anybody here?

:welcome:
As you might guess by the name Priuschat, Ford products are not the Focus here, (sorry, bad pun) but are well respected competitors. GM gets much less respect, and oddly, Honda gets most of the razzing. The Fusion is their second generation hybrid, much improved over the Escape, a fine first effort. We welcome you!

 

If you want to discuss about Ford hybrids, may I suggest Ford Escape Hybrid - GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars

 

Not that GreenGuy is subtly saying 'take a hike' btw ...

no indeed! The Ford's first shot at hybridizing was pretty decent. Now, your gf's escape ... it's not hybrid, right (or am I wrong ... again)? Because I believe the first hybrid SUV put into production was our Lexus 400h, as seen here next to our CA car:




It came out in 2006, and has almost identical mpg's as the hybrid Escape (as it well should, since it's lighter/smaller than the 400h. PC finally gave Lexus its own separate thread list (wipes away tear ) not too long ago, and even in the Lexus threads you'll find just a few skimp conversations ... yet the Lexus is dang near the same as a Toyota (ducks flying debris from Lexus owners). All that to say, if Lexus topics aren't flying off the shelf ... well then you know the Ford talk will be even skimpier at PC. That said:

:welcome:

edit:
whoops ... no, I see the 400h was the 1st luxury suv hybrid, but Ford was the 1st hybrid SUV. first I write ... then I research

.

 

The Escape was the first hybrid SUV to market with an 2005 model.

 

I'm just commenting that I'm here. I have a 2008 FEH and love it.

 

What problems?
Doesn't seem to be many, if any, complaints here.

 

The Ford Escape beat the Lexus to market by about a year. Sales started for it halfway through 2004.

 

I'd have bought a Lincoln MKZ hybrid, except that the dealers here refused to give a discount from MSRP (so much for the hybrid and ICE only versions being the same price!). Now I have two Prii.

It may get to be an even easier choice when Prii are made is Mississippi and Ford hybrids are made in Mexico.

 

Welcome to the forums friend!

 

I have an '08 Prius and an '08 Ford Escape Hybrid. Right after getting the FEH I wrote up some issues I had with, of all things, the "user interface." The Prius comes out much better in comparison. You can read it here:
RIKLBLOG - RIKL REVIEW - Ford Escape Hybrid Navigation and Entertainment Display

Of somewhat greater concern (and surprise) was a problem I had just before the 3-year warranty ran out. One of my Prii has over 100k miles, the other about 40k. Neither one has had so much as a brake adjustment, much less replacement pads or rotors. The FEH required all four rotors to be replaced at 16,000 miles! Not from wear but from rust. Of course being a hybrid, the FEH gets much less brake wear, so one would expect that the rotors would last almost forever, and the design would take this into account by using an alloy that wouldn't rust in such a short period. (The FEH has low mileage, but is driven at least once a week.)

Ford refused to pay for the repair because the brakes are guaranteed only for one year, and so far hasn't responded to a couple of letters. Hopefully later model years will use better material in the brake rotors.

Richard

 

Where the rotors literally falling apart from rust?
I've had the interior of vented ones flaking from rust, and never gave it a thought. Irritating while doing it, I've just let the pads polish rust off on the outside.

All rotors, and drums, are iron. Even ones made of another material, like aluminum, have iron faces. I guess it just has the right friction, wear, and heating properties for the job.

 

I don't think they were "falling apart." But both sides of the rotors felt very rough and had no smooth or polished surface at all. The brakes also made nasty noises. I can send pictures if you're curious. One wonders why the Prius can go 100k miles/6+ years with no sign of brake problems and the Escape hybrid required total replacement at 16k miles/3 years.

 

They would make some nasty sounds, and may even be grabby, but after some stops the pads should have rubbed it off. I've gotten visible rust on rotors the day after rain and washes, and it comes right off.

Now, letting vehicles sit without use for too long can be bad for them. The brake grease on a truck that sat alot dried out, and the caliper ended up dragging on the rotor. If the climate is right, and the brakes aren't used often enough to keep the rotor polished, then I guess rust can reach the point where replacement should be done.

On average, how many days did the Escape sit, undriven?

Even though the regenerative braking preserves the rotors and pads, the friction brakes will see use everytime the car is driven.

 

I tried to make sure it was driven at least once a week, and a lot more in the winter snows. This was pretty serious rust. It did make nasty sounds, and was definitely grabby. Driving for a few trips in this condition convinced me that the dealer was correct - they needed replacement.

The Prius usually takes a vacation in the winter as my sloping driveway occasionally turns to ice. Again, there has never been an untoward whisper from the Prius brakes afterwards.

Richard

 

I have recently bought a Honda Accord. It is a superb car.