How to close a ford escape hood?

Opening the hood on a Ford Escape is simple; You just need to pull the release lever inside passenger compartment, in the driver's side foot well. Then, go to the hood and release the latch. Closing it should be even simpler; just let the hood fall, and it should return to its original place. If this isn't working for You, then You've got some issues. The two main problems You'll face here are a misaligned hood, or a seized latch. In the first case, the Escape usually had some type of impact, which can cause some bending. Unfortunately, You'll need to replace the entire hood if You can't pound it back to original form. In the second case, You can likely apply some grease or penetrating oil to the latch to attempt to get it to move. Trying pulling the hood release once more in case it was accidentally engaged. If nothing works, You may need to replace the hood latch as well.