2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

I NOTICED A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CAR WAS BEGINNING TO SHIFT ERRATICALLY, AND SLIPPING BETWEEN GEARS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. WAS CAUSING SOME CONCERN WHILE DRIVING IN THE FAST LANE OF THE INTERSTATES. IT WAS BEGINNING TO SPRAY UP UNDER THE HOOD, AND I WAS WORRIED ABOUT IT GETTING ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND STARTING A FIRE. AFTER DOING TONS OF RESEARCH ON LINE, IF FIND OUT ABOUT A TRANS COOLER DEFECT. I SEE THIS HAS HAPPENED TO 100'S IF NOT 1000'S OF PEOPLE THAT OWNED 2008 ESCAPES. I WAS TOLD FORD DID DO SOME REPAIRS ON THESE CARS THAT WHERE BUILT EARLY 2008, AND THAT A CSP (CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM) WAS SENT OUT MARCH 2010, AND EXPIRED IN AUGUST 2010. MY ESCAPE WAS BUILT IN SEPT. 2007, WHICH SHOULD HAVE COVERED IT. FORD SENT A CSP #09B10 TO OWNERS FOR A REPLACEMENT BECAUSE OF THE KNOW DEFECT TO THE COOLER. SINCE I DIDN'T NOT OWN THE VEHICLE UNTIL NOVEMBER 2010, I HAD NO IDEA OF THE PROBLEM, AND SINCE THE ORIGINAL OWNER NEVER TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIR, I HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE. I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER CARE, AND BOTH THEM, AND THE FORD DEALER ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT, BUT WOULD NOT COVER IT. SINCE THERE IS NO RECALL, AND THE CSP IS OVER, I HAD TO PAY $644.41 OUT OF MY POCKET. THIS IS RIDICULES I AM PAYING FOR A DEFECT THAT FORD KNOWS ABOUT. THEY BOTH TOLD ME TO HOLD ON TO MY RECEIPT IN CASE THERE IS A RECALL I CAN GET REIMBURSED. I THINK THIS IS THE LAST FORD I WILL OWN. EVEN THOUGH THIS IS CONNECTED TO THE DRIVE TRAIN, AND KEEPS YOUR TRANSMISSION FROM FAILING, ITS NOT A DRIVE TRAIN PART, AND FORD WILL NOT COVER CAUSE ITS NOT INTERNAL. AS FAR AS I SEE IT! ITS POWER TRAIN RELATED, AND IF IT UNKNOWINGLY FAILS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL FAIL. HOPEFULLY FORD DOES THE RIGHT THING, AND REPAIRS OR REIMBURSES THE CUSTOMER THAT HAD IT REPAIRED FOR THE MISTAKE FORD MADE WITH THE DEFECTIVE PART BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RESPONSE TIME TO ACCELERATION ATTEMPTS WAS EXTREMELY SLOW AND THE PEDAL COULD BE DEPRESSED INTO THE FLOORBOARD ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AT LEAST THREE TIMES FOR THE VEHICLE TO RESPOND WHEN THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE CONTACT WAS TOLD THAT THE PEDAL FELT AS IF IT WAS BECOMING SLIGHTLY STUCK WHEN DEPRESSED, BUT THAT THE CONTACT SHOULD NOT BE TOO CONCERNED WITH THE FAILURE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS HESITANT TO START AND THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO TURN THE KEY SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE WOULD RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, BUT THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 109,716.

I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 65MPH ON OUR FREEWAY AND I LOST COMPLETE CONTROL OF MY POWER STEERING. I ALMOST GOT HIT BY 3 OTHER VEHICLES AS I WAS UNABLE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL. I THEN PUT MY CAUTION LIGHTS ON AND USED ALL MY FORCE TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I THEN POWER THE CAR OFF AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES AND TURNED IT BACK ON MY STEERING WAS THEN FINE. I GOT BACK ON THE FREEWAY AND WITHIN 3 MINUTES I LOST ALL OF MY POWER STEERING AGAIN. SO I THEN DID THE SAME THING MULTIPLE TIMES JUST TO MAKE IT HOME. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY FORD ESCAPE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5-55 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WOULD BECOME STUCK AND COULD NOT BE RELEASED FOR AT LEAST TWENTY MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 22,800.

THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED OCCASIONALLY JITTERING WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. THEN WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE A PARKING LOT THE POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY NON FUNCTIONING. IT HAS SINCE BEEN SPOTTY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE, FLUID WAS OBSERVED LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE MECHANIC CONFIRMED A TRANS CORE LEAK IN THE TRANSMISSION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 40,842.

I WAS MERGING ONTO A HIGHWAY FROM AN ENTRANCE. AS I WAS GETTING ONTO THE HIGHWAY, I WAS ABOUT TO PULL ON, WHEN MY STEERING LOCKED UP. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, I STARTED THE CAR AND THE STEERING WAS FINE. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM AND FOUND THAT THERE WERE MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS. I COULD NOT FIND ANY RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM. WILL THERE HAVE TO BE A DEATH BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE. I WILL PURSUE THIS FURTHER, THRU THE MEDIA, SOCIAL MEDIA, AND LEGALLY. *TR

AS I WAS GETTING ONTO THE HIGHWAY FROM AN ENTRANCE, MY STEERING FAILED. I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO CONTROL THE CAR. THANK GOD I WAS GOING SLOW AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER. I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, TURNED IT BACK ON, AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS COMPLAINT AND THERE ARE MANY FORD ESCAPES, WITH THIS SAME COMPLAINT. I HOPE THAT SOMETHING WILL BE DONE BEFORE A DEATH OCCURS. I PLAN ON PURSUING THIS FURTHER EVEN UP TO INVOLVING MEDIA AND LEGAL ACTION. *TR

ON 12-13-2011, THE POWER STEERING FAILED ON THIS VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY I WAS IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME BY EXERTING GREAT FORCE ON THE THEN MANUAL STEERING. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED WHILE ACTUALLY IN MOTION I DOUBT THAT I COULD HAVE CONTROLLED THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE STOP. THE NEXT MORNING I STARTED THE CAR TO TAKE IT TO THE FORD DEALER AND THE STEERING WORKED. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM. I THEN TELEPHONED THE MANUFACTURE AND WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT HELP ME UNLESS THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM. I TOLD THE PERSON THE CAR WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND WAS TOLD UNLESS THE DEALER CAN FIND THE PROBLEM WE CAN'T HELP. I TOLD THE PERSON I WOULD REPORT THIS INCIDENT TO THE NTSB AND WAS TOLD THAT IS YOUR RIGHT. *TR

OUR ESCAPE HAS LESS THAN 44,000 MILES ON IT AND THIS PAST SATURDAY THE POWER STEERING JUST FAILED! AND I HAD 3 CHILDREN WITH ME!! THANK GOD WE WEREN'T DOING 70MPH ON THE INTERSTATE...OR IN A CURVE...NEXT TO AN 18-WHEELER...OR WHERE I HAD TO MAKE A QUICK AVOIDANCE MANEUVER! I LEARNED (FROM INTERNET POSTINGS...'CAUSE IT SURE ISN'T IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL...) THAT IT USUALLY WORKS PROPERLY AGAIN AFTER TURNING THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTING...I GUESS THE COMPUTER 'REBOOTS'???, BUT, WHO KNEW?! WELL, IT JUST HAPPENED AGAIN LESS THAN A WEEK LATER TO MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER AND SINCE THIS IS ABSOLUTELY A SAFETY ISSUE, WE'VE TAKEN IT TO A DEALERSHIP. I LIVE IN TN AND IF ANYONE RECALLS (NO PUN INTENDED), THIS IS ALSO THE PLACE WHERE A LOCAL INVESTIGATIVE NEWS REPORTER BROKE THE INFAMOUS TOYOTA ACCELERATION STORY. HMMM...MAYBE I'LL CONTACT HIM AND SEE IF HE CAN FIND OUT IF FORD IS BENT ON IGNORING ALL THESE COMPLAINTS... JUST DO THE RIGHT THING, FORD! REMEMBER THE EXPLORER!!!*TR