Ford Escape models can be equipped to help drivers eliminate the winter headache of maintaining a clear windshield. No more wiper blades covered in chunks of ice. No more wiper blades freezing to the glass. And the funny-looking parking lot ritual of pulling wipers off the windshield and pointing them to the sky will be a thing of the past.
Escape is the first Ford Motor Company SUV in the United States to offer a windshield wiper de-icer, part of a Cold Weather Package that is standard on Titanium models and an option on SE models. The 2017 Escape is due in showrooms this spring.
“The windshield wiper de-icer is a great solution to one of the more nagging problems of winter,” said Jennifer Gauthier, Ford fixed glass engineer. “Escape drivers in the U.S. are going to wonder how they ever got along without it.”
Much like traditional rear window defrost systems, the base of the windshield where the wiper blades rest is equipped with a local heating element. The system is designed to clear light snow and ice from the wiper blades in under 10 minutes at minus 18 degrees Fahrenheit.
Drivers of the new Escape equipped with SYNC® Connect can activate the windshield wiper de-icer system from their smartphone as part of the FordPass experience. SYNC Connect allows owners to start, lock, unlock and locate their vehicle from virtually anywhere using a smartphone. Drivers can even schedule a specific time to start remotely so the vehicle is ready to hit the road, de-iced and warmed up.
Other features of the Escape Cold Weather Package include:
- All-weather floor mats
- Heated side mirrors
- Heated seats
- Supplemental powertrain conditioning heater
Already a standard feature on Escape models sold in Canada, the windshield wiper de-icer will migrate to other vehicles in the Ford lineup in the United States.