FORD ESCAPE OWNERS COMPLAIN ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH FOOT-ACTIVATED LIFTGATE

"I used to love my car's automatic liftgate," said Tickle Louise Barth, the owner of a 2013 Ford Escape. "If my hands were full, I could just wave my foot underneath the bumper and it would automatically open. But not anymore."  

Tickle Louise Barth and her husband Bodie demonstrate the routine they
have to perform to activate their car's automatic liftgate

According to Barth and other Escape owners, once the underbody electronic sensor becomes worn, it takes a lot more than just a simple foot wave to activate the gate.  

"Waving one foot worked for awhile," said Escape owner Luvis Pucker. "Now it won't work unless I twirl both feet while jumping up and down at the same time," he complained. "For God's sake, I'm 68-years-old. Do you realize how difficult that is?"

But Barth and her husband Bodie have an even greater challenge. Their Escape's liftgate won't open unless they perform what resembles a gymnastic dance routine, which they demonstrated for us. "I'm so sick of it. It's embarrassing and my husband is tired of sore arms and oil stains on the back of his clothes."