2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

I WAS DRIVING MY KIDS TO SCHOOL WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHUTTER RAPIDLY. THE SHUTTERING MADE THE VEHICLE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. I SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY UNTIL THE NEXT TIME I WENT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. LATER THAT WEEK THE POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETELY OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT. I ALMOST HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE AS I WAS MANUEVERING THROUGH THE PARKING LOT. AFTER STOPPING AND RESTARTING THE VEHICLE THE POWER STEERING RETURNED. *TR

I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN AND WENT TO TAKE OFF AND THE GAS PEDAL WOULD NOT GO DOWN NO MATTER HOW HARD I PUSHED. THIS HAS HAPPENED PERIODICALLY OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS WHEN DRIVING, HOWEVER IT WOULD BE FOR ONLY JUST SECONDS. TODAY IT WENT ON FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES AND I LIFTED THE PEDAL UP AND MOVED THE MAT TO MAKE SURE IT WAS NOT STUCK UNDERNEATH. AFTER 5 TO 10 MINUTES OF SITTING AT THE STOP SIGN, IT STARTED TO WORK AGAIN. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE FOR ANOTHER QUARTER OF A MILE AND IT AGAIN LOCKED UP AND I COULDN'T PUSH IT DOWN AND THE CAR CAME TO A STANDSTILL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. FORTUNATELY NO CARS WERE COMING. AFTER ANOTHER 5 MINUTES IT STARTED TO WORK AGAIN AND THEN WORKED FINE AS I DROVE 20 MILES INTO WORK. UPON LEAVING WORK, THE PEDAL LOCKED UP BRIEFLY APPROXIMATELY A DOZEN TIMES AND THE WOULD UNLOCK. THIS TIME I WAS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND IT WAS MUCH MORE HAZARDOUS. TODAY WAS EXTREMELY SCARED BECAUSE THE CAR CAME TO A STANDSTILL WITH NO POWER. IF I HAD BEEN ON THE FREEWAY I WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN MAJOR INJURIES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE AND WAS WAITING AT AN INTERSECTION TO TURN LEFT WHEN THE GREEN LIGHT CAME ON. I PROCEEDED TO STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL SO I COULD GO BUT FOR SOME REASON THE GAS PEDAL WAS HARD AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE NO MATTER HOW HARD I PRESSED ON THE PEDAL. I KEPT ON PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL AND EVENTUALLY THE VEHICLE BOLTED AND WENT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE INSTERSECTION WHERE THE LEFT TURNING LIGHT SIGNAL WAS NOW GONE AND NOW FOUND MYSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF INCOMING TRAFFIC. TRAFFIC HAD TO STOP BOTH DIRECTIONS AND EVENTUALLY AFTER CONTINUOUSLY PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR MOVED AND EVENTUALLY I WAS ABLE TO LEAVE THE INTERSECTION. THE SAME SITUATION OCCURRED AGAIN A DAY LATER WHILE DRIVING AND I HAD TO CONTINUOUSLY PRESS ON THE GAS PEDAL TO KEEP MOVING WHILE IT WAS RAINING AND THEN THE DAY AFTER THAT. THIS IS BECOMING A HAZARD AND A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME. I CONTACTED FORD BUT WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE THE CAR IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SINCE I HAVE CONTACTED FORD BEFORE ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM I 2010 AND RECEIVED A LETTER 3 YEARS AGO TO TAKE THE CAR TO BE FIXED, I ASSUMED THAT FORD WOULD HAVE FIXED IT AGAIN SINCE THIS IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT ISSUE WITH THE GAS PEDAL. I WOULD LIKE THE NTSA TO INVESTIGATE THIS GAS PEDAL THAT IS STICKING AND HOPEFULLY FORCE FORD TO RECALL SUCH VEHICLES AS THEY ARE A DEATH TRAP ESPECIALLY FOR AN EXPECTANT MOTHER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS MOVED TO THE SHOULDER WHERE THE IT WAS SHUT DOWN AND RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE FUNCTIONED NORMALLY THEN THE FAILURE RECURRED SHORTLY AFTER. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 92,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE XLT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO DEPRESS. ONCE THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED, IT DID SO AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS FOUND THAT THE THROTTLE BODY FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. APPROXIMATELY 5 YEARS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 120. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 84,000.

