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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
76,278 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2008 Ford Escape engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 7 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #48

Nov 212012

Escape 4-cyl

  • 805,344 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

As the weather has been getting colder, I started to notice how difficult it was for me to accelerate. This incident has been occurring every morning. On Wednesday I mentioned it to the Ford service person and he said that it could be the body throttle. On Thursday I noticed that the acceleration problem continued more frequently as I drove to work. Upon internet searching I saw an article about your investigation and wanted to add my information. Today I had the car serviced and the body throttle was replaced. With the weather getting colder and this part will mostly like will work hap hazardly, I feel that this is something that should be recalled by Ford. How many fatal accidents and innocent people must become victims before safety procedures are implemented? [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Waterford Works, NJ, USA

problem #47

Oct 172012

Escape

  • 54,900 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. While driving approximately 10 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed with a delayed response. There was a voluntary recall issued by the manufacturer related to the throttle however, the contact's VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer and an authorized dealer were notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 54,900. The VIN was unavailable.

- Middletown, CT, USA

problem #46

Nov 072011

Escape 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated when he applied pressure to the accelerator it froze and stuck in place. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and was informed the failure was due to a throttle cable becoming detached from the pedal. The failure recurred numerous times but only whenever the weather was cold. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 120,000. Updated 01/15/13 updated 1/23/2013 the consumer stated the failure was repaired twice and the failure recurred. Updated 1/23/2013

- West Allis, WI, USA

problem #45

Nov 062011

Escape

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked she placed the vehicle in reverse and depressed the accelerator pedal. The contact noticed the accelerator pedal was stiff and would not move. After depressing the accelerator pedal continually it finally responded. The failure occurred while stopped at a traffic light as well. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated there was a manufacturer recall but the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Zanesville, OH, USA

problem #44

Oct 022012

Escape

  • 76,000 miles
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.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

problem #43

Aug 252012

Escape

  • 45,000 miles
I was driving my 2008 Ford Escape in a mall parking lot, and when I approach a stop sign the vehicle was extremely hard to stop. I had to use the full force of the brake all the way down to maintain the vehicle from surging/ crashing into cars in front of me. The engine was staying accelerated and would continue to climb in rpms even thou the gas pedal was not being pressed. I pulled off to the side away from other cars and put the car into parked. At this time the vehicle accelerated on its own to about 8000 rpms. The only way to stop the engine was to completely turn the car off with the key. Upon turning on the vehicle again the problem did not continue.

- Warrington, PA, USA

problem #42

Sep 012011

Escape 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 50,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the accelerator pedal became stuck to the floorboard. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis but the failure could not be replicated. The dealer stated that they replaced a part on the vehicle but the contact was unsure of what that part was specifically. Two weeks later the failure recurred. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 75,000.....updated 10/11/12 updated 10/17/2012

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #41

Aug 242012

Escape 6-cyl

  • 78,584 miles
I was passing another vehicle - starting speed 40 mph - when the Escape went into passing gear the gas pedal stuck to the floor. I kicked at the pedal and the brake pedal trying to get the cruise control to release the pedal. I did not have the cruise control operating at the time as I had just went through a 45 mph zone. I got my foot under the edge of the pedal and pulled it up. The car was up to 90 mph on a two lane highway at 10:30 P.M coming into a curve. I have contacted Ford Motor Company and they told me that there are no recalls for the 2008 Escape, but I know there are recalls for other years for this same problem. The Ford dealer repair shop could not make the pedal stick and told me there is nothing wrong with the car. I want to make Ford and your Agency aware that the 2008 Escape has the same pedal sticking problem as the older models.

- Willows, CA, USA

problem #40

Aug 172010

Escape

  • 94,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal would become stuck while driving at least 35 mph. The contact had to use their hand to pull up the accelerator pedal, causing it to exhibit an abnormal popping sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they were unable to find a failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 94,000. The VIN was not available.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #39

Jun 092012

Escape

  • 65,000 miles
I had been traveling in a construction zone so I had my cruise control set somewhere near 35 or 40mph. The construction zone cleared up and I returned to normal speed but left the cruise control on. I accelerated on my own to about 70mph. A minute later the gas pedal left my foot and went to the floor accelerating the vehicle. Once at about 80mph the pedal let go and slapped the bottom of my foot (which was still in the position it was in at doing 70mph. The gas pedal (on it's own) moved to the floor and slapped my foot about 6 times before I turned off the cruise control. And again, the cruise control speed was set at about 40mph.

- New Boston, MI, USA

problem #38

Jul 082011

Escape

  • 49,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while braking, the vehicle suddenly surged forward. The contact did not notify the manufacturer or take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was 49,000.

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #37

May 082012

Escape 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 86,919 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 2 mph, the throttle began to stick. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the bottle assembly carburetor throttle and a gasket would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 86, 919 and the current mileage was 90,094. Updated 08/28/12

- Keyes, CA, USA

problem #36

Nov 012009

Escape

  • 5,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal would remain stuck and the contact was unable to depress the pedal. The contact stated that failure recurred often and most frequently during colder weather. The vehicle was taken to the a repair shop, however the failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of failure but no further assistance was provided. The current mileage was 80,000. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000.

- Mooresville, NC, USA

problem #35

Jul 092012

Escape

  • 142,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact was driving 55 mph when the accelerator pedal became stuck in open throttle. The vehicle then lost power and the contact was unable to drive the vehicle any further. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop but was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but no assistance was provided. The VIN was unavailable.the current and failure mileage was 142,000...updated 09/04/12 the consumer stated the gas accelerator fell apart like a puzzle. There is no device on it to prevent it from happening again. The dealership was aware of the issue and stated there has been a newly developed part to repair the issue but, the consumer must purchase it. Updated 09/12/2012

- Vilonia, AR, USA

problem #34

Feb 202012

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • 85,000 miles
When driving the instrument cluster fails. All the dashboard lights come on, the speedometer/fuel gauge/etc move to 0 or the far left. Looking online for Ford instrument panel failure, there are hundreds of complaints about it. Checked with the mechanic who says it is a common failure with Ford. They have a bulletin about it but it will not construe a recall until a death or injury from a crash related to the defective equipment. This may also fall under a tort lawsuit.

- Grand Forks, ND, USA

problem #33

Jan 252012

Escape 4WD 6-cyl

  • 102,000 miles
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.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #32

Oct 122011

Escape

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. After starting the vehicle, the contact attempted to accelerate and noticed that the vehicle would not respond. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the throttle cable was replaced. The contact was still experiencing the failure. The current and failure mileages were 56,000.

- Eas Point, MI, USA

problem #31

Feb 202012

Escape

  • 53,300 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal became stuck to the floorboard while the contact was attempting to merge onto the highway at approximately 35 mph. The accelerator pedal could not be released. The contact had to shift into neutral and coast to the shoulder of the road where the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the failure as the accelerator pedal cable being fractured. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and denied any assistance with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 53,300.

- Harrisburg , PA, USA

problem #30

Dec 022011

Escape

  • 35,643 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the contact noticed that the accelerator pedal was detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the accelerator pedal was repaired. The failure recurred and the vehicle was towed back to the dealer where the cable was glued to the pedal. The contact no longer felt safe driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was 35,643 and the current mileage was 36,830.

- Florence, VT, USA

problem #29

Jan 302012

Escape

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal wire snapped while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but denied any assistance with repairs to the vehicle. The dealer was in the process of replacing the cable. The failure and the current mileage was 90,000.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

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