2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE WITH THIS CAR. THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING GOES OUT SOMETIME WITHOUT WARNING MAKING THE CAR DIFFICULT TO STEER. IF THIS HAPPENED DURING A HIGH RATE OF SPEED DURING A TURN IT WOULD 100% CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

VEHICLE FAILS TO ACCELERATE PROPERLY AFTER A COMPLETE STOP. RPM'S ARE RAISED TO HIGH BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS INTO 2ND GEAR. *TR

VEHICLE STARTUP IS VERY SLOW AND AFTER 35 MPH CHANGEUP MAKES A VERY STRONG AND WHEN I STOP AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS COME BACK AGAIN THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

I WAS TURNING INTO A BANK PARKING LOT AND THE ENGINE JUST SHUT OFF. IT TOOK A MINUTE TO EVEN REALIZE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WHEN THE STEERING BECAME VERY STIFF I REALIZED THE ENGINE HAD TURNED OFF. I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO STOP THE CAR AND PUT IT IN PARK. IT STARTED BACK UP WHEN I TURNED THE KEY. THERE WAS NOT ANY WARNING OR ANY INDICATION THAT THE CAR WAS GOING TO JUST SHUT DOWN. HAD ANOTHER CAR BEEN BEHIND ME I WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT. *TR

I WAS TAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AND THE POWER STEERING/STEERING COLUMN FAILED AND I CRASHED INTO A CURB, *TR

AC STARTED BLOWING HOT AIR. CALLED DEALERSHIP. WHEN I TOOK IT THERE, STARTED BLOWING COLD AGAIN. HAS BLOWN HOT AIR FOR 30-40 MINUTES 2 MORE TIMES THEN BLOW COLD AND ACT FINE. MONDAY, DROPPED OFF AT DEALERSHIP, THEY KEPT OVERNIGHT, FIXED MOISTURE PACKS OR SOMETHING THEY CALLED THEM. PICKED UP CAR DAY BEFORE YESTERDAY. YESTERDAY, BLEW HOT AIR AGAIN. WENT BACK TO DEALERSHIP, IT WAS BLOWING COLD AGAIN. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO AND THEY ARE A FORD DEALERSHIP!!! *TR

I PURCHASED A USED 2008 FORD ESCAPE IN SUMMER OF 2010. MAY OF 2013 PAINT BEGAN TO CHIP AROUND THE REAR WHEEL WELLS EXPOSING RUST THAT HAD BEEN THERE FOR WHAT HAD TO HAVE BEEN A LOT LONGER THAN JUST THE PREVIOUS WINTER. I CONTACTED FORD DIRECTLY TO GET THIS RESPONSE (SHORTENED FOR SPACE): AFTER REVIEWING MY RESOURCES, THERE ARE NO WARRANTIES OR PROGRAMS IN EFFECT THAT WOULD PROVIDE COVERAGE OF YOUR CURRENT CONCERN. I HAVE ALSO VERIFIED THAT YOUR VEHICLE IS NOT INVOLVED IN ANY OPEN RECALL PROGRAMS. I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU FEEL THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE SAME YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL OF YOUR VEHICLE. HOWEVER, FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ADMINISTRATION (NHTSA) WORK TOGETHER TO PROACTIVELY IDENTIFY AREAS OF CONCERN THROUGH INVESTIGATION OF CONSUMER AND DEALER FEEDBACK. DURING AN INVESTIGATION FORD COOPERATES FULLY WITH NHTSA. DUE TO OUR RIGOROUS SAFETY STANDARDS AND CONSTANT TESTING, NOT ALL ISSUES RESULT IN RECALL OR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAMS. IF A PROGRAM IS ANNOUNCED ON A SPECIFIC COMPONENT, FORD WILL NOTIFY YOU BY MAIL. IT WAS FURTHER EXPLAINED TO ME VIA PHONE THAT SINCE MY VEHICLE WAS PRODUCED 6/2007 IT WAS OUT OF A 5 YEAR WARRANTY AND FURTHER SINCE I WAS THE SECOND OWNER OF THE VEHICLE THERE WAS NO WARRANTY. UPON DOING RESEARCH BEFORE CONTACTING FORD I FOUND THIS WAS AN ISSUE AS EARLY AS THE 2005 MODEL ESCAPE. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A COMPANY TO CONTINUE TO SELL A VEHICLE WITH AN ISSUE SUCH AS THIS. I AM FORTUNATE THAT FINANCIALLY I AM IN A POSITION WHERE GETTING A BETTER CAR WAS POSSIBLE AND HAS BEEN DONE, BUT WHO RESOLVES THIS FOR OTHER OWNERS WHOM COULD NOT SEE THE ISSUE UNTIL PAINT CHIPS, LIKE ME AND THEN ARE TOLD, FORD WHOM SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR IT WILL NOT BE? *TR

