2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE AND THE TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION WHERE THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

POWER STEERING WOULD GO OUT WITHOUT NOTICE. AT FIRST IT WOULD RESUME AFTER TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE AND RESTARTING, HOWEVER IT THEN BEGAN JERKING THE STEERING WHEEL DURING OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. WE LIVE IN AN AREA WITH EXTREME WINTER ROAD CONDITIONS SO THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. FINALLY WE HAD IT REPAIRED AT AN AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER AT A COST OF $1500.00. THIS DEALER SEEMED TO THINK THAT THE FAILURE IS COMMON. AFTERWARDS, LOOKING ONLINE, WE FIND THAT MANY HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS OCCURRENCE. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD HAVE RESULTED IN A RECALL OF THIS PRODUCT. THIS MODEL HAS ELECTRIC POWER STEERING WHICH CLEARLY WASN'T PERFECTED BEFORE BEING PUT INTO PRODUCTION. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE GOING ABOUT 40 MILES AN HOUR, THE STEERING COLUMN COMPLETELY LOCK UP MAKING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. I WAS ABLE TO NAVIGATE THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE BROUGHT IT IN TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT AND WERE TOLD IT IS AN ELECTRONIC CENSOR THAT IS IMBALANCED VS. HAVING POWER STEERING FLUID IT RUNS ELECTRONICALLY. THE WAY IT IS BUILT, YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE DRIVE SHAFT VS. JUST THE CENSOR. HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE WITH THIS MAKE, YEAR AND MODEL. IT IS A DEFINITELY SAFETY CONCERN. WE CALLED BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND NEITHER IS WILLING TO TAKE OWNERSHIP OR ASSIST. *TR

WHILE ENTERING INTO TRAFFIC ONTO A BUSY STREET THE STEERING FAILED. WAS ABLE (WITH GREAT EFFORT) TO STRAIGHTEN THE VEHICLE IN THE LANE AND THEN SAFELY PULL TO SIDE(FORTUNATELY, MY WIFE WAS NOT DRIVING AS SHE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE STRENGTH TO CARRY THIS OUT AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CRASHED). TURNED IGNITION OFF AND LOOKED UNDER HOOD TO SEE IF BELT HAD BROKEN, ETC. COULD NOT FIND TRADITIONAL POWER STEERING PUMP. TURNED IGNITION ON AND STEERING WORKED! AND HAS WORKED SINCE. DISCOVERED THIS VEHICLE HAS AN ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP. AND THEY ARE FREQUENTLY FAILING. CALLED DEALER-ROUGHLY 3 WEEK BACKLOG FOR PART-WHICH IS THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN-PUMP NOT ABLE TO BE REPLACE SEPARATELY. HOW COULD A CAR DESIGNER OR THE GOVERNMENT ALLOW THIS TYPE OF STEERING PUMP TO BE PUT ON A VEHICLE(PROBABLY JUST TO SQUEEZE OUT AN EXTRA MPG)? IT IS NOT ONLY PLAIN DANGEROUS, BUT IMPRACTICAL. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THIS WAS HOW THE STEERING WAS ON THIS CAR I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT IT! THE NHTSA SHOULD REQUIRE (FORD AT LEAST) TO ISSUE A RECALL AND STOP THIS TYPE OF POWER STEERING BEING OFFERED ON NEW VEHICLES. I HAVE HAD PUMPS AND BELT SNAP ON VEHICLE IN THE PAST WHILE DRIVING, BUT NEVER WITH THIS AMOUNT OF STEERING LOSS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING RESUMED NORMAL FUNCTION. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS OR REPAIRS. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

