2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

WHEN STARTING THE CAR PARKED AND SOMETIMES WHEN DRIVING, "CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM / REGEN BRAKES DISABLED" MESSAGE APPEARS ALONG WITH ABS LIGHT. CAR LOSES MOST OF ITS BRAKING POWER FROM THE REGENERATIVE BRAKES REQUIRING A GREAT DEAL OF PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE CAR. BRAKING POWER IS REDUCED AND STOPPING DISTANCES INCREASING SUBSTANTIALLY, CAUSING NEAR MISSES IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. DEALER RECOMMENDS REPLACING THE ABS CONTROL UNIT, WHICH IS A $4,100 PART (PLUS LABOR) FOR AN 8 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. THUS, THE ONLY WAY TO FIX THE ISSUE IS TO PAY MORE FOR PARTS AND LABOR THAN THE CAR IS ACTUALLY WORTH, RENDERING IT WORTHLESS TO THE OWNER. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF TWO MONTHS. SOMETIMES THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY AND THE CAR CAN BE DRIVEN SHORT DISTANCES WITH ALL OF ITS BRAKING POWER, SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T WORK FOR DAYS AT A TIME.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000. UPDATE 01/13/16 MA

ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY FAILURE EQUIVALENT TO THE CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM BUT TOLD MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT IN THE APPLICABLE GROUP. LOSS OF ALL ENGINE POWER WHILE ON THE FREEWAY TRAVELING AT 65MPH WITH A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILOR BEHIND ME. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE ONTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID WITH 109K MILES ON IT. TWO RECENT INCIDENTS WHERE THE YELLOW ABS AND RED BRAKE LIGHTS CAME ON, WITH MESSAGES OF CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM AND REGEN BRAKES DISABLED. BRAKES BECAME COMPLETELY USELESS AND VEHICLE BECAME DANGEROUS TO OPERATE. I WAS ABLE TO LET THE VEHICLE SIT AND RETRY AND THE LIGHTS DIDN'T COME ON. BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICE AT DEALERSHIP AND THEY FOUND CODES C1478 AND C1480. THEY'RE QUOTING ME $5,300 TO REPLACE THE HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. AFTER THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM, THE CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM WARNING MESSAGE IS ON ALL THE TIME AND THE VEHICLE HAS NO BRAKES. I'VE LEFT IT AT THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT IS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE. LOOKING ONLINE, THERE ARE OTHERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM: HTTP://WWW.GREENHYBRID.COM/FORUMS/F26/BRAKES-BROKE-BANK-24731/ HTTP://FORUMS.EDMUNDS.COM/DISCUSSION/5850/FORD/ESCAPE-HYBRID/FORD-ESCAPE-HYBRID-BRAKE-PROBLEMS HTTP://BLOG.YAGELSKI.COM/2012/02/FORD-ESCAPE-HYBRID-BRAKE-MASTER.HTML THERE ARE 23 IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS THIS YEAR ALONE AT NHTSA'S ODI WEBPAGE (SAFERCAR.GOV) WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM?

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CHECK ABS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STOP WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED BECAUSE THE CHECK ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER FORD DEALER PERFORMED STEERING RECALL, THE VEHICLE HAS NO POWER ASSIST AT LOW SPEED TIGHT TURNS( I.E. PARKING LOT, U TURNS). I'VE RETURNED IT TO ANOTHER FORD DEALER WITH NO RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH APPROACHING AN EXIT RAMP, THE STEERING BECAME TIGHT AND BEGAN TO FAIL. THE POWER STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

WHEN DRIVING AT 35 MPH THE BRAKE WARNING CAME ON. I PULLED OVER BECAUSE I THOUGHT MAYBE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ON, STOPPED, APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND RELEASED IT, BUT THE WARNING WAS STILL ON. IN A FEW MILES, I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION, CHECKED THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL AND IT WAS FINE. ON THE WAY HOME I GOT THE CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM, REGEN BRAKES DISABLED, ABS LIGHT ERROR. THE BRAKES FEEL SPONGY AND IT TAKES A LOT OF ERROR TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER HAS GIVEN US AN ESTIMATE OF $4700 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I SEE THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS AND CAN'T BELIEVE THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL!

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT 45MPH, TRIED TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE AND NOTHING HAPPENED I COULD NOT GO ANY FASTER AND MY CAR SLOWED DOWN TO 20 MPH. I KEPT PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN I HAD TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. WHERE MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED BECAUSE I COULDN'T DRIVE IT ANYWHERE. I TOOK IT TO THE GARAGE THEY TOLD ME THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY WAS BAD AND TO REPLACE IT WAS 780.00 THERE IS A RECALL FOR 2009 TO 2013 MODELS FOR THE SAME PROBLEM BUT NOT FOR 2008 OR HYBRIDS.

I WAS DRIVING WITH FAMILY. I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND IT WENT TOTALLY FLAT. THE ABS AND CHECK BRAKES LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE BRAKES ARE CURRENTLY TOTALLY UNOPERATIONAL. I TOOK CAR IN FOR REPAIRS, TOLD THAT A NEW ABS CONTROL MODULE(HYBRID ECU & HCU) REQUIRED - COST $4000.