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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
80,936 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Ford Escape drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2008 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 6 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #117

Dec 092014

Escape

  • 153,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Transmission slipping. No 2nd or 4th.

- Independence, MO, USA

problem #116

Oct 012014

Escape 6-cyl

  • 28,311 miles
The condenser is combined with power steering and transmission. This vehicle should not of had a leak as it only has 28311 miles on it. This is bad for ground water as fluid leaks goes on street and into storm drains. Cost to fix is about $700.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #115

Aug 282010

Escape

  • 95,200 miles
I own a 2008 Ford Escape, in August 28th, 2014 as I was coming off the highway and stopped at a light my vehicles wrench symbol came on and as I tried accelerating my vehicle went up to 45 RPM before changing gear into second. Since this day, I tried taking my car into repair services but I am very limited, as a full time student and a father at the moment I was not working and relying on my school income which was not a lot to repair my car. The car has gotten worse since then, instant of going up to 45 RPM in order to change into second gear it sometimes goes up to 60 RPM before changing, not only that but as I slowly break my car suddenly speeds up forward, like a boost which I need to firmly apply my breaks again. I've tried taking it to Ford, but so much for help or willing to work with me, it is disappointing when we purchase our favorite vehicles and get turned down by the company knowing we are in need of help. My car consumes gas, every other day I have to fill up it to keep it from completely running low, in a day it consumes half the tank, with the second day my gas is nearly done. I went from spending 120-30 biweekly on gas to 120 every two days, add it up especially as a full time student. I am a father of two in which I freak out when I have them in my car. I've came to realize I am not the only one that has this issue, I've seen a serious amount of complaints about 05 to 13 Ford Escape models. There is no recall for fixing the problem which leaves many of us helpless. Ford does not treat their customers well. Ford is the definition of poor customer service. The transmission is going out, if that is the case how the hell do I and others come up with $4200 to replace my transmission having two children. I am pinned against the wall and there isn't anything I can do, if this isn't a cry for help, then I don't know what to do, please help.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

problem #114

Jul 072014

Escape

  • 79,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into second and fourth gears. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

- West Seneca, NY, USA

problem #113

Nov 102014

Escape 4-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
My car doesn't take 2nd or 4th gear. It's a faulty transmission. There are numerous complaints all over the internet with Ford Escape owners once this car passes 100, 000 miles. Ford has not done a recall on this. I think it is unfair that consumers have to pay for a new transmission when Ford know there is an obvious defect.

- San Juan, PR, USA

problem #112

Oct 012014

Escape

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated when engaging the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the transmission. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Sharpsburg, MD, USA

problem #111

Nov 292014

Escape

  • 58,350 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I own a 2008 Ford Escape a couple of days ago coming off the thruway I started to apply my breaks to slow down, instead of slowing down my vehicle sped forward on its own, I had to firmly apply the breaks to make it stop just barely avoiding hitting the vehicle in front of me, right after that a yellow wrench came on the dash.then the vehicle would not go higher than 20 miles, the car was basically coasting.when I try to give it more power it would just stall.I had it towed to my local Ford dealership and had to pay $100 to see what's wrong, they tell me my 2nd and 4th gear is gone and I have to have my transmission replaced. A Ford rebuild transmission would cost me over $4200, a junk yard transmission $3800, called aamco they said $2200 I bought this vehicle in 2011 with a little over 34,000 miles, it currently has 58,300 miles on it, now in 3 yrs I have driven this vehicle less then 25,000 miles.meaning around 8,000 miles if that a year.so why in the world do I need a new transmissions? I learned there was a serious amount of complaints about these Ford Escapes 2005-2013 models all with this same issue, instead of Ford doing a recall and fixing the problem, they settle on a customer satisfaction program, but instead of them including all the vehicles with this issue, they only do it for the 2009-2013 models. I talked to someone from the Ford Motor Company and they said my car wasn't eligible for the customer satisfaction program cause its a 08, what difference does it make on the year its the same issue as all the other Escapes.now is that fair if there's other year models out there now experiencing the same issue.this is a known issue with these vehicles and Ford should be responsible in fixing the problem.now I have a vehicle that I cant drive and have to wait to get up the money to fix. I will never purchase a Ford vehicle again if this is how they treat their customers.

- Troy, NY, USA

problem #110

Jun 152012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
Vehicle would not shift and made a noise. This was the first time which involved first and reverse gears. That time the vehicle was covered under the warranty. This time my wife was driving when the car started to make a funny noise. She pulled into a parking lot and called me. When I got there and started the car the noise I heard was very bad coming from under the car. The car was towed to our Ford dealer and was checked. Now we are being told that the transmission and cooler needs replaced at a cost of almost $5000. The car now as 62000+ miles and not under warranty.

