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I haven't noticed this noise nearly as much during the winter time. I think I've isolated it to the air conditioning being on. Try a little experiment switching between AC and heat and see if you can get the noise to occur. It doesn't happen every time. I'm pretty sure its a HVAC issue... Anyone with any suggestions?

Metastable, I have the same issue. I have a 2008 4wd FEH that is about 10 months old. I started noticing the sound a few months back. At first I thought it was the CD/DVD/NAV player but, when you have the engine off the NAV doesn't make any noise. It sounds like its coming from behind the center right vent...and sounds like a disk drive. My guess at this point is something to do with HVAC controls. Anyone have a guess on this? I thought of mentioning it to my dealer but the sound isn't always there. Dang nabbit.

Yes, I do. They hybrid components already add weight as it is. If you look at the epa estimate for a FWD FEH compared to the 4WD there is a 4 to 5 mpg difference. Why? The weight and function of the 4wd system.

Now that I've been driving the car for over 1 month I thought I'd share a few more impressions --Brakes: In the original review I complained about the brakes being squishy and unpredictable. Apparently this is something they've addressed in the 2009 model. After about a week with the car I got used to them and I hardly notice it now. For the most part the brakes seem just fine. I've had a few panic stops and felt confident with controlling the car. --H/C controls: Outstanding. Being able to set the temp and forget it is pretty sweet. The car seems to heat up quickly. The controls are easy to use -you just need to get used to looking at the top readout on the dash when your making an adjustment. --Mileage: disappointing so far. My initial tank brought me 29 mpg. My last tank was 23 mpg. This is probably due to the extremely cold weather we've been having in St. Louis this month. As I understand it the batteries have a difficult time holding a charge in the cold. This has resulted in the car rarely running on the electric engine by itself. The cut off looks to be around 40 degrees. I can live with this as long as the car starts to average around 29 again when it warms up. --Engine: This car is slow. Slower than my initial impression. Its not dangerously slow -you can still get up to highway speeds in a reasonable amount of time. I think its a mistake to order the hybrid with the 4wd system. Its just too much weight. I've also noticed pronounced body roll during turns -something I didn't note at first when I was getting used to the car. It FEELS heavy. Again, it sounds like they've addressed the weak engines for the 2009 models by pumping up the horses. Kudos to Ford for the quick incremental improvements.

Finally...just picked up my new Ford Escape Hybrid last night(12 weeks after I ordered). Being a new car of course I've already driven it 40 miles! Thought I'd share some impressions for those who are interested in purchasing: Specs: 4W drive, cloth interior, Audiophile, Sunroof and Nav system. Ride: A few reviews of the FEH complain about the brakes being squishy -their right. I didn't notice it as much during my test drive but the brakes do require a bit more work than I'm used to AND they seem slightly unpredictable. It hasn't been an big issue, just a minor annoyance. The steering is very light, easy and precise. The acceleration is good -this car isn't slow but its no burner. The suspension seems to be tuned pretty tight and I didn't notice a lot of body roll during turns. Visibility is outstanding. Overall, very easy car to drive. Interior: Weak part of the car if you ask me. The quality of the materials isn't that great -you can see rough edges and parts where it looks like the plastic was cut by hand. The placement and operation of the cruise control, wipers and headlights are well done. The NAV system seems outdated by a few years -at least compared to my buddies Lexus. Still, it works well and has a TON of gadgets, readouts and settings. Are you a tech geek? You'll probably enjoy this clunky old-school looking OS. The audiophile stereo gets nice and loud and sounds pretty good. Its not premium(even though its supposed to be)but its much better than average. The H/C settings are a little confusing -the read out is on the dash -the control in the lower stack. Probably just takes getting used to. The seats are very comfortable. I'm 6'2 and I don't feel squeezed for space at all. Exterior: This car looks great -I think they hit it out of the park on the redesign. Stop trying to talk yourself into thinking the new CRV looks good -it doesn't. Hybrid engine: I've never driven a hybird with any regularity so the engine stopping/starting again is taking some getting used to (I know, I'm not even 24 hours in). I notice it and its not seemless to me yet. So far my mileage has been 25 mpg. I've noticed that the car drops into elecrtic mode almost every time I'm coming to a stop -very cool. So those last 20 or 30 feet before I stop are emissions free. Its not too difficult to keep the car in all electric mode if you gently accelerate. I thought this would be more challenging but I was already getting the hang of it last night. It is kind of impossible to accomplish this with a car behind you -it does require you to go very, very slow. Overall: If its problem free, I'll love it. The build quality isn't what Honda or Toyota have to offer but the mileage, recycled interior and price pushed me over to the Ford. Now lets see if they can start building them to meet demand instead of using this car for the halo effect (Ford loves the environment! Really we do. Now, wait 12 weeks...). Why run commercials for a car no one can get their hands on?

Thanks Walt. When I talked to the dealership hotline they did said the material hold applied to the hybrids. It was the first I heard of it -I have been calling once a week since I ordered the Escape Hybrid in early October.

Anyone know exactly what "material on hold" means? I was told after calling the dealership order hotline thingy that my order is held up because of a "material on hold". I've also read that ALL hybrid escapes are currently held up. Anyone have and insider info? Detail on the issue? Thanks.