I love my 2002 Ford Escape XLT-but it has gremlins

I purchased my 2002 Ford Escape XLT in Oct 2001. It is yellow with leather seats, tow package, sun/moon roof and the upgrade Mach stereo with the 6 disk in dash CD. I absolutely love this vehicle.

Reasons for buying: I test drove a PT Cruiser, Hyundai Santa Fe, Xterra, CRV and RAV 4. I wanted something bigger than the Honda Civic sedan that I had but didn't want a barge. So, the Escape won because it had 201 HP (most HP in it's class), it is very peppy and fun to drive. It has a good cargo area, it does not have a tire on the back (I hate that look), the tail gate swings up (others swing out and seem inconvenient), it is easy to get in to (not too high for my 5 year old daughter). The tires are large (unlike the RAV 4 and CRV), it comes with upgrades that others don't have (like leather) and it has a great price tag. I also drove the sister Mazda Tribute. They are the same car with some differences in trim detail. And the Tribute is more expensive. The Escape rides and drives like a car, it's lightweight like a car and has a car chassis. It's the perfect in-between vehicle between a car and a large SUV. I also liked that the back window opens up in case you want to haul something long. We've had several trees, ladders, wheelbarrows and boxes take advantage of that window.

Problems that I've had so far: Non-warranty: My Escape currently has 34,000 miles on it and is about out of warranty. I have the oil changed every 3000 miles and I change the air filters as necessary. It has been to the dealer for service several times. Most have been for electrical gremlins. It was in the shop the past 2 weeks for a few different things. First, the brakes are dead. The brakes started grinding when braking hard and I took it to the shop within 5 days. The rotors were already destroyed. Rotors for the Escape are not available to anyone except the dealers. So you can't yet get them from Pep Boys, Mineke, etc. Brakes and rotors (including labor) was $640. Ouch. Apparantly, parts aren't available to after market shops until the car is 4-5 years old. And also, I've been told that Ford brakes are made for a short life span. So 34,000 miles seems to be good. 2 different brake shops said the same thing about Ford brakes. Anyway, that's the only non-warrantied problem I've had.

Warrantied problems...my sun/moon roof sometimes doesn't want to close, the power mirrors sometimes don't move right away when trying to adjust them and once a month or so, I have problems with the starter. I turn the key and it just makes a 'err' sound. I always have to turn the key 3 times before it turns over. But it's never duplicated at the shop, so it can't be fixed. I got my Escape back from the shop and the next day the gremlins came out. I turn on my radio, and it turned off by itself. I was driving and when I used my right turn signal, the radio turned off (including the clock). Then when I used the left signal, the dash brake light flashed along with the turn signal. Then, that same night, I had locked the car. Around 8pm, the panic alarm went off by itself. The remotes wouldn't work so I had to unlock the car with the key and lock it again. Around 1 am, it did the same thing so I left it unlocked the rest of the night. I promptly drove it back to the dealer the next morning. Seems that there was a gap in the sealer that seals the fuse panel inside the car. Water was getting into the fuse panel and it was all corroded and was shorted out. So, Tweety got another week long stay at Team Ford. There was actually standing water so it must have been leaking for a long time. I hope that is the source of the unidentified electrical problems.

Warranty: I am purchasing an extended warranty in the next couple weeks. If you search online, there are Ford dealers that discount the manufacturer warranty (just like the one you buy from your dealer). The price for the top warranty is almost half the dealer's price. Just a tid bit of info for those looking to buy a warranty. We also have a 2000 Corvette and purchased an extended warranty from a dealer in PA. It was over half the cost and is the same exact GM warranty. No problems using it at the local GM shop, either.

Bottom Line: This SUV is awesome. You get the power of 201 horses, it looks great, doesn't feel cheap and flimsy like the RAV 4 and CRV did. It isn't too heavy for the HP like the Santa Fe is and is bigger than the PT Cruiser (my mom has one of these and loves it). It drives and rides like a car and had great handling and upgrades. I plan on keeping my Escape for as long as it lives.