A Warning to Ford Escape Owners

[04_Sport_LS]

If any Escape owner doesn't know about this... it would be good information to pass along. You may save a person's life.

I'm not sure what all years it covers... but the suspension cradle that holds the lower control arms, (and other components), is known for severely rusting out and failing.

Ford has a TSB on this... for adding a brace to hold everything together... but it is only a band-aid. Eventually the cradle will fail... causing loss of steering... and worse.

I just went through this with my EX. She was very lucky that it held up as long as it did... but it was getting deadly. Pics to follow shortly.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

I think this goes up to at least 2008... starting from about 2000.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

It is possible to find a clean used one in the junkyard... but you have to pay attention to the manufacture date of the Escape.

Before 12/14/2003 is one design. 12/15/2003 and after... there was a slight change. Don't know what it is... but the later suspension cradle won't fit the earlier Escape... and vice versa.

 

[HRLNKN]

Wow! That's really bad. Thanks for the reminder for everybody to take a look under their vehicles sometime. There might be surprises lurking beneath the surface

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Yes definitely... although it is more of a "rust belt" issue. Obviously road salt is the issue here.

I had been keeping an eye on it... without letting the ex know. The last time she came over for an oil change, (since I have all the tools), my son went to jack the car up to change the oil... and we both heard a "crunch". I told him to let it down and change the oil with the car on the ground.

That started a search for a good used cradle. Thing is... the nuts inside the cradle for the control arm bolts tend to break away from the inside of the cradle frame.... allowing the bolt to spin freely so you cant get the control arm off without doing surgery.

I found a clean used cradle at my local LKQ yard. I had it out in about 2.5 hours... with a buddy handing me tools and occasionally holding a wrench or breaker bar... or running a battery impact wrench.

The suspension cradle came with control arms, steering rack, sway bar, and a couple of the engine/transmission mounts. All for $112+ tax.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Pic double post...

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Steering rack was in good shape, with newer Moog replacement tie rods... and newer Moog control arms, (though I did have to replace the ball joints. and 1 bushing.

 

[AmsterDutch]

My step son has a Ford Escape ...going to look under the truck today...thanks 04'Sport

 

[04_Sport_LS]

I disassembled the whole replacement cradle... cleaned the existing rust off with a wire wheel on a Metabo grinder... hit it with some epoxy/bonding primer and top coated it with black paint.

The only heavy rust I found on the replacement cradle... was where it was welded together. That tells me that the metal used for these cradles... was some really crappy scrap.

 

[luvmylsv6]

My neighbor has an Escape, I'm not sure what year. I will pas this on. Thanks for the heads up OP.

 

[killercar]

It is possible to find a clean used one in the junkyard.. but you have to pay attention to the manufacture date of the Escape.

 

[killercar]

It is possible to find a clean used one in the junkyard... but you have to pay attention to the manufacture date of the Escape.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

I think I said that above in post #3.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

I think I said that above in post #3.

 

[MtnStNomad]

Hinestly, the escapes are a POS. They frequently have transmission problems also. The first gen autos are notorious for failing, and the newer ones aren't much better.

Maybe the terrain in my area exacerbates the trans problems, but i see them for sale all over the place with bad trans. My friend had a first gen and went thru two transmissions before giving up on it. Right now, anither friend has a newer escape (wanna say its a 2014, but idk) .. hell be paying over 20k for, used with about 60k, thru a buy here pay here place. Already slow gear engagement when below 40ish degrees, and a whining noise from the trans or diff area when driving.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

I would have to disagree about being a POS. While your area may have more issues due to hills... the trans problem probably comes from driver leaving the trans in overdrive. That causes the trans to "hunt" gears. Especially in hilly terrain. Fluid changes help too. There IS a filter in the trans... but it is non-serviceable without splitting the case.

I told my son, (who also had an 2001 Escape), that unless he was doing 65-70 mph... to kick the overdrive off. That trans went up to 180k miles with out issue... when the vehicle was wrecked.

