2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

DRIVING OFF ROAD UP A STEEP INCLINE (40-45 DEGREES), THE VEHICLE CAME TO A HALT. THERE WASN'T ANY POWER GOING TO THE TIRES EVEN THOUGH I HAD THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THE ENGINE RPM WOULD ONLY REV UP TO ABOUT 1200 RPM. IT FELT AS IF THERE WAS A DISCONNECT BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION AND THE ENGINE AS THERE WAS NO POWER BEING DELIVERED TO THE TIRES. THE TIRES DID NOT LOOSE TRACTION OR SPIN EITHER. WHAT WAS ESPECIALLY UNSAFE ABOUT THIS IS THAT IT WAS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS BACKING DOWN THE STEEP HILL I HAD TRIED TO ASCEND. I WAS TRYING TO BACK DOWN SLOWLY BY USING THE BRAKE, BUT MANY TIMES THE BRAKES WOULD LOCK UP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SHIFT AND SLIDE SOMETIMES SIDEWAYS WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ROLL. I TRIED TO AGAIN TO NO AVAIL. THIS VEHICLE IS USED BY THE US FOREST SERVICE IN WHICH MANY TIMES THE VEHICLE IS REQUIRED TO GO OF ROAD ON FOREST SERVICE ROADS. THERE IS A SECTION IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL ABOUT OFF ROAD DRIVING, BUT IT MAKES NO MENTION THAT THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE DRIVEN UP STEEP INCLINES.

WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 50 MILES PER HOUR ON A TWO LANE UNDIVIDED HIGHWAY, I TRIED TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT TO FOLLOW A CURVE BUT THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT TURN. THE STEERING WHEEL FELT LOCKED, AS I WAS DRIFTING OVER THE CENTER LINE INTO THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC LANE, I QUICKLY HIT THE BRAKE TO SLOW THE CAR, AND PROPER STEERING RESUMED. EVEN THE SHORT TERM LOSS OF STEERING CAN AND WILL RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT, INJURY, OR DEATH. A SAFETY RECALL NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED ON THESE VEHICLES WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING.

MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID HAS EXPERIENCED AT LEAST TWO UNEXPECTED AND UN-COMMANDED ACCELERATIONS IN THE PAST WEEK. THE DEALER HAS LOOKED AT IT ONCE AND REPLACED THE LEFT FRONT ABS TONE RING. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS TODAY 23NOV2010. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL AND WHILE BRAKING, POWER STEERING SEEMED TO FAIL COMPLETELY FOR 3-5 SECONDS. STEERING DID NOT LOCK COMPLETELY, IT SEEMED, BUT IT TOOK REAL STRENGTH TO MOVE IT AS I WAS GOING AROUND A GENTLE CURVE. I'M NOT SURE MY WIFE COULD HAVE DONE SAME. POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS. CAR IS WITH DEALERSHIP NOW. *TR

2008 FORD HYBRID ESCAPE PREVIOUSLY HAD A MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP AND THE TONE RING AS A RESULT OF BRAKE FAILURE. YESTERDAY THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN THIS TIME THE ABS SYSTEM WAS FOUND TO BE FAULTY. THE MECHANIC AT THE FORD DEALERSHIP ADMITTED THAT THIS WAS NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE, BUT A COMPLETE PART FAILURE THAT INVOLVED THE ABS SYSTEM. THE PART IS SUPPOSED TO BE REPLACED, BUT I WILL HAVE IT RETAINED. THE VEHICLE IS ONLY 3 YEARS ONLY AND HAS LESS THAN 30,000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS THE 3RD ISSUE OF BRAKE FAILURE IN THIS VEHICLE AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS CONTINUED TO ATTEMPT TO MAKE FIXES TO NO AVAIL. *TR CONSUMER STATED HE MADE A COMPLAINT PROBABLY 7 YEARS AGO. VEHICLE HAS LONG SINCE BEEN REPAIRED SO THERE IS NOTHING TO TEST. UPDATED 6/8/18*JB

THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED 10/8/10 IN A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID WITH APPROXIMATELY 53,000 MILES ON IT. DEPARTED CORDOVA, TN ON A WEEKEND TRIP TO TALLADEGA, AL AND CHATTANOOGA, TN. DROVE STEADILY FOR 3 - 4 HOURS AT 65 - 70 MPH AND STOPPED FOR DINNER IN BIRMINGHAM, AL FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR. RESUMED TRIP AND IN ABOUT 15 MINUTES, AT AROUND 8:30 PM ON AN UNLIT STRETCH OF I-20 AT APPROXIMATELY MILE MARKER 135 WEST OF BIRMINGHAM WHILE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH THE MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LIGHT (RED TRIANGLE) CAME ON, THE INFORMATIONAL DISPLAY SHOWED "STOP SAFELY NOW", AND THE ACCELERATOR BECAME UNRESPONSIVE. ALL THE LIGHTS REMAINED ON, STEERING APPEARED NORMAL, AND BRAKES FUNCTIONED NORMALLY. WE WERE BASICALLY COASTING IN 70 MPH TRAFFIC TRYING TO CROSS 3 LANES TO GET OFF THE ROAD. MANEUVERED TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER, TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF WITH FLASHERS GOING. AFTER ABOUT A MINUTE COMPOSING MYSELF, DECIDED TO TRY TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. IT RESTARTED WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS OR MESSAGES AND ALL SYSTEMS APPEARED TO FUNCTION NORMALLY. DROVE THE VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 500 MILES WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT UNTIL I COULD TAKE THE VEHICLE TO MY DEALERSHIP. THEY RETRIEVED CODES P1A0D AND P0A3E AND SAID THEY HEARD A LOUD HIGH PITCHED NOISE FROM THE ELECTRONICS COOLING PUMP MOTOR WHICH THEY REPLACED. WE FEEL EXTREMELY FORTUNATE THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SOMEHOW GET SAFELY OFF THE ROADWAY WITHOUT CAUSING OR BEING INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. WE WERE ALSO LUCKY THAT THE FAULT DID NOT OCCUR AFTER MILE MARKER 147 BECAUSE, DUE TO CONSTRUCTION THAT WENT TO MILE MARKER 155, THERE WAS NO WAY TO PULL OUT OF THE TRAFFIC FLOW AT ALL. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (~75 MPH) MY COMBUSTION ENGINE SHUT OFF AND A RED WARNING LIGHT WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DASH WITH A MESSAGE OF "PLEASE PULL OVER SAFELY". MY VEHICLE HAS APPROX 53000 MILES ON IT AND IS 3.5 YEARS OLD. LUCKILY I WAS IN THE RIGHT LANE AND NOT IN ANY DANGER OF CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS TRULY A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. HAD I BEEN PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE OR HAD SOMEONE TAILGATING ME, IT COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN A MAJOR OR EVEN FATAL ACCIDENT. I CALLED FORD AND THEY SAY THEY HAVE NO RECORD OF THIS EVEN THOUGH I'VE SEEN ANOTHER OID ON THIS ISSUE THAT STATED THEY WERE # 891 IN LINE FOR A REPLACEMENT PART. PLEASE MAKE FORD RECALL ANY VEHICLE THAT HAVE THIS PART INSTALLED AND REPLACE IT WITH A MORE RELIABLE PART. *TR

2008 FORD HYBRID ESCAPE, 26,000K MILES ON IT. THE ABS, REGENERATIVE BRAKES FAILED WHILE PUTTING THE CAR INTO REVERSE LEAVING ONLY MANUAL BRAKES WORKING. THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS CAME ON IDENTIFYING REGENERATIVE BRAKE FAILURE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND WHEN TURNED ON THE ISSUE COULDN'T BE REPLICATED INITIALLY AND APPEARED TO WORKING FINE. THE TECHNICIAN DID TESTS AND FOUND THE MASTER CYLINDER WAS FAILING. I HAD THE CAR TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER I PURCHASED IT FROM TO HAVE IT REPAIRED AND AGAIN THE WARNING LIGHTS DIDN'T COME ON AND THEY COULDN'T FIND THE ISSUE. I LEFT THE CAR WITH THEM TO LOOK AT AND THEY DROVE IT AROUND TESTING IT WHEN THE BRAKES SUDDENLY FAILED AGAIN WHILE A TECHNICIAN WAS DRIVING IT ON THE ROAD. THEY ORDERED A NEW MASTER CYLINDER WHICH HOPEFULLY WILL ADDRESS THE ISSUE. *TR

OUR 2008 FORD ESCAPE (HYBRID) SHUTS DOWN WITHOUT WARNING. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED AS A FAILED COOLANT PUMP FOR THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WHEN WE TRIED TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, WE LEARNED THAT THERE WERE 891 REPLACEMENT PUMPS ON BACK ORDER - THESE ARE NOT ORDERS FOR NEW MANUFACTURING, BUT FOR REPLACING FAILED PUMPS. THESE ARE JUST THE ONES ON BACK ORDER AND DO NOT INCLUDE ONES ALREADY REPLACED, OR THOSE OWNERS THAT HAVE NOT TAKEN THEIR ESCAPE FOR DIAGNOSTICS. OUR ESCAPE HAS SHUT DOWN SEVERAL DOZEN TIMES AND IT HAS ALMOST ALWAYS BEEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON AN INTERSTATE. THERE IS NO WARNING, THE VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN AND GIVES US A MESSAGE TO PLEASE STOP SAFELY. THE VEHICLE WILL RE-START ONCE IT HAS BEEN SHUT OFF, BUT THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER WHILE AVOIDING OTHER VEHICLES. WE THEN HAVE TO MERGE BACK INTO INTERSTATE TRAFFIC. FORD IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE, BUT HAVE TOLD US THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH "RECALLING THE PART" AS THAT IS UP TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! *TR

STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AT 12,000 MILES AND A THIRD TIME AT 35,000 (ONCE IN BETWEEN) FOR A TOTAL OF THREE TIMES. TIRE WEAR VERY ODD, TOUCHY BRAKING. *TR