It's a good idea to check all the nuts and bolts on your Escape.I just walked by mine and put my hand on the spare tire.The mounting bracket was loose and ready to fall off.Also the bolts holding the water tank underneath were all loose.
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2007 Toyota Tundra
2011 Escape 15A
I just tightened the bolts on my spare tire mount for the first time ever. They were seized, and I had to loosen them with WD40, but not it is back to rock solid. Not sure how long it was like that either.
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2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
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