This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Transmission issue: Starting revving high on 1st gear skipping 2nd to 3rd. "slipping" took it in and was told after a scan that it would have to be rebuilt. Was told this also by Ford as well as another 3rd party transmission place. All 3 of them admitted this is a very common issue. Paid 3000 to rebuild the unit. I was 3,000 miles over my Ford esp. Ford refused to help me out at all. Many forums also list this as a problem.
2008 Ford Escape with 76500 miles. Started vehicle and proceeded to place the vehicle in drive, when I did it shifted real hard and made a squeeling noise. I placed the car in park and then back into drive and it did it again. The vehicle does the same thing when placing in reverse.
Starting in the fall of 2009 when the weather got colder, the throttle became unresponsive and harder to depress, requiring a greater effort to press down the pedal to un-stick and only then would the throttle pedal depress beyond the idle position. Therefore, the vehicle continues to lurch forward creating a sudden, dangerous condition. The problem has been persistent and continues to get worse.
My Escape only had 65000 miles on it when we started to have issues with the transmission. While driving the torque converter went out, and the clutch pack went bad.I ended up having to replace the transmission and torque converter. The mechanic I spoke with told me that there was an issue with the clutch pack in the transmission and mine was one of many he has seen with the same issues. No more than 6 months later the transmission is slamming in to gear and shifting hard. We had it looked at and the mechanic said we will need to have the transmission replaced. Ford denied any claim to issues with the transmission and refuses to help.
- Linden, VA, USA
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The RPM gauge on the 2008 Ford Escape seemed to be "idling" high. The RPM's did not match how fast I was going in mph like it usually does. It was like the car was hesitating to move. The wrench light came on and I looked up what that meant in the owner's manual. It said powertrain fault/default, take to dealership immediately! the back window stopped working too. I am sooooo disappointed in this vehicle!!! I'm still making payments, as I bought the car barely 4 years ago. With so few miles, it should not have these types of problems.
Transmission has previously been repaired for leaking transmission fluid at approx. 25,000. Now, at about 60,000 miles the transmission has seized. It appears many owners are having problems with the transmissions on this vehicle and Ford is trying to say that abnormal noise and failures are typical.
Vehicle wrench light came on the dash in the morning going to work. On the way home I was stopping by local auto parts store to have code tested. The auto parts tech said that there were no codes popping up. As I left and pulled away from the store the transmission jumped in rpms before it lurched into the 2nd automatic gear causing the vehicle to shudder. Every time I accelerated from a stop to higher speeds the rpms would jump up to 3-4 thousand before it would jump into the next gear. Took the vehicle to a dealer garage. They said it was giving them codes related to tsb 12-4-8. the estimate for the repair is $2200. Ford has issued this as a tsb knowing that it is an issue. They should take care of the repair.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when he noticed a puddle of transmission fluid underneath. The vehicle was not inspected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 85,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing from a parking space, the vehicle lunged backwards. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred more than ten times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnosis and the contact was informed that they would need to update the power control module. The manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 82,000.
I have a 2008 Ford Escape, 3.0L V6 engine. We purchased the extended warranty and service contract with Ford and had the car serviced at Ford until 6 months ago when the service contract ran out. The car is just over 4 years old at 105,000 miles and the 2nd gear in the transmission went out while trying to merge into traffic on a highway. I reached out to Ford to request a good will repair given the fact that this is an ongoing issue and there are numerous complaints on the message boards as well as given the fact that we have diligently had the car maintenance and repair done by Ford and they refused. Looking at the message boards, this seems to be a significant recurring problem with the Escape and I believe Ford needs to be held accountable. This presents not only a hazard to the driver but also to other drivers as when the problem occurs, the car looses speed and the rpms rev out.
