The 2010 Ford Escape was a lot like the 2009 models and shared a lot of the same data as well when it came to towing capacity ratings, engine options and just about everything else.
The 2010 models were capable of pulling up to 3,500 pounds, like the 2009 models were, if you had the 3.0 liter engine equipped with the optional trailer package that was available. There were some models that only had a 1,000 pound rating though and then other models that had a 1,500 pound rating, so you really need to look at the data and compare that data to your specific vehicle to see how capable it actually is.
I recommend that you read through your owner's manual and that you adhere to all of Ford's recommendations and requirements.
2010 Escape Overview
Overall Capacity: The overall towing capacity for the 2010 Ford Escape ranged from 1,000-3,500 pounds and was mainly dependent upon two different variables which was the engine that you had equipped in your vehicle and whether you had a hybrid model or a standard model.
Capacity By Trim Levels: I wanted to break down the data by the trim level and when I went to research the data, I found out that certain trim levels had certain engine options available to them and that's how I got the data that you see listed below.
If we look at the data, we can see that both of the XLS models had a maximum trailer weight rating of 1,500 pounds and the XLT trim levels had a range between 1,500-3,500 pounds. The limited models had the 3.0 liter engine offered as standard equipment, so it had the larger 3,500 pound rating, but remember, this was only available if you had the optional trailer package that was needed.
- XLS (Manual Transmission): 1,500 lbs.
- XLS:1,500 lbs.
- XLT: 1,500-3,500 lbs.
- Limited: 3,500 lbs.
By Engine Options: I also wanted to break down the data according to the different engine options, which in this case was only two engine options, but I included a third engine option because of the hybrid models and the specifications were different from the standard models that used these same 2.3 liter engine.
You can definitely see that the larger six cylinder 3.0 liter engine had a major advantage over the 2.3 liter engines for these vehicles.
- 2.3L (Hybrid) (4 cylinder): 1,000 lbs.
- 2.3L (4 cylinder): 1,500 lbs.
- 3.0L (V6): 3,500 lbs.
The Tow Chart:
The tow chart for the 2010 models was pretty much the same compared to other model years that were made around this time, in regard to the layout of the chart and even most of the data that is listed in the chart.
The chart is still divided up into automatic transmission models which are shown at the top of the chart, while manual transmission models are shown at the bottom row in the table. The engine options are listed on the left, followed by the axle ratio which we did have three different variations, followed by the gross combined weight ratings for both the front-wheel drive models and the four-wheel drive models.
What You Need To Know About Your SUV To Get Your Maximum Trailer Rating:
You will need to gather a few tidbits of information about your vehicle in order to plug that data into the chart and get the correct trailer weight rating, but it should be pretty simple, as there were not many variations in the trailer weight ratings.
- Standard or Hybrid model - Standard models use a gasoline powered engine, whereas hybrid models use a combination of gasoline power, along with electric power.
- The engine you had equipped - You will also need to know the engine that you had equipped and in this case the two choices were either a 2.3 liter engine or a 3.0 liter engine, one being a four-cylinder engine and the other being a 6-cylinder engine.
- Front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive - You will also need to know why do you have a front-wheel drive or 4-wheel drive model and this will be apparent because four-wheel drive models will have a button or gear shifter that you will need to use to engage the vehicle in 4-wheel drive.
- Automatic or manual transmission - You will also need to specify whether your vehicle has an automatic transmission or a manual transmission and this should be pretty apparent to most people.
- Axle ratio - The axle ratio your vehicle is equipped with was also something you should know, but you did not really need to plug this information into the chart, as there were other variables that were more important.
All of the information that you need to gather about your vehicle can easily be done by using the VIN, so once you have that you can plug it into a decoder program online to see many specifics about your vehicle, including the necessary info to get your maximum trailer weight rating that we talked about above. I like to use this website because it is geared towards Ford vehicles and has a lot of the data we need.
2010 Escape Trailer Tow Packages...
I was also able to find information on the tow package, which is referred to as package 536 for these vehicles and if you look at the image below in the chart where the red outlined areas are, we can see that this package includes a 4 pin wiring harness to connect your trailer lights to your vehicle, a hitch receiver and an automatic transmission oil cooler.
Hitch Receiver Weight Limits: I was also able to find another chart that talks about the maximum hitch capacities, but this is referring to weight carrying hitches and weight distributing hitches, which these vehicles do not need to use, so the weight distributing metrics in this chart does not apply to these specific vehicles, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Trailer Brakes: Certain states require trailer brakes for trailers that weigh over a specified amount of weight and you will need to have other components installed on your vehicle if you plan on using trailer brakes, like a brake controller and a 7 pin connector for your trailer, instead of a four pin connector.
These vehicles were not equipped to accommodate electric trailer brakes which means they were not made to accept a brake controller or a 7 pin connector, so you will have to have these installed by a competent shop, or you can do it yourself, if you have the knowledge.
Now The Certification Label...
GCWR, GVWR & GAWRs: The gross combined weight ratings were provided in the charts that I have listed at the top of this article, between the axle ratios and the maximum trailer weight ratings and are specified for both 4-wheel drive and front-wheel drive models.
The gross vehicle weight rating and gross axle weight ratings were not found in the chart, however, they were listed somewhere else. You will have to look on the vehicle itself to get these two metrics, as they were not listed in any of the resources I used to gather the information for this article.
You can find these two specifications listed on the certification label which is located on the driver side door pillar and if you look towards the top of this label you will see these specifications for not only the gross vehicle weight rating but both of the gross axle weight ratings for the front and rear axles.
Axle Code: I also wanted to mention that the axle code for your vehicle is located at the bottom of this label and will be a 2-digit code that will have to be deciphered in order to get your axle ratio.
For these vehicles, knowing your axle ratio is not important to figure out your maximum trailer weight rating because other variations like automatic versus manual transmission and hybrid versus standard models, along with the engine that you have equipped are the main variables to figure out what your maximum trailer weight rating is and doesn't really rely on the axle ratio of your vehicle.
Helpful Resources I Used For My Research:
I was able to throw together this article using four main resources that I have listed below and each resource provided me with different types of data that I used for this article.
The owner's manuals had just about every kind of information I needed, but I liked how the data was organized better in the guide, so I used that data instead for a lot of the images and the visual data that I used.
The brochure broke down the different trim levels that were available and allowed me to see what options were available for each trim level, which made comparing each trim level a lot easier.
Last updated on May 5th, 2022 at 06:07 pm