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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 15

#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.

#116 of 149 Re: My Experience In the Canada Cold [mecheng1] by dhuang2

Feb 07, 2008 (2:26 pm)

Replying to: mecheng1 (Feb 07, 2008 9:16 am)
mecheng1,
Thanks very much for your many inputs for this forum. Could you provide some EASY steps how to switch between L and D for maximizing MPG? What'd be most efficient RPM range for 2008 FEH?
 
It looks like I am getting 1~2 MPG boost when I use L for stop and go condition.
 
Thanks,

#117 of 149 Re: My Experience In the Canada Cold [dhuang2] by mecheng1

Feb 08, 2008 (8:08 am)

Replying to: dhuang2 (Feb 07, 2008 2:26 pm)
You will want to type "hypermiling the ford escape hybrid" or "Low gear advantage" into your favorite search engine and read through all the various reports of tricks and techniques that can be used to improve FE. THEN, you want to practice with the ones that work for you on your particular routes. I find that keeping RPM between 1800 and 2200, during times when the ICE is on, returns well over 30mpg. (but is hard to do 100% of the time and still keep up with traffic)
 
An immediate boost can be gained from running 40-44psi in the tires, BUT NOT during the winter in cold climates where you need the traction. Good Luck and Be Safe.

#118 of 149 fsbartlett by fsbartlett

May 26, 2008 (5:38 am)

I purchased a new 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid 2wd about six months ago. I am very happy with the vehicle. It looks good, gets good gas milage, we had a large SUV before. My only complaint are rattles and the wind noise!
 
My Escape has a high pitched squealing wind noise when driven at freeway speeds, that is worse when it is windy outside. The noise seems to be coming from around the dash area. I have had into the dealer two times to see if they could figure out what was causing the noise, I even took a Ford technician out so he could hear the squealing noise. They have not been able to find out what causes the noise. I wrote Ford Customer Service and asked them if they had heard of this problem in any other Escapes. They replied that my dealership is not at "liberty to find this abnormality" and they instructed them not to look for the wind noise anymore, Basically they told me tough luck, if it is that bad, trade it in for something else. Has anyone else had this problem?

#119 of 149 Re: fsbartlett [fsbartlett] by dhuang2

May 28, 2008 (3:14 pm)

Replying to: fsbartlett (May 26, 2008 5:38 am)
I had put 15k miles on my 2008 FEH FWD since last May. I did not experience the excessive wind noise on highway. Actually, the FEH has less wind noise than my 2005 Explorer Sport Trac. I can hear the electric motor wining when accelerating, but it is not an issue for me. Following are something that I can think of:
1) Does windshield wiper (non-OEM) introduce noise
2) Does windshield leak air through cracks between glass and vehicle body?
 
Good luck

Messages Page 12 of 15

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