All of the major manufacturers have similar policies, which means discontinuing parts about a decade after those parts were last used in a production vehicle. In some cases this drives new vehicle sales, since older vehicles could run for decades if parts were available.
I have had two Fords, and have not had a problem getting most parts... one of which was a suspension part that should not have ever needed replacement but failed so frequently that local dealerships kept it in stock!
When the alternator died in my eight-year-old Focus I was on a trip, so I was stuck at the first Ford dealer that I could reach while it was replaced, and I ended up wandering around the new cars in the lot. A sales guy asked if he could be of assistance, and I responded no, because I had no intention of buying another Ford (reflecting my feelings of the moment). When I told him what I was driving and why I was there, he said that it was an old car so I should get a new one anyway; I told him that we Toyota owners think of eight years as "broken in" and ready for another decade, not broken
down and needing replacement.
The attitude of the manufacturers, the dealers, and a substantial fraction of owners is that once a car is due for any service other than oil changes, it should be thrown away and replaced by a fresh one. If you trade cars at less than five years old, you are encouraging this philosophy, although I suppose you could just be saying that older isn't good enough for you, but it is for some poorer people out there. The subject F-150 is seven years old, and I'll bet that if a member of this forum asked whether their 2009 F-150 would be a suitable tow vehicle for an Escape, someone would express reservations that it is too old.
I believe US law requires the manufacturers to supply parts for a minimum of 7 years after any particular model year is manufactured.
That would be approximately reasonable, because parts (at least emissions-related parts) would need to be available as long as the warranty on the emissions systems runs.
