Used 2005 Ford Escape Consumer Reviews
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I Love my Escape!
missg3, 05/28/2014
updated 06/13/2023
2005 Ford Escape XLT Fwd 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
77 of 78 people found this review helpful
I owned my Escape for just over 15 years, until the day that someone ran a red light and t-boned me. I still miss my Escape. It had 132,000 miles on it, ran like a champ. I never had to do anything other than regular maintenance things to it...very sad ending to a wonderful vehicle. I still cry when I see one driving down the road.
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Ford Escape purchased brand new
kyleservice, 05/11/2012
2005 Ford Escape XLT Fwd 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
71 of 72 people found this review helpful
We picked up this Ford Escape new in 2005. So far in 2012, it has about 72,000 miles on it, with absolutely zero problems so far. (Well, I did have to replace the battery this spring.) This SUV still has the same tires, same brakes, same exhaust system. I've looked at the front and rear brakes, they look like they'll go many more miles before needing replacement. We might have to replace the tires this fall, this is Wisconsin, and we do have snow around here.
2005 Ford Escape for sale near you
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- XLT 4dr SUVMSRP: $4,995337 mi away
- Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $6,700356 mi away
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Rusty SUV, But Good
jfohl, 10/05/2014
2005 Ford Escape XLT AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
101 of 105 people found this review helpful
I bought this SUV last winter with 100k miles on it. Took it to my mechanic to get all the filters, fluids changed, who found rust holes in rear passenger inner wheelwell that compromised the strut and safety of vehicle. Fixed that, and took all the plastic cladding off exposing more rust than I've ever seen. Driven 20k miles and no real mechanical problems except the exhaust needs replaced. Very simple interior compared to new vehicles. AWD system is excellent. I get 20mpg. 3.0 engine may have been powerful 10 years ago, but its relatively slow compared to today's SUV standards. These are great deals if you are looking for an AWD vehicle.
First Escape, not the last
bnosay, 04/25/2014
2005 Ford Escape XLT AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
65 of 68 people found this review helpful
I've owned my 05 XLT AWD for 5 years now and only ever had problems with coil packs going bad. I think it's a great little SUV that has just enough room for my family plus the dog and any luggage we need. Seats stain somewhat easily but overall quality I give it a 9 out of 10. There are some design flaws like the rear seat headrests that cause terrible blind spots. but other than that, nothing major. Its small enough to whip into parking spaces and maneuver yet big enough that everyone is seated comfortably up front and room in the back. My favorite - gas mileage. no one believes me but I get 23-24 MPG on a regular basis. Roughly 320 Miles to a tank. can't complain 188,000+ strong
The best car I've ever owned
smashley745, 04/17/2013
2005 Ford Escape Hybrid Fwd 4dr SUV (2.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
27 of 28 people found this review helpful
I love this car. If you are looking for a more "roomy" car that gets great gas mileage this is it. I get about 30mpg on average driving mostly on the freeway. The seats are super easy to put down, my sister and I have gone camping and slept in the back of my car rather comfortably. If you have never owned a hybrid car it can be rather eerie because it is so quiet, I can't tell you how many times I've panicked at stop lights thinking my car had died when I first bought it. Down sides: When your heat is on and the car goes to battery it blows cool air, Not fun in the dead of winter. Does NOT have a outlet to plug in an mp3 player. But overall, I love this car.
keeps on ticking...
rebel16, 07/12/2014
2005 Ford Escape XLS AWD 4dr SUV (2.3L 4cyl 4A)
69 of 74 people found this review helpful
176,000 miles plus..still a daily commuter, just lost the A/C compressor, that is the only major thing since I bought it in april 2005...other wise has preformed flawlessly
Very Dependable!
Fred Reno, 01/30/2010
2005 Ford Escape XLS Fwd 4dr SUV (2.3L 4cyl 5M)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
165,600 miles with original brakes, shocks, clutch, and battery. This has been the most dependable car I have ever owned.....it drives as good as the day I bought it.
281K miles and still going!
John Garrett, 06/26/2017
2005 Ford Escape Hybrid AWD 4dr SUV (2.3L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
23 of 24 people found this review helpful
12 year old vehicles are going to have very different values based on how they have been driven and maintained and, of course, luck. I feel very lucky with my 05 Escape Hybrid. While it doesn't have the horsepower it once had, and the transmission is starting to slip, and there's some rust in the left rear wheel well, I'm amazed at how well this car has held up with regular oil changes and good tire maintenance. I was reviewing my repairs for this car and was surprised to find that, besides gas, oil and tires, I have spent less than $2500 in repairs since I bought it over 10 years ago. While the 25 MPG I have averaged over that time has been less than advertised (I suspect that the HV battery is not programmed correctly, but couldn't find a shop that could figure out how to improve it) it has outlasted and outperformed my expectations when I bought it with 40K miles and about two years old.
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Rust Issues
alexm80, 08/24/2014
2005 Ford Escape XLT AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
40 of 45 people found this review helpful
We bought a 2005 Ford Escape off of craigslist knowing full well that it came with rust issues. At the time we bought it, the rust looked to be only cosmetic. But about after about 10 months, the rear right wheel well began to rust through and then rust away. Some of inner portion of the wheel well was gone and you could see the material used to line the inside of the vehicle. As a result, the rear right shock was barely hanging on and every time you hit a bump just right, there was a very loud popping sound coming from the area. Quotes to fix it were between $700 and $1600.
It was a great SUV
Ford Guy, 03/23/2017
2005 Ford Escape XLT AWD 4dr SUV (3.0L 6cyl 4A)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
After 203000 relatively trouble free miles, it may be time for me to say good bye to my old friend, sniff, sniff. I bought her in October of 2004 with 13k miles. Other than the PCM going right I after I took ownership, the SUV has been relatively trouble free until now. It appears I need a new transmission. Not sure yet if I'll dish out the 2 grand to repair. But if you can get one of these rides with low miles I'd say go for it! It was money well spent.
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