2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND TRAVELED TO THE FLOORBOARD. THE VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AND THE CHECK ABS INDICATOR ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: 145268. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,300.

IVE HAD REOCCURRING ISSUES WITH MY BRAKES ,ABS SYSTEM , POWER TRAIN , STEERING COLUMN STARTER. OVER THE COURSE OF THREE YEARS AND IT SEEM LIKE THE PROBLEMS KEEP COMING UP . THE ONLY CLOSE CALL I REMEMBERS IS COMING HOME FROM WORK . MAKING A TURN ON TO A STREET, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I COULD HAVE CRASHED IF A HUGE CURB WASNT THERE .

THE COMPUTER CHECKS THE BRAKES UPON START AND THE COMPUTER IS FALSELY DETECTING AN ERROR WITH THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE PUMP PERIODICALLY. IT CAN OCCUR 1 IN EVERY 50 STARTS TO SOMETIME 5 ATTEMPTS IN EVERY 1 GOOD START. THE COMPUTER IF IT SEES AN ERROR WILL DISABLE THE REGENERATIVE BRAKES AND THE VEHICLE WILL BRAKE SIGNIFICANTLY SLOWER AND LESS EFFICIENTLY WHEN IN ERROR MODE. THE COMPUTER GLITCH REQUIRES A TOTAL REPLACEMENT AND MUST BE REPROGRAMMED AT THE DEALER AT A COST OF $4 TO $5 THOUSAND. BASED ON THE THOUSANDS I SEE ONLINE WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND NATURE OF ISSUE (BRAKES AND SAFETY), I AM SURPRISED TO SEE A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN MANDATED. THE COST IS BEYOND REASONABLE AND I AM LEFT WITH DRIVING AN UNSAFE CAR.

TAKATA RECALL POWER STEERING STOPED WORKING VERY SUDDENLY. WHILE I WAS DOING DELIVERIES FOR MY WORK I PARKED THE CAR TURNED IT OFF AND WHEN I GOT BACK AFTER ABOUT 10 MIN. POWER STEERING DIDN'T WORK AND HASN'T WORKED EVER SINCE. THE ONLY THING THAT I NOTICED THAT DAY IS THAT EVERY TIME I TURNED THERE WAS A VERY SLIGHT SHAKE ON THE STEESRING WHEEL. I THOUGHT THAT WAS UNUSUAL BUT NEVER THOUGHT THAT 2 HOURS LATER THE POWER STEERING WOULD COMPLETELY FAIL. THANK GOD THIS HAPPENED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. I CHECKED FOR RECALLS AND NOTICED THAT THE FORD ESCAPE 08 HAS A RECALL ON THE POWER STEERING, I IMAGINE THERE WAS ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO MAKE THE RECALL HAPPEN. HOWEVER, THERE ARE NOT AS MANY HYBRID MODELS AND I'M SURE THAT'S THE ONLY REASON WHY THERE'S NO RECALL FOR THIS SPECIFIC MODEL YET. BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW BOTH MODELS THE ESCAPE AND THE ESCAPE HYBRID ARE IDENTICAL IN MANY WAYS INCLUDING SOME PARTS IF NOT ALL PARTS OF THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM.

MY PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLES BRAKES IS SIMILAR TO OTHER COMPLAINTS I HAVE SEEN ON THIS FORUM. SOMETIMES I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES, BUT ABOUT HALF THE TIME AFTER STARING THE CAR THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON ALLONG WITH REGEN BRAKES NOT WORKING AND TO GET THE VEHICLE TO STOP REQUIRES STOMPING BREAK PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO ROLL PAST A STOP SIGN AND INTO ON COMING TRAFFIC. IT IS OBVIOUSLY A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IF THE BRAKES RANDOMLY STOP WORKING. THE REPAIR SHOP OF COURSE COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AS THE BRAKES WERE WORKING FINE THEN. MOST LIKELY THOUGH, THE CULPRIT IS IN THE HYDRAULIC BRAKING SYSTEM, HENCE THE 'REGEN BRAKING' NOTE THAT COMES ON.

POWER STEERING WENT OUT IN MY 08 ESCAPE. TOOK TO FORD DEALERSHIP WHO TOLD ME THAT RECALL WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO THE VEHICLE SINCE ITS OVER THE 46,000 MILES LIMIT. I INFORMED THEM THAT THERE IS NO EXPIRATION OR MILEAGE ON RECALLS. THEY THEN SAID THAT IT NEEDS A SOFTWARE UPDATE AND THE COST WILL BE ABOUT $1000. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING IT TO WORK AND NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO SHAKE WHEN STOPPED. THEN DRIVING HOME THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT.