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Hybrid Vehicles Ford Escape Hybrid Ford Escape Hybrid Maintenance & Repair Ford Escape Hybrid Brake Problems
131 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 11:36 AM
You are in the Ford Escape Hybrid Maintenance & Repair Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
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Most likely our Escapes come with ceramic brake pads which last much longer and have low dusting. Our brakes deffinetly feel differently than a normal car because the first portion of the brake pedal travel activates the regenerative braking which is using engine braking to slow the vehicle. If you apply more pressure than the actual hydralic brakes will start to kick in. I have not tried this yet but if you just crammed on the brakes you should see that the brakes work pretty well due to the fact that we have 4 wheel ABS. I will admit though that the brakes do feel spongy, you should get used to the feel though after a while. |
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Replying to: rnarg (Nov 20, 2007 10:23 pm) In action, this is very different than the traditional brake pedal that directly engages a hydraulic master cylinder. Ford engineers have worked rather hard to make the system act, feel, and perform like a traditional braking system - but observant folks will notice the differences (can you hear the hydraulic pump pressurize the system every time you unlock the doors with the key fob?). I am not surprised that performance would suffer. Once a driver understands the differences they may be able to adjust their braking to improve overall stopping performance. [While coasting in "N" the regenerative system is off so if you hit the brake pedal you will engage only the foundation (hydraulic) brakes. Likewise, regenerative braking in the m/g is heavier in "L" than in "D", etc., etc.] Be safe. I don't think what you are sensing is due to some slight difference in friction at the disc pads. In your particular case I would recommend you be more aggressive with pushing the brake pedal (and driving in "L") - to get a better sense of stopping ability. 
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Thanks for the good explanations.---- There really does seem to be much more sophistication in many of the mechanical systems of the Hybrid compared to non-hybrid vehicles. Hopefully, as time goes on, I will become more aware of these areas so that I can at least identify them and begin to understand the reason they are different from the conventional systems. I hope the engineering efforts and complexity added to these systems turn out to be worth it in the long run.
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Replying to: rnarg (Nov 25, 2007 6:18 pm) that I can at least identify them and begin to understand the reason they are different from the conventional systems"[marg]. That is really the best attitude to have. Again, the Ford engineers have worked hard to make the vehicle act like a "non-hybrid" in many ways. "I hope the engineering efforts and complexity added to these systems turn out to be worth it in the long run."[marg]. An excellent question and one we are all wondering about.
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Replying to: johnsapienza (Nov 18, 2007 8:39 am) Has your situation been resolved??? |
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Replying to: rearend (Feb 23, 2007 6:14 pm) I am a big hybrid proponent but will take the Escape off the list because my families safety is more important that Gas Mileage and there are several other Hybrid alternatives on the market with more coming. Note to Ford: No FEH for this guy Bubkis |
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Replying to: bubkis (Nov 29, 2007 1:51 pm) No regrets about my FEH. Stephen |
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Replying to: bubkis (Nov 29, 2007 1:51 pm) if you use that logic.....you may never purchase any vehicle...because none of them are perfect and they all may have some technical/design weakness the can sound widespread and dangerous when discussed in detail conversely, you may be safer in an FEH if you purchased it and knew to have the brake system checked (?) when you purchased it I have read many postings from folks that live in the mountains of Colorado and have owned their FEHs safely for over 3 years now.
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Replying to: mecheng1 (Nov 30, 2007 7:31 am) You bring up a good point. However, Brakes or lack of brakes is a pretty big deal. I am confident its not on all FEH but I don't want to be in that 1%to X% that have the issue. If it were a faulty window or even a stalling engine those are significantly less worry some than bad brakes. Looking around other small suv forums (i am researching for purchase) CRV, Rav4 etc, they have their own issue forums. But what seem to be Chronic Brake problems putting folks at risk does not seem to come up in the other forums so much. Brake are like air. You can't live (long) without it, especially going over Colorado mtn passes, not to mention driving hwy speeds in everyday traffic w kids in the back. Not to be overly dramatic, but bad brakes is troubling. I will do some more research and take your good advice. I really like the form and function of the FEH but seeing (and not seeing on CRV/Rav4) these posts on failing brakes (a staple feature for an automobile) does give me pause. Not to mention if bleeding the brakes is a possible solution, does one have to always go to Ford for this service vs a non-ford service station. I will indeed heed your advice to expand my data points though. If I buy a FEH it will be new so I know the history and warranty. Thx Bubkis.
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I am a cab driver and one night a week I drive an Escape Hybrid. We have a few of these in our fleet of cabs. This is the ultimate test of a car because they are driven continuously, about 20 hours/day 365 days per year. I am not sure what year model this Escape is but it is probably 2005 or 2004 and it currently has over 200,000 miles on it. We put over 100,000 miles on a car in a year. I have driven three of the Escapes that we have in our fleet and all of them have over 200,000 miles. I love driving these cabs and the only real issue I have is that when you break the car clunks. I don't know how else to explain it. You apply the breaks and instead of a steady slow down you get ka-chunk, ka-chunk, ka-chunk. They stop ok but they both make this sound and it jerks the car as it make this sound. Yesterday I took my Escape cab out and as I got onto the freeway the car started to shake really bad. Sort of like the ka-chunk only continuous. This only lasted a few seconds so I continued on my way. I traveled maybe 2 miles, had exited the fwy, turned a corner and again the car started to shake. This time it would not stop. It was very scary, I thought there was something wrong with the axle but it felt just like it did when you break, only continuous. I headed back to the cab lot. Took the fwy since it seemed to run better there. Not so good this time, but I drove slow, 30mph, exited and was at a red light when I saw smoke coming from behind me. Then I heard people from the gas station I was next to yelling to me that I was on fire. I pulled over and got out. Sure enough, both back breaks were literally in flames. I do not know what happened but it was as if the brakes were engaged or something. Although I only say that because the shaking was so similar to what happens when the brakes are applied. So, if you keep your Escape Hybrid for a while be prepared for it to start the ka-chunk when you break and look to sell it immediately thereafter!! |
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