My dad was looking at a used Mariner hybrid and at first was very interested in it because I had told him that it used a toyota hybrid drivetrain. He knows and likes Toyota and has seen how reliable the Prius is, so he felt comfortable with that. But, after I did a little research I found that the drivetrain is not made by toyota, rather it just works very similar. So that being the case, how reliable are the engines, transaxle, etc? In the case of the Prius, those engines are essentially bullet-proof as long as you don't do something stupid like never change the oil or run it without coolant or something. In fact, Prius engines essentially never even leak, no matter on age. Can the same be said of the Ford? Any information or experience on this topic would be appreciated.
I don't know about the Ford Escape Hybrid, but every Ford I've owned appeared to be designed to leak. :madgrin:
Ford licensed the hybrid technology (the Gen I version, not the Gen II or Gen III version) from Toyota. So the technology is the same as that of the 2001 Prius. But Ford builds its own cars. A friend of mine used to say that FORD stands for Fix Or Repair Daily. I've been told they have improved. I probably wouldn't buy a Ford unless they built a pure EV and it was the only one available. But I have strong opinions and a long memory: I do not forgive them for the Pinto.