TIRES PROBLEM.... 04/09/2011-PURCHASED (USED) FORD ESCAPE 2008-XLT 4 WHEEL- MILEAGE 37583. 07/08/2011-MILEAGE- 40668- DRIVEN 3085 MILES* THE DEALER REPLACED ROTORS, BRAKES IN - (NO COST TO ME), DUE TO RUSTING & CORROSION, DEALER CLAIMED PROBABLY SAT ON LOT TOO LONG WITHOUT BEING MOVED. TIRES AT THIS TIME WERE REPORTED IN "GREEN" CODE- 08/11/2011-MILEAGE- 41229- DRIVEN 561 MILES* OIL CHANGE, TIRES AT THIS TIME WERE REPORTED IN "GREEN" CODE. 02/23/2012- MILEAGE- 44144- DRIVEN 2915 MILES* INSPECTION FAILED- DUE TO TIRES DRY ROT! TOTAL MILES DRIVEN IN 10 MONTHS* 6561. TIRES ARE GOODYEAR/MICHELIN X CROSS TERRAIN 225/65R17 DOTB93T. *TR

MY POWER STEERING DID NOT WORK WHEN I BACKED OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. IF I TURNED THE CAR OFF, AND THEN STARTED IT AGAIN, THE POWER STEERING WOULD WORK. THIS STARTED HAPPENING DAILY, THEN MANY TIMES A DAY AND NOW, SOMETIMES I HAVE NO POWER STEERING AT ALL, AND SOMETIME IT WILL WORK FOR A SHORT TIME, BUT IT GOES OUT WHILE I'M DRIVING WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS. THE REPAIRS WILL BE ABOUT $1200, WE ARE WAITING FOR THE PARTS TO ARRIVE TO GET THIS FIXED. *TR

LIKE MANY OTHERS THE EPS (ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING) SYSTEM GAVE OUT ON MY 2008 ESCAPE (106,000 MI.). IT STARTED WITH THE STEERING WHEEL OCCASIONALLY CLUNKING AND SHAKING BOTH WHEN DRIVING AND WHEN THE CAR WAS IDLE (AS LONG AS IT WAS STARTED). AS SOON AS THE WHEEL WAS TURNED TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT THE POWER STEERING WOULD ENGAGE AND IT WOULD BE FINE. THE PROBLEM QUICKLY GOT WORSE TO THE POINT WHERE THE CLUNKING/SHAKING WAS HAPPENING AT ALL TIMES UNTIL THE POWER STEERING JUST FLAT OUT FAILED WHILE DRIVING. LUCKILY I WAS IN A POSITION TO REACT AND MANUALLY STEER WITHOUT INCIDENT BUT I WAS DEFINITELY WORRIED AS IT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. WITH THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING THERE IS NO FIX WITHOUT SWAPPING OUT THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. $1250 PARTS+LABOR+TAX. I CALLED FORD DIRECTLY AND THEY JUST TOSSED ME AROUND SAYING THAT THEY WILL LOOK INTO IT AND SEE IF THEY CAN FIX IT AS MANUFACTURER DEFECT. AFTER FINDING THIS WEBSITE I REALIZED THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHERS EXPERIENCING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. ALSO, THE PART IS ON BACK ORDER EVERYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE PROBLEM IS MUCH BIGGER THAN INDICATED ON THIS FORUM. I AM FRUSTRATED IN TRYING TO HOLD FORD ACCOUNTABLE. FORD EXPLAINED THAT RECALLS ARE JUSTIFIED BY CRASH DATA AND THERE IS NO WAY TO GET ONE STARTED PRIOR. THIS IS CRAZY, SO NOT ONLY IS SOMEONE GOING TO NEED TO CRASH, BUT SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE GOING TO NEED TO CRASH IN ORDER FOR ANYTHING TO GET DONE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD WHILE THE CONTACT WAS ATTEMPTING TO MERGE ONTO THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL COULD NOT BE RELEASED. THE CONTACT HAD TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL AND COAST TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE AS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CABLE BEING FRACTURED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 53,300.

STEERING LOCKS UP PERIODICALLY WHILE DRIVING AT VARIABLE SPEEDS, AND SITUATIONS, THERE IS A GRINDING WHEN YOU TURN STEERING WHEEL BOTH DIRECTIONS EVEN WHILE PARKED. I HAVE SEEN MANY COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH MANY OWNERS OF THE SAME MAKE & MODEL. *TR