2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID Complaints

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. ON 3 SEPERATE OCCASIONS, MY COMBUSTIBLE ENGINE HAS SHUT OFF. THE DISPLAY ON MY DASH THEN TELLS ME TO "PULL OVER SAFELY." I STILL DO HAVE A SMALL AMOUNT OF POWER FROM THE ELECTRIC ENGINE. AFTER PULLING OVER, I CAN TURN OFF THE CAR, WAIT A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND RESTART THE ENGINE. IT WILL NOT LAST. AFTER MILKING THE GAS, TRYING NOT TO EXCEED 2,500 RPMS, MY CAR MIGHT LAST 1/2 TO 4 MILES BEFORE IT DOES IT AGAIN. LUCKILY, DURING THE TIMES THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME, I HAVE BEEN ON AN INTERSTATE THAT HAD 3 OR LESS LANES. HOWEVER, I MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN AS LUCKY IF I WAS ON THE 8 LANE CONNECTOR OF I 75/85 IN ATLANTA. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT MY PROBLEM AND SPOKE TO THE ASSISTANT SERVICE MANAGER AT GENE EVANS FORD IN UNION CITY. AFTER DESCRIBING MY PROBLEM, HE QUICKLY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND MENTIONED THAT HE HAS HAD QUIET A FEW PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. HE SAID THAT IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE'S COOLANT PUMP. I DID SOME RESEARCH SAW SEVERAL POSTINGS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. IT REALLY CONCERNS ME THAT THERE HAVE BEEN MULTIPLE CASES OF THIS OCCURRING AND I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM MY DEALER OR FORD THAT THIS IS GOING ON, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE TOYOTA SCANDAL. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MOTOR ELECTRIC PUMP FROZE AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SHUT DOWN. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER SINCE THIS WAS A COMMON FAILURE ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 81000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 83202. UPDATED 11/05/10 *BF UPDATED 11/05/10 UPDATED 11/17/10

THE VEHICLE HAS HAD AT LEAST TWO ISSUES PRIOR WITH THE ABS SYSTEM FAILING. CURRENTLY THE ABS AND THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEMS BOTH FAILED MAKING THE VEHICLE IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP WITH THE BRAKES "CUTTING OUT" IN THE LAST 5 MPH. THE DEALER WAS CLOSED SO THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO AN INDEPENDENT SHOP WHO FOUND THAT THE ABS CONTROL ASSEMBLY AND THE TRAVEL SENSOR IN THE MASTER CYLINDER HAD FAILED! *TR

2008 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER STATES BRAKE FAILURE AND PROBLEMS WITH OTHER VEHICLES THAT ARE SIMILAR. *TGW

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE TURNING I HAVE LOST STEERING, THE STEERING WHEEL BECOMES DIFFICULT TO TURN AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT TURN, IT LASTS APPROX 5 SECONDS AND THEN WORKS AGAIN, THIS HAS HAPPENED TWO TIMES IN 4 DAYS AND ONCE ALMOST CAUSING ME TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. I TOOK ESCAPE TO FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY SAID THEY TRIED TO RECREATE IT AND WERE UNABLE TO DO SO (THEY ONLY DROVE MY ESCAPE 2 MILES THE ENTIRE 2 DAYS THEY HAD IT). I HAVE NOTICED, ALWAYS WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT, THAT SOMETIMES WHEN THE ENGINE SWITCHES FROM GAS TO ELECTRIC THERE IS SOMETIMES A SUDDEN DIFFERENCE IN STEERING WHEEL TENSION, ALMOST LIKE THE POWER STEERING TURNS OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 FORD HYBRID ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING ON A RECENT TRIP - 70MPH IN 92 DEGREE HEAT, I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER, AND A MESSAGE ON THE DASH THAT SAID "STOP SAFELY NOW." THIS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY, AS I WAS TRYING TO GET HOME TO NC FROM FLORIDA. I WONDERED IF I HAD PURCHASED SOME BAD GAS, SO REFILLED THE TANK. I DROVE THE LAST 4 HOURS WITHOUT PROBLEMS, BUT THE TEMPERATURE FELL TO THE 70S. HOWEVER, YESTERDAY, AS I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM, I FOUND NUMEROUS MENTIONS OF THE SAME PROBLEM WITH VARIOUS "FIXES" ALL OVER THE INTERNET. SOME DRIVERS REPORTED THE SCARY SITUATION OF DRIVING ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY WITHOUT A SHOULDER TO PULL OVER ON, AND THE SAME LOSS OF POWER. IT IS VERY SUDDEN WITH NO WARNING WHATSOEVER. IN MOST CASES, AFTER THE POWER FAILURE, THE CAR STARTS RIGHT UP AND YOU CAN DRIVE ON, BUT THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN FROM 10 TO 90 MINUTES. IT WAS VERY SCARY. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THE CAR IN YET, BUT THINK THE PROBLEM SHOULD DEFINITELY BE INVESTIGATED. FORD KNOWS ABOUT IT AND HAS NOT COME UP WITH ANY ONE "FIX." *TR

STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING WENT OFF AND THE ENGINE LOST POWER. MY WIFE WAS FORCED TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. AFTER TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, THE CAR DID RESTART AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME SAFELY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FOR TROUBLE SHOOTING, BUT SO FAR IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 6 HOURS AND THEY STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHAT IS WRONG. THE OWNERS MANUAL CLAIMS THIS IS A WARNING PRIOR TO FAILURE OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM IN HER FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. *TR

WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN ONTO ANOTHER STREET, THE STEERING WHEEL 'LOCKED' AND WOULD NOT TURN. I JAMMED ON THE BRAKES TO STOP BEFORE HITTING THE VEHICLE THAT WAS WAITING TO PULL OUT. I PULLED HARD ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT FINALLY MOVED. AFTER THAT, IT WENT BACK TO NORMAL OPERATION. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IT HAS NOT DONE IT SINCE, BUT MAKES ME NERVOUS WHEN DRIVING IT. I HAVE NOT CONTACTED THE FORD DEALER YET. *TR

IN SEPT 2009 I EXPERIENCED COMPLETE & UNEXPECTED BRAKE FAILURE IN MY 08 FORD ESCAPE. I WAS ABLE TO NURSE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL SENSOR CIRCUIT FAILED WHICH THEY SAID WAS PART OF THE MASTER CYLINDER. I WAS TOLD NO OPERATOR ERROR, JUST A DEFECTIVE PART. THE DEALER ALSO TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T JUST REPLACE THE TRAVEL SENSOR CIRCUIT, THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE MASTER CYLINDER WHICH ENDED UP COSTING ME $1530.63. MY SAFETY WAS TOTALLY JEOPARDIZED-I WAS JUST LUCKY I DIDN'T GET INTO AN ACCIDENT AND WASN'T ON FREEWAY WHEN BRAKES FAILED. THIS WAS EQUIPMENT THAT SHOULDN'T HAVE FAILED FOR YEARS, IF EVER, ESPECIALLY NOT IN A CAR WITH ONLY 40569 MILES ON IT. I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR FOR 5 DAYS AND HAD TO CANCEL CLIENT MEETINGS AND RENT A CAR. I TRIED TO CONTACT FORD TO HAVE THEM REIMBURSE ME FOR PARTS/LABOR ($1530.63)BUT WAS TOLD THEY WOULDN'T/COULDN'T DO THAT EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS NOT OPERATOR ERROR, BUT A FORD DEFECT. *DT

WAS DRIVING 2008 ESCAPE HYBRID ON HIGHWAY YESTERDAY @ 55MPH, ATTEMPTED TO PASS SLOWER VEHICLE BY SWITCHING LANES AND ACCELERATING. ACCELERATOR STUCK AND CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE DESPITE MY ATTEMPTS TO STOP IT. I HAD TO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD WHILE SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES TO STOP THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE REACHED SPEED OF 80 + MPH BEFORE ACCELERATOR BECAME UNSTUCK. HEARD A "POP" SIMILAR TO THE SOUND OF A CAR HOOD POPPING OPEN ONCE ACCELERATOR BECAME UNSTUCK. CAR WAS THEN DRIVABLE, BUT I DID NOT DRIVE OVER 35 MPH AFTER THAT OUT OF FEAR THAT CAR WOULD AGAIN BECOME UNCONTROLLABLE. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO FORD DEALERSHIP OUT OF FEAR OF DRIVING IT. CURRENTLY BEING EXAMINED BY DEALERSHIP AND PROBLEM HAS NOT YET BEEN DIAGNOSED. *TR