Your vehicle report
2008 Ford Escape
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 1,974
- Received Jun 2007 to Sep 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Power steering cuts out while driving485 complaints · 25% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly414 complaints · 21% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking117 complaints · 5.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #15V606000Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.
- Recall #14V526000Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Ford Escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured October 13, 2003, to June 20, 2008, and 2006-2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid electric vehicles manufactured June 10, 2005, to June 20, 2008. The coolant pump for the hybrid system may fail resulting in the hybrid electronics overheating.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
- Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenlyFirst signal: Dec 2011
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 59 crashes, 6 fires, 44 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 11 |
| 2008 | 30 |
| 2009 | 70 |
| 2010 | 89 |
| 2011 | 90 |
| 2012 | 98 |
| 2013 | 185 |
| 2014 | 309 |
| 2015 | 160 |
| 2016 | 184 |
| 2017 | 156 |
| 2018 | 190 |
| 2019 | 125 |
| 2020 | 92 |
| 2021 | 41 |
| 2022 | 51 |
| 2023 | 30 |
| 2024 | 21 |
| 2025 | 29 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 13 |
| Total | 1,974 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 485 | 25% | 26.9× | NHTSA recall #14V284000 |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 414 | 21% | 17.4× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Dec 2011 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.7% |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 117 | 5.9% | – | |
| Radiator transmission cooler leaks fluid into transmission | 90 | 4.6% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 75 | 3.8% | – | NHTSA recall #15V606000 |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 68 | 3.4% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 60 | 3.0% | – | |
| Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power | 57 | 2.9% | – | |
| Ford Escape engine overheats from coolant intrusion | 35 | 1.8% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 31 | 1.6% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 30 | 1.5% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 29 | 1.5% | – | |
| Steering wheel clunks or clicks when turning | 25 | 1.3% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 24 | 1.2% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 23 | 1.2% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 22 | 1.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 22 | 1.1% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 16 | 0.8% | – | NHTSA recall #15V606000 |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 14 | 0.7% | – | |
| TPMS valve stems break or leak | 13 | 0.7% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #15V606000September 29, 201557 vehicles affected
power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (prndl); power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt between June 11, 2015 through July 15, 2015. These service repair part transmissions have a shift lever bolt that may not be properly tightened. As a result, the shift control lever could disengage from the transmission without warning.
If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear selection indicator may show that the transmission is in the "PARK" position, but the vehicle transmission may not actually be in the "PARK" gear position. If the vehicle is not in the "PARK" position there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S28.
NHTSA recall #14V526000September 3, 201470,209 vehicles affected
hybrid propulsion system
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Ford Escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured October 13, 2003, to June 20, 2008, and 2006-2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid electric vehicles manufactured June 10, 2005, to June 20, 2008. The coolant pump for the hybrid system may fail resulting in the hybrid electronics overheating.
If the hybrid electronics system overheats, it may shut down the powertrain, resulting in a stall-like condition, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the original Motor Electronics Coolant (MEC) Pump with an improved brushless pump, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S19.
NHTSA recall #14V284000May 29, 2014740,878 vehicles affected
steering: electric power assist system
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.
If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2008 Ford Escape.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN