No - I don't still have it. I turned it in to Ford on Tuesday of this week.

I know I've read about this problem on Edmunds as well as other Ford chat boards (I can't think of the particular boards right now - I have them bookmarked at work). There were 2 boards in particular - one was a Ford Escape only board and one was a Ford trucks and SUV board. (Maybe if you google search you can find them....that's how I found them initially).

Here's a post at Edmunds (but I think she had more problems than I did):
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX?14@@.ef7402a/106

I really don't mean to sound like sour grapes. For the first 16,000 miles, I *really* loved my FEH. (The wheel bearings going at 3K didn't seem to make an impact - I was still in love). I was always saying complimentary things at work or when people would ask me at the gas station. But after going through what I did, it's kind of hard to recommend that vehicle to anyone. It starts to become a nightmare when you're left stranded far from home on multiple occasions, sometimes in the dark in a desolate place or sometimes smack dab in front of a moving city bus. When you have a rental more often than your own vehicle - it gets a little old (especially when Ford won't pay for a rental!). If I hadn't seen posts of others having the same problem, I wouldn't have said a word (because then it would have just been that I had a lemon).

I'm sure there are tons of happy FEH owners. I wish I was one of them. Keep in mind - I put on over 18,000 miles in less than 8 months. I had a long daily commute - and maybe that's why I saw this problem more than others (it usually happened after 30 minutes or more of driving on a highway). As you see more people getting up in mileage - I think you will see more of these problems popping up. Just my 2 cents.....

 

Thanks for the details. I was just curious and wanted to know a little background since, as I said, I came to this particular discussion about your FEH woes a little late. Any new vehicle I'd had the same issues you describe in would be one I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending to others, so I certainly don't fault you for sharing your experiences. I think they're a rarity in the grand scheme of all FEH owners, and if they become more widespread we'll be in recall territory to fix obviously defective part(s). Happens all the time in various makes/models, though obviously some moreso than others (eg. never had a single recall on our '92 Toyota Corolla... and only one on our 2001 Ford F-150 Supercrew 4x4.)

Did the experience sour you on Fords in general or just the Ford Escape Hybrid in particular? I'm fairly new to Ford ownership, personally, although my husband and many family members have had various Fords for years.

 

It soured me as far as DEALING with Ford (it was extremely frustrating - although it has worked out in the end so I'm giving them another chance). My husband has had Ford Trucks for a while and they've always been very reliable. As long as they don't break - then the experience is fine. LOL! I've heard that Ford cars and the Escape aren't as reliable as the Ford trucks. I don't think I would ever buy a Ford car or an Escape again. So when it came time to pick out a replacement vehicle, I chose the 2007 Explorer Sport Trac. While the fuel economy leaves something to be desired, at least it SHOULD be more reliable. LOL!

I'll be honest, I already have it in Autotrader Online to sell. Don't get me wrong - I really like the truck - but if I can find a buyer and get out from under it, I will. I have a very long commute and in the long run, the fuel economy is going to hurt me. The reason I chose the 2007 Sport Trac is that it holds it's value better than my other choices (e.g. the Freestyle). If I had to take one and turn around and sell it within a year, the Sport Trac has traditionally been the easier vehicle to sell because of it's versatility and towing ability. And if worse comes to worse and I have to keep it, I liked it better than the Freestyle as far as durability and comfort. It really is a nice truck.....and I would probably keep it if I had a commute that was under 15 miles each way.