Overview & Reviews

The 2009 Ford Escape receives under-the-skin changes that complement last year's cosmetic makeover. There's more power underhood and a tweaked suspension for improved handling and ride dynamics. Ford has also added its Sync MP3 player and cell phone interface.

• Comfortable interior, peppy performance, Sync voice-control system, impressive safety scores.

• Lackluster braking compared to rivals, folding down second seat needlessly complex.

User Reviews:

Showing 11 through 20 of 134.00

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  My Escape is no acception to the reviews - 2009 Ford Escape
  By catmandoo712 - August 31 - 8:29 am

  I read on the internet that the 2009 Ford Escape 6 speed trans has problems.I thought that this is not going to happen to the vehicle I purchase.Well much to my surprise I had to have trans work on my vehicle at 29000 miles.Very slow shifting from reverse to drive.Now I noticed that it has a ticking sound like a vehicle with bad lifters in an old car.The dealer does not seem to hear it ,I must be hullucinating.Loud exhaust and a growling sound when driving uphill.Got rid of a 11 yr old Chevy Tacker and it was a much quieter than this 2 yr old vehicle.

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  2009 Escape Limited a problem - 2009 Ford Escape
  By steve_r2 - April 17 - 3:04 pm

  Since taking ownership of this vehicle and 50,000 miles later this Ford Escape has over 12,000 dollars of repairs and that includes labor. Three and a half transmission and a rebuild motor within the first 40,000 miles. Overall I like the vheicle but Ive lost confidence in Ford motor company. I bought this vehicle to support the american auto industry and Ford because they refused Obama hand out. I continues to have problem on a mouthly basis. Who wants a lemon?

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  Worst Car Ive Ever Owned - 2009 Ford Escape
  By jolietjake - March 30 - 12:57 pm

  My 2009 Ford Escape has been plagued with transmission issues for a year and a half now. I experience shift flares, hard and harsh shifting, and even times when it cant shift out of first gear. It will also frequently slam into gear when going from P to D or R, causing the entire car to shack violently until banging into gear. After the TSB updates, i get much worse gas milage and the tranny issues have increased. Now i get hesitation in acceleration when coasting or yielding and pressing the accelerator. Its extremely dangerous when making a left hand turn and the car is unresponsive for a few seconds. I have almost had 5 accidents due to this. This car is extremely unsafe.

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  Good so far. - 2009 Ford Escape
  By texaschemist - March 24 - 6:36 pm

  I bought my Escape used in June 2010.The Escape handles and accelerates well and has an overall powerful feeling. It was after 2 months of routine driving that I noticed the first problems. The transmission would hesitate when accelerating from a stop and jerk into gear. There was no noise and afterward the transmission was smooth. When it started doing this while making left turns through 4-way stops I decided to take it in and have it looked at. Turns out the transmission was failing to downshift from 2nd to 1st quick enough. A technical bulletin fixed this. Ive also noticed that my MPG in winter are much worse than summer (2-4 mpg). Otherwise its a great SUV for the value.

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  Satisfied 1.5 Years Later - 2009 Ford Escape
  By Ray - October 14 - 2:00 am

  Purchased new in July 2009, drove 1000 miles to break-in before a trip from Pittsburgh to Oregon. Very comfortable ride for 2 people over a week and a half. Highway gas mileage was 28-32 mpg. Still average 25-30 mpg with my rural driving. Would have liked AWD with a manual tranny, but the one time I drove on an untreated, snow-covered road (~1") the FWD did fine with factory tires. Also glad I went with the stick once I heard stories about the 6-speed auto. No problems with my vehicle 17,000 miles, 1.5 years later. Rides well, though the body pitches up/down excessively when applying power or braking (making smooth uphill stops/starts difficult).

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  2009 Sangri Ford Escape AWD V6 update - 2009 Ford Escape
  By bjc - October 11 - 2:00 am

  After 11,000 miles have had to take the vehicle back to the dealer because they fouled up the brakes. Took it in for an oil change and mentioned funny noise when decelerating and ended up going back 5 times because the brakes werent right. Now I am returning 10-12-2010 because of an oil leak on the drivers side of vehicle. Dealer says oil filter on passenger side so not sure what is leaking, sure hope not transmission. I am 2nd guessing myself now for buying a Ford and wonder how many more times I will be in the service department with it.

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  After One Year of Ownership - 2009 Ford Escape
  By mjm87 - September 29 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my 2009 Ford Escape XLT AWD in June of 2009. Ever since then, I have enjoyed every minute being in my Escape. The visibility of the Escape is excellent, the 4 cylinder engine puts out plenty of horsepower to get you where you need to go, the 6-speed transmission shifts smoothly, it is easy to park, and has some of the best technology compared to any vehicle on the road. It has been to dealership once for a PCM flash for the transmissions occasional hard shifting from drive to reverse. That problem has gone away and the vehicle shifts much better than before. The SYNC system is outstanding and I personally find the AC unit to be one of the best I have ever experienced. Great buy

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  Check your transmission - 2009 Ford Escape
  By Dana - September 15 - 2:00 am

  In the beginning of the year I purchased a used 2009 Ford Escape from the Ford Dealership with 23,000 miles on it. About a week later I was on the highway and the rpm started racing and car wouldnt accelerate. Ended up bringing truck back to dealer because it happened a few times and was so unsafe. I hadnt made my first truck payment yet and they adv me I needed a new tranny. After doing online research there are a TON of people who had the same prob, while there is no official recall BE AWARE it is a widespread issue. It took 6 weeks to get the new tranny because they were back ordered. The truck is great now, but it really destroyed my confidence in the purchase. Guess its mine now.

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  Great Car, Great value! - 2009 Ford Escape
  By Stan - September 3 - 2:29 am

  My wife and I traded in our 1985 Jeep grand wagoneer for a 2009 Ford Escape XLT as part of the cash for clunkers program. We had researched this vehicle and it was definitely the best vehicle for the price. One year and 23,000 miles later, we are still happy with the Escape. It is a good looking, (flame red) good handling car. The 240 horsepower v-6 gives it sports car like performance. Weve only been able to manage about 24 mpg out of it on the open road, but that is really good mileage for this type of vehicle. Weve had the transmission computer reprogrammed and a sensor replaced at no charge to us. Neither of these things affected the drivability of the vehicle.

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  One Year Later - 2009 Ford Escape
  By seancav - July 29 - 9:45 am

  I have now had my 09 Escape for one full year. I am happy to report that I very pleased with it. It has been very reliable and fun to drive. I have spent two months in the mountains with it and have found it to be one tough vehicle. I have to do some trail riding in the mountains and the traction control on the car has taken me to places that I could not have gone without it. I am surprised that some of the recent reviews have given this SUV such a low rating. I love this car. Before this purchase I had only bought cars from Japan. I wanted to spend my dollars in the US. I gave Ford a try and am glad that I did. Do not be afraid to buy this car. Its great!