ADDENDUM: ORIGINAL NHTSA#10283836 (SEPT 2009) BOUGHT CERTIFIED USED 2008 FORD ESCAPE IN 2009. BEFORE THE FIRST PAYMENT, THE TRANSMISSION COOLING ASSEMBLY BLEW, DUMPING THE TRANSMISSION FLUID ONTO MY DRIVEWAY (PART #8L8Z-19712-J, TSB 09 09 04). MILEAGE: 21,775. COST OF $1000+ REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. FAST FORWARD, MAY 2013 (MILEAGE: 59,391). AS PREDICTED BACK IN 2009 BY MANY HERE ON THIS WEBSITE: COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. IT DIED IN 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC, AS I BLOCKED VEHICLES, NO FORWARD OR REVERSE GEARS. MY TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS FLUSHED: 2009, 2011, 2012, AND TOPPED OFF OTHERWISE; MEASURES I TOOK TO PROTECT AGAINST THIS EXACT FAILURE. YET IT COMPLETELY FAILED, <60,000 ODOMETER MILES. THIS $3000 REPAIR WAS COVERED UNDER THE EXTENDED POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. CURRENT WARRANTY: NOW 12 MONTHS/12,000 MILES. MINUS TOW TRUCK, 2 MISSED WORK DAYS, AND LOSS OF USE OF MY VEHICLE FOR 3 WEEKS. IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THIS DANGEROUSLY FLAWED DESIGN (SHARING AN AC/TRANSMISSION CONDENSER) WILL FAIL YET AGAIN, EVEN AS SOON AS 6 MONTHS. THERE IS NO MANUFACTURER RECALL. THE CONDENSER ASSEMBLY ALLOWS THE FLUID TO REMAIN CHRONICALLY LOW FOR LONG PERIODS. I TOPPED MY FLUIDS REGULARLY & PROACTIVELY FLUSHED 3 TIMES IN 4 YEARS, YET THE TRANSMISSION STILL BURNED UP AND FAILED. NOTE THE REPETITION OF THE WORD ?BURNT? IN THE TECHNICIAN NOTES, EVEN THOUGH THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVELS WERE LISTED AS OK. THE CONDENSER ASSEMBLY (W/ AC & TRANSMISSION SHARING A CONDENSER W/ A FLAWED WELD THAT BURSTS), AND THE CHRONIC PROBLEM W/ THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING THAT COMPLETELY FREEZES THE STEERING COLUMN IN PLACE ON FAILURE ARE HUGE SAFETY ISSUES. TRAGEDY IS PREDICTED. FOLLOWED W/ CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. MEMOS WILL REVEAL DISCUSSIONS ALL ALONG REGARDING THE EPIC FAIL OF THE 2008 FORD ESCAPE. OUR SAFETY AND MAJOR INCONVENIENCE ARE MINOR COLLATERAL DAMAGE. *TR

I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AT AROUND 5-10 MPH, HIT THE BRAKES AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STUCK. THE CAR TOOK OF AT AROUND 40-50MPH JUMPED A FENCE AND CRASHED INTO A RAVINE, HITTING A BIG TREE. I WAS PINNED IN THE AUTOMOBILE HIT MY HEAD AND INJURED MY LEG. I WAS TAKEN TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM WHERE I SUFFERED A SPINAL CORD INJURY AND A HUGE HEMATOMA ON MY LEFT LEG. *TR

MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE'S TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING WHILE IN OVERDRIVE. IT THEN WENT OUT AND REVVED UP TO 5,000 RPM'S AND WOULD NOT MOVE WHILE IN OVER DRIVE OR DRIVE ON THE INTERSTATE CAUSING ME TO ALMOST GET REAR ENDED. I HAD TO SHIFT TO SECOND GEAR AND LIMP IT HOME. *TR