2009 Ford Escape I4 4WD

Ugur Dinch

Ugur Dinch

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So, after having served the time with the Careless Driving on my record, I'm about to pull the trigger on my first car ever and I would like to hear some opinions.

The car I'm interested in is at 90k, with one owner, and it's accident free. Seems to be very clean as well. The owner said they used to do regular maintenance at Ford, but recently the vehicle has been visiting Canadian Tire.

I drove Escapes before from Zipcar, and even went to Blue Mountain multiple times, but those cars always had less than 20k on them. This car Im interested in, feels a little different. Brakes are a little numb, and the engine growls a little louder. Gears weren't shifting very smooth either (A/T).

Is this how a 90k car is supposed to be ? I don't even know what to expect.

I will take it into mechanic tomorrow, and get it checked out.

Any experience with these cars ?

Price is $12,000. And compared to the rest of what's on the market, I think it's fairly priced.

edit:
How reliable are these cars ?
Am I looking to spend a lot of $$ for maintenance in the future ? I'd rather save for the bikes lol
 
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I gotta say, this vehicle wouldn't exactly be on my want list.

My ex gf had one, it was the v-6... And even the V-6 felt to lack in power compared to my 5 cylinder Canyon what was jacked up 7" with big off road tires on it... Which almost made it a turtle.

Canadian Tire is a no-no for auto maintenance. Aside from having them throw winter tires on my vehicle, I wouldn't let them touch any of my vehicles. Lots of bad experiences from them through other people.

My Canyon was at 230,000 km on it when I sold it. Most of these were pulling a loaded down MX trailer, and the last 40,000km of those was also with the lift and big tires. The engine wasn't any louder than when I got it with 40,000km on the clock, the brakes were just as good as when I first got it and my manual transmission shifted with the same firmness as it always had. I am not nice on my vehicles, but with normal maintenance, (brakes here and there, oil changes every 5000km or so etc.) most vehicles should keep a "new" feel for a while.

90,000km isn't really a whole lot of km and a vehicle should at that point still feel relatively new.
 
Im a ford tech
if you buy it, you are out of warranty
3 year 60,000 bumper and 5 year 100 on power train

the trans arnt bad, but check the fluid colour/smell
the lower control arms will probably need to be replaced
you probably need a 4 wheel brake service or job if the brakes dont feel right.
 
My ex-wife had one for years (when we were married), it was a reliable car. They drive ok for what they are. The only problem she had with hers was a water pump and brakes. Watch the front brake flex lines are it's really common for them to crack ... seems to be more often that 'normal'
 
I have an '09 Mazda Tribute, same basic vehicle. Mine is also an I4 with auto trans; however it is a 2WD model. I have 135,000 km on mine and love it. The front brakes lasted for 130,000 km before I had to change them out, the rears were fine and are still on the truck. The four cylinder is a bit noisy compared to the six, but it gets decent mileage so I don't mind.

The only problems I have had were a leaking driveshaft seal on the driver's side (twice) and the idler arms connecting to the front sway bar needed to be replaced because they were worn. Other than these couple of minor issues, it has been a great vehicle.
 
caboose483 said:
Newsflash!! It isn't 1993 anymore!
Click to expand...

how about.....Found On the Road Dead? :)


OP: My brother in law has a 2006 V-6 FWD version, bought it at 45k now it has 120k....only thing we did was put a set of front brakes on it as well as regular oil changes. And he doens't drive like a granpa or knows anything about cars/trucks....

To be safe - get it Krown'd...the older models have rust isuses...but 2009 ..perhaps not. Lakeshore Krown runs a special...sign up on Jeep Forum Canada...$105 + tax for a 4 door truck. Regular is $125 + TAX.
 
Chaos said:
quasi-thread hijack alert. I am looking at the Ford Edge myself.
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I have an 07 AWD. Bought it with 69k, up to 149k now.

I've had to replace a tie rod, sway bar link and one wheel bearing, and brakes. I put new brakes on it around 80k and they are about due for replacement. I do tow with it and the summer wheels are 22" so I will replace brakes more frequently than most people.

