Ford Escape 2003 Problems

THANKS for your input. It sounds like Ford had taken care of the problem and Dennis and Helen should go back to their dealer and ask for the fluid change.

I HAVEN'T had any other complaints about this problem, so can't really help, but perhaps other owners might let us know if they have had the problem and what was done to fix it.

IN DEFENCE of Ford, it sometimes happens that an owner will hit a kerb or a hole in the road and damage the wheel, but they should check the wheel themselves to verify if the crack has been caused by driver error or not. That they dismissed your claim without checking isn't good enough, even if your car is out of warranty. It's even more disappointing that they have chosen not to act when the dealer supports your claim. If the dealer is prepared to make a report on its findings I would use it and pursue Ford for compensation.

UNFORTUNATELY brake rotors do wear out much faster than they once did. There was a time when brake drums or rotors were never replaced, but the brakes back then weren't very efficient. If you revisit old road tests, you'll find them littered with criticisms of the brakes. The improvement is caused by a range of things -- pad material, fluid and disc design and construction are some of them. But one of the consequences appears to be greater wear of rotors. You seem to accept that tyres wear out, but you're not prepared to accept that discs will wear out, even though it's inevitable.

Without driving your car it's impossible to provide an answer, particularly when noise is such a subjective thing. It's rare to find objectionable wind noise in a car today so I would suspect that something is wrong with yours. Perhaps you could drive another Escape -- perhaps take a demo for a test drive -- and compare it to yours.