sranger

I have a 2007 SEL AWD with about 55K miles, and I have a vibration in the steering wheel that occurs (or is most apparent) from about 65+ mph. I have had the tires balanced, rotated, etc., and I have just replaced them a few weeks ago for general wear. Even after the new tires and an alignment, I still get the vibration. One thing I have noticed of late is that it occurs most noticeably on my way home from work when the temperature is around 85-90+ (I live in Texas). In the mornings, when the temperature is around 75ish, I don't feel the vibration at all, or it's very subtle. I am at a loss as to what might be causing it. I have had to take my Edge in several times for transmission problems (bad calibration, faulty sensors), and I am concerned that maybe some of the issues with the tranny have caused permanent damage. I still have my extended warranty, and I sure don't mind bugging the hell out of them to fix my car, but I am pretty handy, so if it's something fairly cheap/easy, I don't mind fixing it myself. Thanks in advance for your help.

Yep.... 2007 AWD SEL ..... Warped rotors......

The one on the Edge are definately plastic over Aluminum....

I was taking the Edge to get it's first oil change and when I started out of our street, it shifted so hard that, at first, I thought I ran over somthing. It was early in the mourning and I was half a sleep when it did this. It certianly woke me up. I was just doing a normal acceleration and was probably only going about 35mph when it did this. Mine is an AWD, so I guess it could have been somthing in the transfer case as well...

The dealer looked it over good and said there were no codes or physical signs of anything wrong. It drove normal the rest of the day, and today.

I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experiance?

I'm looking to buy an Edge Limited...we like it very much, and are comparing to the Mazda CX-7. Edmunds reports that the brakes on the Edge takes 153 ft. to stop from 60mph...while the CX-7 takes 113 ft. This is a BIG difference in a panic situation. So, I'm looking for feedback from other owners on this issue....

There are a couple of threads on the board that discuss this issue in detail. I think you will find the info you are looking for there...

Well for me AWD is prefered because I tow a boat with it. I have got my old FWD Mariner stuck a few times trying to get the boat out on slick/muddy boat ramps. You only have to get stuck a few times to prefer AWD. Since a trailer puts more weight on the rear tires and tends to lift the front, I think AWD is a safer when towing especially when roads are wet.

Also, the 0-60mph might be a little slower with AWD, but it is the same WET OR DRY....

AWD also virtualy eliminates torque steer which I hate in most FWD cars.

I am very happy to give up a MPG or two to have the AWD in the few times I need it.

That looks GREAT!!!

It would have matched my Mustang perfectly....It is silver with red leather ( My favorite)...

The 20" wheels will ride a little stiffer, but I bet that they stiffened the suspension a little on the front as well. Less nose dive = better braking...

Nice ride..... I am a little jealous....

The brakes work fine. Built for a smooth quit ride... not performance or towing much weight. Should have electric brakes on both sides of that trailer to be safe in any vehicle with 2k+ lbs being towed. My advise... buy a truck. GL!

 

stopping distance chart

 

Highway code data & info

 

 

007 has apparently never experienced ATL and 285. 100 mph is nothing!

First of all, I did buy a 2007 AWD SEL+ Edge recently. I got a really good deal on a Demo with 800 miles on it + a Ford 75,000 mile extended warrantee.

Second, I would really love to have an F150 again, but my company auto rembursment plan does not allow pickup trucks ( yea, I think it is stupid too ). I do not want to give up about $600/Month...

I will upgrade the brakes. They are ok in almost all situations, but certianly can be improved on with little cost. I do not know why, but the AWD seems to have differnet pads and or rotors and seems to stop a little better? I will probably swap the pads and install SS brake lines, and replace the factory shocks, but first I want to do a base line test and I have not had the chance to do so. I have little doubt that I can get the Edge hauled down from 60mph is 125ft or less without having to replace the entire braking system.

No, but I never do when I do these kinds of things. I think the vast majority of people who claim to perceive an increase in power are responding to the higher exhaust-noise level.

An honest man....

I like the way you worked through the droning problem. It looks like first class work...

anyone else? when I open the drivers window a bit, 2-3 inches, the sliding shade for the sun roof flops, very annoying for a 40,000 car? any one else ?? cannot think of a fix for this? thanks, in advance! tommy O.

I assume that you mean that the wind is making the shade flutter. All I can think of is to open the shade or install a plastic wind defelector on the edge of the window.

I got AWD because I got my boat stuck several times on boat ramps with 2wd vehicles. I once got stuck on a good concrete ramp simply because someone had spilt a little 2 cycle oil on the ramp right at the water line. I had to pile a lot of sand on the ramp to get out....

I also like the fact that AWD virtually eliminates torque steer.

You mean you don't remember saying this?

