2008 Ford Escape Hybrid Problems

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 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.

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 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 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.

APPROX. A YEAR AGO THE BRAKES STARTED FAILING. SUDDENLY YOU HAD TO PUMP THEM EXTRA HARD TO STOP. WARNING LIGHT APPEARED THAT TIRES NEED INFLATING. THEY DID NOT. THEN AN ABS WARNING LIGHT APPEARED. SUDDENLY THE BRAKES STARTED WORKING AGAIN, NO EXTRA PUMPING NEEDED. THEN AT HIGH SPEEDS THE WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON AND STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY AND YOU COULDN'T GO ABOUT 60 MPH. AHHH! WHEN YOU HIT BRAKES THEY DIDN'T RESPOND OR A TERRIBLE GRINDING NOISE HAPPENED. LOOKED IT UP, COMMON IN THIS YEAR'S HYBRID THAT ABS BRAKES FAIL. ONLY HAD 150K ON IT. TOOK TO LOCAL FORD DEALER, THEY WANTED $7400 TO FIX. WHAT? "PROPRIETARY ABS BRAKES MUST BE REPLACED." THEY WOULDN'T TURN WARNING MESSAGE OFF COMPUTER OR DO ANYTHING LESS. WOULDN'T CHECK HOSES, CIRCUITS, OR PADS. JUST A FLAT "$7400" WITH NO EXPLANATION OTHER THAN ABS SYSTEM. WE FOUND OUT THROUGH COMPLAINT SITES ONLINE THAT OTHERS HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. IT'S EXTREMELY HARROWING TO BE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS AND HAVE THE CAR SUDDENLY START SHAKING AND THE BRAKES NOT WORK!!

THE REGEN BREAKS DISABLED LIGHT IS ALWAYS ON. THE BREAKS DO NOT WORK PROPERLY, IF AT ALL. NUMEROUS TIMES I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO STOP ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THE BREAKS SOMETIMES LOCK ON AND THE VEHICLE WON'T MOVE AT ALL. UNABLE TO GO MORE THAN 40 MPH. IF YOU ATTEMPT, THE VEHICLE SHAKES AND THE BREAKS SMOKE. I TOOK IT TO FORD FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND THEY INFORMED ME IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM DUE TO THE THE BEAK SYSTEM AND THE HYBRID SYSTEM BEING INTEGRATED. THE PART BY ITSELF IS $4200 AND THE VEHICLE BLUE BOOKS FOR ABOUT $3000 AT THE MOST. THE VEHICLE WON'T START OR EVEN TURN OVER. THE BATTERY IS GOOD.

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.

VEHICLE WAS PARKED. I GOT IN TO START THE VEHICLE. UPON REVERSING IT IMMEDIATELY LOCKED THE STEERING WHEEL, SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY AND I SAW THE LETTERS 'SAFELY STOP' APPEAR AS WELL AS THE RED TRIANGLE (PER AUTO MANUAL THE RED TRIANGLE IS DESCRIBED AS 'MASTER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL HAZARD WARNING LAMP' AND I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE VEHICLE AT THAT POINT AT ALL. I TRIED TO TURN IT BACK ON SEVERAL TIMES. OFTEN IT WOULDN'T TURN ON AT ALL, BUT WHEN IT DID THEN THE RED TRIANGLE WOULD APPEAR AGAIN & CAR WOULDN'T BUDGE.

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 VEHICLE WON'T STOP. THE REGEN BRAKE DISABLED LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. NO BRAKES AT ALL

THE CAR COMES TO A STALL ON THE INTERSTATE I-75 LOST TRACTION SHUTDOW THE COMBUSTION ENGINE AND A WARNING COMES UP (STOP SAFELY NOW) . THE SAME HAPPEN 8 TIMES IN A MONTH LOCALY IN WESTON. ALL THE TIMES I TURNED OFF THE KEY AND RESTARD. IT SEEMS THE SAME PROBLEM AS PER RECAL 14V-526 OR 14V526000, LOCAL DEALER DOES NOT RECOGNIZE ANY PROBLEM OR RECAL (SAWGRASS FORD)

WHILE IDLING THE WARNING MESSAGE "STOP VEHICLE SAFLEY" APPEARED AND THE CAR WENT INTO "LIMP" MODE. AFTER CUTTING ENGINE OFF TO RESET, THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AGAIN. AFTER A SHORT TIME OF IDLING AGAIN, THE VEHICLE GAVE THE SAME WARNING MESSAGE. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN A SHORT DISTANCE TO A SAFE PARKING AREA IN "LIMP" MODE. THE VEHICLE THEN HAD TO BE TOWED AND ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY REPLACED.

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V526000 (HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

IVE HAD REOCCURRING ISSUES WITH MY BRAKES ,ABS SYSTEM , POWER TRAIN , STEERING COLUMN STARTER. OVER THE COURSE OF THREE YEARS AND IT SEEM LIKE THE PROBLEMS KEEP COMING UP . THE ONLY CLOSE CALL I REMEMBERS IS COMING HOME FROM WORK . MAKING A TURN ON TO A STREET, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I COULD HAVE CRASHED IF A HUGE CURB WASNT THERE .

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND THE ABS WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 134,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, AN ONCOMING VEHICLE CRASHED HEAD ON INTO THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE SIDE AIR BAGS IN THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE DEPLOYED, BUT THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS, INCLUDING THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAGS, DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT LATER REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AND TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 199,820.

