2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

LEASED 2008 FORD ESCAPE IN MARCH 2008. MILEAGE IS 27,412. NOTICED ATF FLUID LEAK ON DRIVEWAY RIGHT SIDE OF CAR NEAR FRONT. OPENED THE HOOD TO FIND THE ENTIRE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS COVERED IN ATF FLUID. TRANS FLUID LEVEL AT VERY BOTTOM OF DIP-STICK. WASHED OUT THE AREA TO CHECK FOR LEAK AND FOUND AT TRANS COOLER. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND SOURCE OF LEAK AND KEPT FOR 3 DAYS EVENTUALLY REPLACING THE TRANS COOLER PER TSB 09-09-04 AND OVERHAULING THE TRANS. FORWARD CLUTCHES BURNT FROM LOW FLUID LEVEL. FORTUNATELY THIS HAPPENED WHILE STILL UNDER 36MO/36K MILE WARRANTY. DID SOME QUICK INTERNET SEARCHES TO FIND THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE WITH MOST HAPPENING AROUND 40K MILES AND OUT OF WARRANTY. THIS IS ABSURD THAT FORD KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM WITH TWO OR THREE TSB'S YET CHOOSES NOT TO RECALL/REPAIR. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE JUST PAST WARRANTY AT APPROX. 38,500 MILES. FIRST I NOTICED A JERK UPON TAKE OFF AT A STOP SIGN. THEN IT DID IT AGAIN ANOTHER TIME. THEN WE NOTICED A PUDDLE OF TRANSMISSION FLUID IN MY GARAGE. MY HUSBAND (A MECHANIC) HAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FLUID COOLER IS LEAKING. CURRENTLY MAKING ARRANGEMENTS TO GET IT FIXED. THIS VEHICLE IS WAY TOO NEW TO HAVE A BIG REPAIR BILL LIKE THIS. I SEE THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. *CN

2008 FORD ESCAPE - : DROVE VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS FOR 10 MONTHS. ALL OF A SUDDEN VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PARK. HAD EXPERIENCED NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS WHATSOEVER PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP THAT IT WAS PURCHASED. TRANSMISSION REPAIRED UNDER DRIVETRAIN WARRANTY, SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THE INSIDE HAD BLOWN APART. WARRANTY DID NOT REPLACE BUT DID REPAIR. TRANS. CONDENSER AND COOLER ASSEMBLY REPLACED, NOT UNDER WARRANTY, (MISSED BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY BY 2,000MLS). THIS PART 8L8Z19712J IS THE NEW PART REPLACING THE COOLER. FORD SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM #TSB 09-9-4. FLUID LEAKED UNDER HOOD, COULD HAVE BEEN A REAL PROBLEM IF I HAD NOT CHOSEN TO HAVE IT TOWED.*TR

MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HAS 'SPRUNG' A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK CAUSING MY ACCELERATOR TO 'REV' INSTEAD OF DRIVING PROPERLY AND CHANGING GEARS EFFICIENTLY. IF FLUID GETS TOO LOW, THE REAR END MAKES A LOUD THUD NOISE WHEN IT KICKS INTO GEAR. MY SUV ONLY HAS 39,555 MILES ON IT, BUT SINCE IT IS OVER THE 36,000 MILES, I NO LONGER HAVE ANY BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. THIS LEAKING SEAL IS NOT COVERED BY THE 60,000 POWER TRAIN WARRANTY AS THIS IS AN EXTERNAL TRANSMISSION PART, AND NOT AN INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PART. AS TRANSMISSION FLUID IS DESIGNED TO FLOW THROUGH THE AIR CONDITIONING COOLANT SYSTEM, I NOW HAVE TO PAY $800.00 TO HAVE THIS REPLACED. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS NOT A GOOD DESIGN. ALSO, AFTER RESEARCHING THIS VEHICLE, I SEE THERE ARE OTHER ESCAPE OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. MY TRANSMISSION FIRST ACTED UP LAST WEEK. I WILL BE HAVING IT FIXED AT MIKE REICHENBACH FORD IN FLORENCE, SC THIS MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2010. THIS IS NOT GOOD...NEEDLESS TO SAY, I AM A VERY DISSATISFIED FORD CUSTOMER. WE HAVE OWNED SEVERAL IN THE PAST. MY HUSBAND WAS PLANNING ON PURCHASING A 2010 F150 TRUCK, BUT HAS NOW SAID HE WILL NOT. WE FEEL VERY LET DOWN BY FORD. THIS SUV SHOULD NOT HAVE SPRUNG A LEAK THIS SOON. *CN *TR