WHILE BACKING UP AT A GAS STATION, I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT AND IT JERKED THE WHEEL BACK STRAIGHT. POWER STEERING QUIT WORKING, I DID MANAGE TO GET THE VEHICLE BACKED UP AND WENT INTO NEXT PARKING LOT. WASN'T SURE WHAT TO DO, SO I TURNED THE TRUCK OFF, THEN STARTED IT BACK UP AND MY POWER STEERING WAS BACK. NOW AFTER READING ALL THE COMPLAINTS IT HAS ME SCARED TO DRIVE MY TRUCK. THIS PROBLEM HASN'T HAPPEN SINCE 02-14-13 BUT I NEVER KNOW WHEN THE POWER STEERING WILL GO OUT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND IT'S SAD THAT FORD AND THE RECALL DEPARTMENT HASN'T TAKEN THE RIGHT ACTION ON THIS PROBLEM. HOW MANY DEATHS MUST HAPPEN BEFORE YOU TO DECIDE TO RECALL THIS PROBLEM. IT'S NOT A CHEAP FIX FOR THE OWNER OF THESE TRUCKS. AND FORD HAS BEEN NOTIFIED PLENTY OF TIMES ABOUT THE STEERING ISSUE AND HAVE DECIDED TO IGNORE THIS MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER GOING 40 MPH DOWN THE ROAD, I WENT TO GO TAKE A TURN AND MY POWER STEERING SUDDENLY JUST WENT, I ALMOST HIT A TELEPHONE POLE AND THE GUY BEHIND ME TURNING LUCKILY SWERVED AROUND ME. I HAD TO SHUT OFF THE CAR THEN TURN IT BACK ON FOR IT TO WORK AGAIN. I WAS TOLD THE EPS SYSTEM ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING) IS THE ISSUE. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY PROBLEM AND FROM WHAT I SEE THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE ESCAPES, BUT YET IT HASN'T BEEN RECALLED. IT NEEDS TO BE FIXED BEFORE PEOPLE GET SERIOUSLY INJURED! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE WRENCH WARNING ICON ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE LOST ACCELERATION POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY BOTH AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO BOTH ADVISED THAT THE TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFTER FAILED AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 73,000. UPDATED 03/01/13*LJ UPDATED 03/07/13

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE 5 FREEWAY. I HAD BEEN DRIVING FOR ABOUT 45 MINUETS. I CHANGED LANES TO THE RIGHT AND THE STEERING GOT EXTREMELY HARD TO MOVE. I PULLED OF THE FREEWAY AT THE NEXT OFF RAMP. THE ENTIRE TIME THE WHEEL WAS VERY HARD TO MANEUVER. I CAME TO A STOP TURNED OFF THE CAR, CHECKED ALL MY FLUIDS, AND GOOGLED THE ISSUE ON MY PHONE. ALL RESULTS LEAD TO ELECTRICAL POWER STEERING. I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AND ALL FUNCTION RETURNED. *TR

AFTER DRIVING 10 MILES WITH THE VEHICLE FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY AND THEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AT A RED LIGHT, UPON STARTING BACK UP THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SWITCH GEARS UNTIL THE ENGINE GOT UP TO 5000RPM. WHEN IT DID SWITCH IT SEEMED TO CHANGE INTO 3RD GEAR INSTEAD OF 2ND BECAUSE I HAD ALMOST NO POWER AND HAD TO VERY SLOWLY ACCELERATE FROM THERE. FURTHER, IT REMAINED IN 3RD GEAR AND WOULD NEVER SWITCH TO 4TH. THIS CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ON AN OPEN HIGHWAY AT NIGHT WHERE THE CARS BEHIND ME EXPECTED A CONTINUOUS ACCELERATION TO 50MPH. I CAME VERY CLOSE TO BEING REAR-ENDED. MY MECHANIC HAS DETERMINED THAT 2ND GEAR AND 4TH GEAR ARE GONE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY, VERY COMMON PROBLEM AMONGST 2008 FORD ESCAPES AND A $2500 REPAIR. THIS IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF A RECALL BEFORE THIS CAUSES A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OR FATALITY. *TR