ticobird

This has never happened with my 2013 Escape. It sure is weird sounding. I would just make a note of it (circumstances - & date) and keep an eye out for any future occurrence. If it happens again bring it up to your Ford Service Advisor.

I seem to recall one specific spot on the harness that was not crimped properly at the parts manufacturer before the Ford assembly process. Let's hope it isn't buried. Luckily I also seem to recall it isn't.

I haven't received one even though my Escape was a candidate for the replacement of the front brake caliper support bracket due to the infamous squealing noise when stopping with an easy application of the brake pedal and the brakes thoroughly warmed up.

That's a bummer. When a problem manifests itself like you describe about all you can do is keep scrupulous notes about everything - date, time, speed, time running, turning, stopping, weather conditions, time to restart, sound observations (any sound that's different), accessory operation, night or day. There's probably more observation criteria if I thought about it some more. It seems to me that the "intermittent rough idle since new" should be a very good diagnostic clue. Does this rough idle include both neutral and in gear when stopped? What is your level of confidence in your dealer's abilities? I ask because I have a lot of confidence in my local Ford dealer (Woody Anderson). Has your dealer pulled any codes from the engine management computer? Whatever happens please keep this forum up to date.

I'm like you akirby although I'd like to know if a retrofit could be accomplished. I know the seat is probably $1,000 and the leather would hopefully match... Oh never mind. My wife (passenger) found a seat cushion that works well to satisfy her comfort needs and it appears we'll be able to wait a few more years without any more complaints.

Sorry to hear about your curb rash Hugh. I know the "bad" feeling you get when looking or even glancing at it first hand. Depending on how bad it looks you might be able to live with it given enough time and rationalization. Of course this also depends on what personality type you are. Some people just couldn't live with this situation no matter what. For what it's worth a lot of BMW owners fall into the group that it just has to be fixed. Google "BMW wheel curb rash" and you will find many resources to draw upon if you want to repair the wheels yourself. Also know that there are wheel repair shops for curb rash and worse. After a little digging, Dupli-Color Wheel Paint kept coming up which should be a another resource to draw upon. Here is a YouTube link you might want to watch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bh8hzwC2TA You might ask your Ford dealer but I don't think Ford repairs wheels. Instead they just replace them. Expensive solution! Using the http://www.fordparts.com/ website I think they cost ~ $600 each. Ouch! Good luck with your solution. Keep us posted with your solution.

First of all I love my Escape. There are a few things I wish could be better but that's the way with any automobile. Speaking as a driver with 46 years behind the wheel has anybody noticed how hard it is to turn into a parking place properly centered between the lines. It seems I can get close but I really never know until I get out and look. I've noticed the view out the side window is most misleading because the top of the interior door panel is canted downwards toward the front so that when stopped in the parking spot the line one space over is not parallel to the top of the same door panel like my vehicles of the past. I'm just a little irritated by this. The last observation was just that. Now my most irritating behaviors are a rear view mirror that gradually points too low after random period of time and a MyTouch Sync clock that randomly looses or gains time. The clock behavior isn't so bothersome but when I change the setting to obtain the time from the GPS it displays a time 1 hour later than reality. Furthermore this clock behavior is so innocuous that I would rather put up with it than have a technician tear into the dash. I might change my mind as the end of the 4th year approaches. My brake squeal has not occurred since it turned cold but I'm on the lookout for it when it turns hot again. Happy motoring!

blockisle9, your post caused a memory of mine to resurface. I was driving I-95 South through Baltimore to the BWI airport with my sister when a monster pothole tried to show me who was boss. I have the Continental ContiPro Contact Grand Touring All-Season tire in 235/45R 19 and thought she'd be late for her connection but nothing bad happened. The pothole was actually too deep to see the bottom at 55 mph but I could see it was just wide enough for the 2 right side tires to fall into the hole. I think the event scrubbed a few mph's off my speed. Anyway to make a long story short I had the tires examined at the next oil change / tire rotation and the Ford technician said he saw nothing to indicate any damage had occurred. I told him the gory details and he took another look with the same observation. I now 18,500 miles on them and am thoroughly impressed for my first experience on Continental's. In fact I usually run Michelin's but when it comes time to replace them I think I'll stay with the Continental's. By the way, the wear so far is nominal and looks like they will easily make it to 35,000 miles.

I don't understand why you don't visit your local Ford parts counter and order them. As for installing them I hope you don't have to perform any wiring harness surgery. Hopefully there is already a clip in the harness available for them. I must say that I've noticed a few people who have gone past me only to slow down and let me pass just to get a better look at mine. I'm not sure which of the optional equipment items that came on my Escape Titanium were responsible for the option but I like the look of it as well as the having the DRL advantage. Equipment Group 401A [The usual Titanium Group package items] Optional Equipment Power Panorama Roof All Weather Floor Mats Trailer Towing Class II .ABS+ESP W/Roll Stab Cntrl(RSC MyFord Touch/HD Sirius/Nav Parking Technology Package .Blind Spot Detection Sys(BLIS .Active Park Assist .Rear View Camera System Full Leather Bucket Seats

Thanks for the report PajamaGuy. Does anyone know if a Ford dealership's shop would update my Escape for me?

