Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 443 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 443 · page 1 of 18
While driving over 60 MPH the car will begin to say the engine is hot and sometimes without warning going to stop safely now however when you open the hood nothing is hot to touch and there's an extreme amount of coolant gone from the engine coolant tank have replaced coolant tank itself still having issue begin happening in March and is still continuing
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel became stiff and made a hard right and the vehicle jumped the curb. The brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to steer correctly, and the steering wheel needed to be held with added force. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the residence where the torque sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 290,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn with the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 143,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The contact stated while starting the vehicle later that day, the power steering was no longer functional, and the message was displayed. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping between gears, and there was a significant delay while shifting into third gear. Additionally, the contact stated that when turning the steering wheel while driving, the vehicle failed to respond immediately and responded with a significant delay. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring more frequently while driving. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 14V284000 (Steering) and 15V606000 (Power Train). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled, but restarted after 45 minutes. The vehicle stability assists system warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist failed and the steering wheel seized. The power steering failure warning message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with power steering assist failure. The mechanic informed the contact that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that a recall for the steering had expired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated he depressed the brake to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the HECU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message “power assist error” had displayed and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 265,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering assist. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence in manual steering mode. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake was applied however, was spongy and slow to respond. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The Regan brakes disable failure message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to a local dealer. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 165,931.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE BRAKES WOULD NOT ENGAGE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED JORDAN FORD (609 E JEFFERSON BLVD, MISHAWAKA, IN 46545) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE HYBRID BRAKE SYSTEM NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 133,540.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED TO MOVE. THE POWER STEERING FAILURE MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL BEEPING SOUND DETECTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNDRIVEABLE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS SIMILAR TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V284000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE IDLE OR DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SHUT-OFF AS THE STOP SAFELY NOW WARNING MESSAGE APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION AFTER WAITING FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V526000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM) WHICH HE LINKED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED HIM THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 191,000.
THE STEERING WILL LOCK UP WHEN MAKING A TURN AT LOW SPEED. IF I PULL DOWN HARD ON THE STEERING WHEEL IT WILL BREAK LOSE, BUT THIS HAS ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED A MONTH AGO AND THE ABS AND BRAKE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE BRAKES WERE NOT FUNCTIONING AND ONLY OPERATED AT 40% CAPACITY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD TURN ON AND OFF AND THE BRAKE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL NHTSA. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE PREPARING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE REGENERATIVE BRAKING SYSTEM INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT HAD TO PUMP THE BRAKE PEDAL ALMOST TO THE FLOORBOARD TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE CONTACT CALLED PREFERRED FORD (LOCATED AT 1401 S BEACON BLVD, GRAND HAVEN, MI 49417, (616) 842-0600) WHERE AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SINCE THE INDICATOR WAS NO LONGER ILLUMINATED, HE HAD NOT TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. EACH TIME THE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, BUT DID NOT ASSIST. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000.
AS I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH IN MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID, THE ASB AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND BRAKES WEREN'T FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. I WAS ABLE TO CAREFULLY DRIVE IT HOME, 5 MILES. AFTER THE CAR SAT FOR A SHORT TIME IT WAS STARTED AND THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE NOT ON AND IT DROVE NORMALLY. I TOOK IT TO FORD GARAGE WHERE THEY SAID THE HCU MALFUNCTION AND IT NEEDED REPLACED. THE HCU PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH HYBRIDS AND VARY EXPENSIVE TO FIX AND DANGEROUS IF NOT FIXED. IT'S BEEN AT THE LOCAL FORD GARAGE FOR OVER 7 WEEKS AND THEY CAN'T BLEED THE BRAKES TO FINISH THE REPAIR. ALSO, WHEN THEY TOLD ME THEY COULDN'T BLEED THE BRAKES, I NEED TO REPLACE THE MASTER CYLINDER. THAT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM OF BLEEDING THE BRAKES. AT LEAST IT'S SAFE SITTING AT THE FORD GARAGE AND NOT BEING DRIVEN. FORD SHOULD RECALL THEIR HCUS
THE VEHICLE WON'T STOP. THE REGEN BRAKE DISABLED LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. NO BRAKES AT ALL
REGEN BRAKES DISABLED MALFUNCTION, LEADS TO LOSS OF BRAKING WITHOUT WARNING. MANY MANY OTHER ESCAPE HYBRID OWNERS HAVE FILED SIMILAR COMPLAINTS . PLEASE DO A GOOGLE SEARCH TO VERIFY THE EXTENT OF THIS PROBLEM. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND ADDRESSED PROMPTLY BEFORE MORE PEOPLE ARE HURT OR KILLED.
