I purchased a 2008 ford escape 2wd in february 2008. In january 2010, my husband noticed steam coming from my hood and something dripping on a our driveway. It has since been determined that my radiator is leaking where the plastic and metal parts are "sealed" together. Unfortunately I was out of my 36k bumper to bumper warranty & this part is not covered under ford's powertrain warranty. I continue to drive my vehicle but check the radiator coolant level weekly. There is no guarantee that an identical radiator will not have the same problem. Therefore, we are hesitant to pay the $800 the dealership asked for to fix. Also, the back driver's side door sometimes will not open. It appears to lock & unlock but the door doesn't catch the hook to release & open.
2008 Ford Escape engine complaints
Page 5 of 5: complaints 101 to 120 of 120, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that when stopped at a stop light, the accelerator pedal became stuck and would not move unless the consumers wife pressed on the bottom of the pedal firmly. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where he was informed that there was a clogged intake valve which would not allow the pressure in the pedal release. The vehicle had been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 35,000. Updated 06/02/10.*lj updated 05/11/10. *lj updated 08/18/10
My 2008 ford escape started jerking during acceleration and shuttering at stop lights. No lights check engine light ever came on, and didn't happen all the time. Finally the car stalled at a red light and I decided to bring it in. My ford dealership said its the transmission fluid leaking via the AC condenser. They are fixing it, $800 cost.
Vehicle is leaking severe amount of transmission fluid just at warranty mark. Dealer will not cover repair. There are a lot of complaints on internet in regard to this, it could cause a potential fire in vehicle or accident due to low levels of fluid, the control panel does not alert driver if transmission fluid level is low.
The car started to drive sluggish and hesitated in the middle of the street. After checking the transmission fluid I found that I was nearly empty. I refilled the tranny with about 3 quarts of fluid. The next day I checked it again and there was no fluid on the stick. I looked at the right passenger front side of the vehicle and saw were fluid was leaking from under the radiator. After having this checked out I am told that this is the transmission cooler and lines and there is no fix for the problem. It can be replaced but it will happen again according to the dealer. Now, I have to put a quart or more in every day. There is no recall and the warranty does not cover this repair. This fluid leak could possible cause a fire under the hood and by dripping out so fast it could cause the vehicle to stop in traffic without warning.
My 2008 escape has been to dealer for repair for major issues. 1) I had a problem with the steering wheel 2) I had a problem with the gas pedal getting stuck, 3) I had a problem with the leak of transmission fluid I thank god that the this happen to the car while its under warranty, so the dealer replace the parts for free. I just cant understand with so many complaints with all the same problems the government has not done anything about it. So many unhappy customers has to spend extra money in hard times to get there car repair. I called ford and they just told me that they will noted in my account. What will that do for me nothing!
Car started jerking (or stopping) when stopped at stop signs/stop lights. I took to the dealer and they had to replace transmission cooler / A/C combo.
1) limited use of vehicle, 28,000 miles on a 2008 escape (used moderately in cold weather situations) 2) transmission cooler failure, leaks cooler fluid and transmission fluid all over engine compartment. Vehicle "springs" forward or stalls after coming to a stop (daily). Vehicle loses a quart or more of fluid monthly. Vehicle shifts very loudly and roughly (daily - is an automatic) 3) repair is quoted at $1000 dollars for replacement cooler piece. Even though vehicle is still under power train warranty and under bumper to bumper warranty (for miles, not time which ended a week ago). Dealer and ford motor company is uncooperative.
The AC/condenser that also cools the automatic transmission is leaking. Through research there are many other cars doing this as well. Also have notice my vehicle surging at stops. Vehicle repaired under warranty at dealership. Advised several other vehicles in for the same problem.
I bought a 2008 ford escape (used) and approximately 6 months after I bought it and 38,000 miles, I noticed the vehicle would lurch forward when I pressed on the accelerator. I started doing research and found that it may be a problem with the transmission and sure enough, found a large puddle of transmission fluid on the floor of my garage. I have to refill the transmission fluid weekly due to the massive amounts its leaking and am looking into getting this fixed now.
