Problems with 2008 Ford Escape ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The ignition switch moves in it's housing. making the driver have to crack the wheel back and forth and/ or turn the key very hard to get it to start. sometimes getting it started is nearly impossible. this part is faulty. there should be recall on this ignition switch. i have been doing some research online about this problem and am not the only one to encounter this issue with the 2008 ford escape. it is not a part that should fail after only 6 years on the road. *tr

Driving down the road the power cut out to the vehicle, and the throttle stopped responding, the engine continued to run but very labored. at the same time the wrench light lit up on the dash. using the forward momentum i was able to pull the vehicle over, where it stalled. i was able to re-tart the engine where it ran labored again, and stalled out, the throttle was not responsive during this time at all. after approximately 10 re-starts with the last coming after the vehicle sat awhile, i was able to re-start it and drive it normal. throttle response returned, and the wrench light was off. this issue occurred for my wife again on 11/12 with a similar result. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering). after the vehicle was repaired under the recall, the vehicle experienced several failures. the failures included the loss of anti-lock braking system, stability control, and the brake warning light was constantly illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code on the vehicle. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 115,412.

Vehicle will not start ,had to be towed to dealer to be fixed costing over $300.00 and on 12/01/2014 it happened again and was towed in to be fixed again costing over $700.00 and the service manager just laughed and said that happens alot and at leased the fords won't shut off like gm ,they just don't start. there should be a recall on ford's ignitions too. *tr

As i was exiting a ramp, the car stopped accelerating completely. .forcing me to pull over, as i continue on it does not accelerate when gas is pushed completely down. wrench light came on but leaves when car is off. driving aprox. 3 blocks before wrench light comes on again... *tr

I was driving my car when a light came on the dashboard. it stated power steering assist default. my steering was ok at the time. the power steering stopped working by the time i got to my street. i struggled to turn the wheel onto my street and into my driveway. i took my car to a ford dealership and they replaced the torque sensor. i checked on the internet and found that this was a recall in may, 2014. the recall was stopped. i did not receive a notice about this. the recall stated that the power steering will go out around 100,000 miles and the torque sensor would have to be replaced. i was lucky that i was not on the freeway or going very fast when the power steering went out. *tr

While turning the wheels the abs light blinks on and off and the car seemed to be slowly losing power. when wheels were straightened again it ran as normal. this happened three times on the drive home from the grocery store, each time when i was turning, the electrical panel was dimming and the gas pedal lost ability to propel car. *js

For the last couple of days, whenever i put my car in reverse and begin to back up, i lose my steering ability. the only way i can get my steering wheel to work again is if i turn my car off and then turn it back on again. well, today, it happened again, but this time i tried multiple times to turn my car off and turn it back on and my power steering would not kick back in. i have read through many complaints on here as well as other sites and see that a lot of people are having the same issue with their 2008 escape. i have seen that it can cost over $1400 to get it fixed!! i do not have that kind of money right now!! the fact that there was no warning light to tell me that something in the power steering was going is ridiculous!! in the past 2 years i have had to replace the transmission, get a new battery, get brakes, tires,new gas tank, new sensor for the heating control, and the list continues. this car is only 6 years old and just past 100,000 miles!!! i should not have had to replace all these things already!! i am not about to put another $1400+ in this vehicle especially since it seems to be an ongoing problem with many other escapes. time to do a recall people or you can gladly take this car back!! *tr

At first the power steering didnot work upon starting car, restarted and it worked. as time went on this got worse, having to restart several times and now once power steering works it will go off anytime even just driving straight on the highway. also when power steering is working the steering wheel shakes. this should be a recall as there have been so many complaints that ford has offered a torque sensor kit instead of having to replace the whole steering column. *tr