DRIVING AT 35MPH ABS LIGHT CAME ON THEN CHECK BRAKES FOLLOWED BY BRAKE REGEN DISENGAGED. THIS CREATED NO STOPPING OF VEHICLE AND RUNNING THROUGH STOP LIGHT. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO VEHICLES COMING FROM OTHER DIRECTIONS. STILL NO BRAKES AND APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE BY PUBLIC AND FORD.
-VEHICLE ABS (ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM) LIGHT CAME ON AND DASH SAID 'CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM' AND 'REGEN BRAKES DISABLED'. THANK GOODNESS I WAS PARKED WHEN THE ISSUE OCCURRED AND WHEN I TRIED TO DRIVE AWAY, I WAS ABLE TO TEST THE BRAKING ABILITY AND QUICKLY TURNED THE CAR BACK OFF. -GRINDING NOISE WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. SOUND CAME FROM FRONT OF CAR AFTER CAR WAS TURNED OFF -WAS ABLE TO START CAR PROPERLY AFTER 4+ ATTEMPTS AND WAITING 15-20 MINUTES -THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE REOCCURRED AT ANY TIME (EXTREMELY DANGEROUS) -CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER (FORD) TO EXPLAIN THE ISSUE AND HOW (AT THE TIME) THERE WERE 80+ SIMILAR ISSUES REPORTED TO NHTSA. -COST QUOTES RANGED FROM $4,800-$7,000 TO REPLACE HCU (HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT), MASTER CYLINDER, ABS MODULE REPLACEMENT -THIS IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT IN THE BRAKING SYSTEM (DTC C1478) AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED -WHEN CONTACTED, FORD DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE AND SEEMED TO NOT CARE ABOUT THE ISSUE -- I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER FORD AGAIN -FORD WAS AWARE OF ISSUE (SSM 45870) AND CHOSE TO DO NOTHING ("SOME 2005-2008 ESCAPE/MARINER HYBRID VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE THE ABS WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH THE FOLLOWING DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) C1478, C1479, C1480 OR C1481. REFER TO WORKSHOP MANUAL (WSM), SECTION 206-09 INSPECTION AND VERIFICATION PROCEDURE UNDER DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING. IF NO FAULTS ARE IDENTIFIED WHILE PERFORMING THE INSPECTION AND VERIFICATION PROCEDURE AND BEFORE REPLACING THE ABS HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT (HCU) VERIFY THE CALIPER FLEX HOSES ARE THOROUGHLY INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE, INTERNAL RESTRICTIONS OR SWELLING. DAMAGED CALIPER FLEX HOSES CAN GENERATE THESE PRESSURE CONTROL PLAUSIBILITY DTCS.")
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED A RATTLING NOISE EMERGING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO METRO FORD (5422 WAYNE TERR, MADISON, WI 53718) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.
DRIVING MY CAR AND THE ABS AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND BRAKES FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY. PAUL MILLER FORD OF LEXINGTON KY.SAID I NEEDED TO REPLACE NCU AND MASTER CYLINDER AT A COST OF $9000. THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS I'VE DISCOVERED AFTER RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM. THE CAR IS STILL AT THE DEALER SO I DON'T HAVE PAPER WORK YET.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE THE CONTACT'S SON WAS DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT ALSO HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AFTER DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, CHECK BRAKE SYSTEM, AND ABS WARNING INDICATORS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REGENERATIVE BRAKES DISABLED WARNING MESSAGE WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ABS MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED NEWINS BAY SHORE FORD (219 W MAIN ST, BAY SHORE, NY 11706, (631) 665-1300) AND INFORMED THEM OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,500. *AS CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE.*JB
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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