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 Latest
updates:
August 1,
2011: The front axle fell off! See
blog post for details.
August 3,
2011: Ford
Finally Fixed?
Also see
latest Service Bulletin info below (TSB
11-7-15).
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I bought
the 2009 Escape specifically because Ford said it was OK to flat
tow behind my motorhome. I really loved the car and was quite happy
with my Escape - until I actually began towing it...
I've
learned a lot of things since I first towed it in February 2011
and I want to share that here in hopes it will save others the time
and trouble I've had dealing with these issues.
When
I was in the midst of dealing with Ford over the continuing transmission
problems in May, 2011, I detailed everything on my blog with a timeline
and outline of communications with the various representatives.
Link
to blog with all details, links, documents, etc.
At this
point, I hope that the problems truly are fixed, but below I will
outline what I have learned about the transmission issues as well
as an early issue I experienced with the battery going dead after
towing.
I've
seen a lot of misinformation out there, so I'm going to include
what info I got officially from Ford and what I've learned in the
process.
The thing
that concerned me the most and clued me in that not even all Ford
service people have full knowledge about flat towing was being told
by a Ford service technician (after he put my car up on the rack
for inspection and found "early signs of transmission failure"
that my car was not recommended by Ford to be flat towed - that
I needed to use a dolly. He showed me two pages of a copied document
about towing with a dolly. When I told him that may be true about
earlier year models and showed him the official owner's guide and
the May 2010 supplemental bulletin with Ford's instructions about
flat towing, he changed his mind, but still...that did nothing to
boost my confidence in Ford when I was told by their Customer Relationship
Center that "inquiries of a technical nature are best referred
to our dealerships because they have factory trained technicians
and comprehensive service information that can address your concern."
At that
point, I knew I was in real trouble! Thankfully, I finally found
a service center and service director who knew what they were talking
about, but I'll start with the "official" information
from Ford about flat towing this car.
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The following
instructions are from my 2009 Escape Owner's Guide (page
193) for Front Wheel Drive (FWD) vehicles:
Notes: If you
tow your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground, follow
these instructions:
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From
Starting in the Driving chapter (page 195):
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Positions
of the ignition:
1 - Off - locks
gearshift level & steering column for key removal.
2
- Accessory - allows electrical accessories to operate while
engine is not running.
3
- On - all electrical circuits operational and warning lights
will illuminate. This is the position the key is in when you're
driving.
4
- Start - cranks the engine. Release the key as soon as the
engine starts.
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Battery
issues
Here's the problem
with some of the above information:
The first time
I towed it for more than a day at a time (even after following
all the instructions explicitly), the battery was dead. Roadside
service came out and confirmed that it looked like I was doing
everything right according to the book. After it happened
2 more times with the same results, I
posted a question on RV.net to see if I could get some
help from the techy guys there. Some mentioned the key position,
but I was sure I was doing everything according to Ford's
directions and dealers had confirmed that. After that stop,
I was in SC for a month, and it was then that I started having
transmission problems, so my attention was redirected. But
here's what I learned as part of that research:
When you put the
car in Neutral according to the 3rd bullet point instruction
above, and then try to put the car in Accessory position according
to the next bullet point (and look at the picture they reference
with key in #2 - Accessory position), the position of the
key is actually in the "On" position (#3). This
is because the picture is correct only when the car is in
Park. When it's in Neutral, you have to have
the key all the way to the left (which looks like the #1 position
that says the wheels are locked, etc.)
When I was finally
shown this by the last guy who jumped the battery, I thought
it was just me that could be that dense to misunderstand the
instructions, but then I found other people who experienced
the same confusion. In an RV.net
forum post about the transmission problems, I saw on page
3 comments from other people about this same thing:
"Also -
once you are in Neutral, turn the key as far as it will
go towards the off position - I think the Ford manual is
a little misleading in that regard...in that position, the
stereo etc. is not powered up, the steering is still unlocked
and the key cannot be removed."
"Once you
have the car in neutral and turn the key off - are you turning
it as far as it will go? There is one more "stop"
past where the owners manual says to leave it - This last
stop will power down the stereo etc. ...I'm pretty sure
that last key stop might solve your battery drain.
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Transmission
Issues
In May 2010,
I received a letter from Ford with a booklet entitled "Recreational
(Flat) Towing and Transmission Fluid Level Supplement."
Other than the new advice about putting the air conditioner
in recirculated air mode to prevent exhaust fumes from entering
the vehicle (which again is misleading because if you push
that recirculate air button, it turns the A/C on, and you
don't want anything on when towing), the rest of the supplement
was all about the transmission fluid level.
There were pictures
provided indicating too low, too high, and "just right"
levels and how to read the dipstick. There are separate,
different instructions and pictures for "Checking transmission
fluid level for recreational flat tow operation."
The pictures
below show the proper fluid level for recreational flat
tow operation. The booklet says,
"Before
recreational flat towing your vehicle, the transmission
fluid level may need to be set to a lower level. These guidelines
are designed to prevent damage to your transmission. Before
you recreational flat tow, your fluid level must be verified
by an authorized dealer. This fluid level is within the
normal operating fluid range and does not require that you
have your fluid level readjusted after recreational flat
tow operation."
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The booklet
referred to two different types of dipsticks and showed
how to check for both kinds.
When I first
checked, I had the Type A dipstick. When I first started
towing, I had 3 different techs check the level at different
times when I started having problems and it was almost
comical - all of of them reached different conclusions
- one said too low, one said too high, and the other
"looks right to me."
None of them
followed the instructions on how to get an accurate
reading according to this booklet, though.
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The
booklet is very specific about the instructions on how to
check the fluid to get an accurate reading:
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Check
after driving the car 20 miles (to reach normal operating
temperature)
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Park
on level place, put in Park, engage parking brake and
leave engine running.
Transmission
fluid expands when warmed. If car has been operated for
extended period at high speeds, in heavy traffic or during
hot weather, turn off car for 30 minutes to allow fluid
to cool before checking.
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Foot on brake pedal, start engine and move gearshift lever
through all gear ranges, allowing time to fully engage
in each gear.
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Remove
dipstick and clean with dry, lint-free rag.
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Reinstall,
making sure fully seated; remove & inspect for level.
The
only tech who explained that you will get different readings
if the car is not properly warmed and if the motor is not
running while checking was Tim at Lugoff Ford, who performed
the last repair that included the redesigned left axle assembly
that had failed on me before.
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He also installed
the new dipstick, and it was only then that I realized it
was a bigger deal than just a new dipstick, but included a
newly redesigned tube assembly.
He explained that
during flat towing, fluid expands and comes up through the
vent and instead of venting into the tube it's now vented
outside, preventing siphoning of the fluid and overflowing.
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The
new dipstick is so much easier to read. Here he showed how it
reads a little higher when the car is not warmed up. I checked
later using the proper procedures and it read perfect! |
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Here's Tim (Master
Certified Technician) and Stacy (Parts & Service Director)
at Lugoff Ford. Out of all the people I dealt with at Ford
about this, I was so impressed with how she hung in there
with me, always kept me fully informed on what was happening
and relentlessly searched for the parts that were on national
back order with 2,600 other people waiting for the same thing.
She told me she
was so happy she could help me - that it was her goal in life
to make life less stressful for the people who come into her
service department with problems. I really appreciated her
and hope her attitude is contagious among other Ford dealers!
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Another person I talked
to at Ford's Customer Relationship Center who made a difference
was Kathy, the representative for the Lugoff, SC region where
I was at the time. Since I was certainly dissatisfied with the
response from the corporate office from the email form I submitted
from their website, I asked Kathy for procedures I could share
to get help from Ford as quickly as possible.
She said if you can't
get all the help you need from your local dealer, your first call
should be to Customer Service at 800-392-3673. That opens the
case and you are assigned a case number for follow up and escalation
as needed from there.
When I asked for a
contact at Ford that I could access from anywhere in the country
I travel instead of having to start over every time if I continue
to have the same problem, she explained that they are set up by
region, but that she would continue to be my first point of contact
and get me the help I needed no matter where I am.
I truly am hopeful
that Ford engineers have figured this out and this fix is a final
one for me!
I also
hope that anyone experiencing these isses with towing the Ford
Escape will share
info on my blog with any comments, suggestions, etc. RVers,
let's stick together! 
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Ford
Service Bulletins (TSBs) related to Escape:
(in
order of latest first)
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TSB
11-7-15 - (July
12, 2011) - re: 2009-2012 Escape (and others) -
supersedes TSB 09-20-13
below to update model years. This
goes into more detail about the dipstick and how to read, but
basically information is the same.
However, at the bottom
they do mention that there is an accessory cooling pump available
from Remco that "may provide an alternative to the Owner
Guide Flat Tow guidelines...however, Ford does not warrant this
aftermarket product. further, the use of an aftermarket product
may void your ... warranty..."
So big ole' Catch 22
from Ford - basically in my mind they're saying "We haven't
figured out how to make the car do what we said it would do in
order to get you to buy it - or at least not so that it doesn't
mess with our profits too much. And if you find a fix from somebody
else (after spending money you shouldn't have to spend if the
car towed like we said it would) - you're totally on your own
after that and we won't even keep putting our little band aids
on the gaping wound anymore." And I can hear the last
remark under their breath, "...and good riddance to you,
too!"
They continue to recommend
that customers follow the Owners Guide Flat Tow guidelines, even
though they're obviously not working!
TSB
09-20-13 (October 5, 2009) - re: 2009-2010 Escape
(and others)
6F35
Transmission - Recreational Towing - Vehicle With All 4 Wheels
on the Ground - Expanded Guidelines to Prevent Transmission Damage
Issue:
"The transmission shieft concern may be caused by heat build
up in the transmission due to the transmission fluid level being
too high, towing speeds above 65 mph and/or not stopping to run
the engine at idle for 5 mnutes ever six hours or less, to cool
the transmission"
Action:
Transmission fluid adjustments (shows proper level on dipstick)
repeats instructions from manual
Notes importance of checking readings at operating temperature
per WSM Section 307-01
The above two are ones
I'm currently aware of that relate to my 2009 Ford Escape. But
I just found this neat website that lists all bulletins Ford Escapes
here on MyCarStats.com.
The search results here are for Ford Escape, but they list for
other makes/models as well.
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