2008 Ford Escape

Family: Escape · filed with NHTSA as ESCAPE, ESCAPE HYBRID

Summary

In its first three years the 2008 Escape drew 227 complaints — 1.4× the median of its generation (2008–2012). It does not stand out from the other years of this generation.
These are complaint counts, not failure rates: they are not divided by how many cars were sold, because no public source reports U.S. sales by model year.
Of the 2,384 complaints that name a component, 52% concern Steering (1,237).
5 recalls filed for this model year.
4 federal defect investigations cover this model year.

At a glance

Owner complaints: 2,417
Recalls: 5
Investigations: 4
NCAP overall: Not rated
Combined MPG: 19–32
Annual fuel cost: $1,950–$3,300
Median mileage at complaint: 100,000 mi (n = 2,129)
Crashes / fires / injuries / deaths: 72 / 7 / 45 / 0

What owners report

Steering

1,237 complaints · 52% of complaints that name a component · median 116,000 mi (n = 1,062)

Owner report Was driving on highway at 55 when the wrench warning light came on drove car to residence and turned it off, when car was cranked again it had no power steering. Vin number was not included in recall on same issue. Has not been fixed.

Owner report The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH on the highway, the steering wheel seized. The failure was intermittent. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while reversing out of the driveway. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicl…

Powertrain

372 complaints · 16% of complaints that name a component · median 70,000 mi (n = 338)

Owner report 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 Independe…

Owner report The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while parked and attempting to shift into drive(D), the contact had to shift into 2nd gear prior to shifting into drive(D) to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was…

Brakes

294 complaints · 12% of complaints that name a component · median 108,400 mi (n = 263)

Owner report In rainy conditions, executed a hard stop activating the ABS. After successfully activating, the brakes go almost to the floor, and ABS function has stopped. No air in brake system, and master cylinder checks out good. Seems dangerous that the one time you really need ABS, it goes out. No warning lights on dash, mecha…

Owner report ABS brake light goes on and off and regen system disabled appeared. Brake pedal goes between being spongy and going to floor. I took it to an independent service center and the mechanic almost lost control of the car when test driving. There was no braking except to one wheel, which is why he almost lost control. They …

1% of complaints name no specific component and are left out of the shares above.

Across the generation (2008–2012)

To compare years fairly, each year is counted over the same span: complaints received up to two calendar years after its model year. A year is compared only when that span is over and it holds at least 50 complaints. Median of the comparable years: 168.

Model year	All complaints	First three years	Note
2008	2,417	227
2009	1,846	90	fewest complaints
2010	2,129	168
2011	1,355	451	most complaints
2012	619	123

Recalls

Whether a recall has been fixed on a specific car depends on its VIN; check it at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

15V606000 · POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:FLOOR SHIFT | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

Filed 2015-09-29 · 57 vehicles

Defect: 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.

Risk: 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.

15E045000 · SUSPENSION:FRONT:WHEEL BEARING

Filed 2015-06-03 · 576 vehicles

Defect: The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of a 42mm bore, 78mm outer dimension and a 45mm width.

Risk: Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.

14V526000 · HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

Filed 2014-09-03 · 70,209 vehicles

Defect: 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.

Risk: 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.

14V284000 · STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

Filed 2014-05-29 · 740,878 vehicles

Defect: 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.

Risk: 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.

10E043000 · EQUIPMENT

Filed 2010-09-03 · 294 vehicles

Defect: MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SEATS CONTAINING SIDE AIRBAGS. THE HEAVIER SEAT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH FULL DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.

Risk: AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIRBAG COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY.

Remedy: MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.

