Hi,
Thank you for reading and responding (totally appreciated). I bought my 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid 2.5L in June (2021) with about 110,00 miles. It had a check engine light on. The previous owner said they took it in, they were told it was due to the weather (I live in Michigan and they had been driving it back and forth between Michigan and Iowa). I had the codes read at my local auto parts store and it was a P0304, misfiring on cylinder 4. I took it into one of the local Ford dealerships and had the spark plugs replaced. They used a code reader immediately after replacing the spark plugs and another code popped up besides the P0304, this time also eluding to misfiring on cylinder 2. (I understand that saying misfiring on cylinders four, for example, doesn't mean cylinder number four, but the forth firing cylinder.) I was not comfortable asking for the dealership to investigate because they couldn't explain how another code was detected immediately after replacing the plugs. In addition to not being able to explain it, the manger was rude, condescending, and said if I wanted to know I would have to bring the car back in and pay $105.

It was recommended for me to take the car to another mechanic. He looked at it and said to have a compression test, which he was not able to do because its a hybrid. The irony was when I called this mechanic (licensed location) I explained I had a hybrid and wanted to make sure this was something they had experience and capabilities of working on hybrids (along with explaining the situation). He assured me yes, they had the experience and tools necessary. So, this lead me to wonder 1) does it need a compression test and 2) where do I take it (I did not have a good experience with the dealership I had taken it to and this mechanic was recommending another dealership for the compression test).

After the dealership I had not lifted the hood, however after the other location, I lifted the hood to see if it was something obvious (were the spark plugs replaced?). As soon as I lifted the hood, right next to the hood arm (that holds up the hood), was sitting an old spark plug. Yes, all the spark plugs had been replaced (from what I could see), but if either missed this, what else was missed? It really shook my trust.

So, here's the deal...About 10 days ago my car is now sputtering like crazy and the check engine light was blinking. I have not driven it since (both of those things started in the same day). To give context, other than the check engine light, the knowledge of the codes, and prior to taking my car into the dealership, my car was driving great. No issues, gas mileage around 30-32mpg, and started immediately with the electric component kicking on when it seemed like it should. When the sputtering and blink light started, I immediately returned home. My brother and I started doing some online digging...one of the things said about changing the ignition coils (you could tell by looking at them it had been awhile or never done). My Brother changed the coils, crossing my fingers, but very little change. I drove it around the block. When I attempted to drive up a small to medium sized hill near my home, the RPM shot up to over 4.

So, I could really use your help and I want to give a call to the next mechanic (if I cannot fix it), with some specific things I want checked (because my experiences have been on the poor side). To summarize:

• Check engine light is on, was blinking on its worst, rough day, but not blinking now.
• Had a code stating misfiring on cylinder four, but after replacing spark plugs, is now stating misfiring on cylinders four AND two.
• A mechanic had recommended a compression test.
• Spark plugs and ignition coils have been replaced.
• Car starts immediately, but sounds rough. Going over a small to medium hill, the RPM's shot to over 4.
• Gas mileage was great immediately before, getting 30-32 mpg. Haven't driven it in 10 days (except around the block), so I don't know what mileage looks like since).

Direction, guidance, recommendations are greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help.

 

There are certain things you cannot do on hybrids. Unless the shop is familiar with those precautions they shouldn't be playing around with them.
If the dealership you had the vehicle to did not perform to your satisfaction, just go to a different dealership. Some have help problems just like everybody else.
There is no one silver bullet to correct the problem until a series of tests are performed. Depending on what is found after the tests/checks are done will determine what course of action is necessary. You can expect this to cost some because good diagnostics don't come cheap and not many shops have access to the necessary info or the tools or experience to work on hybrids. Strongly suggest you stick with a good dealership for this reason.