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New Ford Escape Hybrid Owners - Give Us Your Report

149 messages,  Last post on Jul 14, 2011 at 8:28 AM

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What is this discussion about? Ford Escape Hybrid

Messages Page 12 of 16

#106 of 149 Re: Ford Escape Hybrid - terrible mileage problem [lbones] by hybridpatron

Jan 26, 2008 (4:27 pm)

Replying to: lbones (Jan 26, 2008 12:41 pm)
The transmission doesn't shift like a normal car? The FEH has a CVT, Continuous Variable Transmission? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission
 
I'm noticing that the engine doesn't turn off until it's warm (~1100 rpm), but the assist and charge seem the same. I am also getting a lower gas mileage in the Virginia cold. . .
 
date miles gallons mpg
11/8/2007 3647.9 12.15 27.4
11/18/2007 3948.0 10.90 27.5
11/30/2007 4233.1 10.04 28.4
12/11/2007 4479.7 9.72 25.4
12/21/2007 4765.3 11.64 24.5
1/2/2008 5072.8 11.15 27.6
11/3/2008 5365.2 11.11 26.3
1/3/2008 5586.5 9.07 24.4
1/8/2008 5917.1 11.71 28.2
1/18/2008 6251.5 12.74 26.3
ave mpg 30.0

#107 of 149 Re: Ford Escape Hybrid - terrible mileage problem [lbones] by bdyment

Jan 26, 2008 (6:25 pm)

Replying to: lbones (Jan 26, 2008 12:41 pm)
Check the Toyota Camry Hybrid Board. They are having mileage concerns in the colder weather as well.

#108 of 149 Hah! by loveak

Jan 26, 2008 (8:21 pm)

#109 of 149 ahah! by loveak

Jan 26, 2008 (8:49 pm)

Glad to hear I'm not the only one. Sadly to say but trust me it will only probably get worse. In the summers we usually get about 26-28. The dealerships generally speaking do not have techs who are experienced enough in these vehicles and hence the responses we get ie, "give it a few more miles it'll get better" (nope) "you have snow tires" (well duh!) "it's parked in a garage at night" (yep) "it isn't parked in a garage at night" (nope) "you drive it too far" (nope), "you drive it too fast" (nope, wife's car and has a fit if you go over the speed limit) and my personal favorite-"well you have to remember it's a one person car"-Huh? Say what? "Oh and by the way that'll be $90.00 because we couldn't find anything wrong with it. Which is amazing because it went from 11mpg when we took it in to 20 afterwards on the next tank. (Thanks Cal W. for nothing.)
Have them reset the computer that seems to help especially when the weather changes, I have no idea why. These FEH really do not do well in cold weather, But I will say this-my wife absolutely loves the car. For her it has AWD and she loves the way it handles. For me-last night on the way to a movie some moron in a rice Honda pulled out without looking-(during the summer I Autocross/solo) what this thing did on glare ice was astounding.(swerve, brake, swerve) I though for sure we had him. I had to look to see if we had paint swapped,
hang in there they are great vehicles despite the faults
Randy-Alaska

#110 of 149 Re: Ford Escape Hybrid - terrible mileage problem [lbones] by smiley317

Jan 27, 2008 (4:19 am)

Replying to: lbones (Jan 26, 2008 12:41 pm)
I have an 08. In cold weather the mileage drops drastically...usually around 24mpg. Last week with wind chill we were -40 in Iowa. Normal cars also drop in cold weather. Hang in there. It is still better gas mileage than a regular car. In cold weather the electric does not kick in like in normal weather. In cold weather, even when not running the defrost, you will see a drastic drop. The batteries are cold soaked and the gas engine is trying to warm everything up. You will not get battery assist like in normal weather. It is a great mpg vehicle in tepid weather, not too hot...not too cold.
 