The fan switch and relay box has a electrical melt down according to the service advisor at the ford dealer. the fan switch was replaced once before. the last time it cost me about $250.00 with extended warranty. now the warranty has expired and will cost me about $1000.00 to replace. i feel ford did a patch job during the extended warranty and it was never correctly fixed. i checked one website and there was 923 complaints about the faulty fan switch. this is a potential fire hazard and ford needs to recall and replace the defective fan switch and relay box on the 2008 ford escape. *tr

I am having trouble with my 2008 ford escape the ignition switch won't start my car. since about 6 months ago i have to keep pushing my key in further and further to try to get my car to start. sometimes it take 10-15 min before i can actually get it started. reading comments about the car this is a major issue and there should be a recall done. *js

Steering wheel started to shake from side to side then lost power to steering wheel like it went from easy to very hard to steer. turned car off the restarted and it was ok. now it happens all the time. when i start car up no power, while i'm driving and i loss power. *tr

I was heading to work one morning, and i started the car up and didn't have power steering. i shut the car off, and the steering came back. (at the beginning, shutting the car off would fix the problem right way.) i pulled out of my driveway and drove down the road with the steering wheel shaking. there was also a quiet grinding noise coming from the steering column. as the car slowed down (at stop lights etc.), the steering wheel shook more and the noise grew a little louder. as the days went on (3-4 days later), the shaking and noise got worse until it was an uncontrollable, constant shaking of the steering wheel and the noise became so loud and horrid that i thought the car might break down. within that week, as i started my car, the power steering went out about a total of 10 times, and i had to shut off the car and restart it. unlike at the beginning, by the end of the week, i had to shut my car off 4-5 times before the steering would come back. the last day of driving the car, the steering wheel was so loose that it was hard to control on the back roads/highways/freeways and over pot holes. at one point, i made a right hand turn, and i almost thought i was not going to be able to bring the steering wheel/car back. thankfully, i (and no one else) has died from this manufacturer defect in the 2008 ford escapes, but is that what it is going to take in order for something to be done? *tr

Power steering works intermittently steering wheel has a slight twitch most definitely a safety hazard when it just randomly stops seems to be a common issue among ford escapes. *tr

When i was driving and then going to make a turn the car gas and steering shut down and the car would not move any longer. the steering wheel also got stuck in the process of turning and. the gas peddle also have been getting stuck before this incident it has been going on for at least 3yrs 2011 until 2014 the present we have gone to check it put no diagnosis was done to let us know the steering column system was out until this year when the car went out completely. this is not an acceptable problem and i should not have to pay to get it repaired. *tr

I was driving down the street and my power steering stopped working for the third time in a month causing me to run off the road because i couldn't make the next turn. if i pull over, turn off the car, and restart then it works fine. if i was going any faster, this could have been fatal. *tr

Steering wheel initially started to pulsate at stop light.. next incident i started the vehicle and there was no power steering, turned vehicle off and restarted and had steering back...next incident steering wheel pulsates while driving and loses power steering while at speed.. pull vehicle to roadside and restart and regain steering.. not having this vehicle recalled to fix this issue is the most insane thing i have ever heard of.. if a frail person or elderly has this happen to them, people will die.. its not a matter of if this happens but when it will.. if it hasn't already.. anybody reading this i hope you or your children or family or friends or anybody for that matter does not die as a result of this matter going unresolved... it is mindboggling that ford turns its back on this issue..im not alone in this, there are complaints all over the internet.. can you imagine a loss or multiple losses of lives after so many complaints being registered? please help *tr

When i started my vehicle, a warning light in the shape of a wrench stayed on. i look in the manual and this said powertrain. upon further checking, i found this is a problem in these escapes. when i stop at the railroad track or at a red light, the vehicle will surge forward when i take off. the shifting is rough at times. i also just had to have the dome light in the vehicle replaced. this, too, i was told was a common problem. the lights would not work when i opened the door and also the dash lights would go off and on. this was a 103.88 repair job and the dome light, after being replaced, is loose and does not fit properly. when this having to be replaced frequently, i would think there would be a replacement light that fit the roof correctly. *tr