Nobody said you were a Ford basher. I just think you're exaggerating the brake deficiencies.

 

Let's say the Michelins get it down to 138 feet. Is that acceptable? What is the magic number? How much improvement is enough?

I made that statment after the first published review of a pre-production Edge that took and average of 158ft to stop with the longest test at 162ft. So yes, when I posted that comment I felt like 160ft in a 2007 vehicle could be considered unsafe in the conditions where I currently drive. I think most reasonable people would agree.

After my own testing and other reviews it is obvious that it takes about 145ft or so to stop from 60mph in a production Edge. I still think that is way too long for a modern vehicle, but I would not conside that unsafe. It will however, increase your odd to some extent of being in an accident as I stated earlier. Many vehicle in the class are in the 125-130ft range. This is where the Edge should be with normal street tires and braking system in my opinion.

You can try to twist my word all you want, but it still will not change the fact that the braking ability of the Edge is below average. I also see nothing wrong with some of us who wish to make improvements discussing options.

I am not going to argue with you any more on this as it is pointless, but I will continue post any information I can find that can be shown to make improvements to the braking system. There are obviously people on the board who would like to discuss the issue...

My wife has taken an interest in the Edge.

 

We have 2 dogs, and will probably have kids while we have this car (I have another SUV w/ 7 passanger seating). We will be going w/ one of the tannish cloths because of the tan dogs (my last car had leather and got some dog nail marks on the back seat, wife has grey cloth in her car and we cannot get rid of 100% of the dog hair that is visable, I have tan cloth in my SUV and it looks deceptivly clean.)

 

What options do you love about your car. What do you wish you hadn't bothered to pay for?

Well,

I would not want one without:

1) Vista Roof - Best feature in my opinion...

2) AWD - I got my old Mariner and F150 stuck several times on questionable boat ramps on some remote lakes I like to fish. It also virtualy eliminated torque steer.

3) Audiophile stereo - I prefer the upgraded stereo with the subwoofer...

Some of us are tired of people making a mountain out of a molehill, that's all. Yes, the brakes could be better but they're hardly unsafe despite what sranger and others believe. There are other vehicles that take longer to stop but they don't get the same scrutiny. Same with the weight - reviewers and posters chastise the Edge for being heavy while ignoring other similar vehicles that weigh much more (Touraeg and X5 e.g.). It's such a double standard.

 

As for upgrading rotors for better stopping - don't bother unless you're making them bigger with new calipers. Just do the pads and stainless steel brake lines and possibly new tires depending on what the 08s come with. It's not rocket science.

 

If 10 feet is so damned important, why not spend the extra money for an X5. It stops in 125 feet. If 135 is so much safer than 146 then 125 should be twice as safe.

 

Sorry, but we've been over this 27 times and the answer is the same.

First of all I never said it was unsafe. You made that statment up. I simply said it was below average and that statment is 100% true. I suspect that better shocks, pads and SS lines will have the Edge stoping in about 125ft without much fade....

That is my opinion, and I will see if it is valid or not...

P.S. I fail to see how I am a Ford basher or hater. I currently own an 2007 Edge and 2005 Mustang GT. I previously owned a 2005 Mercury Mariner, 2000 Ford F150 and a 1997 Ford Ranger. I would say that clearly states what I prefer to drive....

Guys, at the end of the day, better braking is almost always a desirable feature in a car. I drive in some of the worst high speed traffic in the country and there are many times where you simply cannot help having to slam on the brakes due to some other idiot. My most recent experiance involved a ladder falling off a truck in front of me...

The plain and simple truth is that the braking ability of the Edge is below average for what even reason. There have been many published tests on both pre and post production Edges to back this up. Edmunds tested a pre-production vehicle and took 150+ feet. They then added a production vehicle to their long term test fleet and it took 146ft to stop. So, I think it is fair to rule out the "pre-production defence".

I drove a loaner MKX for a day a while back that had BF Goodrich KDW Tires on it. It did not seem to stop any better than the Edge I have now with the Cooper tires. I honestly do not think the tires are the sole reason why the Edge has rather long stopping distances.

There is no reason that a vehicle like the Edge with 4 wheel disc should not be able to stop is 125-130ft.

While an extra 10-20' might not seem like much, it does increase your odd of having an accident. It very well may be an acceptable amount additional risk, but it also does not hurt to look at your options. I am willing to bet that most people would pay $100 or so for better pads if it shorted the stoping distance by 10-15 feet ( especially when it is time to change them.... )

Well,

I just bought my Edge and I can tell the brakes are not quite where I would like for them to be. I will be investigating an upgrade for them. I have upgraded the brakes on several vehicles.

