Check a VIN

2008 Ford Escape acceleration complaints

Page 2 of 7: complaints 11 to 40 of 175, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2008 Ford Escape acceleration problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Dec 28, 2017 · Acceleration · 135,000 miles · WI

Dec. 26, 2017 accelerator pedal cable snapped and fell to floor. Had to get tow and now in shop. Throttle body and cable need replacement. $700! This shouldn't have happened. It has under 150,000 miles on it. Seems very dangerous. The pedal has been sticking a lot and now this. Vehicle was in chicago busy intersection. Couldn't even press pedal down to move the car and then something snapped. And pedal fell to floor.

Filed Nov 23, 2017 · Acceleration · 82,000 miles · PA

I have owned this escape for only about 9 months. I have had many sporadic issues with the gas pedal. The gas pedal has stuck a few times and I have been unable to press down on the pedal. It seems to act up worse when the weather gets colder. I have had a few instances where I was driving and was unable to accelerate and had to put my vehicle in park and keep pressing down on the gas pedal until it finally allowed me to accelerate and move forward. When the pedal locks up it is like pressing against a wall and there is no give in the pedal but when it does finally press down it causes a high acceleration and cause the vehicle to launch forward. This is definitely a scary situation when you are in traffic and all of the sudden can't drive your car. Thankfully I have not been in any accidents because of this issue but I feel it is only a matter of time unless this issue is fixed. After doing a bit of research I see that there are many other people who have had similar issues with this make. It is very unsafe and I am always worried about being stranded or having this cause an accident. As a mother of a 4 year old this is definitely a scary issue to have! I love my escape and would love to keep it but I do not feel safe driving it like this. I hope that this issue is being looked into after seeing other complaints about this problem and I hope that this issue can be resolved!

Filed Oct 19, 2017 · Acceleration, Transmission · 93,000 miles · MI

While driving, the carboard noticed several signs and the speedometer dropped to zero. Also, on other days, I could not start the car.

Filed Jun 30, 2017 · Acceleration · 70,000 miles · WI

Upon accelerating on an on ramp, the shifting did not work properly. It will not easily shift from 1st gear to 2nd gear. I had someone put a computer reader on the truck and it said it was a gear shift ratio for gear #2. The out take sensor was replaced with a new one, however that did not fix the problem. I do not have any other problems with any other gears. All others shift flawlessly except for the afore mentioned. Thank you

Filed May 17, 2017 · Acceleration · 170,000 miles · IL

Car fails to accelerate properly while driving. After stepping on the gas while driving, I feel a strong pull, and the car doesn't accelerate more than 20mph. It seems to happen at random times and no sensor lights come one.

Filed May 17, 2017 · Acceleration, Steering · 2 miles · OH · crash · 1 injury

In 2016 november my gas pedal stuck to the floor and I freaked out and ran into my neighbors garage and I had 10 fired fighters and sherriff look at my turned off escape and the accelerated pedel was completely sitting on the floor of the vehicle and it also was towed to ford and said the accelerator pedal link was completely broke and it was not covered under insurance for they said this is a manufacture issue and not insurance and so I had to use the front end damage to pay for the $1500 repair on a part that should not have broke, ford has now over 100 complaints to this say problem and no fix.....this vehicle accelerated and rammed a neighbors garage door and I could have been killed and all the sheriff and firefighters say they have never seen an accelerator pedal depressed to the floor and I was lucky....ford fix this....this is going to kill someone and it I had injuries from the whiplash.

Filed May 6, 2017 · Acceleration, Transmission · 89,699 miles · MO

Loss of 2nd and 4th gear/ limp mode. I purchased a used 2008 ford escape with 69,980 miles. No complaints till hit 89,000 miles when all if a sudden there was no 2nd and 4th gear. I was getting ready to pull into traffic. Put foot on accelerator went to about 16mph and refused to ho faster. Rpms revved up to 4000+ the yellow wrench light came on. Once got to 20mph hard shift into gear .and did this again at 40mph except wont shift into higher gear. Was told it is in limp mode. So I did internet research on this. Said over 368 complaints just on this specific problem, specifically on the 2008 ford escape. I tried resetting the PCM. Did not fix problem. Replaced the throttle control sensor. Did not fix problem. Now that leaves the 2nd & 4th gear band assembly. I called and got 3 estimates, they ranged from$1900-$3000. Part cost $89 and a new transmission cost $1700. Replacing this part can be done without having to remove transmission and said to about 2hours. My complaint in if this is a common issue why aren't you replacing part or fixing this? There has been several investigations and still nothing! This is the first ford I purchased and will be the last! Which is a shame because I love my truck. Just can't afford to fix it. So I will park it and pray ford owns up to their faulty parts and assembly and fixes this. And I will make sure everyone I know and everyone I meet knows about how ford knowingly put in defective parts on many vehicle so they could make money fixing them. Think about it. All these ( throttle control sensor and 2nd & 4th gear band ) go bad at 89,000 mile.

