Axel seal leaking oil in driveway/ garage. this went on for weeks until the leaking spot grew larger. went to garage, they said I had an axel seal leak. axel seal replaced. 2 weeks later, noticed leaking spots of oil in garage . oil was brown colored. Went back to garage.. leaking became worse. after much looing for the leak and where it was coming from my mechanic called the ford dealer, whom he has a good friendship with, the ford guy told him that Ford Escapes have had numerous complaints with axel leaks but Ford did not do a recall. By this time the mechanic saw that my leak has now turned into a large flow of oil leaking. Fords advice..replace the bushings, the half shaft arm and of course another new seal. Parts won't be in for 2 days, so I guess till then all oil will be drained from my car. Also told that this large amt' of leakage can cause a fire. This escape leaked while sitting cold in my garage and became worse when driving it to the garage 3 miles away. My advice..don't put off any leaks of any kind. My mechanic, great reputation, will not chg. me labor for the 2nd. fix needed to the axel seal. so far it cost $300 for the first fix and another $260 for the 2nd fix. Ford was notified and of course, same old routine, we don't always recall every problem, guess a car fire is not considered a problem till someone dies. My car is 9 years old, I retired 5 years ago and on limited income so buying another car is not an option. Thought I would keep this for a long time. Guess what they say..FORD stands for Fix and Repair Daily. Very disappointed. And of course warranty ran out at 75,000miles even with an extended warranty I bought.

Since buying our 2009 Ford Escape we have taken it in for a leaking axle seal 4 times (LF three times and RF once). The most recent time (April 2013) I was told it was actually the transmission dip stick tube that was leaking and not the axle seal. In May 2013 I was informed by a non-Ford service center that the LF axle seal was indeed still leaking. In 2010 I had been told by the dealership that I need the entire axle shaft replaced because of a recall. Originally I was told the piece would take 6-10 weeks to come in. When I called 8 weeks later to check on the part I was told the part had already been replaced on my vehicle, which it had not. I am getting very frustrated with Ford service and with my warranty running out I am getting very frustrated with Ford's service!