AIR BAG AMBER WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AFTER STARTING ENGINE (SOLID LIGHT). MOST TIMES IT WILL GO OUT WHEN YOU TURN THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTART. STAYS OUT FOR SEVERAL WEEKS AND THE PROBLEM RETURNS. THIS IS HAPPENING FOR OVER A YEAR. SEVERAL DIFFERENT DEALERS HAVE CONFIRMED PROBLEM BUT DON'T HAVE A FIX. IS THE AIR BAG SYSTEM FUNCTIONAL? *TR

DEFECT IN VEHICLE WIRING HARNESS - MY CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS SINCE 01/30/2010. THE DEALERSHIP STATED MY VEHICLE WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO THE WIRES CORRODING AND CAUSING MECHANICAL FAILURES ON THIS VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP HAD ORDERED THE NEW WIRING SYSTEM AS AN EMERGENCY "ORDER" ON 01/30/2010 BUT DUE TO THIS BEING SUCH AN OVERWHELMING ISSUE FORD CANT KEEP UP WITH THE DEMAND FOR THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ! THIS IS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE 4X4, I SHOULD NOT BEING EXPERIENCING ANY PROBLEMS WITH A NEW VEHICLE THAT ONLY HAS 46 THOUSAND MILES ON IT. OF COURSE NOTHING IS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY WHEN YOUR WIRES CORRODE AND CATCH FIRE. THE DAMAGES SO FAR ARE AROUND $800.00. MY SON AND I BOTH SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING FROM THE TRUCK BUT COULDN'T LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL. ONCE IN THE FORD DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE WIRING THAT HAD CORRODED DUE TO ROAD SALT AND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE AND THAT THEY ARE HOPING FOR A RECALL DUE TO THE VOLUME. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME THIS WILL BE ALL OUT OF POCKET EXPENSES. BEING TOLD THAT THIS IS A "NOTORIOUS" ISSUE DOES NOT EASE MY MIND WHEN THE SAFETY OF MYSELF AND MY CHILDREN WERE AT RISK !! *TR

WE OWN A 2008 FORD ESCAPE XLT. THE TRANSMISSION COOLER SUDDENLY BEGAN TO LEAK AND LEAKED OUT ALL OF THE FLUID. THE VEHICLE IS STILL UNDER THE 100K POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. WE RESEARCHED ON-LINE AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE AND HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER 3 YEARS. FORD WOULD NOT HONOR REPAIRS UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY SAYING IT IS "NOT AN INTERNAL PART." THIS DEFECT IS VERY DANGEROUS SINCE IT CAN CAUSE A TOTAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH. WE ENDED UP HAVING TO PAY FORD $675.34 TO MAKE THE NEEDED REPAIR. *TR

TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK, MAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK. CAUSING LITTLE TO NO FLUID. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS THE 4TH OR 5TH VEHICLE, IN THE PAST MONTH. THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAS SEEN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. SHE STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WOULD LOCK INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TORQUE SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE AND NO REPAIRS WERE MADE TO DATE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE UNDER 78,000. UPDATED 3/16/10 *CN UPDATED 06/17/10*JB

PURCHASED NEW IN 06/2007, 2008 FORD ESCAPE. TRANSMISSION COOLING SYSTEM LEAKING DUE TO RUST. DISCOVERED AT 40,000. THIS WAS DUE TO DEFECT IN COOLING SYSTEM, NOT WEAR AND TEAR AS EXPLAINED BY FORD SERVICE MANAGER. WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 36,000. COST FOR REPAIR $800. PROBLEM MAY HAVE OCCURRED DURING WARRANTY PERIOD, BUT NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL 40,000. FEEL THIS SHOULD BE COVERED, INITIAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED 03/01/08. *TR