You also seem to be better-than-average at reading and comprehending vehicle shop manual diagnostic and repair instructions. That's also a good thing when owning one of these cars until you have the problems sorted out and your understanding of the vehicle matches its complexity.

For $21.95, you can rent the shop manuals, including ALL the wiring diagrams and the normally difficult to find ones, online from Ford for 72 hours:

You establish a login, set a password, and then choose a subscription.

I know people always try first in free forums to get free answers (I did!) but there's a limit to what we can do for free, too - I have a day job and my 2010 is the only one I own, so my experience is, er, Limited also. Your 2009 differs in several important respects including the battery cooling system!!! Yours is better!!!

- FordServiceInfo.Com (motorcraftservice.com)

 

BTW I took my '10 Limited for about a 50 mile ride today on medium speed residential and mixed small highways and it returned 31.9 MPG average which is EXCELLENT for the winter (crap gas, cold HV battery). 80,400 miles now on the clock. The NAV works perfectly, bluetooth works perfectly, the woman who lives inside my radio actually listens to me, and I have a 32GB USB drive with tunes in the port with a Sirius Satellite subscription and listened to "60s Gold" the entire time. The thing runs great, my NAV has been updated to 2019.

So it can be done. Just take it one thing at a time.

 

That’s cool, thanks, I’ll look into that. FYI, for 10+ years I’ve been driving Jeeps, XJs and ZJs, and doing most of the work myself thanks to Haynes, Chiltons, trial and error and forums like this one. Now that I’m passing my ‘96 Cherokee down to my son, I needed to find its replacement. I was looking for another XJ or ZJ, since I know my way around that jeep 4.0 6 cyl so well, but I wasn’t finding much, and I was feeling a little leery about the cost of gas and the average 17 MPG I get in my XJ. But there are fewer available, nearly every example here in Florida has been spoiled with a dopey lift, and anything factory and in good shape is overpriced, as they have become collectible. One thing for sure: I did not want front wheel drive, or a 4 cylinder (they burn up down here), or a CVT! (What the hell is a CVT?) And I wasn’t even looking for a hybrid. I came across this Escape. It was the prettiest green. It was amazing similar to an XJ in dimensions and overall configuration. It was fun to drive and in great shape. I went into the purchase aware that for a 13-year-old hybrid, a new battery might not be far off. I contented myself that it was still a good deal, even if I wound up needing a battery. I love it so far. But it’s a whole new universe after a 96 Cherokee. GPS? Nav? Hybrid battery? Lots to learn. Looking forward to it. Thanks for the help. BTW I have not yet begun taking your suggestions, but I cleared the codes and ran them again, and only 1, an audio module code, returned. The P0AA7 is gone, at least for now.

 

The 2.5l ICE in your 2009 is an almost bulletproof, easy-to-maintain four cylinder engine. It's Atkinson cycle and not the most powerful engine in the world, it's a bit "buzzy" over 4k RPM, but in my experience with regular good oil/filter/air filter/plug maintenance is just bulletproof. I recommend Mobil 1 5W-20 Extended Performance and an M1-102A EP filter or even 0W-20 which I'm running now. It starts INSTANTLY in 0 degree F temperatures during the recent winter where I live - just as it should, lights the catalyst, and warms the interior within 5 minutes. The only possible caveat is the PCV system maintenance which can be a pain (underneath the intake manifold which has to be REMOVED!) but again, if you're using good oil it should help steer clear of problems in that area. That engine is started via one of the HV motors in the transaxle, and you want it to be clean and smooth throughout. Check your air filter. You want that gas engine to spin up and start right away when it is really cold, and even when it isn't really cold, whenever the computer tells it to.

ALSO: If your vehicle has more than 60,000 miles CHANGE THE FLUID IN THE TRANSAXLE. FTM shows the procedure and tells you the correct Mercon to use for your year. Right now!! Do not pass Go and Collect $1200!


If it is a 4WD also change the fluid in the Power Transfer Unit! No kidding! They destroy themselves without fluid changes.

 

If you would like to take a "deep dive" into the inside of your Hybrid's transaxle, this is a very good treatment from Professor John Kelly at Weber State University in Utah. Yours and mine are 2nd Generation units. It's a very well-engineered transaxle, so change the fluid if you haven't.

 

BTW I agree about that green color - it's "sublime" green and I'm not even joking. Mine is plain ol' White, it looks good enough, but I really do like that green. Almost iridescent green.

Finally: you now own a vehicle with an eCVT - an electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission. These are the "good" ones, with the Prius-type planetary gearsets. Here is what it means, in practical terms:

It is the COMPUTER in the vehicle that monitors and responds to the amount of power being delivered by the drivetrain versus the amount being commanded by the driver and road conditions, and varies the effective gear ratio(s) so that the power demanded by the driver is matched by the output of the drivetrain and its control logic. Your car basically drives completely "by wire." They are very reliable transaxles (some in NYC taxicabs went over 300,000 miles) as long as the fluid is changed and they are not abused. There is no "shifting" in the conventional sense. There are no clutches. There are no SOLENOIDS or VALVE BODIES. There is no such thing as a "shift fork" or a "synchronizer." It's a very different kind of "transmission" and that is why sometimes the internal combustion engine can be turning as few as 1,200 RPM at an indicated 60 miles per hour - which if it was a fixed gear ratio would make the Escape Hybrid into a 350+ mile per hour car. Obviously with less than 180 total combined horsepower it will never go that fast, not to mention the fact that the main traction motor would spin itself into a big grenade at that speed, so the car is speed limited to an effective 110 MPH or so. I find that mine drives best in the 75-85 MPH range on the highway, where it is very smooth, relatively quiet and responsive while still returning better mileage than I thought it would as a 3,800+ pound vehicle with four doors and a hatchback.

The control logic is beyond the scope of this discussion.

 

[QUOTE=Naverill;274666]
Also FYI, I have discovered two problems that are no big deal but I am aware are common: My ignition module is going (have to press key in to start)

I had this issue in 2010 FEH, where the ignition would not turn, felt like it was locked out, or had to be jiggled, or pressed in so the ignition would turn. Did quite a bit of research and found it was a common issue, just wore out. I used this Motorcraft part to fix it here on Amazon. I used to remove/replace the ignition module, but there are others too, and instructions to refresh the core come in the kit. Not nearly as bad as you might think. Be sure to lube the new one going in, and ensure perfect number match on the keyways in the replacement lock to your current one and you'll be good to go. It worked like a charm and has been perfect for the last 6 months.

 

I just took a dremel to mine and it still works almost a year later.

 

SO my friend. Thought you’d like an update. Unsurprisingly, the power assist to the steering died. My mechanic, who is great and VERY resourceful, spent two weeks attempting to find the parts, new or used, and failed. He said the part hasn’t been made for years, and the problem is so common, the used supply is dry.

Before anybody says it… I am NOT included in the recall for this problem. Right year, right fault, wrong factory.

The Ford dealer had my car for four days, came back to say the part (steering column) is not available, and if/when it becomes available, the repair will be $3,300.

I have read some of the many threads on this. I am a reasonably capable shade tree mechanic, but based on the stories I have read and the high failure rate, I’m loath to attempt it. Besides, I’d have to buy the used part with no way of knowing whether it came out of a car with the same problem.

I paid $6500 for the car 7 months ago, and am looking at losing most of that. Nobody’s gonna buy it without working steering. A junkyard will offer me 1K at best, even though the engine and battery are worth four times that. I am at my wits end.

Any ideas?

 

What part specifically has failed? Steering Column is a huge monster and there are a lot of other parts inside that can be replaced. If you could narrow down the part, I'm sure we can help.