Filed Mar 20, 2017 · Acceleration · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal was difficult to depress and became stuck in the depressed position intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Feb 14, 2017 · Acceleration · 116,960 miles · FL

The gas pedal collapsed to the floor while driving my car. I was fortunate enough to coast in to a parking lot. I was able to play with the pedal returning it to the normal operating position. Took car to ford dealership. Service department replaced the cable assembly/throttle control. I have seen a lot of similar complaints online about the same exact problem with the 2008 ford escape.

Filed Jan 11, 2017 · Acceleration · 95,500 miles · VA

The accelerator pedal sticks often and requires extra foot manipulation to get it to work properly. This occurs mostly when accelerating from a stop and makes pulling out into traffic a dangerous proposition. This occurs on city streets and from stop lights on larger state highways. It has also failed to depress, causing the vehicle to be immovable for a time.

Filed Jan 10, 2017 · Acceleration · 113,294 miles · MI

My 2008 ford escape I purchased in october of 2016 since purchasing my gas pedal completely seizes while driving at any speed. This is a safety hazard. I have done the research to provide that other years have been recalled for the same issue with the throttle body. This vehicle doing this puts not only myself but my 4 month old child in danger. Driving today in michigan in rush hour traffic for over 60 miles this completely seized on me. This is a serious issue in which I think needs to be looked into. Im hoping for it not to take an accident for this to be researched.

Filed Oct 27, 2016 · Acceleration · 5 miles · NJ

First cold morning the gas pedal stuck after 5 miles. No movement. I was in the left lane & had to cross other lanes to safety. My wife refuses to drive this car. Dealer says throttle body issues on other escapes are covered by a 10 year/150,000 mile warranty.

Filed Oct 13, 2016 · Acceleration · 81,000 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. There was a total loss of power and the wrench indicator illuminated. The vehicle was driven home. The dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.

Filed Oct 8, 2016 · Acceleration, Electrical · 130,000 miles · LA

When sitting idle at red light or stop sign, it rumbles roughly, I hit the accelerator it hesitates to go then all of a sudden gets a burst of speed. This mainly happens in city street.

Filed Aug 24, 2016 · Acceleration · 136,000 miles · MN

Purchased vehicle a month ago with 135,000 miles. It has stalled 3 times at low speeds, once while in the middle of a turn on a city street causing me to lose steering and almost hit another vehicle, no lights pop on when this happens it just dies with no warning. I am able to put the vehicle in park and restart it. It has also, on numerous occasions lurched forward from a stop or rolling stop when I hit the gas. From reading other owners complaints it sounds identical to the throttle body control issue so many seem to be having. I can't afford to have it checked out at this point, and don't feel safe driving it but I have no other vehicle. I did call ford but they don't recognize my VIN under the "customer satisfaction program" they have for so many other of their vehicles having this same issue! Again, I don't feel safe driving it but have no choice, so I wanted public record of the issue in case it shuts off on me at highway speeds and I die in an accident, so my spouse and children have a record that I brought the known issue to ford but they did nothing.

Filed Aug 15, 2016 · Acceleration, Steering · OH

I purchased my 2008?ford escape last year 2015. I have replaced both cv axils on each side and I had my steering column replaced. I purchased the car with 95,000 miles on it at a great deal of $8,900. I then found out why it was so cheap from such a trusted dealership. The dealership was closing in the next 2 weeks. It closed shortly after my purchase and a new ford dealership opened in its place. Through out the last few weeks my car has not been driving correctly, especially on the highway. I took a closer look and noticed that no matter my speed my car will not go above 3rd gear. My power tran light came on today. I have read on other sights that there were recalls on this issue. I do not think these issues were fixed while being recalled. The related I've done so far have not been cheap by any means. After a year (even less 2 of the above cases) I should not be having these issues. Http://m.carcomplaints.com/ford/escape/2008/recalls/ the above sight was my reference tara

Filed Jul 13, 2016 · Acceleration, Transmission · 122,000 miles · TX

Vehicle power train light came on. Vehicle began to shutter then lose power on the highway without a shoulder. Vehicle reduced speed to max 20mph.

Filed Jul 10, 2016 · Acceleration, Brakes · 92,000 miles · PA

Abs and traction control lights came on. When braking, it took longer to stop and was like you were stopping on ice. When starting out again, it took awhile for my vehicle to accelerate again and I had to pull off the road until it could start again. I had my daughter and granddaughter in vehicle. This presented a dangerous situation as it impeded braking ability plus the hesitation with the acceleration could cause an accident

Filed Jun 17, 2016 · Acceleration · VA

My gas pedal completely broke and dropped down while driving on the freeway, and I could not move once the car came to a stop. I have google this particular issue with other ford escapes 2008, and many other folks have the same issue or are complaining about a sticky or loose gas pedal. This is a very serious and dangerous issue. I could have been involved in a very horrible accident, and other folks are at similar risk.

Filed Jun 7, 2016 · Acceleration, Electrical · 160,000 miles · OH

Truck is accelerating and switching gears on its own. While at a traffic light , a wrench light pops on and the truck begins to switch gears. Once the truck is turned off, the wrench light goes away but returns after driving begins again. Truck is not getting enough power when driving as if it is going to shut off. There are also jerking motions while driving.

