I just bought a '07 Escape 4WD with only 16,000 miles on it. The front tires are noticeably more worn than the rear (has half the tread-depth), which was explained as “front wheels are the drive wheels unless AWD/4WD is needed, so it’s normal to see more wear on the front.” The dealer at first offered to rotate the tires, then backed off saying that the back tires need the better tread anyway. I did notice some vibration cruising at 65-70 on the freeway (kind of fast, less than a shimmy) so am wondering – should I insist that they rotate the tires to get better tread on the drive wheels? With this low mileage, does that sound like excessive wear on the front / alignment issue / anything else? I’m past the bumper-to-bumper warranty but still on the dealer’s 60-day limited warranty and I believe some kind of Ford/Continental tire warranty, so want to make my case soon if at all.
Car Talk guys have been champs for me in the past, so I appreciate any suggestions!
The tires on an all wheel drive vehicle really should all be about the same diameter-wise, so this could mean replacement of several or all of them.
As to any kind of tire warranty on a used vehicle I have no idea what Ford or the dealer’s policy is.
As to any alignment issue, that’s also hard to say without seeing the wear pattern. Lack of rotation or an alignment issue could very well be behind this.
If your front tires are that much worn out than your back tires, it probably indicates the car was driven hard, cornering hard, etc. I would definitely rotate the tires front to back and give the front tires a break. I do not understand the “back tires need the better tread anyway”, to me that sounds like a “we really don’t want to do any more work than we have to” lame excuse. Your vibration could be coming from the tires, with that much rubber worn off in such a short time, they are probably out of balance. If you rotate the tires and your vibration goes away, I’m for sure get your “worn” tires balanced.
First, you need to get the tires rotated. Keeping them as-is will only serve to add to the wear of the front tires, making the issues of low tread on the front worse. A rotation might solve the problem, or make it more palatable, for some period of time.
I am betting that perhaps this vehicle never got one or two tire rotations that should have been done, causing the unevenness of tire wear front to back.
If this is a new to you car, then getting an alignment and four tires now, also makes some sense. If you have true AWD, then this option is the better one, even if it costs money.
If you haven’t been regularly rotating the tires then I wouldn’t start now. I would start the next time you get tires - if you get 4 new tires. Go by the interval given in the owner’s manual.
If you live in an area that get any kind of ice or snow you do want the best tire tread in the rear.
You could move front to back just as a way of investigating the vibration.
Without being able to see the tires it would be hard to say whether or not the front wear is strange or excessive. Presumably those were the tires that came with the car when sold new. Very often the tires that come on new cars are not all that long wearing. It could be normal.
If there is a drastic difference in wear between the front tires and the rear tires, that most likely means that the tires have not been rotated every 5k miles, as they should have been. Unfortunately, this does not bode well for the longevity of the AWD mechanism, as it depends on tires that are very closely matched in diameter.
Tires that are excessively worn from lack of rotation and/or lack of proper alignment will not be covered by any tire tread wear warranty from Continental. Ford does not warranty the tires. Ford does warranty the rest of the car, but failure to rotate tires constitutes owner negligence, and no manufacturer covers you from damage resulting from negligence–even though the previous owner was the negligent one, rather than the current owner.
Personally, I would not buy an AWD vehicle that has tire as poorly matched as these sound like they are. Rotating tires is a good idea on most vehicles, but on AWD vehicles, it is essential!
Normally you’d want the best tires on the rear, because if you lose conttrol of one end of the vehicle due to traction, you don’t want the rear end sliding around to the front. Backwards is BAD!
But there is a certain amount of difference that could be tolerable. Put a different way, the traction properties could be considered close enough - and I think you are there.
So you should rotate the tires.
It is quite likely that the vehicle needs an alignment (the shimmy is telling you that) and the situation has been aggravated by lack of rotation.
And lastly - you are not experiencing anything that would trigger any kind of warranty. The Ford warranty no longer applies and the vibration is being caused by a misalignment and lack of rotation, so the tire manufacturer’s warranty doesn’t apply either.
With 16,000 miles and no rotation it’s not unusual to see that much wear difference with the original tires.
OEM tires are not known for exceptionally long life.
Sounds like these would have lasted 30,000 miles if cared for. Decent for OEM.
Maybe a rim balance weight fell off, causing the vibration.
I would rotate and balance the tires, drive and listen for any unusual sounds and feel for any handling difference.
If s
I just bought a '07 Escape 4WD
In looking up options for that make/model/year, I only see two options; FWD or AWD. Did they actually make a 4WD in that year?
which was explained as “front wheels are the drive wheels unless AWD/4WD is needed, so it’s normal to see more wear on the front.”
Errrt, IMHO bad answer. Unless you’re constantly laying burners, the drive tires do not wear faster than the steering wheels. Regardless of which wheels are driven, the front tires wear faster due to scrubbing in turns.
should I insist that they rotate the tires to get better tread on the drive wheels?
You’ll find people have strong opinions on this topic but the pros generally recommend that the rear tires have the better tread so that they retain traction and avoid the rear coming loose in emergency maneuvers/skidding.
With this low mileage, does that sound like excessive wear on the front / alignment issue / anything else?
I personally do not believe that normal wear could be responsible in 16k miles even if the tires were not rotated every 5k miles. Alignment issues, running incorrect pressures, worn/damaged suspension, spirited driving are all good reasons for the current condition.
I believe some kind of Ford/Continental tire warranty, so want to make my case soon if at all.
I could be wrong but I believe the tire warranty protects you in the event of some type of damage not associated with wear, especially if there is a defect or usage contributing to the excessive wear.
If you truly do have an AWD, then getting the tire diameters back within specifications is imperative for the longevity of the drivetrain. It sounds like it’s time to pony up for some new shoes…