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Ford Escape Mazda Tribute Maintenance and Repair

4133 messages,  Last post on Mar 24, 2013 at 5:59 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, SUV

    

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Messages Page 287 of 414

#2854 of 4133 Driver's Door Latch by drurex99

Mar 10, 2005 (11:21 am)

You know, I think I've had enough. I have had 2 Mazdas... a 1988 626 that I traded in for a 2001 Tribute. I have had the usual stupid stuff happen in both vehicles but the only common repair has been the broken driver's side door latches. I have to open the driver's window and open the door from the outside. In 17 years they still haven't fixed this weakness in their basic design. Now it's a even more expensive repair, from what I understand, than it was in the past. In 1994 it was $275 and I think that it has to be $400ish now. I'm very frustrated....

#2855 of 4133 front signal lights on 2002 escape by packers4

Mar 10, 2005 (11:48 am)

my escape front signal lights do not work and back signals blink vey fast. emergency flasshers work fine as do all othe lights. i assume i need to replace the front signal bulbs. however, the manual says to see my dealer. i have attempted to remove the head lamp assembly to no avail.
is there a correct way to remove assembly so i can replace the signal bulbs????
 
packers4

#2856 of 4133 Re: Driver's Door Latch [drurex99] by dc_driver

Mar 10, 2005 (12:10 pm)

Replying to: drurex99 (Mar 10, 2005 11:21 am)
I monitor a number of different Tribute forums, and this is probably the first time I heard about this problem. Not that I am down playing your issue, but no matter what type of car you buy there are going to be similar types of repairs after five years. I just had to have my brakes done in my 2002 Nissan Altima that only has 28K miles. But I live in DC which is mostly just stop and go traffic (mostly stop) That said, I was not surprised when the dealer told me I needed brake work. I asked for a quote, and then drove down to the local Midas dealer down the street and they beat the price and gave me a lifetime warranty on the pads.
 
So, I would get a quote from the dealer and then drive over to a local shop and get another quote. You may end up saving $200 (or more)! Like I said, I understand your frustration, but which is better paying $200-400 for a door handle, or having a hefty car payment on a new car?

#2857 of 4133 Re: re; Transmission Failures [bri66] by scape2

Mar 11, 2005 (2:24 pm)

Replying to: bri66 (Mar 07, 2005 11:44 pm)
The reason why I question so many transmission issues is because here at Edmunds they have noway to tell whether Ford haters are posting stories in order to create fear, or whether someone who is having problems is posting more than one story to create what looks like a problem. When I take my Escape to the dealer for service I make it a point to ask the service rep about how Escapes are doing in general. I asked about this so called major transmission failure on all Escapes... He said nothing of the sort. There are failures but not at the rate some would like to believe..

#2858 of 4133 Re: re; Transmission Failures [scape2] by dc_driver

Mar 12, 2005 (7:12 am)

Replying to: scape2 (Mar 11, 2005 2:24 pm)
Scape,
 
  One of my good friends manages a service department at a very large combined dealership (Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Kia) and he bought an Escape for his wife last year. I asked him if they see an excessive number of failed transmissions on the Escape (2001-2005) and he told me that the number of transmission issues for Escapes is not a major issue, and no more than other manufacturers. I mean, he could have used his dealer discount to buy his wife a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan and he bought her the an Escape (ironically, they sold their problem plagued Honda to buy the Escape).
 
I have no doubt that some of the people on this message board are having transmission problems. I can only assume that some of them are maintenance related, some of them are just the law of averages, and some of them are people who have general problems that the dealer should be responsible for. Go read the Honda Accord forums, they have just as many transmission problems as Escapes.
 
People who visit these forums should not panic when they read these posts. For every Escape/Tribute owner who has problems, there are thousands that don't and do not post in these forums. C'mon, if the majority of Escape owners had failed transmissions after 50K miles, it would be all over the news. It is the same way in every other car forum. Every forum has posters who told their story about how horrible car x is, and that nobody should every buy one. I think some people have had some bad experiences, but it is unfair to claim that the majority of Escapes are going to have transmission problems. Go read some of the other Escape forums on the Internet. Yes, there are reports of failed transmissions, but it is certainly not an alarming rate, and no more than any other high selling car.

#2859 of 4133 Re: Brand new 2004 Escape XLS needs transmission [wijoco] by desertrat4

Mar 13, 2005 (1:52 am)

Replying to: wijoco (Mar 08, 2005 2:12 am)
The reason why questions were raised about driving habits and maintenance compliance WRT transmission problems is obvious: It is not possible to judge the individual situation without knowing these things. Anecdotal information is basically useless, and is completely useless without supporting facts. What's more, it is common practice to make up stories about cars on boards and newsgroups, it is done all the time. Trashmouthing each others' products is a game played by all levels of the car business. NHTSA reports are fabricated or ginned up in order to provide support for phony excuses about car accidents. "My car suddenly went to the right and hit a tree." That sort of thing. These forums are largely anonymous and the information is unverified. It is not only appropriate, it is essential, to ask questions and to take everything here with large grains of water softener salt. Nobody called anybody a "liar" that I can see, but to pretend that everything you read here is accurate and meaningful is just plain foolish.

#2860 of 4133 Re: Brand new 2004 Escape XLS needs transmission [desertrat4] by desertrat4

Mar 13, 2005 (1:57 am)

Replying to: desertrat4 (Mar 13, 2005 1:52 am)
Let me add this: It's time that useful information be made available on the subject of car reliability. Consumer Reports publishes "surveys" of car owners which appear to be self-selected polls .... a form of polling that no good pollster takes seriously. So owners of Car X say their cars are more reliable than the owners of Car Y? Completely worthless information. Let's see the aggregate dealers' service report data and judge for ourselves. Only the manufacturers really know what is going on in the area of reliability with their products, and they keep the information to themselves. Anecdotal information is completely useless.

#2861 of 4133 Re: Brand new 2004 Escape XLS needs transmission [desertrat4] by snowman

Mar 13, 2005 (8:25 am)

Replying to: desertrat4 (Mar 13, 2005 1:57 am)
"Only the manufacturers really know what is going on in the area of reliability with their products, and they keep the information to themselves. Anecdotal information is completely useless."
 
Amen to that....

#2862 of 4133 Re: Brand new 2004 Escape XLS needs transmission [desertrat4] by snowman

Mar 13, 2005 (8:27 am)

Replying to: desertrat4 (Mar 13, 2005 1:52 am)
"Nobody called anybody a "liar" that I can see, but to pretend that everything you read here is accurate and meaningful is just plain foolish. "
 
Thank you... It is nice to have forum members who can see the real value of some postings...

#2863 of 4133 Re: Brand new 2004 Escape XLS needs transmission [snowman] by dc_driver

Mar 13, 2005 (11:42 am)

Replying to: snowman (Mar 13, 2005 8:27 am)
I completely agree. I truly hope that people who visit these forums really put things into perspective before they purchase a Tribute/Escape. Truth be told, these are wonderful vehicles and should definitely be on any short list when shopping for a new SUV. I would say small SUV, but I think the Tribute/Escape is anything but small.

Messages Page 287 of 414

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