering $1,000 compensation, because the vehicle does not meet Canadian wheel splash requirements. Mud and snow does splash up onto the sidestep bars in the winter, and has scratched the plastic trim. Maybe the mud flaps will make a difference, but I will have to wait until next winter to find out.

Anybody accepted the Ford offer, or received a better deal. I would like to hear your comments ASAP!!!!!

goblue93 · May 2001

I have had my Escape 4wd XLT for 2.5 weeks. Over the weekend we noticed a high pitched whining sound coming from what I assume is the interior fan unit located under the dash on the passenger's side of the car. Sound increases in intensity as you turn the fan control higher, but the noise also comes and goes, particularly after you give it a light tap. Any thoughts? Besides that we love the car, drives great.

jmlagasca · May 2001

I had the same thing when I first got my ES Trib. I did exactly the same thing you're doing now. It was basically a fan that was "breaking in."

Although, the sound only recently went away (I got the Trib at new years, I haven't heard in for the last month or so), after a month the problem was sporadic, only occuring once every 2 weeks or so.

If you want to get rid of the sound right now bring it to your dealer and see if they can replace the fan on the warranty, I don't think the problem will end then though as the new fan may have the same problem. Otherwise, wait it out and handle it the same way you're handling it right now. It should go away with time...

cathy805 · May 2001

I'll give it another go. I thought I did that, but I guess I was just a wee bit too gentle (new car, and all). What's annoying is that when following your advise you tend to dump any dirt on your floormat onto the carpet, creating a bigger mess. And so it goes.

Cathy805

firstname · May 2001

My 2001 Escape XLT V6 4x4 is barely 600 miles, so I have no problems or complaints to report. I'm simply thrilled about owning and driving this amazing little SUV.

The messages on this forum, especially from last year, seem to mention a lot of "recalls." But the NHTSA web site does not list the Escape -- which is a good thing.

Where can I find a complete list of items, either minor or major, that Ford and Mazda had to recall on the 2000 and 2001 Escape and Tribute?

baja343 · May 2001

On several different occasions I have had problems starting my ES-V6 Mazda Tribute. The tribute would not start up after it has set for 30 mins to 3hrs. I start up the tribute reach my destinations but when I get back into the vehicle to leave (the mall, supermarket) it will not start up. In order for it to start I pump the gas for at least 3mins. Took it in to be check but they could not find anything wrong. Has anyone else have this problem.

Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

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