Key is difficult to turn in ignition. you have to push and turn really hard. been ongoing for over a year. every time i have my car serviced, i have to help the mechanics and i'm a woman. ford dealership said the ignition switch and lock need replacing. $220 for parts with $734 as the total estimate with labor. it's getting harder to start which can be scary if i get stranded. i've never had this problem with a car. i've read at least 30 of the same complaints on the internet. where is the recall,? *tr

After making a left turn and braking at a stop sign, i experienced a sudden loss of power steering. *tr

Car stalled when driving on hwy in snow storm on two different occasions. also, rpm's climb, just had the steering column replaced 2 months ago. *tr

On dec 27 2013 we were driving escape . when trying go around curve ford lost all power steering which caused us to almost hit wall. my husband drove to side road. shut it off . waited few minutes started it power steering was back. took it to garage was told power steering sensor was going out . was told it be 1123.00 cost. it happened again on january 3rd 2014. was told that this is a safety issue and that ford knows its not working right. need a recall before someone gets hurt or killed. our escape is not only one doing it. the ones with electric power steering are failing. i'm scared drive it much. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that the power steering failed without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the mechanic stated that the ignition switch and ignition cylinder needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. the failure mileage was 93,000.

My wrench light came on, feels like i have no power. it will only go about 20 mph, rpm's go high and then all of a sudden it will kick in and start driving normal. *tr

While driving at 45 mph, the electric power steering (eps or epas) failed. the car instantly lost all ability for power steering, without alerting the driver. the problem is intermittent, and may fail at any time. the epas can sometimes be re-instituted by stopping the car (in the middle of the road at times, or freeway), turning off the car completely ... waiting 10 seconds, and restarting the car. but this does not mean that the problem will not occur again at any time within the same driving incident. the epas continues to fail at inopportune times, without alerting the driver until failure has occured. *tr

3 years ago my radio no longer lights up, the heat & ac only works on high and inside lights don't work. then in 2013 replaced the transmission with absolutely no warning with 86,000 miles on the vehicle now in 2015 the power steering has gone out on the vehicle and this was recalled in 2014 and i took it to the dealer and they said that they would have covered it if it was within 12 months. it was a week and half over that.

I was awake sitting at my dinning room table, i smelt something (burnt rubber) so i check all room in the house. i walk outside and saw smoke coming out from my ford escape that was park. i woke my kids, called the fire department and grabbed the water hose. once the fire fighters were on the scene, they opened the driver door, smoke exited the doors exposing oxygen causing some flickering of the flame to start. water was discharged onto the smoldering interior of the vehicle & cooling down ignition of dash area (radio is located). the heat was so hot that it cracked front windshield, melted all plastic frame inside the vehicle (middle area near radio & shift gear) and blacken all the windows. once fire was under control, fire fighter stated it was an electrical wire. battery cable was also cut to prevent any deployment of the air bags. but then i was in shock just thinking omg! i was driving the vehicle to work all week and park it later that night. today i still don't know the electrical fire started, very puzzling because the vehicle was not running and there are no recalls from ford dealer on this model. unfortunately, i didn't have enough money to pay for my vehicle insurance for another month so there fore am stuck with the bill. i bought the use vehicle at drive time in phoenix arizona and the finance company has nothing to do with my situation but for me to pay the vehicle off. like i said i still don't know the exact cause of the fire expect it was cause by wiring. i could see the v shape outline of where the fire started. not only that but i had problems with the ignition, i had to turn the key all the way around in order for the vehicle to start (no recalls)? i am still sad by all of this but very thankful that no one was driving the vehicle......who knows what could have happened?

