Ford adds 1,000 Escapes to mobile service fleet

Ford Motor Co. on Tuesday said it is adding Escape crossovers to its roster of mobile service vehicles, in addition to Transit vans, so dealers can expand their reach and more quickly address recalls and other issues.

The automaker said that by year end, its retailers will launch 1,000 Escapes for light maintenance and repair work, software updates and some recall fixes. Each Escape will be upfitted with a jumper cable charger, inverter, and harness and tools provided by the dealer, Ford said.

Ford said the Escapes could be used to address nearly 70 percent of its current recalls.

Participation in its mobile service program is voluntary, Ford said. Dealerships that enroll can order an Escape or use either a 2022 or 2023 model they already have in stock.

"Adding the Escape to the mobile maintenance fleet now gives our smaller-volume dealers the ability to provide this convenient service to more customers," Todd Rabourn, North America regional customer experience director, said in a statement. "These Escape vehicles are hitting the road to provide everything from software updates to light repairs, plus offering the ability to accelerate how we resolve current recalls."

All vehicles in the program must have embedded Wi-Fi or means for Internet access, Ford said.

In recent months, the automaker has expanded its mobile service offerings. Ford said it hopes to offer 1,400 mobile service vans by the end of 2023.

Carm Scarpace, partner at Westfield Ford in Countryside, Ill., said his store has been deploying an Escape since April. It is typically used for six to 10 jobs per day, including air filter replacements, tire changes and simple recall repairs.

"The response is so strong," Scarpace told Automotive News. "It's been quite surprising to us how the consumers have welcomed this."

Scarpace also uses a Transit van for mobile service and plans to add a second Escape in the coming weeks. He said the program has helped the dealership boost its service revenue and attract new technicians who may not always want to be tied down to working in the store.

"It's definitely helped increase revenue because it adds capacity, it's like adding additional stalls," he said. "It's helped bring customers to us. There's a certain expectation from a generation of customers who don't feel like they have the time to come drop their car off with us. They expect to be able to have convenience."

Editor's note: Carm Scarpace, partner at Westfield Ford in Countryside, Ill., said his store uses its Escape for six to 10 mobile service jobs per day. An earlier version of this story used an incorrect figure.