2008 Ford Escape Hybrid: soft or spongy brake pedal

5 of the 443 complaints about the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid describe soft or spongy brake pedal.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 1%
typical mileage: 119,000
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 3 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Soft or spongy brake pedal by model year

2008
5
2005
1

What owners say

Filed Jul 14, 2021 · Brakes · 165,931 miles · VA

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.

Filed Nov 15, 2016 · Brakes · 217,032 miles · KS

I have experienced an unusual problem with the braking system in my 2008 ford escape hybrid. I have experienced several episodes while braking of the yellow ABS and the red brake warning lamp lighting up and the display saying "regen brakes disabled" over the past year. When this happens the brakes are slow to stop the car with a jerking action. All of my failures have happened while driving in town. Once I ended up in the middle of an intersection before the car came to a complete stop. The only way I could correct the issue would be to stop the car, depress the brake pedal hard to the floor,then shut off the vehicle. I would then restart my car and the brakes would then return to normal operation. I have researched this issue on line and have found hundreds of people posting complaints about the same issue. All complaints are from owners of feh's 2005 to 2008. Why hasn't this life safety issue been addressed? From what I have read, the repair could be from $3000 to $7000 dollars. I don't understand why there hasn't been a recall. Or has there been. Please advise. Dl

Filed Sep 1, 2015 · Brakes · 119,000 miles · WY

When driving at 35 MPH the brake warning came on. I pulled over because I thought maybe the emergency brake was on, stopped, applied the emergency brake and released it, but the warning was still on. In a few miles, I arrived at my destination, checked the brake fluid level and it was fine. On the way home I got the check brake system, regen brakes disabled, ABS light error. The brakes feel spongy and it takes a lot of error to stop the vehicle. The dealer has given us an estimate of $4700 to fix the problem. I see there are a lot of complaints on the internet about this same problem with the ford escape hybrids and can't believe there hasn't been a recall!

Filed Sep 19, 2013 · Brakes · 40,000 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the ABS, brake and regenerative lights all illuminated as the brake pedal became stiff and spongy. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the hydraulic control unit would need to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the master cylinder would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 40,000.

Filed Feb 5, 2010 · Brakes · 10,000 miles · CA

On several occasions since purchasing my 2008 ford escape hybrid (new) the brakes have either been spongy or seemingly, temporally, non-existent. When this problem happened/happens it seems to be immediately following the vehicle transitioning from gas to electric drive mode.