Filed May 23, 2016 · Acceleration, Steering · 100,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. While driving 5 MPH, the contact lost control of the steering wheel and the steering warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed as needing a new steering column. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v284000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. Updated 08/02/16*lj the consumer stated after the steering column was replaced, she had to purchase a throttle control at a cost of $800, because the vehicle was accelerating on its own.

Filed Jan 22, 2016 · Acceleration · 114,000 miles · SC

Accelerator pedal sticking, intermittently not working

Filed Dec 30, 2015 · Acceleration · 116,000 miles · AL

Purchased a 2008 ford escape new in 2008 and have had it worked on 3 different times for the accelerator sticking caused by the throttle body. It was never replaced. Now because I have 116000 miles on it I just got taken advantage of. Once again the accelerator stuck and luckily I was able to pull over and hold the brake and shut it off. I paid $110 to tow it to a ford dealership. Well now it is going to cost me $1000 to replace the throttle body. This should have been done previously and now it seems to be on me or risk being killed due to this safety issue. Even if it was never issued as a recall item I have had issues with this since purchasing it new in 2008. I want something done. I did call ford mtr co and was told they could not help me because the vehicle has over 100000 miles on it. Well if it had been handled even once in the past 3 times it could have gotten me killed then it would not be an issue now.

Filed Oct 22, 2015 · Acceleration, Transmission · 162,000 miles · GA

Acceleration is labored. The vehicle skips gears when driving at a low speed rate. The vehicle will jerk and make noises as it skipping through 2nd and 4th gear. Unfortunately, this happened in traffic at rush hour.

Filed Sep 30, 2015 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 3,000 miles · IN

All these items have been fixed by capitol city ford indianapolis and mace ford terre haute, in. I am still having problems with the throttle thrust and electrical problems. Currently my car will not start. Other mechanics said it was the starter, its not the starter its electrical sensors. The vehicle speeds up sometimes when the car is not being excelerated. Suspension, heater speed control stop working when they worked on the electrical and they refuse to fix it. There is more. I don't have my documentation, but I will submit it later. The car is at the shop - being looked and worked on - its still not starting - so we don't have transportation!! I cant afford another hit from ford when they are not even fixing the problem.

Filed Sep 18, 2015 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 117,700 miles · IA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while at a stop sign and turning right to merge with oncoming traffic, the dashboard displayed "the traction control kicked in" and there was no acceleration available when the accelerator pedal was engaged. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the tone ring was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 117,700.

Filed Sep 17, 2015 · Acceleration, Brakes · 87,000 miles · MI

When I would try to accelerate whether from a stopped position or already in motion my gas pedal sticks. I'm unable to press it down and I lose speed. Each time I press the gas pedal or brake pedal I hear a pop. I was trying to merge onto the highway and it suddenly wouldn't let me accelerate for a few minutes. This is very dangerous and frightening. It also does this if I'm already in motion of if I try to accelerate from a stopped position. I fear for my life and the life of my family. I take my husband to work an hour away, this is terrifying and unacceptable. I also transport my children to their jobs and schools. Please help before someone gets killed.

Filed Sep 10, 2015 · Acceleration · 83,500 miles · TN

I had traveled about 8 miles and was traveling at 40mph when the speed of the vehicle remained at 40mph without my foot being on gas pedal (cruise was not on). I successfully stop at traffic light with engine still excelarating (rpms were at 2k)). While sitting at light the engine reved to about 5k rpms as I held the brake. I pulled over to verify that nothing was under the gas pedal. This happened to more times on 9/9/15. Morning of 9/10 it worked fine until I had traveled 8-10 miles then the same thing happened. I have taken it to a garage and the can not find anything wrong or recreate the problem. Thank god I was not traveling at 75mph when this happened because I doubt the brakes would stopped me. The garage has kept the car tonight to try to recreate the problem. I am afraid to drive the vehicle in fear of hurting someone or myself.

Filed Aug 6, 2015 · Acceleration · 115,000 miles · WI

I had my cruise control on and had used the coast button to slow down when approaching a car in front of me, I proceed to accelerate when the gas peddle continued to go down and speed increase. I pressed the off button on cruise control and it would not turn off. With both feet on the brake the vehicle continued forward. As I left the road way I tried turning vehicle off but it kept running at about 40 miles per hour I tried putting it in neutral and the vehicle continued forward at which time I put the vehicle in park. The engine stopped. After 30 seconds I started the vehicle and the engine roared, so I shut it off. In the process of calling for assistant, less than a minute, I heard a sound of something being release and the gas pedal hit my foot. I started the vehicle and the engine/speed was normal. Frick ford dealership says only an acceleration code showing and there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. They said it probably is the floor mat and I should remove them. They only worried about warranty and recall issue and did not advise any service work I would pay for or did the even recommend this.

Filed Jul 7, 2015 · Acceleration, Transmission · 150,000 miles · VA

Attempted to pull into uncoming traffic in a 45mph zone , but could not get to more than 10mph. The power train light appeared as a wrench bottom left of steering wheel. Glided/steered car immediatly to closest parking lot and called closest ford dealership.

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2008 Ford Escape?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history