Problems with 2008 Ford Escape POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle failed to accelerate when depressing the accelerator pedal. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 131,837. updated 02/18/16*lj updated 5/9/18*jb *cn

Vehicle surged forward when i came to a stop vehicle would not go into gear until i was at 3500 -4000 rpm. i got on freeway &couldn't get to speed limit. the wrench light is illuminated & when i looked up description in manual it states it is the throttle control/powertrain.after doing some research they do have recalls for this but on the 2009-2012 models. it also specified that ford as of feb. 2014 had issued an extended warranty for throttle body assemblies for 2005 - 2012 for 10 years or 150,000 miles. i contacted ford & then state there is no recall nor consumer satisfaction program 13n03 for my car. yet, the have the same consumer satisfaction program for the 2011 milans. this i know cause my daughter has a 2011 milan & she received notice. i do not understand how ford can not comply when this escape clearly has the same problems as the recalled vehicles for 2009-2012. all i was told was to get it fixed & keep receipt and maybe some day could get reimbursed. this is really frustrating and on ford's part totally unaware and unfair to their consumers! *tr

Two days ago, i was driving on the highway and suddenly, my gears started slipping. i was driving 45 mph and then my car decelerated to the point where i could no longer accelerate. this made it very difficult to get back home and i feared that i would be at risk for a crash. immediately the next morning, i brought my car to a ford dealer and they diagnosed the problem to be with the transmission. my options were to fix one band or the entire transmission. upon doing research about this issue, i found that many other ford customers had experienced the same problems with their 2008 ford escape's transmission. *tr

While accelerating to get onto the highway, i noticed the engine was revving but our speed wasn't increasing and it seemed as though it wasn't going into gear. finally once it did shift the wrench indicator light came on. after taking it to the repair shop to have it evaluated i was told that the bands for 2nd and 4th gear were busted and i'd need a new or rebuilt transmission installed. i won't ever buy another ford after seeing all of the other reports on this and knowing that they aren't issuing a recall to fix this problem. this can be real dangerous if someone is coming at you and you can't get out of the way fast enough! i'm taking the loss and trading it in on something more reliable. *tr

I was driving on the freeway when my car suddenly wouldn't drive. i pressed the gas, but it wouldn't go. i limped over to the side of the road. my wife and children were in the car, but fortunately they were not hurt. after about 5 minutes, i was able to drive it to the exit (a few hundred feet). this seems like an incredible hazard - one that ford should fix! i can tell you this, i will get the car fixed to where it can be driven, but i will never buy a ford again. ford has put my family at risk and won't do the right thing. *tr

The transmission went out and had to be replaced. vehicle has been well maintained and this should not have happened. *tr

When the vehicle approaches 15-20 mph the rpm's rev. vehicle also wants to stall at low speeds or when idling. while all these issues start occurring the wrench light comes on in the vehicle. it makes the vehicle useless to drive and down right dangerous on the highway. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate. the maintenance service sensor illuminated on the instrument panel. an independent mechanic stated that the second and fourth gears were faulty and the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 82,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into second and fourth gears. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that when driving at low speeds, the steering seized. the contact also stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate when depressing the accelerator pedal and the wrench warning light illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not been notified. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (power steering) but did not confirm if the vin was included. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000. djr

I was driving the vehicle and a loud noise was made and the vehicle stopped running. had car towed to garage and the 2nd and 4th bands were destroyed. the transmission was rebuilt. it took 1.5 months to complete the work. now here i am again sitting along the highway with the same issues 2nd and 4th bands destroyed and the engine mounts destroyed this time. it has only been 7 months and 6,526 miles later and i have to put another transmission in the car. there is a serious problem with these transmissions. *tr

My 2008 ford escape kept surging up to 5 rpm while i was driving. thank god i was able to pull over without having an accident! wrench symbol appeared that said: throttle/powertrain. had to have car towed to a mechanic who told me i had to take my vehicle to a ford dealership. called ford dealer and appointment was scheduled with on 6/27; of course, i had to have the vehicle towed again. after the vehicle was evaluated the service advisor called and said it is my transmission!!?? how could this be! i only have 80k miles on the vehicle in 5 years! how is the transmission failing at such low mileage?! ont he nhtsa website, i see there are myriads of complaints regarding this same issue, yet no recalls?? no way should i (consumer) be responsible for a total transmission failure at 80k mlies, especially when it's evident it's a manufacturer's defect! my suv is still at the dealership because it had to be re-evaluated by one of their transmission experts. *tr

On friday may 23, i was driving to the store and the "wrench" symbol came on. my truck started to stall in mid-travel and i was able to avoid being rear-ended. i do not feel safe in the vehicle. the light went out after we were almost home. however, on saturday, after i pressed the gas peddle, the truck did not pick up speed. it is now parked in front of my door. *tr

My car isn't working properly due to defective ford throttle body. *tr

As i was driving about 30 mph my car suddenly sped up on its own. when i began to slow down my car then would not shift into second gear. the rmps would jump to over 300 when i tried to go faster than 25 mph. once i had gone that speed for a few seconds my car would then do a hard jerk and move into the next gear. this caused many safety hazards for me while driving on the highway. *js

My ford escape had 3 transmission failures in the past 4 years. i had it rebuild or replaced by ford twice and it need a third transmission rebuild or replace. the cp4e doesn't hold up or like others commented on this vehicle they have a tendency to have a loose stearing which cause the second gear transmission band to pull away or broken. please advise on this problem or issue a recall since there are more escape with the same problem. *tt

The vehicle began to drive rough and the wrench light popped on the dash. vehicle was taken to a ford dealer and was determined to have transmission failure at 55,000 miles. told would cost over $2k to fix and warranty just expired. we bought this vehicle as a certified pre-owned from the ford dealer 20,000 miles ago. *tr

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

We've owned an '08 escape 2wd xls. at 46300 miles, she experienced a loss of acceleration between 10-20mph; at 22mph the car into gear; at 50mph she got the wrench light. took it to the dealer, they hooked it up on the ids computer, came back with codes p0732 and p0743 internal transmission problem. they said it would need to be torn down to find cause of problem. when i asked how much for that i didn't get an answer and he went to say how if they did that the transmission would already be out and open so fixing it at that point would be the best. after i asked the second time how much is when he said approx. $2500 plus tax... could be higher or lower for the tear down and repair. i declined and decided to take it to aamco. they confirmed the problem. they told me that the cost to rebuild the transmission would be almost as much as getting a remanufactured trans with all the problem areas upgraded and a 3yr 50,000 mile warranty, whereas a rebuild would only get 1 yr warranty. we ended up buying the remanufactured that was the better choice. at the end with labor, install and tax $2837.51. i emailed ford prior to bring to aamco and didn't hear from then until 2 days before my wife's car was done. they call to ask if there was any way they could help but when i told them the escape was no longer at the dealership they said there was nothing they could do. i told them we could not afford to wait to hear from them and that it was a transmission specialist we took it to. they said that they cannot stand by the work an outside (non-ford) shop does. i then told them how i knew ford was aware of the problem because they had issued a service bulletin to its techs advising them of the problems because there are more than 1 problem with these transmissions. ford knowingly put my wife and daughters lives in danger with this problem and they don't care. *js

After driving on the freeway for approximately 45 miles, i was unable to steer the wheel without a lot of force. i was unable to stay on the road and came very close to hitting another vehicle before coming to a stop along side the freeway. in the past 6 months i have had to replace the transmission (at 69000 miles) and now this. i am not an aggressive driver and feel these problems should be addressed. the steering is a very serious safety issue and should have a recall! *tr

Was driving down road at 50mph then lost all acceleration. wrench light came on, engine would rev, but we would not go forward. crawled to side of road, then acceleration picked up, then stopped, then went, then stopped. then when the car was not accelerating and we were going maybe 5mph the throttle stuck and rpm's went extremely high.(into the 5-6 range) put vehicle in neutral and it slowed down a little. if suv acceleration would have actually caught at that point we would have spun out and crashed . crawled until we got home. this is a 2008 ford escape v6 with 69k miles. there has been a recall on the 09's. why not the 08.????? it uses the same drive-by-wire as the 09's. all signs are pointing to a throttle body failure. lets add the 08's to the recall list please someone better do something about this known problem before someone gets killed. *tr

My power steering keeps going out and on and out and on at any rate of speed. i can't afford the 1500.00 to replace it since i just had my transmission replaced at 4,000.00 it is a big safety issue and i've seen 1000 other complaints online. ford needs to do a recall. this is ridiculous. gm just did a recall and it is the same part. can someone help with this matter please? *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

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that there was an oil leak. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that there was a transmission fluid leak from the condenser, which needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 139,700.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while sitting at a stop light, the rpms increased excessively. in addition, the vehicle hesitated between first and second gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the 2-4 band needed to be replaced in the transmission. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 72,000. the vin was unavailable. *tr

When i would come to a stop or even start to slow down and start to go again my car (transmission) would jump, rev up to 4/5 rpms and stall in the middle of traffic, i would take my foot off the gas as soon as it would do this and it would do the same thing without me even on the gas, always twice meanwhile again stalling in the middle of traffic. my (wrench) light also came on which showed powertrain/control throttle. after taking it to a ford dealership they are quoting me $3500 to fix the problem oh and did i mention my warranty ended a month in a half ago! i know i have seen many others this is happening to and sincerely believe ford is not standing behind their product or wanting to admit there is a problem. *tr

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

Wrench light came on and i immediately took my vehicle to john bleakley ford for a diagnostic test to see what was going on. i noticed that the vehicle was stalling while going uphill and sometimes would not go more than 20. then when driving in the city the vehicle would sometimes jerk. this is a very nervous feeling!!! i was told that it is a factory problem & told to continue driving it. i was told by the service mgr to contact them in january after he contacts ford. i called and emailed often ad it is a nervous feeling to drive a car like this. i finally was able to follow up with the service mgr who avoided me until may 2014, and he only spoke to me after i contacted mr bleakley! i have quoted prices for a rebuilt transmission and a new transmission which is very expensive. i am still trying to figure out what happens when ford customers do not find the money to make expensive repairs. the mileage is too low to need a transmission. also i have maintained my car good. this is dangerous & unbelievable!!! *tr

While driving on the highway 595 speed of 65 mph the car just lost power causing to reduce speed fast with no prior warning. had to move from the far left lane to the right lane on rush hour almost causing an accident. *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 put it in reverse and it would stall and then punch in and take off. then i would put it into drive and the same thing would happen. it was kind of scary. if someone was in front of me i could have hit them. that happened a few times and finally it wouldn't move at all. my transmission just quit on me. with only 66,000 miles on it and i still owe $15,600 on it now as a single mother of two i have to try to come up with $3700 to fix this????? this vehicle just got broken in with 60,000 miles on it. i'm so upset. this should never happen and after doing research it happens all the time with this vehicle! where is the recall on it? i should not have to pay for this! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test where the dealer stated that the transmission cooler was defective and needed to be replaced. the dealer replaced the transmission cooler. the failure mileage was 68,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle decelerated and shifted out of gear. the contact mentioned that the wrench warning lamp illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the technician diagnosed that the second and fourth gears malfunctioned. as a result, the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 75,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that the steering column seized and the transmission failed. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 42,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while parked, the contact attempted to shift into reverse and failed to engage without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the mechanic stated that the cooling pump system in the transmission had to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure and current mileage was 112,000. the vin was not available.

As i was accelerating onto the interstate my 2008 ford escape surged and speed decelerated. the wrench warning symbol came on which is the "throttle/powertrain" warning light. the rpm's go as high as 4,000 rpm's before it changes gears. i took it into aamco to find out what the problem was, they said the transmission has to be replaced $3,000.00 so i brought it to the ford dealership which is looking into the problem now. as i read all the complaints about this same issue a recall should be issued, not just a service bulletin. ford needs to stand by its product and correct there mistakes. i feel this is a strong safety issue as it makes the vehicle very unsafe to drive. *tr

Vehicle will not shift gears until 3250-3750 rpm. wrench warning light turns on. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate as the wrench warning icon illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. the technician stated that the transmission would have to be rebuilt. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000. *tt

