dlucarelli

Have you talked to an independent transmission mechanic? I have found that dealer service departments take the most expensive route. That said, I would move on. My Escape was trouble prone and very expensive to fix. I traded to another manufacturer’s small SUV, and am very happy I left Ford.

Your experience does not surprise me. You can call Ford, but from my experience they won't care. My experiences with Ford are abysmal - so much so, that I will not buy a Ford product again. Ever. The Escape Platinums are 37K? Really? That's a lot of money. I have heard of a lot of issues with newer Ford vehicles. Electronics and software, mostly. Seems to me the troubles started when Ford integrated Microsoft's stuff into MySync. (I was astounded - ASTOUNDED! to learn that the 1.6 EchoBoost fire issue was a result of a "software glitch".) The good news is that it only needs to happen two more times before you can invoke the auto Lemon Law and get your money back.

I'm not surprised. I own a 2006 Escape Hybrid. I had a 'catastrophic engine failure' at 65,000 miles and 37 months of ownership. "Too Bad", said Ford. "It is out of warranty (extended 60,000 warranty)". $7,000 and a remanufactured engine later, I vowed to never own another Ford again. And I won't. Ever. It's not because I had a main bearing spin and ruin the engine. That happens, even on a "tried and tested" DuraTech block. It was because Ford could not care less about my problems, and did absolutely nothing to help me. Don't be surprised at Ford's indifference to your problem. I've seen it, and, more importantly, they have not. changed. their. attitude towards customers. Ford will take care of the 1.6 owners when they are absolutely forced to. If I owned one of these vehicles, I would be talking to a lemon law attorney to get my money back with interest. $31K is a LOT of money. I AM surprised at the number of folks who have fallen in lust with the 2013 Escape and are buying them sight unseen with so much unproven technology (EcoBoost, MyFord Touch, etc.) I am highly amused following this forum with all of the wacky issues surrounding MyFord Touch - screen blanks, does not do this, reboot that, new version, etc. You should not be having these issues with embedded systems. However, the system is co-built by Microsoft. What do you expect? I am happy to hear you are not hurt with the vehicle. Can you imagine the family that had their 1.6 TWO DAYS before it burned to a crisp? That works out to about $15K a day. Wow.

Consumer Reports magazine, a well respected consumer advocate, cannot recommend **any** Ford product with MyTouch. This is not good news for Ford fans. http://autos.yahoo.com/news/why-the-myford-touch-control-system-stinks.html

For what Ford is asking for a Platinum, I would expect nothing but perfect. It will. Not. Be. Right. from the body shop. Stomp your feet, make a scene, escalate up the chain, and get another vehicle. After all, for (about) the same money, you can get an American-made BMW X3 with perfect fit and finish. The Beemer will hold its value better, too.

I had a similar issue with my 2006 FEH. It turned out to be the RF ABS axle sensor. Although...... I was getting codes, and the sensor was gone due to the sensor disc breaking off. I had to replace the sensor, and the axle, because my mechanic could not remove the remaining parts of the sensor disc. Seems everything was rust 'welded' together. Ahhh, Ford. Quality is Job 1. The first few minutes driving on startup were freaky - ABS would kick in, out, in, shudder - even under acceleration - until the computer figured out something was wrong and shut the ABS system down. Maybe the electrical connector on a sensor is intermittantly loose or failing? Maybe an ABS disc on one of the wheels needs cleaned?

Looks nice. The product development and marketing folks did a good job. Unfortunately, this vehicle is not on my list of candidates to replace my current Escape. Why? The powertrain warranty is not even close to leading its class. 5 years / 60,000 mile powertrain warranty means that if the engine experiences a catastrophic failure at 37 months / 65,000 miles of ownership, the owner, not Ford, is footing the bill for repair. Remember, folks, that the EcoBoost line of engines is only a couple of years old. Even Consumer Reports does not have enough data to predict the reliability of this 'new' engine technology. Turbocharging = high stress. High stress = problems. Low warranty coverage = Customer pays when it breaks. "It won't happen to me"? Well, my Duratech engine - technolgy proven over at least a decade, experienced a 'catastrophic engine failure' at 37 months / 65,000 mile of ownership. "That's too bad", said Ford. "$7,000, please." Ford, if you are committed to the technology, and believe your products have a competitive advantage, then belly up to the bar. Increase your powertrain warranty to, say, 5 years / 100,000 miles. Or 10 years / 100,000 miles. Matching a competitor's warranty would level the playing field and get me to reconsider an Eacape versus, say, an Equinox or a Santa Fe. After all, saving 4 or 5 MPG only makes sense if you don't have to replace a $7,000 engine every 37 months or so.

