2005–2008 Ford Escape Hybrid Owner's Manual (P/N R43561)

This 336-page PDF is Ford’s U.S.-English 2007 Escape Hybrid (EHV) Owner’s Guide, First Print, published in March 2006. It covers front-wheel-drive and optional intelligent 4WD configurations. The guide is suited to drivers and owners who need factory operating, roadside, safety, and owner-maintenance information for this specific model year. It is not a factory repair manual: module-level diagnostics, full wiring schematics, high-voltage isolation procedures, and internal engine or eCVT repair are outside its scope.

• Hybrid operation and instrumentation: Explains the handoff between the internal-combustion engine and electric motor, electric-only, combined, and engine-only drive states, the battery Assist/Charge gauge, Ready lamp, warning lights and chimes, and hybrid message-center alerts.
• eCVT, brakes, steering, and 4WD: Covers eCVT gear-position behavior, the brake-shift interlock override, regenerative braking and ABS operation, brake Pad Service Mode, electric power-assisted steering, and the optional intelligent 4WD system with status messages.
• Roadside procedures: Identifies the fuel-pump and high-voltage collision shutoff switches and their reset procedure, distinguishes low-voltage from high-voltage battery jump-starting, and covers fuse and relay panels, flat-tire service, and approved wrecker towing.
• Cabin controls and equipment: Details audio variants, manual climate control, the message center, speed control, reverse sensing, moonroof, exterior lighting, the auxiliary DC outlet, and the optional AC power point with operating and fault indicators.
• Factory navigation: Covers navigation-CD handling, destination entry by address, intersection, point of interest, previous destination, or map position, plus route preferences, detours, GPS signal limitations, map scaling, and voice guidance.
• Safety and restraints: Describes the Personal Safety System, dual-stage front airbags, passenger sensing, optional seat-mounted side airbags and Safety Canopy, BeltMinder, child restraints and LATCH, TPMS, and the applicable warning lamps.
• Owner maintenance and specifications: Includes engine-oil and filter information, engine-air and high-voltage battery cooling-filter replacement, engine and motor/electronics coolant systems, eCVT fluid checking, Motorcraft part numbers, capacities and fluid specifications, and normal and special-use maintenance schedules.

Hybrid Displays and Operating Behavior

For vehicles with the optional Vehicle Navigation Radio, the Energy Flow Screen labels the internal-combustion engine, generator, high-voltage battery, electric motor, and the power paths among them. Individual screens distinguish electric drive, engine-only propulsion, combined engine/motor operation, regenerative deceleration, and engine-driven battery charging. The adjacent Fuel Economy Screen tracks instantaneous and average economy along with a rolling one-minute graph. Vehicles without navigation place related economy and high-voltage battery information in the message center.

The guide also helps separate normal hybrid behavior from a warning condition. It explains rear battery-cooling fan and vent-door sounds, regenerative-brake pumping or venting, generator whine, self-reconditioning of the high-voltage battery, and engine speed that does not directly follow road speed. Message-center entries cover conditions such as Stop Safely Now, High Motor Temperature, Regen Disabled, reduced performance, and temporary 4WD protection modes.

Roadside, Maintenance, and Repair Boundaries

This Owner’s Guide goes beyond basic switch identification in a few important areas. It contains the brake Pad Service Mode used to release stored hydraulic pressure before brake-pad work and states that brake-system bleeding requires an authorized dealer. Separate roadside sections address the low-voltage battery and the cargo-area high-voltage battery instead of treating them as one jump-start system.

The high-voltage safety pages identify orange high-voltage wiring and show the cargo-area high-voltage connector shield, service disconnect, battery case, and collision shutoff location. They explicitly reserve high-voltage component service for a trained technician; the guide does not provide a high-voltage repair or isolation workflow.

Two model-specific damage warnings are especially useful for repair planning. The eCVT section specifies MERCON ATF and warns against blue MERCON CVT fluid; nonapproved fluid, additives, or serious overfill can damage internal transaxle components. For the 2.3L I4 engine, Ford calls for replacing the oil-filter cap O-ring and drain-plug O-ring when disturbed, since reuse can lead to leakage and severe engine damage.

Useful labeled reference views include the Energy Flow Screen, Fuel Economy Screen, high-voltage cargo-area component layout, engine-compartment component map, passenger-compartment fuse panel, and underhood power-distribution-box map. These support operation and owner-level service, but they should not be mistaken for the circuit diagrams, diagnostic trees, calibration routines, or step-by-step repair procedures found in a workshop manual.