OK good, thank you, I watched the video and it's clear what causes the clicking/play problem when the U-joint gets dodgy. It actually connects the intermediate shaft to the steering column. That's a pretty cheap/easy fix when it happens, and it's not subtle, you can see it very easily if it goes.

 

Gotcha. Thank you, and Ford TechMakuloko has a video showing the replacement procedure. It seems pretty straightforward, the sensor is about $250 USD or less - but some people will want to have the dealer or their mechanic do it, because one aspect of the installation is both tricky and crucial: alignment. The sensor has to be aligned within 5 degrees of its neutral position or the power steering motor goes nuts, spins the wheel rapidly, ruins the sensor and you have to start all over again. So this one can be done with hand tools and a pair of jackstands, but it's not for the hamfisted or incautious. FTM shows the whole procedure including the alignment and the scary few seconds where you turn on the ignition and get the heck away from the wheel in case you screw it up. Then I guess you have to clear the codes somehow.

2008-2012 Ford Escape Power Steering Code B2278 : EPAS Torque Sensor Critical Installation Steps

There's another video showing the alignment, installation and an even freakier look at what happens if you get it aligned wrong (4:00 in the video).

2008-2011 Ford Escape & Mercury Mariner Recall 14S05 Torque Sensor

So at least now I know what both of these problems are and how they should be fixed. I'm thinking of buying one of the torque sensors just to put it on a shelf somewhere, before they become unavailable. If you search for the part number, a lot of websites seem to have them but who knows for how much longer? $170-250 is relatively cheap. Other people who have installed these say you need to clear the codes afterward. I guess you can use Forscan on a laptop to do that.

 

The fact that my neighbor's had already developed a noticeable amount of play at 180,000km means that only going through 2 by 760,000km is pretty good in comparison. I didn't know it was a common thing until we brought my neighbor's Escape to Ford and the service advisor immediately knew what we were talking about and said yeah it's a frequently seen issue in these. I don't remember the bill but it wasn't obnoxiously expensive to fix.

I will admit though that I sometimes do get SSN, although quite rarely, maybe once a month if that. Happens when driving at low speeds in EV mode, I will get SSN and the car gets stuck in EV. Even if I floor it, the ICE will not come on. If I turn the car off and back on however, it's right back to normal again. Only real "issue" I've noticed so far.

 

That's not bad, but whew that U-joint is such a cheesy part. You know, this car has electric steering with a motor, sensor assembly and a dedicated digital control module that can cost thousand$, so obviously the best way to join the column shafts together is with a piece of junk U-joint that rusts out/wears out prematurely after it goes around a few thousand times, a piece of technology dating back to the ancient Greeks, then to 1664 and analyzed by Robert Hooke (of Hooke's Law fame) in 1676:

"In fact, the component of the equation of time which accounts for the tilt of the equatorial plane relative to the ecliptic is entirely analogous to the mathematical description of the universal joint. The first recorded use of the term universal joint for this device was by Hooke in 1676, in his book Helioscopes.[7][8][9]"

You know Ford saved about $3, maybe $4 per car instead of putting something good, with big, sealed bearings on the pivots in there so it would never wear out. The hood struts on the back hatch probably cost more than the U-joint holding the steering together, and obviously they're much more important for safety.

 

Or you might want to install a new one and keep the old one for a near end of vehicle lifespan spare if not available. I am not fully confident in my knowledge of the risks of running an old sensor but steering is about as important as brakes. The steering system failed out of town so I did not want to chance having to pay for a second tow from home if a DIY attempt was not a good idea in light of circumstances. That said, the shop said that after they cleared the code, the steering went back to normal so I could of driven it home for a DIY attempt but I would still be out $250 for the shop time and the cost of the DIY part at the very least. Techmakuloco is very good at repair videos. He is my first choice go to place for Ford Escape videos. New vs. old vehicles is always a "pay me now or pay me later" proposition.

 

Yes he's definitely one of the better people on YouTube and in the automotive repair world in general. He's honest, he knows what he's doing, and has a great presentation style that's right to the point. Formerly in the Marine Corps, I believe. I know he left his job at a Ford dealership to start his own shop a few years ago at Blood Sweat and Gears in Chicagoland, and I hope he has a lot of success and pulls through the coronaplague. It can be tough leaving the shelter of the "Mothership" and fending for oneself in the sometimes cutthroat world of car repair, particularly because he works on vehicles that ordinary mortals drive, and he really doesn't do a lot of name-dropping or affiliate marketing. I've contributed a little money to him directly, he's saved me quite a bit already. Well I've muddied up this thread enough...thanks to everyone for their help and answers and I'll let it get back to the original discussion before I get zapped into the infinite elsewhere.

 

Hello,

This thread has jumped to many different topics, but I had a question on one of the earlier posts -

"Next I checked the remaining battery life reported by the BCM and saw the battery was at 88%."

I have not been able to locate anywhere in Forscan that indicates the "battery life" from the BCM. Is this model year or software version specific? I just downloaded Forscan last week.

I have had trouble with my 2006 Ford Escape hybrid not entering EV mode on mostly hot days, some mild days. I just got a Veepeak USB OBD scanner and entered Forscan with two codes appearing from the BCM :

(WARN) [09:58:13.405] DTCs in BCM: P0A81-60, P0A96-60

I did a BCM self test, then reset, and the codes are always present.

I have just done a couple of searches and it appears the cooling fans within the hybrid battery should be replaced. When the car is KOEO, I can hear what sounds like a fan running with the hybrid battery. I can't tell if is this for sure without opening the hybrid battery top cover, at which point with the main switch turned off, I imagine nothing within the hybrid battery would then run. Would that mean trying to test those fans manually with a separate power source? Or just go ahead of replace them?

I wanted to take the cover off and take a look around inside, in case something is dusty or jammed.

Two other codes appeared:

B1316-60, B2872-20

I have not heard of B1316-60 and there appears to be little available online.

The tire sensor fault has been indicating the last couple of days, about 1 day after I had the tires changed. I check the tire pressure, it was above 40 psi. It seems odd the sensor fault would appear after changing the tires.

Also, I reset the B2872-20 code, and the light still flashes on the dash, but the code is gone when scanned in Forscan. Is this common?

 

There are two cooling fans. It's pretty common for one to fail. Remove the aft portion of the battery cover to confirm. You might also be able to tell audibly. You can find pictures of the fan configuration. If you place your ear on the pack directly above the fan, you should hear them both running with equal volume. If one is quieter, it's likely not running.

You can sign up for access to the manuals here:

http://www.motorcraftservice.com

https://www.motorcraftservice.com/Home/Pricing/7

 

Well I haven't been back to look at this post for a while. S Keith is much more knowledgeable and experienced that I am with these cars, which or course he didn't mention until his last post. Clearly I should have known that since he is a virtual legend on this Forum. My bad...

This, I know as it is my own experience. I've owned 5 different hybrids and driven each of them beyond 150K and not a single one has had a battery failure. I know quite a few other hybrid owners who have the same experience. The failure rate he describes is incredibly well hidden, apparently. Somehow the car manufacturers have conspired to suppress any news or documentation of these rampant failures. I find that to be rather remarkable. Is it possible that the notion of "failure" is questionable? That brings the question, what exactly defines a failure?

 

Welcome back.

Manufacturers have limited data on post-warranty failures. If a battery is replaced in the aftermarket with a reconditioned pack, then it didn't fail from the manufacturer's perspective because they have no data.

Notion of "failure" is not in question. If a battery can't perform the duties required of it in a car, then it has failed.

Failures generally result from:
1) shorted cell(s) (pure shorts or partial shorts causing rapid self-discharge)
2) high resistance cell(s)
3) capacity loss below operating threshold.

What the vast majority of consumers don't see is that their 150K mile battery is severely deteriorated with 40-50% of its available capacity remaining - this is still plenty of capacity for normal driving unless frequent and rapid elevation changes are part of normal driving. This is LEAST true of the 05-09 FEH/MMH with it's A/C cooled battery.