2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER AND THE POWER STEERING ASSIST DEACTIVATED. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT THEN SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND AFTER A SEVERAL MINUTES, WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND REGAIN POWER STEERING ASSIST CAPABILITIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,000.

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY TO SEE MT. RUSHMORE AT NIGHT WHEN MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID SUDDENLY SHUT DOWN. I WAS ON THE FREEWAY GOING ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN WITHOUT WARNING A RED TRIANGULAR WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING. I PULLED OVER, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF, AND WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE MY TRIP AFTER THIS. HOWEVER, WHEN VACATIONING A YEAR LATER IN MICHIGAN, THIS EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED 3 TIMES WHEN MAKING AN 8-HOUR TRIP. EACH TIME I'VE BEEN GOING CLOSE TO 70 MPH AND I'VE HAD TO CAREFULLY NAVIGATE MY WAY TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY... VERY DANGEROUS! IT WOULD SEEM THAT A RECALL WOULD BE IN ORDER FOR SUCH A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

A PROBLEM THAT SURFACED AGAIN AFTER EXPERIENCES MANY TIMES SINCE THE ABOVE MENTIONED INCIDENT DATE: A WRENCH SIGN WAS COMING ON THE DASHBOARD FREQUENTLY, AND SOMETIMES DISAPPEARED ITSELF WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING.SIMILAR SIGN OR INDICATION FOR OIL CHANGE WAS ALSO EXPERIENCED EVEN AFTER A SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE WAS DONE WITH THE DEALER. WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS REPORTED IN EARLY PERIOD, I (THE CUSTOMER) WAS ADVISED TO DISREGARD, BECAUSE THE MECHANIC FORGOT TO RESET AFTER THE OIL SERVICE, WHEN FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS NOTIFIED TODAY (11/7/12), IT WAS ACKNOWLEDGED AS A SERVICE ISSUE, WHICH I DO NOT AGREE. SINCE THE PROBLEM EXISTED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NEW IN EARLY STAGES AFTER THE PURCHASE, MY CONCERN IS THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT WITH BATTERY DOOR WHICH MALFUNCTIONS, AND DOES NOT ALLOW VENTILATION ON & OFF. THE BATTERY WAS DOWN, ALL CONTROLS DISAPPEARED AND THE CAR WAS LOCKED IN POSITION ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO (APPROXIMATE JUNE 2010). THAT TIME A MAJOR SERVICE WAS PERFORMED, WHICH REQUIRED A MONTH LONG PERIOD TO FIX IT. (SAFECAR REFERENCE 365127). UNFORTUNATELY, I NEVER HEARD BACK FROM YOUR OFFICE ON THIS PAST ISSUE AND COMPLAINT. SINCE BOTH PROBLEMS HAVE TO DO WITH BATTERY AND MONITORING DEVICES, I WOULD LIKE TO INFORM FOR SAFETY OF ALL USING THIS MODEL. PLEASE LET ME KNOW YOUR FINDINGS ON BATTERY VENT DOOR FUNCTIONING. THANKS *TR

THE HCU UNIT WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO HYBRID ESCAPES WENT OUT ON ME CAUSING ABS TO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY (BRAKES TURNED TO SPONGE). I WAS INSIDE OF WARRANTY 8YEARS/ 100000 MILES UNIQUE HYBRID COMPONENT. I HAD LESS THAN 48,000 AND WAS INSIDE OF FOUR YEARS OF HAVING BOUGHT THE HYBRID SUV BRAND NEW. CONTACTED FORD DEALERSHIP WHICH THEN DIRECTED ME TO FORD CORPORATE OFFICE. THEY SAID THE WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE UNIQUE HYBRID COMPONENT!! I HAD ROOM TO STOP SO I WAS LUCKY THAT NO ONE WAS HURT WHEN THE HCU UNIT WENT OUT. *TR CONSUMER SOLD THE TRUCK IN 2012. CONSUMER TOOK FORD TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT IN ALEXANDRIA, VA AND WON 4K. UPDATED 6/8/18*JB

WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD LOCK UP AND SCARE THE HECK OUT OF ME. JUST TODAY, WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN, I WAS TURNING LEFT IN THE HOME DEPOT AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP. HAVING EXPERIENCED THIS SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE, I KNEW TO GRAB THE WHEEL TIGHTLY AND CONTINUE MY TURN. MY REAL PROBLEM IS THAT I AM NOW GIVING THIS CAR TO MY (DAUGHTER) NEW DRIVER AS HER DAILY CAR. I AM VERY CONCERNED. I JUST READ SEVERAL BLOGS ON SEVERAL SITES AND ALL OF THEM STATE THAT THE DEALERS DON'T KNOW AND CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I HAVE AROUND 70,000 MILES NOW ON IT, AND NO LONGER HAVE A WARRANTY. BESIDES A VERY TIGHT BUDGET, I AM CONCERNED FOR MY DAUGHTER. PLEASE ADVISE. ALSO, PLEASE DON'T TELL ME YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM EITHER... *TR

DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE FORD RECALLS THESE CARS TO FIX THE HYBRID COOLING SYSTEM IN THESE VEHICLES. I HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM ONCE MYSELF (TWO YEARS AGO) AND NOW IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN. THESE CARS SHUT DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY WITH OUT WARNING BECAUSE OF SOMETHING GOING ON WITH THE HYBRID SYSTEM. THIS TIME MY WIFE WAS IN THE PASSING LANE WHEN IT HAPPENED. ONE DAY SOMEONE IS GOING TO DIE FROM THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE TRAVELING AT HIGHER SPEEDS (ON A HIGHWAY) THE RED TRIANGLE LIGHT COMES ON AND AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS DOWN THE CAR. SOME FAMILY WILL BE KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS AND FORD WILL BE CAUGHT KNOWING ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND DOING NOTHING TO FIX IT. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID WITH APPROX. 50K MILES. AS WITH MANY COMPLAINTS RELATED TO ESCAPE HYBRID, I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE IN PERFECT WEATHER CONDITIONS AT APPROX. 70MPH WHEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND THE MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LAMP LIT UP. STEERING AND BRAKING WERE NORMAL BUT I HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER ACROSS SEVERAL LANES OF BUSY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC TO STOP. IT WAS TERRIFYING. I GATHERED MYSELF AND MY THREE TERRIFIED CHILDREN AND STARTED THE CAR AGAIN WITH NO PROBLEM. THE SAME INCIDENT OCCURRED THREE MORE TIMES BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT TO MY DESTINATION, BUT I WAS ANTICIPATING THE ISSUE AND STAYED IN THE RIGHT HAND LANE. THIS ISSUE IS BEING REPORTED TIME AND AGAIN YET NO ACTION IS BEING TAKEN TO ADDRESS THIS OBVIOUS DEFECT. WHAT IS FORD AND NHTSA WAITING FOR? THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ISSUE! PLEASE, BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR DIES. *TR

MY WIFE LEFT WORK YESTERDAY AND WHEN SHE STARTED OUR 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID FWD THE ABS LIGHT AND CHECK BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ON. DURING HER SHORT DRIVE HOME THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM DISABLED WARNING CAME ACROSS THE INFO DISPLAY. BRAKING FELT FUNNY SO WE TOOK IT TO BE SERVICED AND WERE SLAPPED WITH AN ESTIMATE OF $4700 TO REPLACE THEY HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 69,000 MILES ON IT AND WE FIND IT ABSURD THAT WE SHOULD BE MAKING A $4700 REPAIR IN THAT TIME FRAME WITH THAT MANY MILES. AFTER DOING A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH IT SEEMS THAT THIS HAS OCCURRED IN MULTIPLE FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS SINCE 2005 AND IN MOST 2008 MODELS WITH THE SAME AMOUNT OF MILES. WE ARE GOING TO MAKE THE REPAIR, BUT WE WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD IN OUR LIVES. THIS SEEMS LIKE A PROBLEM THAT IS APPARENT FOR 2005 AND NEWER FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. DO SOMETHING FORD. AND IF YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT BUYING THIS VEHICLE, DON'T. *TR

DRIVING AT 55 MPH, ENGINE STOPPED, KICKED OUT OF GEAR, LOUD BEEP SOUNDED, AND DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHT CAME ON. TRIANGLE WITH BOLT INSIDE. MESSAGE SAID "SLOW DOWN AND PULL OVER." THIS HAD HAPPENED 3 TIMES BEFORE WHILE IN CRUISE CONTROL, BUT I WAS NOT IN CRUISE CONTROL THIS TIME. FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, I CONSULTED THE MANUAL. IT SAID TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART. I DID, AND WARNING LIGHT WENT OFF. SAME NEXT 2 INSTANCES. I ATTEMPTED THIS FIX FOUR TIMES ON THIS LAST OCCASION. CAR WOULD RESTART, THEN ENGINE WOULD SHUT DOWN IN A FEW HUNDRED FEET. FINALLY CALLED TOW TRUCK. FORD DEALER FOUND BAD AUXILIARY WATER PUMP CONNECTED TO HYBRID SYSTEM. IN RESEARCHING THIS, I FOUND THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS. CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE, BUT THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE REPAIR, WHICH COST $700. FELT VERY UNSAFE WITH THE WAY THE ENGINE JUST SHUT DOWN. LUCKILY, I WAS ON A ROAD WITH A SHOULDER. IF I HAD BEEN ON A BRIDGE, TUNNEL, OR IN TRAFFIC, I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED, THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN SO QUICKLY. FORD NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THESE WATER PUMPS, AS THEIR FAILURE CAUSES A DANGEROUS ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

I HAVE RECEIVED A "STOP SAFELY NOW" MESSAGE FROM MY HEV ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. BOTH TIMES WHILE TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AT SPEEDS OF 65 - 75 MPH. ON BOTH OCCASIONS, THE MESSAGE OCCURRED AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS OF TRAVEL. LUCKILY, THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED WE WERE ON A ONE LANE HIGHWAY, BUT THE SECOND TIME WE WERE TRAVELING IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE AND HAD TO TRY TO CROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO PULL OVER. WHEN THE MESSAGE OCCURS THE SUV LOSES ACCELERATION. IT IMMEDIATELY DROPS YOUR SPEED TO 60 MPH AND CONTINUES TO DECELERATE AND YOU CAN'T SPEED UP IF YOU TRY. TRY CROSSING A FOUR LANE HIGHWAY WITH A SPEED LIMIT OF 70 MPH WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN DO 60 MPH. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND FORD SHOULD RECALL THE VEHICLES IMMEDIATELY AND REPLACE WHATEVER SUSPECTED PART IS CAUING THE PROBLEM. THE MESSAGE BOARDS ARE FULL OF THE SAME STORIES. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME AND SOMEONE WILL GET REAR ENDED TRYING TO CROSS THE HIGHWAY TO STOP SAFELY NOW AND WHEN THEY SAY NOW, THEY MEAN IT. *TR