Tim.

this happened first thing in the morning. not driving. crib notes: we started it first thing in the morning. Idled less that 5 minutes. dead. drove it at under 20 mph in parking lot. hit the brake. it died. required key to restart. same thing after dead stop. repeat.

 

Please be clear on the difference between ICE-off and vehicle system off. You say it "dies" but we're trying to differentiate between the ICE dying (which it is supposed to do), and the whole system dying.

When the ICE dies, what happens when you try to drive the vehicle - put it in gear and press the accelerator pedal?

 

it dies. requiring ignition key to restart. fine until i hit the brake. AGAIN. all of this is under 20mph..

 

I think what everyone's trying to get at is the following.

Press the accelerator when this condition occurs. Can your vehicle MOVE when you do so? Yes or No?
.
.
.
If no, what errors/beeps/other responses -- if any -- do you get from the vehicle at that moment? Is there anything on the dashboard, message center, etc. at that point in time or is it blank?

If yes, you have a perfectly normal functioning full hybrid. One that has turned off its ICE, but is still perfectly capable of being driven with its ICE off thanks to its electric motor and high capacity battery which supply power at speeds <30mph (when battery and driving conditions warrant.)

 

Wow...I wish my hybrid can shut down so easily!

Jerry&Natalie, You need to report to us what Shannon asked...otherwise nothing you have described so far is unusual about your hybrid...

No disrespect intended, but are you trolling?

 

yeah i figured all that out. with a low battery charge it is just disconcerting to have have it shut off when stopped. I will use red zone controls when idling in the parking lot. I am not a troll, just learning thank you very much/

 

I think we're making progress here, but --

May I ask why you want to force the ICE (gasoline engine) to run when idling in a parking lot? When the ICE/gasoline engine is off and your vehicle is operating in EV mode (Electric Vehicle mode, meaning the ICE/gasoline engine is off but the electric motor is running and your hybrid's high voltage battery is providing power), you can:
A.) start moving from a stop and travel up to 30 mph depending on the battery's charge level and some other factors;
B.) you can accelerate hard if need be (the ICE/gas engine will turn on immediately and give you the power you need), such as on to a highway onramp;
C.) you can run ALL accessories except the red-marked climate controls (Max. A/C, defrost, etc.)

By intentionally forcing your hybrid to turn its ICE/gas engine on just so you can hear the (reassuring?) drone of the gas engine, you are invalidating the benefits of having a hybrid -- you are burning gasoline when the vehicle doesn't need to, and you've basically turned your Ford Escape Hybrid into a gasoline-only (non-hybrid) Ford Escape that's towing hundreds of pounds of extra weight (the hybrid high voltage battery and related components.)

The only time to intentionally force the ICE on is if you require a mode such as defrost or maximum A/C, or you are a hypermiler who is manually doing some battery charge state management.

Also...
Was it freezing Monday morning in Florida (it was here in Texas, so that's why I ask)? Otherwise, there's no need to "warm the car up", either. Normal driving will warm the ICE/gasoline engine up fairly quickly, barring COLD temperatures and your own personal comfort level in same. For the record, I've only once let my car run to "warm up" and that was because it was covered in 2.5 to 3" of ICE.

Here's a link you might want to check out:
HowStuffWorks.com: Ford Escape Hybrid

 

Ok. when you say it needs the key to restart it, is it

A) because the engine stops

or

B) Because it won't move with electric?

The engine turning off is a normal situation after the engine warms up. Its a bit weird but if you see the car icon in the shifter, then the vehicle is still "running". Put the car into a gear, press the pedel, and go. Once you have exceeded the torque limit of the electric only mode or you have hit 40 Mph, the engine will start back up on its own.

NOW, if you are saying that it just stops dead, and that when you press the pedal when the engine is off, but the car icon is in the shifter area on the dash, then its broken and needs fixed.

The whole idea of a full hybrid is to be able to drive off electric only for short periods of time when under 40 Mph. Don't listen to the engine, just drive.

As to driving with the red...

Here is the deal:

You do not need to worry about charging the battery, the vehicle has enough smarts to take care of that itself. Whenever it can at slow speeds it will try to shut off the gas engine to save gas, and this is a good thing! You can still drive it using the electric motor.

Only use the red settings when you really have to. Like taking it to valet parking (so you don't confuse the valet guy and have them call you cuz your vehicle keeps stalling).

 

All right, let's all calm down and let Jerry answer the questions posed to him, and Jerry, please answer the questions.

Everyone else, let's not restate the same question, and allow Jerry to report back with his answers. There's no need, problem or not, to all line up to say the same thing, or jump down his/her throat.

 

Randy, you're always on top of things and you handled yourself like a professional in your responses here. Keep up the good work!

GaryG