InsGadget

This is normal. I also have to turn my volume up for each phone call, but I'd rather it be this way than too loud when you start the call.

Buggy software code ... not the end of the world. This was obviously low on the programmers' list of things to fix, and the product had to go out the door before they polished it up. These problems might go away with a future Sync software update. So far on my '09 FEHL AWD I've only noticed the Calendar show when the Radio is completely off. I also have not noticed any clock staying frozen to the Engine Start time. Personally I wish the '09 NAV screen would just show all the info that the '08 and earlier models did. Time, outside temp, climate control settings, etc.

The Flex: an ugly car, but damn it's nice on the inside. :D

Sounds to me like someone in upper FMC management should say "Wait a minute, this allocation process really doesn't make sense, and we're going to potentially lose money from it." It's as simple as that. I am a manager for a small company, and every decision has to be made with the future in mind. While I disagree with fmorriso's caustic style, I am glad that someone is being "that guy". Perhaps it will help in the long run. I do know that I am tired of seeing fmorriso's posts. Oh well, no pain, no gain.

fmorriso, do you have a piece of paper dated April whatever that says "this is the agreed-upon price"? If not, please stop this. If so, also please stop this.

I've had my '09 FEHL for a couple weeks now and can only say that the sensors have worked perfectly fine for me. I've never had an experience where something was not noticed. It definitely seems to err on the side of caution for me too, which I like.

My beef is not that it takes so long in general, but that some people are getting them much quicker than others only because of where they live and who they deal with. But oh well, who said life was fair?

Okay good enough, thanks guys.

Stock, or anyone else with an FEH or FEHL 4wd: Is there any indication outside or inside that the vehicle actually has 4wd? Any signs or placards? The only place that I can confirm that my FEHL actually has 4wd is on the window sticker. Just wanted to make sure this was normal ...

Ourisman Ford Lincoln Mercury in Alexandria, VA. They ordered an insane number of FEHs in May and June (something like 20) and I bought their last one. Drove it back through the mountains of Virginia and Carolina, very nice, decent gas mileage in the hills. Once I hit the interstates and got into a hurry my mileage stayed in the mid 20s. Oh well, atleast it's a lot better than the '01 Highlander I was driving. And paying about $55 for a full tank of gas is nice again. Overall, I love this vehicle. To me, this is the first hybrid I've really gotten interested in, simply because it fits so many of my needs. The Nav system is quite amazing, and the 4wd capability is not bad at all (did some quick mountain trail driving, and felt in control the whole time). Thanks to everyone on these various forums, especially Gary, for pointing me and others in this direction. Gary, you should seriously ask for a commision from Ford, I'm sure you've personally sold close to a dozen people on the FEH. I did a Google search about four months ago for "ford escape hybrid forums", and now I'm the proud owner of an '09, largely thanks to your well-informed posts on the various FEH sites. The only bad taste in my mouth is that I could not buy my FEH from the dealer I picked. They gave me a great price, and were a straight-up and nice bunch of guys, but unfortunately we were all victims of the "allocation games". I really wish FoMoCo and the dealers would go back to the drawing boards on this whole allocation process. Customers should be allowed to buy their vehicles from a dealer of their choice without BS, but I'm very cynical that a change will ever come. I really don't want to hear WHY things are this way. This is an example of serving selfish needs at the expense of the greater good, and no matter how you sugarcoat it, it still stinks. So wake up Ford and fix this! Or, I guess, don't ... Question: I've noticed that hitting the button on the gear shifter allows you to half-shift one setting above. In other words, if you are in D and click the button, it will allow you to slide the shifter forward towards N, but not click all the way into N. It's half-way between D and N, still in the D area, but acts like it's in N. This also works going down into L. You can slide the shifter towards D without clicking all the way into D, but it acts like it's in D mode. This allows you to "shift" from L to D and back again quickly and easily. I'm wondering if this is a "feature" or a bug? Either way, it's great for mountain driving; I was able to quickly and easily go from L to D and vice versa, without having to click and shift each time. I do wonder if maybe this isn't good for the powertrain. Anyone else notice this "feature"? All around, I'm glad I did the research and purchased the '09 FEHL AWD. Even though I drive a large amount of miles each year, I'm hoping to keep this thing in good shape for atleast 5-7 years, hopefully just enough time for me to slide into a brand-new '15 Ford Escape PHEV. I'm sure my decision will come after reading Gary's posts again.

