[jeffp_032056]

I've got a 2008 Escape, 2wd, 3L, auto. Of course I didn't notice this before I bought it but once I had it home I saw that when standing at the rear of the vehicle there is about a 1/2" lean to the drivers side of the vehicle. Has anyone else run into this before or have any ideas. Took it to the dealer and he's trying to blow me off.

 

[Squishy]

I would have the dealer check for a cracked spring.

 

[drescape08]

i think you need to buy more beer, and not store in on the drivers side but the passenger side. this will balance it out for you and you will be extremely happy with the results. :hyst:

 

[jeffp_032056]

Problem fixed. Got a Ford engineer involved and found out the following:

All Escapes could have this problem. Somewhere along the assembly line they are supposed to be checked and if the problem is found they are supposed to be corrected but a lot of them are getting through for whatever reason.

The reason there is no TSB's on this is that not enough people have complained about the problem.

The fix is to insert shims in the rear between the sub-frame and the suspension. This is what Ford does to fix the problem on the assembly line.

 

[RobtRoma]

Thanks for the update and I'm glad you got it figured out. I'm sure more than a few people will be interested in this. :thumb:

 

[jonas1022]

Hmm. I never noticed a lean. I guess when my wife comes home I'll have to go take a little look and see. Thanks for the heads up! :thumb:

 

[jeffp_032056]

Update... Problem not fixed.

After working with my dealer on this problem I've found the following:

1) In my case it's not possible to shim the body both front and rear enough to solve the problem. For example, if you try placing enough shims to solve the lean on top of the front strut you'll run out of threads on the strut bolts.

2) In the rear you've basically got to double the shims for the amount of lean. For example, if you've got a 1/2" lean you've got to place 1" of shims between the rear sub-frame and body.

3) I've found that my '08 Escape is not a rare occurence of this problem. I've gone to 2 dealers and found that the first dealer had six '09 Escape's on his lot. I got out my tape measure and found that every one of them had the lean, from 1/4" to 3/4". I went to the second dealer which had three '09 Escapes, got out the tape and all of them had the lean also. I also called my son who lives in NY and had him measure his '09. He's got a lean.

WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?????? From what I've found I can only assume Ford is sending the Escape from the factory with this "defect".

 

[jpark]

I'd take measurements in more than one location, just to make sure. Uneven concrete can obviously change the measurements.

The average driveway or parking lot isn't exactly designed and finished to military standards.

 

[Squishy]

I wonder if you could place a level on the rear bumper...

 

[jpark]

Of course you can.

I've tried placing a number of things on the rear bumper, and they all fit:
* pencils
* ice cream scoops
* beer cans
* newspapers
* a row of Blizzards (surprised?)
* hockey pucks
* phones
* copper pipe fittings

I'll try a few more items if I have the time.

:bill:

 

[Squishy]

Have you tried placing the front bumper on the rear bumper? I have. :tease:

 

[jeffp_032056]

I've been "researching " this for months now and have taken measurements from every point there is. The end result is that every Escape that I've checked out had the lean both front and rear.

 

[jpark]

BTW, with the E/M/Ts weight distribution, any lean is usually due to a difference in the front suspension, not the rear. The spring rates on the rear suspension are usually much lower than the front rates.

I'm guessing that the front anti-sway bar could be removed and bent in the opposite direction of the lean. The anti-sway bar is, by far, the most geometry-influential piece of hardware in any suspension system.

 

[jeffp_032056]

Part of my confusion is that Ford is obviously sending out these Escapes with this "problem" and there are very few dealers, if any, that are aware of this "problem" and what to do to fix it. I went to look at a new '09 yesterday considering the purchase, and I stood at the rear of the vehicle and looked and there was the lean, on this Escape 5/8". As I said before, WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?????

 

[jpark]

To be honest, I've never seen even one E/M/T lean to one side, old or new.

 

[oskerb]

But if there was LEAN on one side of the ESCAPE you would feel it while driving, as in it would pull to one side more than the other. Is anyone experiencing that??? This issue happened on my 98 Ranger one side sagged and I just shimmed it up.

 

[jeffp_032056]

Nope, during my "testing" there is no pull to one side or the other. Vehicle tracks straight down the road. Keep in mind that as far as we can tell it's the BODY that has the lean, not the "frame".

 

[ScotchtapeLoser]

my 09 mariner does not have a lean.

for those with the drivers side sitting lower.... a quick fix would be to get a bigger gf to sit shotgun? :shrug:

 

[jonas1022]

I finally checked our Tribute. No lean. It does have a forward rake to it's stance...

I too checked a couple of others on our trip to Tenn. Both following down the road and measurements in the parking lots of some unsuspecting Escapes of various ages. I found one that had a slight lean to the drivers side and one the leaned toward the passenger side. Both were AWD versions and had many, many miles on them. :doh:

 

[stone]

No lean on mine.