slong

Our 2005 Escape has had about a 20% drop in mileage this past summer - so this is not the cold weather. Battery checked out fine when we took it in. I had seen a mention of a problem with the battery system that the dealer can miss, and there was an error code mentioned (something that doesn't always show up on the diagonostic test or something like that). Can anyone suggest some things to have the dealer check out? We have 85K on the car so its getting uncomfortably close to the end of the battery warranty. Any thoughts on what could be wrong? I assume gas has gone to maximum ethanol, does anyone know if Washington state has gone to 10% in the last year, or has it been at 10% for a while?

wptski

Your better off posting in the following Escape Hybrid forum: GreenHybrid

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Bill

'09 Ford Escape Limited, V6, 4WD

360ci

If the battery was going I'm sure you'd notice it in terms of when the engine kicks on and off, and more regularly even with the A/C, lights, fan and radio all off. You can get Shell 91 octane, it has NO ethanol. Their 89 has a small percentage. At least in Canada.

Other things to check:
Did you replace tires recently with a more aggressive tread? Check tire pressure manually.
Did you slowly gain weight over the last few years where it would be noticeable?
Have you been doing more idling, or driving the vehicle differently?
Have you been allowing other to drive the vehicle? They might speed...
Air filter getting dirty?
Brakes dragging?
Change in job or lifestyle where you travel higher speed roads or different altitude?
New spark plugs in the last 20K?

You can also try a different fuel supplier, even if its a touch out of your way it'd be worthwhile to try it out, or the next grade up, perhaps.

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'00 Durango R/T 360ci 290hp (modded); 138,500m
'06 Pontiac G6 GT 3.5L 220hp; 44,000m
'12 Chrysler 200 Limited 3.6L 283hp; 13,000m
'99 Taurus 3.0L 2V Vulcan 145hp; 154,300m - Traded
Amsoil in all vehicles!