2008 Ford Escape: harsh or hard shifting

Filed Feb 5, 2019 · Steering · 158,000 miles · MA

Steering wheel started making a clunk noise sometimes when turning.driving yesterday the steering got very stiff.parked the steering would be hard. There was a recall #14s05 may 29 2014.when I called ford they said my car is not on recall list. Same problem eps -electric power steering assist,torque sensor in steering column or updated software needed.it's very hard to turn the wheel when driving. It should be on recall list .it's a safety hazard.

Filed Aug 10, 2018 · Steering · 62,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. While driving approximately 10 MPH and attempting to make a turn, a clunking noise was heard from the steering column. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure was not diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

Filed Jun 30, 2018 · Transmission · 180,000 miles · MS

Transmission wrench light came on internet said the band in transmission was at fault. I was in a parking lot when the light came the car was shifting out of first into second. It has been shifting hard for a couple months. I had the unit worked on last year to replace a band that has broken. It worked fine for awhile then started this hard shifting. I spent over 700$ to get it repaired. The car has 180000 miles on it.

Filed Mar 7, 2018 · Steering · 151,000 miles · UT

I had my escape serviced for the 14s05 recall in oct 2014 where they did a software update for the epas in the steering column. Now my car's steering wheel shakes with a clunking noise when idling...and sometime while moving. I see reports/reviews that the power-steering will likely go out soon and put me at risk of a crash. All reviews mention estimates from ford of $1400-$2000 to fix. They are claiming no responsibility to fix this, and yet I'm stuck with a serious threat to myself and others should something happen. Seriously, who has $2000 lying around to fix something that ford should be responsible for, since the electric power assembly had a defect in it's design?! I also hear that replacements have the same defect and will likely fail again. I haven't been in an accident yet, but I'm having anxiety now every time I have to go somewhere.

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 Oct 5, 2014 · Steering · 86,433 miles · PA

I have a 2008 ford escape which was paid off last january will right after it got paid off my transmission went which cost me 3320 now a year later I am having steering problems started with a clunking noise will turning greased joints problem was fine for a while now again today I was making a left hand turn onto a bridge and the power steering went out for a second but came back this has been going on for about two months received the ford recall for the torque sensor which I took it to the ford dealer they did not replace any part and at the time I told the dealer ship I was having trouble with the steering hearing a clunking noise said he would look at it but I was only there about 20 minutes which wasn't long enough to change any part or do any type of repair please I am not stupid I read several complaints about this online this is very upsetting is ford going to wait till someone gets hurt or killed and why does this have to be the case are our lives not as valuable to you as the all mighty dollar. Come on ford get with it I work hard for my money and can't afford these repairs that are your problem and your product.

Filed Dec 18, 2013 · Steering · 92,100 miles · FL

I had been having an issue with my vehicle starting and the steering wheel not unlocking. Had to turn it extremely hard or put the key in and out a few times turning to unlock. Upon starting the prior 2 weeks it would hesitate- like it had to think about starting. I had it checked out by my mechanic and he said everything looked good - no issues with starter, alternator or anything. On 11/27 vehicle wouldn't start - ended up with a new battery. Now two weeks after battery install I have a very loud clunk in my steering wheel column and my steering wheel is loose. Makes me very nervous. Of course the extended warranty just was up.

Filed Mar 30, 2013 · Steering · 110,000 miles · MA

My wife's escape suddenly started losing its power steering, but would return to normal after a shutdown and restart of the vehicle. On the same day, she started noticing a clunk or pop during turning of the steering wheel. It is not at the end of the turn, but somewhere at around 40-50 percent in either direction. If her car fails at highway speeds, I will sue the living daylights out of everyone involved in this failure. That is a promise.

Filed Feb 22, 2012 · Steering · 106,000 miles · TX

Like many others the eps (electronic power steering) system gave out on my 2008 escape (106,000 mi.). It started with the steering wheel occasionally clunking and shaking both when driving and when the car was idle (as long as it was started). As soon as the wheel was turned to the left or right the power steering would engage and it would be fine. The problem quickly got worse to the point where the clunking/shaking was happening at all times until the power steering just flat out failed while driving. Luckily I was in a position to react and manually steer without incident but I was definitely worried as it could have been much worse. With the electronic power steering there is no fix without swapping out the entire steering column. $1250 parts+labor+tax. I called ford directly and they just tossed me around saying that they will look into it and see if they can fix it as manufacturer defect. After finding this website I realized that there are several others experiencing the exact same problem. Also, the part is on back order everywhere in the country which leads me to believe that the problem is much bigger than indicated on this forum. I am frustrated in trying to hold ford accountable. Ford explained that recalls are justified by crash data and there is no way to get one started prior. This is crazy, so not only is someone going to need to crash, but several people are going to need to crash in order for anything to get done.

Filed Feb 8, 2012 · Steering · 75,000 miles · NM

Like many others the eps (electronic power steering) system gave out on my 2008 escape (75,000 mi.). It started with the steering wheel occasionally clunking and shaking both when driving and when the car was idle (as long as it was started). As soon as the wheel was turned to the left or right the power steering would engage and it would be fine. The problem quickly got worse to the point where the clunking/shaking was happening at all times until the power steering just flat out failed while driving. Luckily I was in a position to react and manually steer without incident but I was definitely worried as it could have been much worse. The place I bought it won't honor my warranty as this isn't covered under the power train(understandable, but still very frustrating) and with the electronic power steering there is no fix without swapping out the entire steering column. $1250 parts+labor+tax. I called ford directly and they just tossed me around saying that they will look into it and see if they can fix it as manufacturer defect. They said I could expect a call back in a few days, 1 week tops. 3 weeks later and no phone call. After finding this website I realized that there are several others experiencing the exact same problem. Also, the part is on back order everywhere in the country which leads me to believe that the problem is much bigger than indicated on this forum. I am frustrated in trying to hold ford accountable. The lady at ford explained that recalls are justified by crash data and there is no way to get one started prior. This is crazy, so not only is someone going to need to crash, but several people are going to need to crash in order for anything to get done.

Filed Oct 31, 2011 · Steering · 58,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact was driving at idle speeds when a clunking noise was heard from the steering column. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they confirmed that the universal joint for the steering column needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and the vehicle was repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 58,000.

Filed Oct 9, 2011 · Steering · 81,000 miles · NY

The 2008 escape I own has been the most dangerous vehicle that hit the road. The most recent failure has been the steering shaft and a joint which caused the vehicle to be unable to steer. It happened in a parking lot and I just slammed on the brakes so I did not hit anything but it could have been much worse. The car was clunking and my mechanic said most likely it's a ball joint or tie rod and to get it in soon, but I have been trying to catch up as this vehicle was just in due to the failure of the transmission cooler which was almost a $1000 repair. The car again is undriveable, and from what I researched this problem is another $1500 to repair. Ford is making money hand over fist with these vehicles and will not repair anything. Second major issue where I was told out of warranty not our problem! People are going to get killed, if I wasn't 1 year from paying this junk box off I would dump it. The first issue almost caused a major accident because the part that failed dumped all my transmission fluid out and I went to merge onto the highway and my vehicle almost stood still and would not move. This steering problem would have been much worse as 95% of my 55 mile commute is highway and I am thanking god it happened in a parking lot and not on the highway. Someone needs to help us not only to get ford to fix and pay for their faulty product but to recall these items before someone gets killed!!!! Don't buy a ford escape they are dangerous and a huge money pit!