2008 Ford Escape: hesitation when accelerating

Filed Jun 22, 2026 · Transmission · 116,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle and driving from a parking lot at 5 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle, and the transmission skipped second and forth gear, and remained in third gear. The vehicle hesitated and stalled. An Independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed a bolt failure and that the transmission bands needed to be replaced. The transmission band was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 22V413000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 116,000.

Filed Aug 8, 2020 · Transmission · 163,000 miles · OH

Automatic transmission- after starting torque growls, when I put it in any gear it hesitates then lurches so much the tires squeal, & sounds,feels like something in the rear of SUV is going to fall apart . Also when this happens it's scaring other drivers and pedestrians. Shakes me so hard it hurts my neck and back. Has actually thrown my purse to the floor board with anything else on the seats. All these malfunctions happen when I put in gear when starting or at red lights & stop signs. Dangerous!!! Plus transmission is leaking fluid. I've quit driving it 08/08/2020 after only driving it occasionally for 2 months. I purchased this vehicle on 06/11/2020. I did/do keep transmission fluid in the SUV

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 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 · Brakes, Electrical · 155,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to start without warning. The vehicle eventually started after ten attempts. In addition, while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle veered to the right independently. The vehicle was diagnosed and the technician stated that the driver side ABS tone ring was fractured and the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

Filed Dec 28, 2015 · Transmission · 115,000 miles · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds for a long time, a leak from the rear driver's side of the vehicle was noticed. In addition, the vehicle was losing power. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission failed to engage properly, the axels and parts to the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer out of state where axels were replaced but the failure recurred. The contact stated that after several attempts, the vehicle was able to shift gears and the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer again, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced or rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired and was inoperable. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v606000 (power train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

Filed Dec 3, 2014 · Transmission · 100,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated when engaging the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the transmission. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Aug 4, 2014 · Steering, Transmission · 100,000 miles · MI

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that when driving at low speeds, the steering seized. The contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate when depressing the accelerator pedal and the wrench warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not been notified. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v284000 (power steering) but did not confirm if the VIN was included. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Djr

Filed Jul 14, 2014 · Transmission · 82,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate. The maintenance service sensor illuminated on the instrument panel. An independent mechanic stated that the second and fourth gears were faulty and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 82,000.

Filed Jan 21, 2014 · Transmission · 72,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while sitting at a stop light, the rpms increased excessively. In addition, the vehicle hesitated between first and second gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the 2-4 band needed to be replaced in the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,000. The VIN was unavailable.

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 Dec 17, 2013 · Acceleration · 110,000 miles · OR

Problem with vehicle speed control my 2008 escape (not hybrid) 2.3l xlt began having issues where I would get a sticky gas pedal. It would sometimes take some jiggling to get the gas pedal to depress so that I could accelerate. I cleaned out the throttle body and the issue was resolved for about a month. We recently had some cold weather in the 10 - 30 degree range in which my gas pedal started acting up again. It got so bad to where I could not depress the gas petal intermittently. When the gas pedal would depress my car would jolt forward like too much gas was applied. The issue seemed to dissipate if I let the car warm up for 30 minutes before driving. I purchased a new throttle body from courtesy ford for $278.00 installation was quoted as $386.00. I opted to have my brother install it for me. It has been 10 days since installation and the issue seems to be resolved. I have not had any issues since replacing the throttle body but I still do not trust the car. I hesitate to take my family in the car and am thinking about getting rid of it for something else. This issue is a safety hazard and should be recalled by ford before someone gets hurt or killed.