2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HAS TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING FROM THE COOLER. I FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS ISSUE AFTER A REGULAR OIL CHANGE AND AM NOT SURE HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN GOING ON BUT HAVE LOST NEARLY 2 QUARTS OF FLUID. THE FORD DEALERSHIP INDICATED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES AND FORD HAS ISSUED A BULLETIN ON HOW TO CORRECT THE ISSUE. WHICH BASICALLY INVOLVES REPLACING THE ENTIRE SYSTEM. *TR

JUNE 2008 I PURCHASED A USED 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE TIRES ARE THE SAME CONTINENTAL TIRES THAT WERE ON THERE WHEN I BOUGHT IT. THE INSIDES OF ALL 4 TIRES ARE WEARING FASTER THAN THE REST OF THE TREAD. SOUNDS LIKE I HAVE "MUD" TIRES/AGGRESSIVE TREAD. WHEN THE NOISE FIRST STARTED NOV.2008 I THOUGHT IT SOUNDED LIKE A WHEEL BEARING, BUT THOSE CHECKED OUT FINE. IT WASN'T UNTIL JULY 2009 THAT I FIGURED OUT IT WAS THE TIRES MAKING NOISE. I AM GUESSING IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TIRES AS NO MECHANICAL PROBLEM CAN BE FOUND. *TR

THROUGHOUT THE TIME I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE THE TRANSMISSION HAS ACTED STRANGELY. SOMETIMES IT SHIFTS VIOLENTLY AND JERKS THE ENTIRE VEHICLE FORWARD. OTHER TIMES IT SEEMS THAT IT SIMPLY WON'T SHIFT INTO GEAR WHEN FIRST STARTED. LAST MARCH I WAS WAITING FOR A TRAIN TO PASS SO I PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK WHILE I WAITED. TWO OR THREE SECONDS AFTER I PUT IT IN PARK, THE ENTIRE VEHICLE JUMPED FORWARD A COUPLE FEET. IT SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME SINCE THE TRAIN WAS MOVING AT 60+ MPH AND WAS ONLY MAYBE TEN FEET IN FRONT OF ME. WHEN THE TRAIN PASSED I PUT IT BACK IN DRIVE AND IT DIDN'T ENGAGE. I PUT IT BACK IN PARK AND MOVED THE SHIFTER THROUGH THE GEARS. AFTER THIS IT WORKED AGAIN, BUT I WAS WORRIED. I NOTICED TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE RADIATOR AREA THIS MORNING. I NEEDED AN OIL CHANGE ANYWAY SO I TOOK IT IN TODAY AND WAS TOLD THAT IT IS THE TRANSMISSION / AC COOLER THAT IS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I CALLED FORD ABOUT IT AND THEY SAID THAT THEY COULDN'T GUARANTEE WARRANTY SUPPORT, BUT THAT I SHOULD MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A FORD DEALER FOR THE REPAIRS. BASED ON WHAT I'VE READ, THE WARRANTY IS NOT GOING TO COVER IT SINCE I HAVE 51,000 MILES ON IT. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT BIG O TIRES GAVE ME AN ESTIMATE FOR $512 FOR THE REPAIR WORK, WHICH IS MUCH LESS THAN WHAT OTHERS HAVE BEEN PAYING. BUT IN THE MEAN TIME I HAVE A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD DUE TO TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING ON COMPONENTS BELOW THE ENGINE. I CAN'T HELP BUT THINK THAT THESE EVENTS ARE SOMEHOW RELATED. ESPECIALLY WHEN FACTORING IN ALL OF THE PRIOR COMPLAINTS THAT I'VE FOUND EASILY WITH SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCHES. UNFORTUNATELY, IT APPEARS THAT IT WILL TAKE SOMEONE BEING HIT BY A TRAIN FOR ANYTHING TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS. FOR NOW I AM GOING TO WAIT UNTIL I TAKE IT IN FOR MY APPOINTMENT AT THE FORD DEALER. CONSUMERS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR REPAIRS THAT MAKE A VEHICLE SAFE TO TRANSPORT THEIR FAMILIES IN THEIR EVERY DAY LIVES. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. UPON EXAMINING HIS VEHICLE HE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE WAS FLAT. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION HE CONCLUDED THAT THE VALVE STEMS ON EVERY TIRE WERE CRACKED; THUS CAUSING A LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED OR REPAIRED BY THE DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 43000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED HIS VALVE STEM HAS FAILED ON HIS FOUR TIRES. CONTACT STATED HE HAD HIS VEHICLE SERVICED AT THE DEALER AND THEY SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE TIRES BUT THEY NEVER DID. HE NOTICED HIS TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW CHECKED THE TIRES HE NOTICED ALL FOUR OF HIS VALVED STEM WERE CRACKED. CONTACT WENT BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A TSB BUT NOT A RECALL ON THE VALVE STEM. CONTACT DOES NOT KNOW WHO IS THE VALVE STEM MANUFACTURE OR MODEL NUMBER. HE HAD TO REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES INCLUDING VALVE STEM TO THE COST OF $588. CONTACT STATED HE WILL CONTACT THE FORD MANUFACTURE IN REGARDS TO THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE MILEAGE 43,000.

