June 14, 2006 I hit 50,000 miles with my FEH. Ordered June 2004, Delivered February 24, 2005.

In the 1st week I had 2 minor problems.

1. Bad ABS Sensor.
2. Nav CD player reported a "Focus Error" and would not read the Nav CD.

The dealer replaced the sensor, but could not find or duplicate the "Focus Error" problem. I saw the error a 2nd time in the 1st month, but never again.

I have had a couple of other things happen that I would consider "Odd".

• 20 Minutes into a trip I stopped at a convenience store for snacks. I restarted the FEH, and the dash display showed "Power Steering Failure". Turning the wheel sure enough no power steering. I turned off the ignition, waited 10 seconds and restarted with no problems. This has only happened once, but I did think it was odd.
• Another issue started about 2 months ago. About once every couple of weeks I will look at my DTE display and it shows no text. I try to cycle through the different displays, but the DTE side stays blank until I shut off and restart the FEH. The odometer side has always worked.

The only thing that I am disappointed with is the fuel economy during COLD weather. I know all vehicles take a hit in Temp extremes, but my FEH seems to take it a LOT harder than any previous vehicle I have owned. Between November 05 - March 06 I only got to 30Mpg 3 times, and was as low as 22 Mpg. As the winter months progressed I watched my lifetime FE drop from 31 down to 29.3.

This FEH replaced my 2001 FE V6 4WD. My original reason for ordering the FEH was to lower my monthly fuel bills. (OK, the real reason is that I am a geek, and wanted to be the 1st with a FEH) In 2004 with gas prices going up 19 Mpg was costing quite a bit, but I did not want to give up my SUV.

As of the time I am posting this message I have 51,049 miles, 146 fill-ups, and a lifetime MPG of 29.5. Looking at my fuel logs for the 2001 FE, I fairly consistently got 10 Mpg better mileage with the FEH. My FEH fuel log I created in Excel not only keeps track of my MPG, but also estimates the savings in fuel between the 2001 FE V6 4WD and the FEH. At 146 tanks of Fuel my fuel savings is $2061.27! About $15 per fill-up savings! I run almost exclusively E10 fuel, only using straight unleaded when E10 is not available. If it was all about savings I could have purchased a smaller hybrid and saved $4-$6K already, but I really love driving an Escape.

When I ordered my FEH the word was I would pay about a $3000 premium for the Hybrid vs a conventional Escape. So if I used the numbers at the time of order I should recover the Hybrid premium by the 2 year mark. Actually with the Tax credit I received I have probably already passed the 3K mark.

I probably should also address my driving habits. I drive a minimum of 100 miles between home and work each day. 20 miles at 55 miles per hour, 80 miles at 65 Mph. Flat and open would best describe my commute. Last summer I was trying for Hypermiler status and limited my max speed to 55 Mph, as the weather got cold I could see that Hypermiler just was not going to happen. I now drive the speed limit, or just under, and try to avoid Interstates. This is far from the FEH's most efficient operating conditions. That being said 29.5 Mpg I am happy with.

At +50K miles my FEH was/is the right choice for ME. If I had to replace it today I would replace it with another FEH, no question. My only concerns (Small at this time) is what will be the "Life of the Vehicle" I anticipate I will hit the 100K mark before the FEH is 3 yrs old. Did you know if you pull the fuse out of the HV Battery, it does not start. So there is no driving it as a conventional vehicle if a HV component fails.

So can I get 260K miles out of it like I did my Mercury Tracer?

Dude:

Your story is the thing man......

You love your car!!!! Not only that, but your specific car then offered a hybrid version. So now u get 30mpg to boot, and help the enviro with lower emissions. I like your story!!!

My '06 did that exact same thing with the left side display - it went blank and stayed there until I restarted. Has never done it again so I am not worried.

260k miles? at the rate you are going, we'll find out soon enough. I don't see why it isn't possible.

You could always do what I did - buy a second FEH. I swap with my wife who drives about 5k miles a year as opposed to my 25k a year. I am trying to get the full 10 years out of the 10 year/150k mile waranty that I get for buying them in Massachusetts.

So here's a question, I bought mine in Massachusetts, then moved to Arizona (but not before racking up some serious milage... i'm over 31K miles and bought mine the same time scottie-d did.)

does my 10yr/150k mile warranty still apply?

I bought mine in CA and moved to CO.

I also get a 10/150k warranty in CA, but only 8/100k in CO.

Here's the story I got from Ford.

You car's VIN number tells where it was shipped to from the factory.
I have a California VIN Number.

It matters where the car is registered when it fails.
I can use it for 9 years "where ever".

If it is registered in CA during the 9th year ( or say 144,000th mile ) and fails, it gets fixed at no charge. If it's in Colorado during the 9th year, it's at my cost.

Does that help?
-John

I guess that answer's the question, although it wasn't the one I was looking for. bummer.

Thanks for the info.

-g.

The warranty only goes for where you reside. I purchased my FEH in Virginia (considered a Green State and has the 10yr/150k mile warranty for Hybrid components (battery). But since I live in Maryland, I only get the 8 yr/80k mile warranty for the hybrid components (although I did purchase the 100k mile warranty.

What I would do is to check http://www.hybridcars.com/incentives.html to start then check with your local government.

Hey...a question for you. How are your tires holding up? Are they original Conti Ecos? My feeling is the Ecos are harder compound (lower rolling resistance) which may help promote longer life at the cost of a "firmer" ride.

They have to be doing better than my 2001 Escape did with the regular Contis. Those only lasted 45-50k.

I checked at 40K, I had 4/16" on the Front left and 5/16" on the rears. They are the original Conti Ecos tires.

For a point of reference my previous 2001 FE I changed tires at about 80K Miles.

Just so you know... 45-50k with OEM tires on a new car is fairly standard. The same brand, same model bought later will last longer. My dad (who's worked at a car dealership since he was like 17 says Ford, GM, etc request the OEM tires to have a softer compound than the regular model. It makes the ride softer and improves the "grip" feel making the car easier to sell.