2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN LEFT ON AN INTERSECTING ROAD FROM A STOP SIGN, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. IT TOOK ALL OF MY STRENGTH TO GET OUT OF THE INTERSECTION AND OFF OF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING THE CAR A COUPLE OF TIMES, IT BEGAN WORKING AGAIN. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE STEERING COLUMN HAD TO BE REPLACED FOR $1,300.00 WHICH IS NOT COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT WAS PURCHASED WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR BRAND NEW. I COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET, I HAVE FOUND HUNDREDS OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS AND THIS CAN HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT ANY TIME. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN AND I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT FORD HAS NOT MADE A RECALL ON THIS! I CAN'T BARE TO THINK OF WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED WITH MY CHILD IN THE CAR AS I WAS TAKING HIM TO SCHOOL. *TR

I HAD BEEN HAVING AN ISSUE WITH MY VEHICLE STARTING AND THE STEERING WHEEL NOT UNLOCKING. HAD TO TURN IT EXTREMELY HARD OR PUT THE KEY IN AND OUT A FEW TIMES TURNING TO UNLOCK. UPON STARTING THE PRIOR 2 WEEKS IT WOULD HESITATE- LIKE IT HAD TO THINK ABOUT STARTING. I HAD IT CHECKED OUT BY MY MECHANIC AND HE SAID EVERYTHING LOOKED GOOD - NO ISSUES WITH STARTER, ALTERNATOR OR ANYTHING. ON 11/27 VEHICLE WOULDN'T START - ENDED UP WITH A NEW BATTERY. NOW TWO WEEKS AFTER BATTERY INSTALL I HAVE A VERY LOUD CLUNK IN MY STEERING WHEEL COLUMN AND MY STEERING WHEEL IS LOOSE. MAKES ME VERY NERVOUS. OF COURSE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY JUST WAS UP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING IN REVERSE AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED TO MANEUVER IN ANY DIRECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

PROBLEM WITH VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL MY 2008 ESCAPE (NOT HYBRID) 2.3L XLT BEGAN HAVING ISSUES WHERE I WOULD GET A STICKY GAS PEDAL. IT WOULD SOMETIMES TAKE SOME JIGGLING TO GET THE GAS PEDAL TO DEPRESS SO THAT I COULD ACCELERATE. I CLEANED OUT THE THROTTLE BODY AND THE ISSUE WAS RESOLVED FOR ABOUT A MONTH. WE RECENTLY HAD SOME COLD WEATHER IN THE 10 - 30 DEGREE RANGE IN WHICH MY GAS PEDAL STARTED ACTING UP AGAIN. IT GOT SO BAD TO WHERE I COULD NOT DEPRESS THE GAS PETAL INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN THE GAS PEDAL WOULD DEPRESS MY CAR WOULD JOLT FORWARD LIKE TOO MUCH GAS WAS APPLIED. THE ISSUE SEEMED TO DISSIPATE IF I LET THE CAR WARM UP FOR 30 MINUTES BEFORE DRIVING. I PURCHASED A NEW THROTTLE BODY FROM COURTESY FORD FOR $278.00 INSTALLATION WAS QUOTED AS $386.00. I OPTED TO HAVE MY BROTHER INSTALL IT FOR ME. IT HAS BEEN 10 DAYS SINCE INSTALLATION AND THE ISSUE SEEMS TO BE RESOLVED. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES SINCE REPLACING THE THROTTLE BODY BUT I STILL DO NOT TRUST THE CAR. I HESITATE TO TAKE MY FAMILY IN THE CAR AND AM THINKING ABOUT GETTING RID OF IT FOR SOMETHING ELSE. THIS ISSUE IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND SHOULD BE RECALLED BY FORD BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED. *TR

ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKS UPON ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS, BUT HAS WORSENED. LAST INCIDENT (12/14/13) PEDAL COMPLETELY STUCK TO FLOOR. CONTACTED DEALER AND WAS ADVISED OF A $70 DIAGNOSTIC FEE AND DEDUCTIBLE. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT FROM AUGUST 2011 TO AUGUST 2013 EXPERIENCED THREE INCIDENTS OF STEERING COLUMN LOCKING, COLUMN DID NOT RESPOND TO KEYS, KEYS WOULD NOT UNLOCK DOORS MANUALLY OR WITH CLICKER, AND IGNITION SWITCH WOULD NOT TURN WHEN KEY IS INSERTED. DEALER REPLACED STEERING COLUMN (2011), BUT PROBLEM RETURNED ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WITHIN TWO YEARS. ON LAST TWO VISITS TO DEALER REGARDING IGNITION PROBLEM - DEALER COULD NOT VERIFY PROBLEM EXISTED AND DEEMED THE BATTERY AS PROBLEM. DEALER REPLACED MY NEWLY INSTALLED BATTERY (LESS THAN A YEAR OLD) WITH THEIR BATTERY WITHOUT MY CONSENT AND REQUIRED ME TO PAY FOR UNAPPROVED BATTERY - WHICH I HAD THEM TO REMOVE, AND REINSTALL MY ORIGINAL BATTERY THAT WORKED FINE. CALLED ON FORD DEALER ON 12/16/13 REGARDING INCIDENT OF PEDAL STICKING, AND RECEIVED HEAD WRENCHING RESPONSE. WAS INFORMED THAT MY CAR WAS NOT ON THE LIST FOR RECALLS EVENTHOUGH FORD JUST PAID A HEFTY $17+ MILLION FINE FOR NOT RECALLING THESE FORDS FOR STICKING GAS PEDALS! *TR

THE ACCELERATOR WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL ON MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE. BEFORE THE ACCELERATOR WOULD HESITATE A LITTLE BIT AND THAN GO. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT FORD NEED TO FIX ASAP. *TR

HELP! I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2008 FORD ESCAPE AND HAVE A PRETTY GOOD RECORD OF MAINTENANCE. A WEEK AGO, I NOTICED MY STEERING WHEEL IS LOCKING. I HAVE TO RESTART SO MANY TIMES BEFORE I CAN MOVE IT. TWO DAYS AGO, I WAS EXITING FROM THE FREEWAY AND AS I TURNED, THE WHEEL LOCKED AND ALMOST CRASHED, STRAIGHT HEAD ON TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE. THAT WAS FRIGHTENING! I CHECKED ONLINE AND SURPRISED TO FIND THOUSAND OF COMPLAINS ABOUT THE SAME INCIDENT FOR 2008 MODEL AND UP. I BELIEVE THIS IS A MECHANICAL PROBLEM AND FORD SHOULD HAVE UPDATE THE WAY HOW THEY MAKE THE ELECTRICAL SENSOR/POWER STEERING WHEEL THAT IS CAUSING THIS AND SHOULD NOT BE STUCK TO PAY $2,000 JUST TO HAVE THIS PARTS FIXED. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS REALLY HURT AND CAUSE DEATH. *TR

STARTED CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO TURN WHEEL TO FIND ABSOLUTELY NO POWER STEERING, WAS ABLE TO GET CAR TO REPAIR SHOP. ONCE CAR WAS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED, POWER STEERING WORKED PERFECTLY, THEN ONCE DRIVING IT INTERMITTENTLY WOULD STOP WORKING CAUSING SEVERELY DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. NO WARNING LIGHTS ON VEHICLE REGARDING POWER STEERING CONTROL ISSUES WERE EVER DISPLAYED. DIAGNOSTIC TEST DONE AT FORD DEALERSHIP SHOWS ERROR WITH THE SENSOR IN STEERING COLUMN, WHICH REQUIRES A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF STEERING COLUMN. FORD ONLINE FORUM LIST HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS WITH THAT EXACT SAME ISSUE, SIMILAR MILEAGE ON VEHICLE. CAR IS SCHEDULED TO BE REPAIRED BY FORD DEALERSHIP, UNABLE TO DRIVE UNTIL REPAIRED DO TO SPORADIC LOSS OF POWER STEERING. *TR

I STARTED MY ESCAPE ON DAY AND NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED UP, I COULD NOT TURN IT, SO I TURNED THE TRUCK OFF AND STARTED IT BACK UP AND IT WAS WORKING. IT HAS DONE THIS SEVERAL TIMES, SOMETIMES IT TAKES QUITE A FEW TIME OF TURNING IT OFF AND ON TO RESET IT. I HAVE NOT HAD ISSUES WITH IT LOCKING UP WHILE DRIVING, BUT I AM WORRIED ABOUT IT, SO HAVE NOT BEEN DRIVING IT. WHILE IN THE PARK POSITION THE STEERING WHEEL DOES SHIMMY A LITTLE AND MAKES A NOISE. *TR

NO GAS PEDAL COULD NOT MOVE VEHICLE HAD TO HAVE TOWED ACCELERATOR CABLE HAS HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES JAN 26 2010 21843 MILES DEC 2 2011 33,651 SEEMS TO BE STICKING AGAIN AT 50,000 FORD SAYS NO ONE ELSE HAVING PROBLEMS TSB 9-21-9 TELLS DIFFERENT. *TR