As far as the suspension cradle... the engineers probably had no initial clue that the design of the cradle would be an issue in the rust belt. The TSB for the brace was a band aid due to "end of service life" on the Escapes.

My "Ex" typically does short trip driving, and has 150k on her 2004. Other than the cradle, alternator, some cooling system parts, and other minor parts... the vehicle is holding up well, (now).

 

[MtnStNomad]

I mean, i hear you, and those are probably all valid points. At the same time tho, I feel like most people dont even know what the gears below D are for, let alone use them (especially when considering the demographic this vehicle seems to be designed for, ie: moms) ... And really, they shouldnt have to be mindful of gear selection in an automatic if they arent towing or hauling a lot of cargo around all the time.

There are plenty of other small and mid sized suvs around here that dont have the prevalent trans issues. With all the hills, they all hunt gears unless its something newer with a 6 speed or something. So thats par for the course around here.

Having a "servicable" filter that you cant access with out cracking the case, so i assume that means pulling the trans altogether ... thats a piss poor design, and only going to discourage people from doing proper service. And while technically might fail due to that sort of neglect, rather than being inherently weak, I have to wonder if it was a blunder in the design, or planned obsolescence.

I wasnt aware of the subframe issues, but thats just one more stike against the escape in my book. In my area i dont think they last long enough for the subframe to rot before the trans drops out of it tho

Its too bad too cause they arent a bad little vehicle if u get the awd one and everythung works right. But they arent durable

Edit: im in north central wv .. if anyine is looking for these escapes that are in otherwise good shape besides the trans issues, you can find them dirt cheap around here. Might be worth a trip to grab a donor car. Usually see them asking about 500 for the whole thing, depending in what it is .. give or take. And if course theyll negotiate cause nobody around here buys them,l. Most are all wheel models in the area too.

 

[MtnStNomad]

That cradle issue reminds me of the late 90s to early 2000s isuzu rodeo and honda passorts. Or the toyota frame issues. Seems like quite a few manufacturers had design flaws that led to rust issues around that era.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Yeah... Toyota/Lexus had similar issues with their cradles. The fix/trick... was that when the dealers replace the cradles... they filled them with some sort of foam to prevent the water from entering in the cradle.

As far as the Escape trans... regular fluid changes helps with trans longevity. Most people don't read their owners manual for service intervals. Just get in and drive it... then when something happens due to poor maintenance, they think the car is a piece of junk.

I borrowed my ex's Escape last fall for a couple days when my truck had some issues. First thing I did was kick off the overdrive. It sipped the gas tank faster, but better that... than having to replace a trans.

Most 4x4 Escapes have issues with the mini differential "transfer case" due to poor maintenance. Nobody thinks about the fluid going bad, (and debris) over time, causing it to fail, (it's the same with the Ford Edge too).

If a person hears a "whine" inside the cabin toward the rear of the vehicle... it's most likely the rear wheel bearings, which are a total PITA on the 4x4 version. Especially when the bolts on the rear trailing arms, (which also contain alignment bushings), are froze up.

Every vehicle manufacturer has their problem vehicles. I could go back to the mid to late 80's and start with GM... and go right down the line.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

We had a big 12"+ snow over a week ago. The ex usually leaves the transfer case switch on the "auto" setting. After I explained to her how that worked, and the issues that could cause when kicking in and out all the time, (and the wear and tear), I told her to put the switch in actual 4x4 mode. She never had a problem getting through all the snow, (roads severely drifted over), and her doing that most likely saved me a future repair headache.

 

[04_Sport_LS]

Gotta watch those "buy here pay here" lots. Many of those have tricks to scrub the vehicle of the mileage and get a new title with a lower mileage reading. Some of the small town "brand name" dealers do that to their used cars too.

I busted and reported one a year ago. The vehicle came across the Canadian border with xxx,xxx miles reported on it. 6 years later this local name brand dealer had it in their used lot... with about 20k miles less that when it entered this country.... after it had passed through a few other dealers hands who accurately reported the true mileage.

Buyer beware !!!