Ford Escape Reliability

Hello, I currently own a 1999 Mustang Convertible and I'm eyeing a 2002 Ford Escape for those lovely upstate NY winters. I've ridden in Escapes before and I think they're pretty good for a smaller SUV. So, I did some research on the net and pit it up against the Chevy Blazer, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4. The JD Power ratings totally slam the Chevy and Ford while extolling the greatness of Honda and Toyota. On some sites I've looked at the Escape is rated as a good, reliable SUV. I'm preferential to Fords so I would like to stick with them. My question is, has anyone on here had any experiences, good or bad, with the Escape? Is this a worthwhile picked for a used SUV?

Any help would be appreciated.

Reply to
DevilPaul
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We only have a few Escapes in our area.... Most of these are serviced in our shop. I don't recall anything in the way of problems other than a couple of rear door weatherstrip concerns. Not my cup of tea but they do appear to be dependable.

Any help would be appreciated.

Reply to
Jim Warman

Ok, thanks Jim. I was asking because I had read all kinds of crazy stuff on car review sites like the cars stalling downhill, transmissions going out early, and severe rattling.

Reply to
DevilPaul

lmfao ps hose blows when cold clutch rattles can tweek frame with crowbar

want more?? lmfao escape = POS

hurc ast

btw why would u give advice when you only have a few in the area

hurc ast

Reply to
katoo

In the future, please use plain text instead of HTML. HTML is very hard to respond to (the >'s don't appear so it is hard to tell put comments in line). Also, HTML is harder for some people to read (some readers are able to make the text much easier for people with vision problems, esp. those who use text to speech software). HTML can transmit viruses and takes more bandwidth.

The Honda Pilot is also a very good truck. I have a friend who loves hers. I think it is bigger than what you want.

I have some friends who love their escapes, too. They say it is a good truck.

You should also look at the Mazda tribute. Same truck, but different badge. You might get a combination of options that you like better or a better price.

Jeff

Any help would be appreciated.

Reply to
Jeff

The Honda Pilot is not a truck. Like the Escape and the new Honda Ridge Runner it is basically a car chassis. Look at the real life poll of what buyers think, as well as the opinion of CR. In the real life poll of what buyer think the Escape wins hands down. The Escape by far out sells the others in it class and has since it was introduced. Buyer don't buy a particular vehicle year after year if it not a good vehicle. The Escape is available with a V6 at at price below the competitors 4cy engines. As too the tribute it is an Escape but with different trim and a longer warranty, 4yr 50K v 3yr 36K BUT it will cost you a least $1,500 to $2,000 more to drive home. IF buying new I would drive and get a total 'drive home price' of all that meets ones needs and buy the one that best suits their budget. The buyer apparently is considering buying a used vehicle, not new however, He can only chose from those in his area and hope it was properly used and maintained by the previous owner(s))

mike hunt

Jeff wrote:

Jeff wrote:

Reply to
MikeHunt2

They are often licensed as trucks. And the EPA considers them trucks.

Reply to
Jeff

True, they are considered to be trucks and I think are actually built in a truck plant, but they are still car chassis using unibody construction.

You have to hand it to Ford and the rest of the auto industry for selling ths class vehicle to everyone as a truck.

I test drove a V6 and was impressed, but was just a bit too small for me. I love my new F-150 supercab.

Matt

Reply to
sleepdog

You got it backwards. People are handing it (the green stuff) to Ford, GM and Diamler-Chrysler hand over fist at very high profit margins.

They are providing what the people want.

I could never live with myself for contributing that much CO2 to the atmosphere.

Plus, your gas bill must really be going up.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

The federal truck classification has to do with cargo room and seating. The Chrysler PT Cruiser is classed as a truck by the federal agencies but the convertible version is classed as a car. As to licensing the Econoline van is licensed as both a truck and a car (station wagon) depending on whether it has seating and called the Club Wagon. When a conversion company converts an Econoline Van into a passenger vehicle it maintains its federal classification as a truck, however. The same was true of the Windstar van and wagon. When I was still in retail customers would ask about the Windstar VAN when they really meant to inquire about a Windstar wagon. At one of our dealerships the Sales Manager took advantage of the confusion among the buyers by advertising the MSRP of the van, to give the impression that his lowest price Windstar was way below his competitors lowest price. ;)

mike hunt

Jeff wrote:

Reply to
MelvinGibson

Sure, people are getting what they want, no argument there, but its more of an "un-car" than a truck.

Good thing you're not driving one.

Reply to
sleepdog

I'd worry more about Mt. St. Helens, Mt Pinatubo and other volcanoes in the world. Every vehicle ever made doesn't even come close to one good volcano shot from Mother Nature. In fact lets bulldoze over Yellowstone, the sulfur dioxide emissions from that place are totally unacceptable.

Reply to
Repairman

There's what? 100 or active volvanos? But how many active cars? a billion or so? True, no one car makes that much CO2. But the CO2 from all of htem together do add up to a substantial amount.

BTW, I was talking about CO2 (carbon dioxide), not sulfur dioxide emissions. This is a different chemical.

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

Oh yeah I forgot to mention, while I was looking the Escape V6 w/ 4WD didn't get much better gas mileage than the F-150 5.4L Triton. Maybe a couple of miles or so I forget, bottom line is that I was not impressed enough with the figures to sway myself away from a shiny new battle wagon. With my work discount and current incentives I got much more vehicle for the money.

I was also concerned about the cost of gas going up, but I came to the conclusion that people who drive real trucks don't care. Besides, the audiophile sound system is enough to distract me from the gas guage.

Matt

Reply to
sleepdog

snipped-for-privacy@optonline.net wrote in part:

If gas prices jump to 4 or 5 bucks a gallon, a lot of new vehicles are going to spend most of their time parked. While I don't expect gas to jump that high during the first part of the life of my new Escape, it sure is possible, given the sharply rising demand for oil (mostly from China and India). At least the areas where the oil comes from are completely stable, peaceful, and friendly (sarcasm).

I have about 8K miles on my 4WD hybrid with no glitches at all. Getting about 33 mpg when used in commuting, about 25 on short trips in cold weather, and about

28-30 on the highway, depending on how much above the speed limit I drive.

It seems to do everything my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee does (which has averaged about 15 mpg overall), though it lacks heated seats... I puts lots of miles on the Cherokee by taking it almost straight from the showroom in Virginia to a trek across most of Alaska and Canada with a sidetrip to Tucson and Big Bend...

Actually, I do have one complaint about the Escape: after washing it or after a rainstorm, it often develops a squeak in the passenger front corner. This is from a guide on a line of some sort (I haven't looked to see what is really is yet) that rubs against the shock absorber... If I put silicone lube on the guide, the squeak goes away until the next rain or washing.

-- Jim Chinnis Warrenton, Virginia, USA snipped-for-privacy@alum.mit.edu

Reply to
Jim Chinnis

Thanks for that hint. I suspect it is the ABS wiring. My 2005 Escape Hybrid 4WD is quiet most of the time, but then develops an odd little noise on the passenger side for a while. I hadn't correlated it to rain, haven't washed it yet. I might look around underneath for rubbable cables. Odd that they wouldn't be tied off correctly.

Reply to
dold

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