Over the last several weeks I noticed my car running sluggish and jerky with no pep at all going up hills either. On 2 occasions my car almost stalled as I was pulling from a stop sign which almost caused 2 accidents. I also began noticing oil spots on my driveway. I thought I might have an oil leak since I just had an oil change about a month ago. When I called the dealer to explain my situation the ford tech. Advised it had nothing to do with my oil change but rather a problem with my transmission fluid and A/C condenser. I questioned the tech on how he can diagnosis the problem so quickly with out even looking at the vehicle and he advised ford has tsb for this. I brought the car in for service and asked if this is a recall or covered under my warranty. I was advised it was neither and that I needed to pay for the repairs directly. The dealer replaced part # 818z19712j. I did some research on line and found numerous complaints with the same vehicle year and make dealing with the same problem I'm dealing with ie: transmission & AC condenser.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while at a stop light before entering the freeway. When he tried to move forward after the light, the vehicle completely shut down. The contact shifted to neutral and re-started the vehicle and the problem seemed to correct itself. He noticed the problem again and was able to re-start the vehicle almost immediately. There were no warning lights on the dashboard indicating a possible reason for failure. He took the vehicle to the dealership and the dealer told him that there was a flaw in the design of the vehicle and a leak in the transmission fluid compartment and the radiator was also destroyed. He was also told that the radiator, air conditioning condenser, the transmission fluid compartment and other components (not known to the contact) needed to be replaced. He called the manufacturer and filed a complaint. The manufacturer offered to cover half of the repairs if he signed a contract stating that he would no longer complain about the problem. The vehicle was being repaired at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 49,000.
The AC/condenser that also cools the automatic transmission is leaking. Through research there are many other cars doing this as well.
My 2008 ford escape would slip or stall when accelerating. Looked on web and found out needed new transmission cooler had to have replaced at my own expense since the transmission cooler has nothing to do with the transmission and is not covered under the powertrain warranty.
2008 ford escape - I was informed that the fluid line leading from the transmission to the condenser had sprung a leak. After asking two separate ford dealers and doing a lot of web research, I have come to find that this issue is widely prevalent with this model and is a result of a design flaw. I asked about the replacement part and if it would suffer the same fate. I was told that the replacement part, engineered and manufactured by ford has been designed differently to accommodate the original flaw. This to me represents a situation where ford knew of this issue and failed to inform customers or issue a recall. As a result I am out almost $800 for the repair. Ford will not cover it under warranty and accepts no responsibility for the defect. There is a technical safety bulletins issued on this defect tsb -08-5-7 if I recall right. It took me about 30 minutes to discover that this issue is wide spread and that all others affected with this problem on their ford escape vehicle have been given the same brush off by ford. Something needs to be done about this. The resulting issue created by this problem, documented several places is a transmission failure. Some have resulted in the vehicle jumping into gear and others creating a lurching issue which ultimately leads to a potential accident situation.
2008 ford escape: failure mileage 21,775. Engine rev-ed for no reason at < 10 MPH. Vehicle stalled while coming to stop. Vehicle leaked large puddle of transmission fluid under right front passenger side. Ford replaced transmission cooling assembly (part #8l8z-19712-j) under warranty noting tsb 09 09 04. I purchased this escape on 08-04-09 as a certifed used ford off a ford lease with mileage 20,227. I had not yet made the 1st payment. This appears to be an ongoing issue with many 2008 escape owners and over the long term causes damage to the transmission due to a dangerously flawed design. There is no recall at this time.
The 2008 ford escape I own leaked transmission fluid through the A/C condenser. There was no warning lights engaged indicating a problem and the sudden starts began without warning. This is due to a factory defect and provides an unsafe driving environment given that the automobile's transmission does not engage properly due to the lack of fluid and surges forward. There is currently a tsb on this defect. There needs to be a recall before someone is injured since this is a common problem to all escape's manufactured prior to a february of 2008. The solution was to replace the condenser that has the faulty seam design.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. While driving 50 MPH, the engine suddenly shut off. The gauges on the instrument panel continued to work and the contact pulled off the road. The vehicle was able to be restarted, but five minutes later, the failure recurred. The vehicle had only moved two meters. This failure occurred six times before he was able to find a mechanic a mile away. The mechanic stated that the water pump failed. The contact stated that he knows at least 20 people with the same vehicle, and are experiencing identical failures. The failure mileage was 39,148.
After coming for a drive out to parker lake, a 50 mile drive from my home, my new ford escape xlt awd stalled. Loosing power and control. I was able to steer it over to the side of the road, luckily I was on a country road. I tried to start it but it wouldn't. I let it sit for about 2-5 min. And it started. I got it home and the next day it started right up. I was leaving from work yesterday feb. 11, 2008, and it again stalled on me in the middle of rush-work-hour traffic. It again wouldn't start, but after about 2-5 min. It did. I have had it towed to a dealer here in town, not to the dealer I bought it from. If I had been on the interstate and this happened I'm not so sure it would have been safe. You have done test and inspections in the pass on tributes and other cars with this issue. This is something that needs to be addressed again. Before someone get hurt.
Total hybrid / gasoline system failure while vehicle is being driven.
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