Will the 2008 Ford Escape or Mercury twin offer dynamic electronic stability control? This vital safety feature is missing in previous years versions.

 

Hi BillyK

From what I have read so far, no. However, Ford has a patent on it, so it should be available soon. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/709...hlight=5343970

GaryG

 

I agree with Gary. The press releases seem to go out of their way to specify that only the non-hybrids will be getting AdvanceTrac for 2008. I would guess that even though they might have gotten as far as getting a patent on a technique, Ford really hasn't solved all the problems.

 

If Ford hasn't solved all the problems with electronic stability control, then how is it possible for Volvo to offer it on all of their 2007 models? Or is the question, hybrid automobiles in their electric drive mode have yet to solve all the problems related to the electronic stability control.

 

Volvo has a hybrid?

I think it has more to due with the hybrid's regenerative braking. Not that it is an impossible task, just probably one that Ford doesn't want to allocate enough resources to solve ASAP. I mean, in general, Ford has been allocating fewer and fewer resources to their hybrids. One of the reason that woman (forgot her name already), who was head of hybrid development, up and quit.

 

Toyota Campy and Prius hybrids have dynamic electronic stability. Honda Accord hybrid also has dynamic electronic stability but the Honda Civic hybrid does not. This indicates automobile engineers have been able to combine the complexity of dynamic electronic stability control with hybrid engineering. If Ford wants to remain competitive in the hybrid market, they need to offer this feature on the Escape sooner rather than later. Remember, Ford is planning to expand their hybrid offerings (Fusion and Five Hundred in 2008 or 2009). I am waiting for this vital safety feature.

 

Ford has offered stability control for years in some vehicles (Explorer, Jaguar S-Type, XK 8, and XJ8 off the top of my head). Any vehicle that has 4 chanel ABS could have stability control, just add a yaw sensor under the center consol, a rate of steering sensor to the steering shaft, and the right software in the ABS module, that is all it takes, and this syst. saves lives, more then any other safty feature. Best of all it's passive, you dont have to be in an accident for it to save your butt. The new syst. is called roll stability control, it has all the features of regular stability control plus if it senses that a rollover is about to occur (the side curtin air bags already has a roll sensor, and all these sensors are connected through the CAN network any way), the ABS module will comand the HCU to pressurize, and lock both outside wheels, this will cause them to loose traction, and skid rather then grip. I know is weird, the thought of lossing traction to gain control, but after thinking about it for a few minutes it makes perfect sense, why didn't I think of that? Why dosn't Ford make it standard equippment since they have most of the peices of the puzzle in place on the vehicles already?

 

I agree, but you also forgot about Ford's new crossovers. The Ford Edge and its sister the Lincoln MKX

 

I think that is really the key here; Ford doesn't.

 

It's not vital if you drive safely. I have this feature with my Mini and it's great and everything but I do fine without it. I tend to drive faster because I can count on the system from saving me if I screw up. I guess it's more prevalent in an SUV because of the higher COG, but I wouldn't call it vital.