Good luck Escapism. Please keep the rest of us posted. I am not an EE but electrical circuits are designed to operate within specific tolerances. An LED substitution for incandescent should be possible but it may not be just a simple replacement with an assembly designed for another Ford model vehicle.

Your problems are all probably related. Take your Escape in to your Ford dealer and let them diagnose the problem. The problem has probably set a code that they can use to fix it. If your dealer is like mine you will be able to get a ride into work while they attend to the problem and a pick-up ride back to collect your repaired Escape. Best of luck. I hope your Ford dealer's service shop is as reliable as mine.

I've had this same behavior happen to me. I've learned to: 1) First get close enough to the vehicle before reaching for the handle - not so close you get dirty but definitely next to the vehicle without a full arm reach to the handle 2) Reach for the handle (1 second) 3) Grab the handle (1 second) 4) Listen for the unlocking sound - faint but if you can't hear it you can feel the unlocking movement 5) Open the door I can't count the times I've tried pulling the door handle before the vehicle unlocked but if I generally just move a little slower throughout the process it responds consistently. The unlocking process I've described is my own trial and error observations and ideally souldn't be needed but I guess this is price we pay for new technology. By the way, even this process isn't always 100% successful. If the door doesn't respond by unlocking obviously you need to go through it again. The way to not be too disappointed with the process is to rely on your hearing or touch to ascertain when the door is actually unlocked. As for the hatch foot kick problem, I do not have this feature because of the towing package but I have read about this behavior. There is much more information about the hands free liftgate operation as expressed by owners some of which I think is here on the blueovalforums but here is a link that might give you some more insight into how the subsystem actually operates http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/130852-hands-on-wii-like-sensor-plus-a-gentle-kick-opens-ford-escapes-liftgate Another observation I have about locking the vehicle is that I now use the key fob but if you prefer using the handle locking pad I've found it to be more consistent if you increase the sensors detection of contact by first lightly moistening your fingertip before press/pause/hold and again listening for the locking mechanism to operate. Alternately you can also follow the instructions in the Owners Manual on page 61: To Unlock All Doors Enter the factory set code or your personal code, then press the 3·4 control within five seconds. To Lock All Doors Press and hold 7·8 and 9·0 at the same time (with the driver’s door closed). You do not need to enter the keypad code first.

I understand everything you said and you might be right. Now I fall into the category "I have read numerous posts of people only being able to fill 9-12 gallons at fillup from empty." When my empty fuel light first illuminates I make a mental note to get gas. Rationally I know I should be able to travel another 100 miles but what's the big deal with filling up while there might still be (probably is) 3.5 gallons in the tank? So what if I stop for gas 2 times more or less per year than otherwise. Now because I tend towards caution I proceed as per the instructions in the Escape Owners Manual. Here is the most illuminating instruction and advice from page 146 of the 2013 Escape Owners Manual: "FUEL CONSUMPTION Note: The amount of usable fuel in the empty reserve varies and should not be relied upon to increase driving range. When refueling your vehicle after the fuel gauge indicates empty, you might not be able to refuel the full amount of the advertised capacity of the fuel tank due to the empty reserve still present in the tank. Empty reserve is the amount of fuel remaining in the tank after the fuel gauge indicates empty. Do not rely on this fuel for driving. The usable capacity of the fuel tank is the amount of fuel that can be put into the tank after the gauge indicates empty. The advertised capacity is the total fuel tank size – it is the combined usable capacity plus the empty reserve."

The problem this thread originally addressed was a brake squeal noise and not a grinding noise. I will confirm this squealing noise is real. I noticed my first squeal pretty early around 1,000 miles. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. At first it occurred rarely and seemingly at random but after another few thousand miles of close observation I arrived at the combination of driving circumstances that cause the brake squeal. First, it bears mentioning that driving technique, driving location (city, rural, highway) and length of trip operating time are especially pertinent to the squeal manifesting itself although not necessarily in the listed order. So to be a little more specific about what I've determined causes my problem; It is caused after the brakes have heated up some predictable amount which by my observation doesn't occur during my usual amount of driving time and driving location. The brakes will predictably exhibit the squeal after extended city (stop and go) driving conditions and light to light-moderate braking technique. It is embarrassing to stop at a city traffic light and most everyone in hearing distance is looking around to se who is making the noise. It bears mentioning the squeal sounds exactly like a severely worn built-in brake pad sensor except that this noise is not quite as loud, can be modulated and the brake disk shows no sign that a worn pad has made metal-to-metal contact. I plan to take my 2013 Escape Titanium 2.0 Liter to the dealer at the soonest possible opportunity. I would like to thank svtenthusiast for his postings and also to remind all other readers that vehicles are driven in a wide variety of situations and by drivers who employ a wide variety of legitimate driving techniques none of which is any more or less correct than the reader's. I will post the results of my service visit soon and hopefully I will be able to corroborate svtenthuiast' service visit and maybe even add to this group's understanding of this problem.