What's the warranty? Ford upgraded the exterior and interior - nice. Ford upgraded the chassis and ride. Good. Ford added turbocharged engines. I wonder how they'll hold up over time. If Ford believes in these engines, they will offer a powertrain warranty that's more realistic than their current anemic 36 month / 36,000 mile warranty. Turbocharging = more stress on an engine. And - IF they fail (that's a big IF, given no history or repair records), I wonder what they'll cost to repair or replace. Turbocharging = more technology than their "Duratech" line. More technology = more costs. I would expect that if these engines fail out of warranty (at, say, 37 months / 65,000 miles), they would cost more to repair or replace than the $7,000 my "old" low technology Duratech engine cost to repair.

Gosh. With the high cost of vehicles today, and the complexity of technology, are you sure you want to consider a vehicle with such an anemic powertrain warranty? "Ecoboost" is Ford's fancy marketing term for "turbocharging". Turbocharging puts enormous stress on an engine. You're right - power goes up, and fuel economy is attractive (unless you have a "fun" right foot). However, consider that engine repairs will be very expensive out of warranty. Ford's Ecoboost series of engines do not, in my opinion, have enough emperical data to suggest they will be reliable and repair-free for the life of the vehicle. If Ford is committed to Ecoboost, and believes it has customer advantages, then Ford should back up their marketing buzz with a powertrain warranty reflective of their confidence in the technology. Other manufacturers in the small SUV space have much longer warranters. You should at least consider these alternatives before Ford. After all, the cost of the vehicle skyrockets when you have a $7,000 "catastrophic engine failure" event that occurs out of warranty, like I did. Good luck.

Personally, I'd rather have a vehicle with less MPG and a more reliable engine. My 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid engine failed at 37 months / 65,000 miles and required a $7,000 engine replacement. I imagine the stress of a small turbocharged engine to be greater than the stresses imposed on the "rock solid reliability" of Ford's Duratech design. At 2-3 MPG difference, $7,000 buys a lot of fuel, even at $4.00 per gallon. Does Ford intend to offer a 5 or 6 year, 100,000 or 150,000 mile powertrain warranty with these engines? THAT would be exciting, and something that would make me consider a Ford product in the future. Ford, please lead the industry with warranty confidence in addition to your marketing buzz. There are other choices in the small SUV space with warranties more than DOUBLE Ford's anemic 3 year 36,000 mile token.

Looks nice. What's the warranty? If Ford believes that the stress of turbocharging a small engine is good for customers, perhaps they should consider backing their belief with a 5 or 6 year, 100,000 or 150,000 mile powertrain warranty. I shudder to think what one of these engines would cost to fix or replace, if, say, it spins a main bearing. After all, a "Duratech" engine in a 2006 Escape can fail at 37 months / 65,000 miles, and cost $7,000 to fix. (Ironically, my remanufactured engine has a BETTER warranty than the original.) I don't think I will EVER purchase another Ford product until their confidence in reliability catches up with their marketing buzz. Ford, offer a better warranty than your competitors in the small SUV space. Then perhaps I'll be interested.

How did you get 70,000 miles? At 37 months of ownership, my 2006 FEH spun a main bearing @ 65,000 miles, requiring a $7,000 engine replacement. (Alas! The extended warranty ended @ 60,000 miles. "Too Bad", said Ford.) Ironically, the remanufactured engine has a BETTER warranty than the original engine. Ironically, the cost of my new FEH + $7,000 is MORE than a Toyota Highlander Hybrid. I should have bought the Toyota.

Don't buy either. Faith in Ford Motor Company on a new model with no history? Personally, I would not purchase any vehicle with less than a 100,000 mile power train warranty. Too much risk ( and cost), if, say, a Duratech engine spins a main bearing at 65,000 miles and requires a $7,000 engine replacement. Ironically, Ford DOES warrant engines for 100,000 miles - but only the remanufactured ones. Don't forget that Ford's "EcoBoost" marketing term is really a small engine with stressful turbocharging bolted on. Ford only has one or two years' experience with this - not enough data for folks like Consumer Repors to compile accurate reliability data. My "simple" Duratech engine was $7,000. Imagine how expensive a sophisticated EcoBoost engine costs to replace.

My 2006 Escape Hybrid was getting 28 MPG in the city, and 28-29 MPG on the highway. Then the engine failed @ 65,000 miles and needed replaced. The remanufactured engine gets 25-26 MPH in the city, and 26-27 MPH on the highway, even with the new Goodyear "Assurance Fuel Max" tires. (Sigh).

Personally, I will replace my Escape with a product from another manufacturer. It seems unreasonable to me that my engine would fail at 65,000 miles / 37 months of service. Ford offered NO ASSISTANCE with the $7000 repair bill. Ironically, the remanufactured engine that was installed has a better warranty than the original.