Faults:

Front tie bars had to be replaced at 47000km.

Front anti sway bars had to be replaced at 50,000km.

Front brake discs & pads replaced at 50,000km.

General Comments:

Well equipped SUV for the price, and optional Microsoft based SYNC system was great. Heated leather seats, sunroof, keyless entry, alloy wheels etc, though to me as a European, it made no sense whatsoever to have all that expensive kit on it and put brake drums on the rear. I haven't seen a new car with brake drums in Europe for 15-20 years, yet here in N. America they're still used. WHY???

Luckily for me, the Escape was a company vehicle so repairs didn't cost be a bean, but I would have been extremely unhappy to have to replace the worn out tie bars & anti sway bars etc after such a short distance, and Ford refused to cover them under warranty.

Faults:

Nothing so far.

The transmission in the 2009 is new from previous models. It is the 6F35 6-speed automatic. A few things I've noticed about this transmission from the one in my old Pontiac; it does hesitate a little bit in first gear. Pressing on the accelerator too quickly after shifting into drive or downshifting will cause it to hesitate. I've discovered that an extra 1 second to let it complete the downshift is all it takes to overcome the hesitation.

The gas pedal does vibrate at ~12mph and 42mph. This is NORMAL!! It is the ABS doing a self test. You shouldn't feel it more than once after starting the vehicle.

Rear brakes are drum. Not the best, and it does affect braking a little.

General Comments:

The ride is a bit more bumpy than my Pontiac, but that's expected given it's an SUV.

Transmission is very short in 1st and 2nd gear. I'll be in 3rd by the time I hit 25mph. Normal for a truck or SUV though.

Engine is said to be noisy... compared to a sedan or high end SUV, yes it is. But compared to other trucks or SUVs, it's no different. Doesn't bother me at all.

Acceleration is quick with the V6 and 240hp.

Radio does seem to have problems maintaining reception when going under bridges or into a valley. It comes back after a few seconds though.

Seats are comfortable and the interior is roomy.

Interior materials are not high quality, even a little below average quality, but not the worst I've seen.

Rear seats are NOT difficult to fold down. It's 3 motions; take out head rest, lift base of seat, fold the backrest down. That's it. Don't let comments that it's complicated fool you.

The 4x4 feature is intelligent, meaning you can't activate it. It will kick in if the front wheels slip.

Rear storage is perfect size for a Husky, German Shepherd, Lab or other dog of similar size. This is one of the reasons I got the Escape.