THE TRANSMISSION COOLANT LINE RUNNING TO THE A/C CONDENSER LEAKS AND SPRAYS TRANSMISSION FLUID EVERYWHERE. STARTED AT AROUND 36,000 MILES FOUND IT AT 38,000 AND FORD HAS INFORMED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION HOSE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY BECAUSE IT IS AN AC PART. *TR BOGUS

2008 FORD ESCAPE - I WAS INFORMED THAT THE FLUID LINE LEADING FROM THE TRANSMISSION TO THE CONDENSER HAD SPRUNG A LEAK. AFTER ASKING TWO SEPARATE FORD DEALERS AND DOING A LOT OF WEB RESEARCH, I HAVE COME TO FIND THAT THIS ISSUE IS WIDELY PREVALENT WITH THIS MODEL AND IS A RESULT OF A DESIGN FLAW. I ASKED ABOUT THE REPLACEMENT PART AND IF IT WOULD SUFFER THE SAME FATE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE REPLACEMENT PART, ENGINEERED AND MANUFACTURED BY FORD HAS BEEN DESIGNED DIFFERENTLY TO ACCOMMODATE THE ORIGINAL FLAW. THIS TO ME REPRESENTS A SITUATION WHERE FORD KNEW OF THIS ISSUE AND FAILED TO INFORM CUSTOMERS OR ISSUE A RECALL. AS A RESULT I AM OUT ALMOST $800 FOR THE REPAIR. FORD WILL NOT COVER IT UNDER WARRANTY AND ACCEPTS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE DEFECT. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SAFETY BULLETINS ISSUED ON THIS DEFECT TSB -08-5-7 IF I RECALL RIGHT. IT TOOK ME ABOUT 30 MINUTES TO DISCOVER THAT THIS ISSUE IS WIDE SPREAD AND THAT ALL OTHERS AFFECTED WITH THIS PROBLEM ON THEIR FORD ESCAPE VEHICLE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE SAME BRUSH OFF BY FORD. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS. THE RESULTING ISSUE CREATED BY THIS PROBLEM, DOCUMENTED SEVERAL PLACES IS A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. SOME HAVE RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE JUMPING INTO GEAR AND OTHERS CREATING A LURCHING ISSUE WHICH ULTIMATELY LEADS TO A POTENTIAL ACCIDENT SITUATION. *TR

TRANS FLUID LEAKING ON FLOOR. DEALER SAYS IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY FORD AND THEY WILL NOT PAY FOR IT. TSB # 08-5-7 .MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS FORM AND OTHERS . MAY CAUSE TRANS FAILURE AT ANY TIME AND CAUSE SOMEONE TO GET KILLED IN TRAFFIC. *TR

2008 FORD ESCAPE: FAILURE MILEAGE 21,775. ENGINE REV-ED FOR NO REASON AT < 10 MPH. VEHICLE STALLED WHILE COMING TO STOP. VEHICLE LEAKED LARGE PUDDLE OF TRANSMISSION FLUID UNDER RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. FORD REPLACED TRANSMISSION COOLING ASSEMBLY (PART #8L8Z-19712-J) UNDER WARRANTY NOTING TSB 09 09 04. I PURCHASED THIS ESCAPE ON 08-04-09 AS A CERTIFED USED FORD OFF A FORD LEASE WITH MILEAGE 20,227. I HAD NOT YET MADE THE 1ST PAYMENT. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH MANY 2008 ESCAPE OWNERS AND OVER THE LONG TERM CAUSES DAMAGE TO THE TRANSMISSION DUE TO A DANGEROUSLY FLAWED DESIGN. THERE IS NO RECALL AT THIS TIME. *TR

2008 FORD ESCAPE - 41,800 MILES. RPM'S WOULD FLUCTUATE - CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE - CAR WOULD ROLL BACKWARDS ON INCLINE- CAR WOULD STALL OUT . TOOK IN FOR SERVICE DEALER ADVISED TRANSMISSION FLUID IS LEAKING DUE TO CRACKED IN THE TRANSMISSION COOLER. DEFECT IS NOT COVERED BY POWERTRAIN BECAUSE THEY SAY THIS PART IS NOT PART OF THE TRANSMISSION IT IS A COOLING UNIT. APPROXIMATELY $750 TO FIX. *TR