I have a 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid that has been making a loud rattling sound when I unlock the car after it's been sitting for at least an hour. This sound started a few months ago and only happens when I unlock the car, my guess is that it has something to do with the brakes depressurizing, but I have not been able to find a mechanic at my local Ford dealer who can figure out what the problem is or how to fix it. The last guy just called and said that it's "just a normal sound all hybrids make" and after calling Ford, they have no history of anyone calling with this problem so there's nothing wrong. As my car is still under warranty, I'd really like to not have to pay for this but am really losing patience with Ford dealers. Has anyone else experienced problems with Ford dealer mechanics not having experience with hybrids? I live in Los Angeles where I would expect that these dealers work on a lot of hybrids, but I can't seem to find one with experience. Any advice? If I have to take it to a non-dealer I will but that's a last resort as I feel that Ford should fix this problem. Has anyone else had a similar experience with Ford mechanics?

If you have a good hybrid mechanic in the greater Los Angeles area that you can recommend, that would be greatly appreciated too!

 

Can you video tape this "experience" and post it on a site like "You-Tube". Then other users can see/hear what you are experiencing and therefore respond in a helpful manner.

 

Ask your service advisor to run an OASIS report on your vehicle and code it to bring up all service issues regarding brakes, etc.

All Ford/L/M dealers that sell Hybrids must have a certified technician and special tools, etc. to service hybrid vehicles. Diagnosing over a forum is usually futile.

 

I have an '06 that does the same thing and always has. I have always assumed it to be normal. I'd be curious to find out if there is an actual issue.

 

I had a similar problem with the mechanic at my dealer on a different issue with my 2006. It wasn't going to EV mode and the hybrid expert kept stating it was behaving normal. I finally went to the service manager and explained that is was behaving differently than it had for the last 3 years and that something was wrong. They finally traced it to a bad battery pack.

All I can suggest is make sure the mechanic and the service manager know that the noise stated in the last few months and was not something that has been normal. If they continue to insist that "all Escape Hybrids" sound like that then force them to demonstrate another vehicle making the same noise.

Good luck.