- Coatesville, PA, USA

problem #109

Nov 182014

Escape

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the power steering failed and no warning indicators illuminated. The failure had recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the torque system was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available. ## VIN failed ## 2008 Ford Escape ##

- Mentor, OH, USA

problem #108

Nov 012014

Escape

  • 97,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. When stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle vibrated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact also stated that the vehicle reversed independently and caused the contact to shift into park in order to stop the vehicle. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #107

Nov 142014

Escape

  • 86,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Pursuant to the 2014 recall on my vehicle, I took my 2008 Escape to be serviced. Upon information and belief, the torque sensor module was reprogrammed to prevent the loss of steering. Said service was performed on October 1, 2014. On November 14, 2014, the vehicle lost complete control of steering while driving with my young child, three hours from home. After having the vehicle towed to the dealership that performed the work under the recall, I was told we were responsible for the repairs, despite the mechanic admitting and agreeing with us that it was an issue that should have been fixed under the recall. The mechanic's hands were tied as Ford would not authorize the work to be performed on the company's expense. The estimated price of repairs is $1600. The mechanic also told us had we not brought the vehicle in as instructed by the well publicized recall and the steering failed, it would have been covered under the recall. The recall states, "alternatively, the dealer may need to replace the torque sensor or the steering column. This service will be performed free of charge (parts and labor)". Ford indicated by phone that this only applies to the first visit. Any subsequent visit for a recall issue is the owner's expense. Ford's misrepresentations in its recall notice and subsequent actions are unfair and deceptive trade practices, not to mention an extreme safety issue and danger to consumers who believe not that their vehicle is safe to drive after being serviced by the recall.

- Milton, MA, USA

problem #106

Nov 202013

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • miles
My wrench light came on, feels like I have no power. It will only go about 20 mph, RPM's go high and then all of a sudden it will kick in and start driving normal.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #105

Nov 102014

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • 104,461 miles
Difficulty shifting from gears. Throttling high before shifting. I have replaced transmission three times in this vehicle.

- Pottstown, PA, USA

problem #104

Nov 132014

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • 92,000 miles
Throttle body actuator system failure. Surging, unnecessary revving at low speeds. Inconsistent acceleration and gear change. Trouble code "P2112 throttle actuator system stuck".

- Seattle, WA, USA

problem #103

Oct 262014

Escape 4-cyl

  • 155,000 miles
I was traveling at the posted speed on North bound ih 35 just North of georgetown. I removed my foot from the accelerator to slow briefly to evade and pass a slower moving vehicle - instead of slowing, the engine revved. I stepped on the brake and the car slowed, but the engine continued to rev. I noticed a wrench warning light in the dash and called my daughter to help me with it. My son-in-law said it was a powertrain fault warning. I pulled off at the next exit, turned the car off and waited 10 minutes. I restarted the car and the light went off; so, I continued my trip home resuming and maintaining highway speed; but the rpms stayed @ 3000. At the ih-35 East-West split, I decelerated to make the turn toward dallas and the engine revved to 5000 rpms and stayed between 3K-4K for the rest of the trip. The gears change really hard and the engine revs really high until it drops into O/D; but rpms stay between 3-4K. I took it to an independent repair shop and was told it is a gear-ratio issue and I need a rebuilt or new transmission overhaul.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #102

May 012012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. While driving 45 mph, the engine revved and the wrench warning light illuminated. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000. The consumer stated the vehicle lost power steering while driving. She was able to pull over, and re-start the vehicle. The power steering failure occurred between may and November 2012. The consumer then received a recall letter in the mail, regarding an issue with the power steering. The dealer informed the consumer, she needed to get prior approval from Ford. Updated 12/15/14 updated 01/12/15

- Wadsworth, OH, USA

problem #101

Oct 192014

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • 65,287 miles
While driving with the transmission in overdrive the wrench light was activated and I noticed no change in speed but noticed a very large change in the tachometer from 2000 RPM to 4500 at that time the car just started slowing down until I took it out of O/D and just continued on my way. It seems like it is something in the transmission that is causing this problem.

- Plymouth, PA, USA

problem #100

Sep 292014

Escape

  • 110,000 miles
As I would take off the vehicle seemed to jerk really hard when switching gears and the wrench light came on.I had someone run a test and it said it was my transmission and after researching my friend found a recall on this and read several others are having the same issue.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #99

Oct 102014

Escape

  • 149,000 miles
Vehicle won't shift into 2nd gear until reaching 3500 - 4000 rpms. Can let off gas to ease change, else vehicle jerks into 2nd.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #98

Oct 092014

Escape 4-cyl

  • 115,987 miles
While normally accelerating from stop, vehicle reached 4000 RPM then shifted very hard, driver and all passengers experienced a jolt. The vehicle was taken to a shop for diagnosis. The diagnosis revealed codes P0732 & P0734 - cd4E transmission. The shop manager explained that the vehicle has transmission issues in both gears 2 & 4 and that the transmission needs to be replaced/re-built. An "identifix - direct hit" document was provided showing 60 confirmed fixes regarding transmission replace/rebuilds on 2008 Ford Escapes under the same issue. Upon review of the NHTSA website, I am seeing multiple investigations and complaints regarding the same/identical issue. Please consider issuing a recall on these vehicles for this concern as I am currently facing a repair bill over $3000 on a vehicle that I purchased less than 8 months ago.

- Brownstown, MI, USA

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