I was driving at approx 25 mph and the vehicle started to make a whining noise. The vehicle then accelerated by it self. It was taken out of gear to stop the vehicle from crashing. The vehicle was towed to repair facility. They determined that the a part in the transmission failed and then causing failure of the whole unit.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact noticed that transmission fuel was leaking onto the driveway. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacture was contacted and they advised that there were not any recalls on the transmission. The failure mileage was 62,000 and the current mileage was 62,972.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate and the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection where the mechanic advised the contact that the transmission would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
My car appeared to go into neutral while driving, then revved up and shot forward. Putting myself and passengers at danger of getting into an accident. This appears to be a common flaw in the power train (transmission) of the Ford Escapes. There should be a recall issued before a fatality occurs due to Ford negligence. I called Ford immediately upon arriving at work and will take it in at the end of the day but, having looked for complaints/recalls on line I see that this is very common and Ford is not taking responsibility.
Found puddle of transmission fluid on driveway. Transmission cooler is leaking just like all 2008 Ford Escapes. Not covered by warranty. Dealer charges $816. Why isn't it covered by a recall? we are disappointed.
I noticed a transmission fluid leak toward the front of the vehicle. The car was beginning to shift erratically, and slipping between gears at highway speeds. Was causing some concern while driving in the fast lane of the interstates. It was beginning to spray up under the hood, and I was worried about it getting on the exhaust manifold and starting a fire. After doing tons of research on line, if find out about a trans cooler defect. I see this has happened to 100's if not 1000's of people that owned 2008 Escapes. I was told Ford did do some repairs on these cars that where built early 2008, and that a csp (customer satisfaction program) was sent out March 2010, and expired in August 2010. My Escape was built in Sept. 2007, which should have covered it. Ford sent a csp #09B10 to owners for a replacement because of the know defect to the cooler. Since I didn't not own the vehicle until November 2010, I had no idea of the problem, and since the original owner never took it in for repair, I have to pay the price. I called Ford customer care, and both them, and the Ford dealer acknowledge the defect, but would not cover it. Since there is no recall, and the csp is over, I had to pay $644.41 out of my pocket. This is ridicules I am paying for a defect that Ford knows about. They both told me to hold on to my receipt in case there is a recall I can get reimbursed. I think this is the last Ford I will own. Even though this is connected to the drive train, and keeps your transmission from failing, its not a drive train part, and Ford will not cover cause its not internal. As far as I see it! its power train related, and if it unknowingly fails, the transmission will fail. Hopefully Ford does the right thing, and repairs or reimburses the customer that had it repaired for the mistake Ford made with the defective part before someone gets hurt.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, fluid was observed leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where the mechanic confirmed a trans core leak in the transmission. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 35,000 and the current mileage was 40,842.
I purchased a 2008 Ford Escape new in September 2008. After 50,000 miles I noticed a buzzing sound from the engine compartment. After searching the internet for probable causes, I discovered a tsb stating that idler pulley may fail prematurely. I purchased and replaced the pulley and noticed a transmission fluid leak near the radiator. After searching the internet some more, I discovered another tsb stating that the transmission coolers crack due to a flawed design. I contacted Ford through the website and they stated their are no recalls for my vehicle and directed me to the dealership that sold my vehicle. The repair estimates are between 800-1000 dollars. I have exceeded my warranty and multiple persons have stated that Ford does not honor it anyway for this component. I have owned 3 Ford with the similar issues. Ford posts tsbs not recalls even though the defects are caused by poor designs. If the cost benefit analysis doesn't add up in their favor, expect to pay out of pocket. I no longer allow my wife to drive this vehicle and fully expect to trade it in shortly.
I was in my car and when I stepped on the gas to accelerate and pull out on to the road, my engine raced and I only rolled forward, down the small slope, into traffic. After about 3 seconds my transmission caught and the car jumped forward and I momentarily lost control, barely missing another car in the other lane. Turns out almost all of the transmission fluid had leaked out from the transmission cooler, causing a malfunctioning transmission. After bringing the vehicle in to get inspected, and talking to multiple dealers, they all say that they consistently fix this issue on the 2008 Ford Escape. Some even say they have trouble stocking the part because they do so many. The vehicle has a faulty transmission cooler/ac condenser that consistently breaks and causes the vehicle to lose transmission fluid, resulting in unsafe vehicles.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Kirkland, WA, USA