Bought the car 8 years and 2 weeks ago. I'm totally screwed.

 

Don't be too quick to give up. I think it's unlikely that the transmission just suddenly died. Some troubleshooting needs to be done, and I'm not sure the dealership is the best place for that. Do you have a local independent shop that works on hybrids? Things as simple as a failing 12vdc battery, fuses, loose connectors could easily cause it to not start. I'd get to a shop that has the skills to really diagnose the problem. Keep us posted.

 

They are saying that the codes coming back indicate a transmission replacement.

The strange thing is I replaced the starter battery about a week ago. It has been kind of strange since I did (lights flickering for just a second), but when the car died, I tried to jump it and it wouldn't even try to turn over. The connections were solid. And if it was the starter battery, why would it kick out Hybrid codes for replacing the transmission?

 

Get a print out of the codes and then get a second opinion of what they indicate. You could even search this forum for the codes to see what others found.

From past experience, do not trust a Ford dealer. With a few exceptions, they will try to screw you if given the opportunity.

 

Well this has been an absolute nightmare. Over 2 months later, and the car is finally ready for pickup. After I gave them the OK to install a used transmission (Ford stated that it would have a 2-year warranty), they contacted me and told me the High fuse switch was blown when the transmission went. Another $650. 2 weeks after that they finally the in installed, and they tell me the DC converter must have also been blown. Another $850. $4800 in total. Adding insult to injury, the transmission only has a 90 day warranty because they got it off a used car via a junkyard. Ford's main # (incorrectly) told me previously that it would still be 2 years, even if the part came from a junkyard, as long as an official Ford dealer did the install. I guess I need to start recording all my phone calls. Nothing I can do now.

I'm out nearly 5 grand because the car died 2 weeks after the warranty expired, and now the thing is only good for another 90 days.

Safe to say, I'll never purchase another Ford again, and we bought them exclusively for the last 2 decades.

 

That sucks.

Multiple posters on this thread asked you to get a printout of the specific trouble codes that the vehicle was reporting, but you never posted a followup that included that information. Did you ever get that level of detail?

 

Yes, but only after the fact.

CLEAR CODE AND RETEST P0A7A RETURNED. SHOP MANUAL
DIRECTS TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY

 

I purchased a used 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid a few years ago and since then have paid a considerable amount of $$ to keep it on the road. I had the transfer case rebuilt ($1.5K) about a year after purchasing it. About a year after that, the engine went and had that rebuilt ($3.1K), subsequently shortly after replacing the MECS as well which cause the wrench light to come on and putting the vehicle in 'limp' mode. After replacing the MECS, it worked for a couple of years. NOW, the wrench light is on again with the same limp mode problem. I had it towed to Ford and after diagnosing they indicate I replace the throttle body assembly which took care of the wrench light and limp mode problem for about 10 minutes. I then took the vehicle into another dealer to diagnose and they are now telling me that the hybrid battery pack at at cost of $15K and is back ordered for months...after getting this vehicle back on the road, it will be SOLD/Traded or scrapped. As much as I would like to do the right thing by going Green, my experience has been very, very disappointing to say the least...

 

Kris, I'm curious how many miles were on the FEH when the various repairs became necessary.

I just had my 3rd SSN event on my FEH at 80k miles. I'll be posting about the latest problem in a new thread.

 

I wonder if these experiences are confirmation that car electronics sometimes don't age well, just like most other consumer electronics. If they run, all is good, but if they start to fail it's $$$ with few experienced Ford hybrid techs to diagnose. Adding injury, wonder how much resale value is left in FEHs now that gas prices are down. Maybe these are still exported to countries with higher fuel prices.