One thing that people often overlook when upgrading brakes is the shocks. A variable rate shock that cuts down on nose dive can have significant effect on braking. The less the nose dives the more force can be applied to the rear brakes to help stop the vehicle. It will also typically improve handling.

I am not quite sure what the issue is. The Rotors are certianly big enough to stop well. It may all boil down to over agressive ABS tuning....

Picked up a new Edge Yesterday. It is a black gelcoat AWD SEL + with Tan Leather. It is fairly loaded with NAV, Vista Roof and the towing package. My path to the Edge is fairly unusual.

I narrowed my list to the Edge, Mazda CX-9, and the BMW X3. The X3 was nice, but not worth the money.

I chose the CX-9 over the Edge because it handles a little better and has better braking and a little more room.

Back on memorial Day, I purchased a 2007 Mazda Grand Touring AWD loade with most options. Unfortunately, after a few days of driving I began to notice that my rear end and hips were getting quite sore. It turned out the the Mazda seats were the most uncomfortable that I had ever experianced. I am 6'-4" and about 230lb. I guess I was simply too big for the CX-9 seats. I tried to get some help from Mazda and or the dealer. All I got was a polite but official screw you...

I found an upholstry shop that could re-shape the foam in the seats and rebuild the leather seat covers to be comfortable and attractive. However, this was not going to be cheap. I was going to have to spend a few thousand to corrct the problem. I saw a Edge listed on the web from a local dealer. It was a demo with 800 miles on it. It has a few dings and scratches that the dealer is going to fix. They made me a really good deal on the trade. The trade cost me about the same as what it would have cost to repare the interior in the CX-9. They even gave me a 4 year 75,000 Ford Extended warrante for a bargan basment price...

So, I decide to take the dealer up on his offer. I have been very happy over the last two days. I love the vista roof and the sound system is great. The nav system is better than the one in the CX-9. The trip computer is nice ( not avaliable in the CX-9 ). I like the lights ON feature when the wipres are on. However, most of all the seats are very comfortable. I drive 4-6hr per day and the Mazda was nearly intolerable. I had to use a cushin to tolerate driving it.

My previous two vehicles ( other than the CX-9 ) were a 2000 Ford F150 and a 2005 Mercury Mariner. So, I guess I am a Ford guy for good now...

I'm sure they were talking about total crossover sales between April 06 and April 07.

That makes more sense. The only Crossover Ford had last year was the freestyle. It did not do very well...

Rest of the article.

I am not sure where they got their numbers from, the sales of the Edge were down about 16% month over month from March to April...

March = 10915, April = 9134....

I'm not defending the braking distance, however if you drove a brand new Edge off the lot for your brake test, that car did not have a chance for the brakes to "bed in" or "break in", so the distance would be longer. After a few hundred miles, the braking distance would be shorter.

I like performance based cars and have owned several including my current 500+hp supercharged 2005 Mustang GT. I have also upgraded the brakes on many of these vehicles. I know quite a lot about how these systems work and perform. The vehicle I did the test in only had about 82 miles on it when we did the test so I agree that after a little more wear in time things might get better. However, given the vehicles behaviour during my simple ( and certianly unscientific test ), I doubt it is going to improve much. The front end dives sharply during hard braking. I suspect ( I said suspect ) that undesirable rear to front weight transfer and agressive ABS tuning is the reason why everyone is seeing the unusually long braking distances. Proper pad wear in won't do much to fix this type of problem. Usually you have to alter the front ( and somtimes rear) suspension to solve this particular braking gremlin. I also do not think that Ford's choice of tire is helping things either...

I recently had a 400hp 2000 model F150 Extended cab truck. It weighed in about 200 or so pounds more than the Edge and could stop from 60 in probably 20ft less with it's stock brakes than the lighter Edge. I bring this up due to my primary concern. I tow a boat with my truck/suv vechicles. I can only guess at how bad this thing would stop with a 2800lb boat pushing it? I suspect that brake wear while towing will be excessive with this vehicle and the rotors will be prone to warping or dishing...

Now if a SEL or SEL Plus was about 5K less expensive I could excuse the deficiency and justify buying one and simply upgrading the brakes/suspension for safety. However, since several excellent alternatives exist with similar smooth quite ride for more or less the same price, you begin to see why I find this a deal breaker. According to many published tests, the class leaders can stop in 20-30ft less...

I drive about 25-30k miles a year in and around Atlanta primarly on the I285/I75/I85/I120 freeways. Unfortunately for me, there are times that no amount of safe driving can prevent me from having to do a full panic stop. Most recently a ladder fell of a truck in front of me. surrounding traffic made it impossibe to manouver around it, so testing the ABS was my only alternative. I stopped before I hit it. ( the guy behind me almost hit me ) A fellow in a RED Silverado was not so lucky. In a typical year, I probably have to test the ABS four or five times. It is simply a matter of number of miles driven and some of the worst high speed traffic in the world.