Federal investigations

Action	Component	Opened	Closed	Recall
DP22005	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM	2023-01-27	2023-08-07	22V063000
DP15001	STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM	2015-04-01	2018-06-14
DP12006	ENGINE	2012-10-02	2013-02-21
PE08060	TIRES:VALVE	2008-10-14	2009-04-09

DP22005: Pedestrian alert sounds

DP15001: Loss of power steering while driving

DP12006: Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction

PE08060: TIRE VALVE CRACKING

Engines and fuel economy

Version	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Fuel cost / yr
Escape 4WD	2.3L 4cyl	Automatic 4-spd	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	19	24	21	$2950
Escape 4WD	3.0L 6cyl	Automatic 4-spd	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	17	22	19	$3300
Escape FWD	2.3L 4cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	20	26	22	$2850
Escape FWD	2.3L 4cyl	Manual 5-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	22	28	24	$2600
Escape FWD	3.0L 6cyl	Automatic 4-spd	Front-Wheel Drive	18	24	20	$3100
Escape Hybrid 4WD	2.3L 4cyl Hybrid	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive	29	27	28	$2250
Escape Hybrid FWD	2.3L 4cyl Hybrid	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-Wheel Drive	34	30	32	$1950

Fuel cost is EPA's estimate at the fuel prices of its last update, not today's.

Crash test ratings (NCAP)

Variant	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover
2008 Ford Escape 4-DR. w/SAB (Later release)	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	★★★☆☆
2008 Ford Escape 4-DR. w/SAB (Early release)	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	★★★☆☆
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid 4-DR. w/SAB (Later release)	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	★★★☆☆
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid 4-DR. w/SAB (Early release)	Not Rated	Not Rated	Not Rated	★★★☆☆

Service bulletins

Ford issued 47 service bulletins listed against this model year, most often about power train.

A bulletin tells dealers how to fix a known condition. It is not a recall and not a defect finding. Most bulletins cover several model years at once, so one listed here may not be specific to this year. The number of bulletins tracks how long and how widely a model was sold, so it is not a measure of reliability.

Date	Component	Summary
2026-02-24	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. Unlike the integrated wired keypad, the access…
2024-04-24	EQUIPMENT	All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. If the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicles owner during ini…
2023-04-04	STRUCTURE	For 2000-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. It is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification numbe…
2018-03-30	EQUIPMENT	Replacing the original equipment SYNC/Navigation system with either an aftermarket SYNC/Navigation kit or modifying original SYNC/Navigation parts to provide additional features is not recommended nor supported on any Ford, Mercury or Linco…
2018-01-10	EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL	The Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can only be used with vehicles that are factory built with Remote Keyless Entry (RKE). The master code for the Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can be retrieved from FMCDealer - Parts a…
2018-01-10	EQUIPMENT	The Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can only be used with vehicles that are factory built with Remote Keyless Entry (RKE). The master code for the Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can be retrieved from FMCDealer - Parts a…
2016-09-21	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY	The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate …
2016-09-08	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	Some 2005-2012 Escape Hybrid and 2006-2011 Mariner Hybrid vehicles may set DTCs P0A81 (battery pack cooling fan 1 control circuit) and/or P0A96 (battery pack cooling fan 2 control circuit) in the traction battery control module (TBCM). Thes…
2016-06-08	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT	2005-2008 ESCAPE/MARINER HYBRID - ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH DTC(S) C1478, C1479, C1480 AND/OR C1481
2015-03-01	STEERING:COLUMN	2008-2012 FORD ESCAPE/MARINER: SERVICE INFORMATION INVOLVING THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE WITH DTC B2278- STEERING COLUMN REPLACEMENT IS NOT REQUIRED. *LJ

How to read this page

Complaint counts are not failure rates. A model that sells more cars draws more complaints, and owners file more often after news coverage or a recall. That is why this page compares a model year only with other years of the same generation, never with other models.

Each complaint is counted once, even when it names several components; a complaint that names several systems appears under each of them. Owner reports are quoted as filed and have not been verified by NHTSA or by us.

Every model year of this Escape, including the ones without a page of their own, is listed on the Ford Escape model page.

Sources

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation: complaints, recalls and investigations (bulk files, data as of 2026-10-28).
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program: crash test ratings.
U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov: engines, transmissions and fuel economy.

MotorAlmanac is independent and not affiliated with NHTSA, EPA or any manufacturer. This page summarises public records; it is not a mechanical inspection. Before buying a used car, check its VIN for open recalls and have it inspected.