For almost a year, to start my car i had to push key in very firmly, then turn. for about one month now, i have to push in, then jiggle in and out until it connects and starts car. sometimes it takes 5 minutes to find the connection. i don't know if this is related to the problem of having no power steering (power steering comes and goes - usually none) which i understand is also an electrical problem. *js

My 2008 ford escape's transmission started slipping while in overdrive. it then went out and revved up to 5,000 rpm's and would not move while in over drive or drive on the interstate causing me to almost get rear ended. i had to shift to second gear and limp it home. *tr

This problem started about 2013 my car ignition was not starting the car i have to press in then turn so that my car can start this was getting so aggravating so i took it to a shop and they switched out the ignition switch and that did not last long. i am now dealing with this issue again and it is expensive. i am so tired of my car not starting when i turn the key. i had to get my car towed because of it and i sometimes get stuck after shopping or at work and i have to keep turning the key until it start. i believe this has something to do with the recall i had last year on my car i hope that ford look into this issue i believe it is something going on deeper than the switch and ford need to fix it. i need help with this issue. *tr

This is my second complaint, same issue. again, yesterday driving at about 30 mph the car just shut off. no problems immediately before, no sounds, nothing. it just stalled. started up right away. no problems driving after except it did feel like it jerked a bit (almost unnoticeable except now i am very aware of this) on two occasions within 5 minutes after the stall. this car was purchases as a used vehicle back in jan. it is a 2008. i also filed a complaint yesterday on this same issue which occurred just in the last few days and again a couple of weeks ago. so this is the 4th "stall" since i purchased the vehicle 7 weeks ago. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that once the vehicle was turned off it could not be restarted. the radio also failed and the vehicle exhibited a reduction in power. the failure recurred on 5 different occasions. the vehicle was towed and the transmission, alternator, front axle and battery were all repaired however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure and current mileage was unknown. the vin was not provided.

This is an update to previous incident. $10486901 having spent the previous ($900) to find the problem, customer took the vehicle to a ford dealership repair shop. they agreed with the other mechanics that the instrument cluster was defective, but said that they could not give anything in writing till i paid their diagnostic fee ($135) and saw for themselves. i agreed. now i have spent another ($1120) to replace the instrument cluster. i also have in writing from the ford dealership that the speed cannot be viewed while driving (it reads 0 mph) and is a safety issue. contact me for the next step. *tr

Power steering goes out for no reason. it clicks in the housing under the steering wheel, in the steering column. needed to add that we have had several injuries and more than one accident where a vehicle sustained damage as a result of this defect. *tr

When trying to start the ignition, it sometimes will not start. i have to push in with the key and try this several times before it will crank.if i need to be in a hurry,i can't,because it takes about 10 minutes to get crank.. *tr

I turned on my seat warmer on driver's seat and heater, within a minute or so smoke started coming out bottom part of control panel where it meets the console. the smoke got worse. i was in the middle lane of heavy traffic and had a difficult time getting over to turn off and get stopped. by this time the smoke was quite bad (had electrical smell) i had all windows down & sun roof open. the car alarm went off, the heater would not turn off. i finally got stopped and got out of the vehicle. a lady pulled in to the church parking area where i was and called 911 for me. by this time you could see actual fire (flames) coming from the same spot as smoke. it was amazing how quickly it was in flames. the vehicle blew up. the fire department arrived in time to put out the fire. the only thing left is the metal shell and the tires. nothing in the interior. all windows and sunroof blew out. bumpers, lights, tail lights melted. thanks ford. *tr

While backing out of a parking space the steering locked on my wife's 2008 ford escape. she called me to come help her as she was not able to move her escape. upon arrival i inspected the vehicle for obvious signs of problems, none were noted. i tried to move the steering wheel; i was quite shocked that the steering wheel could not be moved. since i am 6'4" and 300lbs most things that i grab move?the steering wheel should have moved, just without the assist of the power assist. the vehicle was towed to a ford dealership for them to diagnose the issue. i was informed that the sensors in the steering column are bad. the dealership stated that they were able to reset the computer and that the steering now functions. the dealership informed me that i have two choices drive the vehicle and see if the issue repeats or replace the entire steering column ($1,500.00). i explained that this is in fact a safety issue as the steering failed completely and locked up as i was unable to move the steering wheel. ford customer care was contacted and they have offered no assistance in this issue and claim that they have no knowledge of any issues pertaining to this problem on record. this statement by ford customer care seems to be highly suspect as a quick internet search found many identical issues. the complete failure of the steering system is beyond unacceptable! if someone with my strength cannot move the steering wheel than how is someone the size of my wife supposed to move the steering wheel if and in this case when the steering system fails. ford needs to accept that there is in fact a major safety problem related to the failure of the electronic steering system of the ford escape. complete failure of the steering is not acceptable. again this was a complete failure of the steering system!!! *tr

My ford escape is my family and work vehicle. one morning i started it after it was parked in cold overnight, engine started but the steering was stuck, thought battery was bad. restarted several times until steering loosened up. drove car and every stop light or while idling, the steering wheel vibrated so hard and have to hold it steady, thought, time to have my control arm replaced again. took it to a friend's car shop , said, they've been having costumers bringing their ford escapes lately with the same problem. they couldn't fix it. told me to go to my dealership. dealership diagnosed it , electronic steering problem $90 for diagnosis, $1100 parts and labor, about 3-days to order for parts. too expensive and dangerous, needs to have a recall. *tr

I was driving down the 5 freeway. i had been driving for about 45 minuets. i changed lanes to the right and the steering got extremely hard to move. i pulled of the freeway at the next off ramp. the entire time the wheel was very hard to maneuver. i came to a stop turned off the car, checked all my fluids, and googled the issue on my phone. all results lead to electrical power steering. i turned the car back on and all function returned. *tr

The car involved was a 2008 ford escape. i was driving at about 45 and i lost complete control of my power steering. i was unable to turn steering wheel. i used all my force to get to the side of the road. i then turned the car off and turned it back on my steering was then fine. i got back on the road and i lost all of my power steering again. this steering problem is very dangerous and recall must be enforced!! *tr

While driving at 65 mph on i-10, toward armstrong international airport, the vehicle, with no pre-warning began to decelerate (slow down). the vehicles speed did not respond to depressing throttle pedal; the vehicle would not maintain speed. fortunately, there were no vehicle in the right lane and i was able to get to the shoulder of the road. there, by turning off the ignition and restarting the vehicle i was able to continue the trip until the second and third occurrence. this situation occurred three more time on the return trip home. all on the interstate highway. needless to say, after the first occurrence i proceeded in the far right lane where i could get to the shoulder easily. after doing some investigation, i have found that this has been occurring on ford escorts since 2004 at least. i find it difficult to believe that such a potentially dangerous design flaw in an automobile has persisted so long. imagine what would be the consequences of having this occur while driving in the middle of a six lane interstate with 18 wheelers all around. at best there would be an accident, there is a very high probability of fatalities. *tr

As i was backing up, i lost power steering. i was unable to turn the wheel without great force, and backed into the porch. after turning the car off and turning it back on, this resolved. it happened again the next day going forward at 40 mph. i could hear something in the steering column click and then lost power steering. now the power steering has completely gone out. when i start the car, i can turn the steering wheel all the way one direction and "trick" it into having power steering for a moment before it clicks off again. i have sustained a neck and shoulder injury from having to use my entire body to turn the wheel, and slamming into the porch when the wheel got "stuck" in a turned position and i was unable to turn it back. it is unbelievable that no one has died as a result of ford's defect. will the nhtsa wait until then to force ford into a recall? *tr