The transmission does funny things occasionally but its been good to me for the most part.
 
These are prone to Auto trans failures. The leak form the leaf side axle seal is due to it being a bushing and not a hardened bearing. The axle ends up flopping around causing internal damage to the diff gears. With loss of AT fluid comes overheating/slipping and internal AT clutch and seal damage.
Ford/Mazda do have a TSB on the issue that advises the dealer to replace the trans and axle with an updated trans. (still no bearing).

Other than that it's not a bad little unit. A little outdated but Engines are pretty solid.
 
I sold my 09 Escape I4 this July after 103,000 km. The car's tranny never shifted right (after even after 3 trips to the dealer under warranty). Each tranny service 50 & 100K the fluid was half gone. The engine would idled so bad the whole car would vibrate. To me that car was like a ticking time bomb of problems waiting to exploded. I had the anti theif system crap out under warranty. I unload mine for 10K with bald tires. It was an ok car, but I never had much faith in it.
My Mazda 5 is the absolute bomb! 6spd manual FTW.
 
I LOVED the Explorer Sport-Trac when I had one a few years ago (but then Dad rolled it over 34 times in a ditch going 90 km/h on ice and he came out without a scratch)...... going to get another one when I sell the GMC. Unfortunately they stopped making it after 2010 :(

The roof partially caved in and the police believed it went airborn at some point because the tail gate was pushed inwards toward the cab (landing on the tail?).

Dad didn't even have a bruise on him and the truck landed upside down.

I have full 100% confidence in the Explorer series. lol
 
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caboose483 said:
Newsflash!! It isn't 1993 anymore!
Click to expand...

Newsflash!! I bet you Ford wishes it still was 1993 again, where they could get away with pathetic efforts like the Ford Aerostar.

Ford plummets in Consumer Reports reliability survey


Ford, continued a fall from grace by dropping to next-to-last in the latest Consumer Reports reliability survey.

In the latest CR survey, it ranks 27th out of 28 makers.

"Sixty percent of Ford-branded models and half of Lincolns were below average in predicted reliability, and none placed above average," said Jake Fisher,director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports.
 
SunnY S said:
Newsflash!! I bet you Ford wishes it still was 1993 again, where they could get away with pathetic efforts like the Ford Aerostar
Click to expand...

I'll rely on my personal experience, thx. My Fords have have been pretty good to me.
 
SunnY S said:
Newsflash!! I bet you Ford wishes it still was 1993 again, where they could get away with pathetic efforts like the Ford Aerostar.

Ford plummets in Consumer Reports reliability survey



Ford, continued a fall from grace by dropping to next-to-last in the latest Consumer Reports reliability survey.

In the latest CR survey, it ranks 27th out of 28 makers.

"Sixty percent of Ford-branded models and half of Lincolns were below average in predicted reliability, and none placed above average," said Jake Fisher,director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports.
Click to expand...

Are you Japanese or perhaps a layed of auto worker? Or just anti north american?
 
caboose483 said:
I'll rely on my personal experience, thx. My Fords have have been pretty good to me.
Click to expand...

Agreed ... I don't own a Ford at the moment but I have owned many in the past and worked as a Ford tech (as well as other shops). There's nothing wrong with the design and reliability of Ford products.
 
another thread jack...looking for new pick up, would love to get an F150 because they look so damn good inside and out, but they are way down on power and use more fuel than the other guys. dam ford.
 
kellen said:
another thread jack...looking for new pick up, would love to get an F150 because they look so damn good inside and out, but they are way down on power and use more fuel than the other guys. dam ford.
Click to expand...

You sure about that?
I had a 2010 4.6l 3valve and I had no problems towing my 7800lb travel trailer around.
Also got an average of 14.5 L/100
and around 11.2 L/100 on the hyw.
Was a great truck and had 0 issues with it in 80k. Just sold it because didnt need it anymore, but I wouldn't hesitate for an instant to get another.
On a side note the ecoboost engine got worse fuel economy on a trip to the gap then my 4.6l did.
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