Now if I rarely drove in such traffic and did not tow with my SUV, I would probably not be so concerned about the brakes. Thankfully, most people will never have to test the brakes in such situations and will most likely never have a problem with the Edge's brakes. However, I know beyond any doubt I will have to test the braking limits of any vehicle that I drive daily.

Like I have said in the past, I basically like the Edge and would probably buy one if it were not for the brakes. Given it's 5 star crash rating, It is certianly a safe vehicle in a crash which is obviously importaint to me. I simply want a little better odds of avoiding the crash to start with....

Now if some of you want to fault me instead of Ford, that is certianly your right to do so.

And now, I'll get off my soap box and bow out of this thread...

Have you driven one and done braking in Atlanta traffic at all yet?

Yes, I have test driven three different FWD models. I discussed the issue at length with the last salesman at the last dealer I visited. He let me do a 45mph panic stop and is was down right scary how long it took to stop from only 45mph. It measured about 120ft from ONLY 45mph! Obviously, the extra weight of the AWD will only make the braking worse.

Based on my personal experiance and published test results from several reliable sources, I could not justify buying a $3X,000 with such an obvious design flaw. I realise that many people will not consider this a deal breaker because they feel like the brakes are good enough for normal driving. However, since it only has to become a issue ONCE to cause me major problems, I will pass on the Edge. I see no good reason to significantly increase my chances of being involved in an accident because of unusually long braking distances on any 2007+ model vehicle...

Ford can spin it anyway they like, but having to put a rebate on a new vehicle less than two full months after a release is not a good sign... However, it indicates that a 1-2K rebate is likely by mid summer and even more likely by the end of the year...

I can't recall exactly, but wasn't someone on here saying they could find a dealer in Atlanta that wanted to stock an AWD Edge? I'm curious if that person is still around here. Thanks.

It might have been me. I was looking for an AWD SEL Plus. However, I have ruled out the edge due to it's braking problems. Until Ford gets it to stop in under 130ft, I will not spend $3X,000 on one of these...

From an article in October:

 

Along with the strong Internet interest and dealer orders, Ford said the Automotive Lease Guide, which sets the residual values of vehicles, has ranked the Edge the highest in its segment. That means it should retain more of its value longer, something consumers consider important.

 

Ford says an Edge SEL with all-wheel drive will offer a best-in-class residual value of 51 percent after three years, quoting ALG numbers.

 

"We're also seeing strong forecasts of 48 to 49 percent on Ford Edge (front-wheel drive) models," said Cisaurk, who attributes the vehicle's high residual marks to Ford's pricing strategy of offering more standard features.

 

That compares to residual values after three years of 48 percent for the all-wheel drive Nissan Murano SL, 43 percent for the all-wheel drive Pontiac Torrent AWD and 47 percent for four-wheel drive Toyota Highlander LTD.

Well, I think you are listening to somthing that is more marketing hype than reality. I think the Edge will do well in the first 1/2 of the year and taper off quickly as the new 2008 Hylander, GM Acadia, Saturn Outlook and even the Mazda CX-9 are introduced into the market. It sold well in Janurary with 5000 units sold. The key sale figures will be March - May...

To be honest, I hope I am wrong...

Lets see, Mustang has, at the most, received a $1000 rebate and the Edge has none. It wont be offered with a rebate for like half a year at the very earliest since it's a new model and as long as sales and hype remain high.

 

By all means try to negotiate a better price but dont get mad over somebody trying to make a buck (@ MSRP). If the dealers dont make money, they cant pay the bills, they cant buy cars from Ford, they cant service cars cause nobody is buying them. If Ford cant sell cars, Ford goes out of business and then we all lose.

 

How much is it worth to you to save a few hundred dollars or even a thousand over the course of a few years worth of financing when you dont help a company remain in business? Im happy to support a company that produces products I believe in and enjoy. I'd rather not have to buy a Toyota motor vehicle.

 

-Dan

Spoken like a true car salesman....

P.S. I got an offer from a local Ford dealer to sell me a Edge SE at Invoice..... So, it can happen. Remember at Invoice the Ford dealer still makes at least 3% due to dealer hold back....

Hello,

I got a Garmin 350 Nuvi GPS and it is far superior to the Nav system on any production vehicle. Heck this little thing will even play MP3 and do language translations for you. It is about the size of a deck of playing cards.

I can move it between all of the cars my wife an I own or carry it with my on trips that require me to fly and rent a car. It will even find resturants based on typ of food or by name and give you reviews of the resturants in the area. It only cost $350.00

Somthing to think about. Especially if you air travel and rent cars a lot.....