Issue happened four times in last couple months--two times with my wife-two with me-was once on highways with each of us -and once in just going into a parking lot while turning at 5 mph or less-have a witness on last occasion a couple days back at work lot. have also experience a battery dead-took to advance auto of hammonton, nj and advised on sunday passed that battery tested fine. the ignition has been loose-and is getting worse -the key wiggles -and on just a normal input the engine does not turn over --have to put in 2nd or 3rd time -pushing in hard to get contact. feel , but do not know , that this issue effects both the battery and the loss of power steering on the four occasions--in any case it is a real safety issue-will not let my wife drive the car-she uses now the 2000 sel ford van we have for second car. we love the escape-but this is a serious safety issue. i have all my records on my home page ford for years-and all service records-99 per cent from dealership where bought this and many others. they have in past been great. contacted ford.com -received a reply to my e-mail in a day from a [xxx] of ford -they are doing a very intensive study and are also saying there are no current recalls or financial assistance on what our dealership said could cost around $400 to pull down and repair.[xxx] of ford.com promised a reply and hope for solution with and in co-operation with my dealership and ford. ford in the past has always stood up to their responsibilities for us , as has our dealership service department at lilliston ford , vineland, nj . thanks for allowing to share this with other folks -will follow up on a conclusion in the next weeks. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

When driving the instrument cluster fails. all the dashboard lights come on, the speedometer/fuel gauge/etc move to 0 or the far left. looking online for ford instrument panel failure, there are hundreds of complaints about it. checked with the mechanic who says it is a common failure with ford. they have a bulletin about it but it will not construe a recall until a death or injury from a crash related to the defective equipment. this may also fall under a tort lawsuit. *tt

The dashboard cluster (instrument panel) failed while driving causing the speedometer and rpm gauges to drop to zero. all the instrument lights turning, car not starting on, ac blowing warm ai, were all side effects of the problem. searching for the problem has amounted to almost $900 in expenses. sent in complaints to ford, who promised to escalate the issue and then never contacted me. took it to the dealer, who mentioned that they didn't know what it was and that it was somewhere in the vehicle. took it to a reliable mechanic who called in a specialist to find broken connections within the panel causing it to fail intermittently. i have the mechanic's report stating that many similar models have this exact issue and is surprised ford in not giving attention to this safety issue.

I was driving with two family members when power steering failed on a freeway off ramp. steering failed whereas i narrowly avoided a major collision. vehicle extremely difficult to turn with electric steering failure. *tr

I had purchased this truck new from the dealer in march of 2008, this truck has had many problems in the past starting with the day i bought the truck. now a few year's later the "a.c. condenser" was leaking transmission fluid and the dealer is now telling me that it is not covered under my "drive train warranty". i am not a mechanic but the several mechanic's that i have spoken to said that, that part is vital to the power train. i am a young struggling nurse trying to pay off school loans, and they are telling me that this is going to cost $700.00, i cannot afford it and i need my truck. i bought this new with the impression that these things will not be an issue and if they were they would be covered by ford's warranty. i have done some research on the internet and this is a major problem with this specific year and truck. i am hoping that you guy's will be able to help with this matter. thank you and god bless. *tr

Out of nowhere in sept and oct of 2011 my sun roof, right passenger and right back passenger windows stopped working. they fell straight down.. the motor and the band quit and now come august and october of .2012 the same thing on the left. i bought this brand new on 2008 out of the dealership and now i have to spend my time and money for a defective auto. *tr

I own a 2008 ford escape xlt , v6 3.0 engine. at about 49,000 miles, it started having acceleration issues . this has been an on going problem, but never trips any service lights. i go down the drive way pretty good, but when i get on the highway, i have to hammer on the gas pedal to get it to go and the rpms go way up. the ford dealers can't find anything wrong with it. we know that it's fuel related and have cleaned the throttle body and several sensors. it helped for a short time, several thousand dollars later. but its right back to stalling out. i've never received any recall notices at all. this vehicle is a coffin on wheels ! p.s. this is in regard to the electrical throttle body.

When i start the ignition en various occasions i don't have power steering i have to turn the ignition on and off multiple times until i regain power steering. while i'm driving my steering wheel starts trembling and shaking. when that occurs and i come to a stop i loose my power steering. i have to turn the ignition on and off multiple times until i regain power steering. *tr