SINCE THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED A BRAKING FAILURE INCIDENT I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH&VISITS TO MECHANICS TO RETRIEVE CODES THROWN FROM THE CAR OFF DIAGNOSTIC MACHINES. REPLACING THE HCU CARRIES A PREMIUM PRICE TAG OF $5K-7K. PRIOR TO THE FIRST ACCIDENT,THERE IS NO OBVIOUS WAY THAT I COULD HAVE DAMAGED THE HCU WITH MY VERY NORMAL DRIVING HABITS (I.E.NO HISTORY OF TOWING, NO LONG DOWNHILL BRAKING)&THE HCU IS NOT A COMPONENT SUSCEPTIBLE TO WEAR TO THE POINT OF EARLY FAILURE. I BELIEVE THAT THE ESCAPE HYBRIDS BRAKING SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE BY DESIGN (HENCE THE TSB)&FAULT LIES WITH FORD.I CONSIDER THIS BRAKE FAILURE VERY SERIOUS&A PROBLEM THAT FORD HAD NEVER BOTHERED TO NOTIFY ME ABOUT OR RECALL.MY ATTEMPTS TO GET FORD'S ATTENTION ON THIS MATTER HAVE BEEN FRUITLESS.TO SUMMARIZE NHTSA IS NOT CONCERNED B/C NOBODY HAS GOTTEN KILLED BY THESE DEFECTIVE BRAKES. FORD CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS VERY SERIOUS&SIGNIFICANTLY DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW.AFTER SEVERAL EPISODES OF BRAKE FAILURE I FOUND TSB 05-8-5 (8/5/05 NHTSA ID#10017553:ESCAPEHYBRIDVEHICLES EXHIBIT THE YELLOW ABS&RED E- BRAKE WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATING AFTER THE ENGINE IS STARTED,&AN INCREASE INBRAKE PEDALEFFORT)FORD CLAIMS NO RESPONSIBILITY TO DEAL W/THE PROBLEM.ITS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE W/O THE REPAIR,IT HAD NO VALUE BEING BROKEN,&I DID NOT HAVE THE CONSCIENCE TO SELL THE VEHICLE W/A DANGEROUS PROBLEM.FORDS FAILURE TO PROACTIVELY ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE IS RATHER APPALLING.FORD ABANDONED ME W/A$7,000 BILL TO REPAIR A PROBLEM THAT IS SOLELY RELATED TO THEIR POOR DESIGN.FIRST ACCIDENT DESCRIPTION:ABS WARNING LIGHT&SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON CLUSTER."SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM"&"REGENERATIVE BRAKING DISABLED" ILLUMINATED ON MESSAGE BOARD. ON THE HIGHWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC,UPON EXTREME BRAKING, BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN TIME TO AVOID A REAR-END COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. *TR

PRE MATURE RUST ON HATCHBACK DOOR AND REAR QUARETER PANEL ALMOST EVERY OWNER OF SAME CAR HAVE SAME ISSUE

BOTH REAR QUARTER PANELS ARE PREMATURELY RUSTING AND I HAVE SEEN THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM WITH MULTIPLE FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS.

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.

IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE TIRE PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON SHORTLY BEFORE A TIRE WENT FLAT. DURING THE TIRE REPAIR, THE VALVE STEM WAS IDENTIFIED AS THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK. THE STEM WAS CRACKED AND CORRODED. INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE'S OTHER VALVE STEMS SHOWED THEY WERE ALSO DEFECTIVE, AND THE SPARE STEM STARTED TO HISS AND LEAK UPON TOUCHING IT. ALL FIVE OEM VALVE STEMS WERE REPLACED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE REAR HATCH WINDOW EXPLODED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. *TR

SUNROOF EXPLODED FROM INSIDE TO OUT, SENDING GLASS FRAGMENTS EVERYWHERE. IT WAS NOT HIT WITH ANYTHING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT REAR CENTER SEAT BELT FAILED TO FUNCTION PROPERLY. WHILE DRIVING AND MAKING A SHARP TURN THE SEAT BELT RESPONDED AS IT SHOULD BY LOCKING UP, BUT IT NEVER RELEASED OR BECAME LOOSE. THE DRIVER HAD TO FORCEFULLY PULL THE SEAT BELT IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE PASSENGER OUT OF IT. THE SEAT BELT WAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY A DEALER NOR WAS IT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 48,500.

DRIVER HEAT WAS SCORCHING HOT, PASSENGER HEAT WARM. 7/27/11. REPLACED BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR. SEEMED TO WORK FINE. 6/11/12 HEAT BLOWING SCORCHING HOT; AC NOT WORKING AT ALL. DEALER TESTED WITH DYE IN THE SYSTEM (NO LEAKS), TOPPED OFF FLUIDS. WORKED FOR A FEW DAYS. RETESTED & THEY "REMOVE REPLACE CONDENSOR RECHARGE" 7/2/12 AC BLOWING SCORCHING HOT HEAT. *JS

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH THE POWER CUT OUT AND A WARNING WAS DISPLAYED ON THE DASH TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND CONTINUE DRIVING, BUT IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED TO FORD. THE FORD DEALER HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY AND MOTOR ASSEMBLY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *KB