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2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Escape Hybrid years

Owner complaints for the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid are substantially higher than the model-year median of 68.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

415 reports with mileage · 28 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Service Brakes. Review the 129 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 110 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

13 crash reports1 fire reports1 injury reports

What owners actually said

443 reports
Mileage unknown · Jul 13, 2026
Engine

While driving over 60 MPH the car will begin to say the engine is hot and sometimes without warning going to stop safely now however when you open the hood nothing is hot to touch and there's an extreme amount of coolant gone from the engine coolant tank have replaced coolant tank itself still having issue begin happening in Mar…

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While driving over 60 MPH the car will begin to say the engine is hot and sometimes without warning going to stop safely now however when you open the hood nothing is hot to touch and there's an extreme amount of coolant gone from the engine coolant tank have replaced coolant tank itself still having issue begin happening in March and is still continuing

NHTSA ODI #11750029

290,000 miles · Mar 4, 2025
SteeringTires

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel became stiff and made a hard right and the vehicle jumped the curb. The brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that on several occasions while driv…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel became stiff and made a hard right and the vehicle jumped the curb. The brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to steer correctly, and the steering wheel needed to be held with added force. The TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the residence where the torque sensor was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 290,000.

NHTSA ODI #11646314

143,000 miles · Dec 18, 2024
Steering

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn with the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The dealer wa…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn with the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 143,000.

NHTSA ODI #11631505

185,000 miles · Feb 21, 2024
Steering

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The contact stated while starting the vehicle later that day, the power steering was no longer functional, and the message was displayed. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The contact stated while starting the vehicle later that day, the power steering was no longer functional, and the message was displayed. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

NHTSA ODI #11573131

Mileage unknown · Nov 27, 2023
Power TrainSteering

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping between gears, and there was a significant delay while shifting into third gear. Additionally, the contact stated that when turning the steering wheel while driving, the vehicle failed to respond immediat…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission was slipping between gears, and there was a significant delay while shifting into third gear. Additionally, the contact stated that when turning the steering wheel while driving, the vehicle failed to respond immediately and responded with a significant delay. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring more frequently while driving. The contact related the failures to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 14V284000 (Steering) and 15V606000 (Power Train). The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11557120

154,000 miles · Aug 5, 2022
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Engine

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled, but restarted after 45 minutes. The vehicle stability assists system warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manuf…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled, but restarted after 45 minutes. The vehicle stability assists system warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

NHTSA ODI #11477839

Mileage unknown · Mar 21, 2022
Steering

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist failed and the steering wheel seized. The power steering failure warning message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with power steering assist failure. Th…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist failed and the steering wheel seized. The power steering failure warning message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with power steering assist failure. The mechanic informed the contact that an unknown part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that a recall for the steering had expired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11457659

139,000 miles · Jan 13, 2022
Service Brakes

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated he depressed the brake to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The contact too…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated he depressed the brake to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the HECU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.

NHTSA ODI #11447324

265,000 miles · Dec 8, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message “power assist error” had displayed and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message “power assist error” had displayed and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 265,000.

NHTSA ODI #11443099

250,000 miles · Nov 29, 2021
Steering

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering assist. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence in manual steering mode. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the fa…

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The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking space, the vehicle lost power steering assist. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence in manual steering mode. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.

NHTSA ODI #11442022

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

3

DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

DP15001 · Loss Of Power Steering While Driving

Opened Apr 1, 2015 · Closed Jun 14, 2018

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering:electric Power Assist System

On May 27, 2014, amended June 2, 2014, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect that may result in a sudden loss of power steering assist while driving in approximately 746,067 model year (MY) 2008 through 2011 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with electric power assisted steering (NHTSA 14V-284, Ford 14S05). Ford's DIR described the defect condition as a poor signal to noise ratio [SNR] in the torque sensor within the Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system [which] does not allow the PSCM to determine the driver's steering input. When the system detects this fault condition, it transitions the EPAS system to the fail-safe/manual steering mode.Ford's DIR indicates that loss of power steering assist while driving would require higher steering effort at lower vehicle speeds, which may result in an increased risk of a crash.Ford's remedy instructs dealers to check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) to determine the proper repair procedure. If no DTCs are present, dealers are to update the PSCM and instrument cluster module software. The updated PSCM software changes the torque sensor fault strategy so that the SNR condition does not result in a loss of power steering assist while driving.In addition, audible and visual warnings are provided for torque sensor faults.If DTCs indicating faults in the torque sensor, PSCM or Power Steering Motor (motor) are present in the initial recall inspection, the dealer performs the following repairs: 1) replaces the torque sensor for torque sensor faults (DTC B2278); or 2) replaces the steering column for faults related to the PSCM (DTC B1342) or motor (DTC B2277).Continued in attachment pages

DP12006 · Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction

Opened Oct 2, 2012 · Closed Feb 21, 2013

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine

In a letter dated August 30, 2012, The North Carolina Consumers Council (NCCC) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged electronic throttle body failures resulting in engine stall or surge while driving in model year (MY) 2005 through 2012 Ford Escape vehicles. On October 2, 2012 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Defect Petition DP12-006 to evaluate whether to grant or deny the petition. The petition is hereby granted on certain model years. The NCCC letter cites two complaints of stall while driving in MY 2009 Ford Escape vehicles that were diagnosed as failed throttle bodies with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2111, Throttle Body Stuck Open, and P2112, Throttle Body Stuck Closed. The petitioner indicates that the owners of both vehicles reported experiencing repeated incidents of stalling and engine surging. According to Ford, Escape non-hybrid vehicles are equipped with Electronic Throttle Body (ETB) assemblies beginning with MY 2009. Vehicles manufactured between June 22, 2009 and October 15, 2009 may contain contaminated printed circuit boards (PCB) with plating variations. Plating variations could lead to a lack of continuity in the throttle position sensor circuit where P2111 and/or other DTCs would be generated and stored. Ford and its electronic throttle body supplier, Delphi, modified the PCB manufacturing process and issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) 09-23-5. Vehicles produced after October 15, 2009 incorporated ETBs manufactured with a PCB process that resolved this condition. ODI's analysis identified a total of 123 unique reports indicating allegations of reduced motive power or vehicle stall. Depending on the condition of throttle control system malfunction, a driver may experience varying levels of reduced engine performance associated with three limp home modes. In two limp modes, reduced engine performance may maintain vehicle speeds above 20mph while the third is a limited limp home mode with engine speeds limited to approximately 900 RPM. Allegations of stall appear to be related to the limited limp home mode. Vehicles are not likely to unexpectedly stall as a result of this condition, but drivers may characterize the reduced functionality as a stall, even though their vehicle may still has motive capability. Allegations of vehicle surge appear to be related to limp home mode operation. Complaints alleging surge are most likely related to engine RPM fluctuations at low vehicle speeds or idle as the control system engages to prevent engine stall. In limited limp mode, rough-idle conditions may exist while the control system attempts to modulate engine RPMs once the vehicle reaches a reduced speed to maintain approximately 900 RPM. Separately, ODI received 59 complaints alleging incidents of engine stall while driving in model year (MY) 2010-2011 Ford Fusion vehicles. Approximately 60 percent (36) of the incidents occurred at speeds of 40 miles per hour or more. Eighty percent of complaints (47) were received beginning March 2012 and 14 complaints reported that the throttle body was replaced or DTCs associated with limp home modes. Additionally, Ford issued TSB 10-21-6 addressing DTCs associated with idle speed drops and limited limp home mode. The petition is granted on certain model years.Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences associated with the alleged defect.See full copy of the closing resume for this defect petition for list of the VOQs associated with the defect petition analysis.