The RPMs is also normal. The transmission does not shift like a normal car. It is doing what it is suppose to do though. Many times, I am up around 4000RPMs. It may sound like it is revving, but this is where the computer is telling it it should be to get optimal performance. Trust the CVT transmission.
 
signed,
still happy with my 24mpg 2008 FEH

#111 of 149 Re: Ford Escape Hybrid - terrible mileage problem [lbones] by dguild

Feb 05, 2008 (12:35 pm)

Replying to: lbones (Jan 26, 2008 12:41 pm)
I am having very very similar problems. I went from 36+ MPG in September to 26 MPG in December. In my estimation the problem is mostly related to the regenerative braking not working for the first 5-15 minutes of driving. It eventually starts working but when I shut off the car and restart it a while later the problem reoccurs. I find that using "Low" gets it charging at low speeds. When it is really cold I sometimes have the high RPM and slow speed 35-40 mph problem. Also dropping the transmission into "Low" going downhill sometimes causes the RPM to increase dramatically and bounce around. I absolutely loved the car until October/November when this all started happening. The dealer doesn't have a clue! I would appreciate any help as well.

#112 of 149 Re: Ford Escape Hybrid - terrible mileage problem [dguild] by mecheng1

Feb 06, 2008 (10:39 am)

Replying to: dguild (Feb 05, 2008 12:35 pm)
Hang in there. Your performance will come back when the weather warms up. You are probably also fighting the first 3000 - 5000 mile "conditioning" period that has been programmed into the vehicle (not advertised by Ford, but reported by many owners) to fully condition the battery system. Once that is done and you have adjusted your driving habits....next Spring and Summer should be a pleasant surprise.

#113 of 149 Re: Ford Escape Hybrid - terrible mileage problem [mecheng1] by dguild

Feb 06, 2008 (2:42 pm)

Replying to: mecheng1 (Feb 06, 2008 10:39 am)
Thanks for your response. Actually my best mileage occurred between 3000 and 4500 miles. I am at 6600 miles now. I have been searching on line for others having similar problems and it seems there are at least some. The regenerative braking issue seems to be common with Toyota (and maybe Honda) hybrids as well. It seems that the battery cannot be charged at a high current when temperatures are below 35-40F or so. The colder it is the slower it recharges.

#114 of 149 My Experience In the Canada Cold by maksime

Feb 06, 2008 (6:57 pm)

I bought a 2008 FEH 4WD with 11000 miles and now it’s at 13000 miles. I live in the Ottawa Valley, ON, Canada and the last couple of days, temperature was around -15 to -25 C (5 to -13F)
 
START UP
I had no problem with startup, only that the normal sounds during startup were louder and became quieter as the vehicle warmed up. (i.e. CVT, ABS unit, click from the battery vent, engine was actually very loud...etc) Instead of the vehicle starting with 1500 RPM, it would reach 2200-2500. The display screen was not as responsive, LCD screen was probably frozen.
 
DRIVING
It would take at least a good 10 min of normal driving around for the engine to run at the normal 1500. I did not put the defroster and left the climate control on ECON and 68F. It took longer trips (i.e. 8-10 miles) to get the electric propulsion. I believe the shortest distance I’ve driven before EV mode was around 5 miles, driving a long stretch, not too much stop and go, -5 C (23F).
 
So far, I got on average between 22.3 to 25 mpg (Gas tank full/mileage recorded since fill up). Lower that I would have expected but very decent compared to non-hybrid sedans given these temperatures. I can’t wait for the warmer days to see how it will behave.
 
One thing I would like to see the threshold speed for EV to HEV propulsion go up. Now, every time I reach 31 mph, the vehicle goes in HEV.
 
Is there anything that can be done to raise the threshold speed i.e. disconnecting the low volt battery in hopes to reset the vehicle controller, owner’s manual p. 224? What about PHEV conversions? Anybody?
 
Bottom Line, I love my FEH.

#115 of 149 Re: My Experience In the Canada Cold [maksime] by mecheng1

Feb 07, 2008 (9:16 am)

Replying to: maksime (Feb 06, 2008 6:57 pm)
Resetting the PCM (vehicle controller) will have the opposite effect. It will erase things stored in the memory and your FEH will re-enter a kind of "break-in" period that allows even less EV mode. When you start to experience less extreme temperatures you will probably learn how to get the vehicle to stay in EV all the way up to 40 mph - use the L gear at appropriate times, switch between L and D, etc. That's about all we can hope for until the Li-Ion battery PHEV retrofit kits come down in price. Then we will be able to go 30 to 50 miles in EV at all speeds before the ICE kicks in.

Messages Page 12 of 16

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