Just had the transmission on my 2008 ford escape give out on me. after reading multiple articles on the web, i saw it was a common issue with ford. apparently there was a service notice for a ford car with the same transmission as my escape. i find it ridiculous that i have less than 50k miles on my vehicle and now am having to fix the transmission. i feel like ford should fix this issue at no cost to me because they are using faulty transmissions. that they know are defective. *tr

I was accelerating up a hill, when i noticed that it did not have any power. the car would rev up but not change gears. when i got it to the dealer they said an intermediate band broke on the transmission. apparently the escape is known for transmission problems. the 2nd and 4th gears go out on them. ford would not pay for any of the repair which was $1358.41. this is the second escape i had with transmission problems. needless to say i will never buy a ford suv again. *tr

Driving home, came to a stop (red light) when it was time to go i pressed on the gas pedal and my truck wouldn't moved, then i let go of pedal and did it again and my truck jolted and started moving. as i was driving and trying to increase speed my truck would shift..if i tried to pass 30 mph it felt like it was decreasing. every time i came to a full stop it kept repeating the same situation, press gas pedal and no movement. it was pretty scary because here in california there are fast drivers and i was afraid that if my car wouldn't go any faster i would be hit, and i had my son and nephew in the car. this is very disappointing, never did i ever have issues with ford til now and what makes it worse there are no warnings it just happens. now its costing more then $300 dollars to fix this. but who is to say that after i spend all that money this wont happen again. i should be driving a vehicle that hasn't been recalled and the dealer should have contacted me about this and fixed it. *tr

Vehicle fails to accelerate properly after a complete stop. rpm's are raised to high before the transmission shifts into 2nd gear. *tr

Vehicle startup is very slow and after 35 mph changeup makes a very strong and when i stop at traffic lights come back again the same problem. *tr

My vehicle has less that 55,000 miles on it and i am having tons of problems with the transmission slipping. i should not be having these issues. i am very strict when it comes to changing my oil and having things serviced on this vehicle. i should not be having transmission issues, especially at under 60,000 miles. i feel ford should step up to the plate. they know there is issues with this models transmissions. please help, any advise welcome. *tr

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated while driving 10 mph, the vehicle revved but failed to accelerate. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the second and fourth gears would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 66,000.

Addendum: original nhtsa#10283836 (sept 2009) bought certified used 2008 ford escape in 2009. before the first payment, the transmission cooling assembly blew, dumping the transmission fluid onto my driveway (part #8l8z-19712-j, tsb 09 09 04). mileage: 21,775. cost of $1000+ repair was covered under warranty. fast forward, may 2013 (mileage: 59,391). as predicted back in 2009 by many here on this website: complete transmission failure. it died in 2 lanes of traffic, as i blocked vehicles, no forward or reverse gears. my transmission fluid was flushed: 2009, 2011, 2012, and topped off otherwise; measures i took to protect against this exact failure. yet it completely failed, <60,000 odometer miles. this $3000 repair was covered under the extended powertrain warranty. current warranty: now 12 months/12,000 miles. minus tow truck, 2 missed work days, and loss of use of my vehicle for 3 weeks. it is entirely possible this dangerously flawed design (sharing an ac/transmission condenser) will fail yet again, even as soon as 6 months. there is no manufacturer recall. the condenser assembly allows the fluid to remain chronically low for long periods. i topped my fluids regularly & proactively flushed 3 times in 4 years, yet the transmission still burned up and failed. note the repetition of the word ?burnt? in the technician notes, even though the transmission fluid levels were listed as ok. the condenser assembly (w/ ac & transmission sharing a condenser w/ a flawed weld that bursts), and the chronic problem w/ the electronic power steering that completely freezes the steering column in place on failure are huge safety issues. tragedy is predicted. followed w/ class action lawsuit. memos will reveal discussions all along regarding the epic fail of the 2008 ford escape. our safety and major inconvenience are minor collateral damage. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated the transmission was slipping and failed to shift into gear when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 75,000.

When i start my car the power steering wont work. i have to shut the car off and restart it and it will work. i noticed my escape was leaking fluid took it to the ford dealer it was the transfer case. after 2500. its fixed and it should be a recall on both as there are numerous complaints on both of these. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while the vehicle was having routine maintenance performed, the technician found that transmission fluid was leaking from the condenser at an alarming rate. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 27,400.