Changing xenon low beam bulb - 2014 Escape Titanium

[akirby]

Whoever designed the European Kuga/Escape platform should be drawn and quartered.  Had to change a simple low beam xenon bulb on the passenger side of daughter’s 2014 escape titanium.  You can see the bulb through a 3.5” hole but it’s held on with 2 tiny torx screws and the hole faces the firewall.  Impossible for me to see to get the screws out although a couple of folks on YouTube claim to have done it.

 

No problem I’ll just pop out the headlamp.  Except ONE of the 3 headlamp bolts are behind the bumper cover and inaccessible.  So you have to remove the entire bumper cover.  Which requires removing wheel moldings, moving tires back and forth, removing underbody panels and front engine covers.  Plus 3 bolts on each side that are almost impossible to get to without removing the tire and wheel well liner.  
 

This requires removing about 60 screws and about 20 plastic rivets.  Took me 4 hours and I only removed one side of the cover and was able to pull it back far enough to get that one bolt out.  Absolutely ridiculous design.

[HotRunrGuy]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

Whoever designed the European Kuga/Escape platform should be drawn and quartered.  Had to change a simple low beam xenon bulb on the passenger side of daughter’s 2014 escape titanium.  You can see the bulb through a 3.5” hole but it’s held on with 2 tiny torx screws and the hole faces the firewall.  Impossible for me to see to get the screws out although a couple of folks on YouTube claim to have done it.

 

No problem I’ll just pop out the headlamp.  Except ONE of the 3 headlamp bolts are behind the bumper cover and inaccessible.  So you have to remove the entire bumper cover.  Which requires removing wheel moldings, moving tires back and forth, removing underbody panels and front engine covers.  Plus 3 bolts on each side that are almost impossible to get to without removing the tire and wheel well liner.  
 

This requires removing about 60 screws and about 20 plastic rivets.  Took me 4 hours and I only removed one side of the cover and was able to pull it back far enough to get that one bolt out.  Absolutely ridiculous design.

 

That's interesting, since my daughters 2018 Escape has the 3-1/2" rubber grommets to remove, but no screws holding the bulbs in, just the typical twistlock lamp base.  Still a PITA, but not a 4-hour job.

 

HRG

[akirby]

11 hours ago, HotRunrGuy said:

 

That's interesting, since my daughters 2018 Escape has the 3-1/2" rubber grommets to remove, but no screws holding the bulbs in, just the typical twistlock lamp base.  Still a PITA, but not a 4-hour job.

 

HRG

The high beams are that way I think.   They’re probably halogens not xenons.  The xenons have a built in ballast at the base that’s about 1” thick and 2.5” square.  
 

Still, they could have easily made the headlamp assembly removable by using a tab and slot on the bottom instead of a screw.  Then just 2 screws on top.  Or make a bigger opening.

 

I noticed similar issues on my Mondeo based 2013 Fusion.  It used screws to hold on the cabin air filter cover and was a bit of an ordeal to change the filter whereas the Mazda based cd3 fusions and edge just had a door with plastic tabs.

 

 

[akirby]

If you’re curious, this is how you have to remove the bumper.  The number of fasteners and overlapping parts is ridiculous.

 

 

 

[j2sys]

12 hours ago, HotRunrGuy said:

 

That's interesting, since my daughters 2018 Escape has the 3-1/2" rubber grommets to remove, but no screws holding the bulbs in, just the typical twistlock lamp base.  Still a PITA, but not a 4-hour job.

 

HRG

 

For 2018, S, SE, and SEL had halogen headlamps.  Only Titanium had the Bi-Xenon HID headlamps (standard on Ti).

 

 

For 2014 like @akirby was dealing with, they were even more rare - part of an optional Titanium Technology Package (401A).

 

[HotRunrGuy]

3 hours ago, akirby said:

The high beams are that way I think.   They’re probably halogens not xenons.  The xenons have a built in ballast at the base that’s about 1” thick and 2.5” square.  
 

Still, they could have easily made the headlamp assembly removable by using a tab and slot on the bottom instead of a screw.  Then just 2 screws on top.  Or make a bigger opening.

 

I noticed similar issues on my Mondeo based 2013 Fusion.  It used screws to hold on the cabin air filter cover and was a bit of an ordeal to change the filter whereas the Mazda based cd3 fusions and edge just had a door with plastic tabs.

 

 

 

Have you had to replace the battery yet?  That's another head-shaker,,,,,

 

HRG

[92merc]

I traded in my 2013 Escape Ti this fall.  Had the HID's.  Never had to replace them.  Also had HID's in my 2007 Mercury Montego.  Never changed those either in 150k miles.

 

Now the battery!  Yes, dammit.  That was a stupid setup on my 2013 Escape.  I took the wiper tray out method.  Some take out the air box.

 

I was thinking since the Escape Hybrid has the 12v battery in the trunk at the spare tire, all Escapes would have it.  Nope.  Why have two setups?  But at least you can get the battery out no problem under the hood.

[akirby]

1 hour ago, HotRunrGuy said:

 

Have you had to replace the battery yet?  That's another head-shaker,,,,,

 

HRG

Yes and I had to remove the cowl.  On the edge and MKX you remove a bracket in front of the battery and it slides right out.