My dealer's service manager (at Tyson's Ford in Tysons Corner, VA), says that the reason Ford does not offer a trailer hitch for the Escape Hybrid is that Ford probably feels the hybrid should not be used for towing. Now, I realize this goes against what the owner's manual says. The service manager felt that Ford did not want to go through the crash testing with a Ford-made hitch in place and thus probably will not offer a Ford-branded hitch. The expense of certifying a hitch for the hybrid does not justify the amount to be made by selling such hitches.

Aftermarket hitch vendors really don't care about such stuff, they just want to sell hitches and they don't need to test whether or not a hitch in place during a rear-end crash will puncture the battery compartment. The hitches I have seen offered are all class 2 hitches, which might imply that the Escape Hybrid can tow a class 2 load. The owner's manual limits towing to class 1 type loads, but it does seem to me a disconnect that the hitch is class two and car is rated only at class 1.

If I buy an aftermarket (class 2) hitch, I would need an adapter for my bike rack (which is class 1 size) to make it fit on a new class 2 hitch. The dealer did not feel that just putting a class 2 hitch on the car would void the warranty, but I would say that if you had such a hitch on your car, you might be under pressure to prove that you did not tow a class two load if you had a drivetrain problem.

How can we let Ford know that there is a market for class 1 hitches for the Escape Hybrid? If they made one, owners would get a reassurance that the car can indeed tow some dinky Jon boat or a small motorcycle trailer or some other class 1 type load without voiding the warranty or crunching that expensive drive train.