I guess you don't want to go far away from home? I guarantee you could find the exact vehicle you want, somewhere out there. It just may require some transport. I'm flying up to DC from Florida tomorrow to drive mine back, but I imagine it wouldn't be too hard to do all your business over the phone and then have it delivered to your town via truck. One of the dealerships I talked to mentioned they could do this (a Califorina dealer actually).

Congrats to you!

Totally agree with you guys. I think this process of rewarding certain dealerships at the expense of the end customer is asinine, and the apologists for the dealerships who try to explain don't seem to understand the overall picture. But I won't get into the politics of it, because after all what can a few of us angry consumers actually do? The vast majority of Ford customers don't have to deal with this, so I don't imagine they have any real incentive to fix this stupid situation. That being said, it is possible to get your FEH a lot sooner. Just do what I did: get your FEH from another dealer. If you gave a deposit to your current dealer, try to get it back. Then use cars.com and autotrader.com, together with the Ford website, to check dealer inventories all around the country. I found around 500 listings, but the lists aren't well updated, so you will definitely want to check the Ford website and call the dealer personally to check on the actual inventory. After a few hours of research yesterday, I found an FEH I liked at a dealer in the DC area. It's either that or wait. I hate it too.

Tracking request for 1FMCU59399KA08588. Vehicle is already on the lot, just curious. Window sticker would be great if you can get it. Thanks.

My search is over. Thanks everyone for all your help.

Just like you said but with AWD. I know there was one like you said at Mullimax. However, using the websites that you guys have shown me, I found my vehicle. Here it is. Price is as listed, with a $100 discount probably. More than I wanted to spend, but oh well. I'm flying from Jacksonville to DC this Thursday to pick it up and drive it back south to Florida. For anyone like me who is still waiting on their VIN, with no hope in sight, I highly recommend you find your vehicle on a lot somewhere. Unless you want to wait. I put a $500 deposit down on the FEHL I ordered, but the local dealership luckily refunded it, so no harm no foul there. Thanks again to all those who gave advice.

Roger that, I'll call around and see what's up.

Thanks guys, these websites are a big help. Now to start calling around.

Tango, thanks, that is exactly what I'm looking for. I noticed you can search by whatever you terms you want, so I filtered only "2009 black" and got 30 hits. Definitely something to go on, thanks again.

Have you used the "Build Your Own" experience on the Ford website? I guess that's what you are referring to. After you build it, instead of doing a regional or national search for this vehicle (which would make sense to me), it emails the sales people at the local Ford dealerships only. Even if your local dealers would suck at getting an '09 FEH right now. I've tried Autotrader.com, but they do not let you specify Hybrids for Escapes. Anyone know of a better website for this?

Thanks for your opinions Sean, if anyone were to flame you, they obviously need to grow a brain. Hopefully a lot of these problems will get fixed with updates. I use MS Voice Command on my Windows Mobile phone, which is essentially the same software MS uses for their Sync system in the Ford cars. I know all about the voice problems, although it works a lot better for me on my phone. If it really does not work 98% of the time for you, there has to be some sort of problem. Does your new Nav on order also replace the Sync system that came with your car? Also I'm surprised to hear that the USB port does not charge your iPod, theoretically it should have no problem there. I would imagine this would get fixed in a newer version, although I'm not sure if a software patch is enough to fix this functionality. Let us know if your new Nav unit fixes any of these problems.

Thanks Gary, I called Billy yesterday. I am very tempted to get the Black Pearl Slate one, since it is almost exactly like I want ... in other words, loaded. The only thing missing that I will need is AWD, so I will wait until I find that. I drive on too many mountain roads in the winter to take a chance with FWD. Anyone else? What about NYC or California?

What specifically do you like about the '08 Nav over the '09?

Thanks Sean, I just talked to Shawn, he said they've sold those 2 but they have one other FEH on another of their properties. He's going to call me back and let me the details, which I will pass on to you guys. I'm working in Melbourne, FL for the time being, so that would not be a long drive to get there at all. Anyone else have any leads? Another way to go about this would be to search dealer inventories, but using the Ford website is cumbersome since you can only search one dealer at a time. Is there some sort of service or website that can search multiple or even all Ford dealerships for a certain vehicle? Sorry for being such a rookie, this is my first car purchase.

A few different people have mentioned seeing FEHs and MMHs on lots around the country. For those of us that might be interested in these vehicles, would you mind replying with the name and location of the dealership? Anything would help, thanks.