Problems with 2008 Ford Escape POWER TRAIN

2008 escape needing major transmission repair, only 16,000 miles with light city driving. *tr

Starting in the fall of 2009 when the weather got colder, the throttle became unresponsive and harder to depress, requiring a greater effort to press down the pedal to un-stick and only then would the throttle pedal depress beyond the idle position. therefore, the vehicle continues to lurch forward creating a sudden, dangerous condition. the problem has been persistent and continues to get worse. *tr

2008 ford escape - known issue tsb # 08-5-7 resulting in transmission cooler failure at 46,000 miles. leaks significant amount of transmission fluid resulting in a potential fire hazard. in addition if not detected in-time, transmission failure will result due to lack of fluid. ford did not notify customers of this known issue, and refuses to cover under powertrain warranty. ford should be accountable for the proper repair of this known defect and compensate those who have had to make this repair. *tr

2008 ford escape - known issue tsb # 08-5-7 resulting in transmission cooler failure, leaks significant amount of transmission fluid, causes slipping and could be fire hazard if gets leaked fluid on catalytic converter. ford did not notify customers of this known issue which is prevalent according to all dealers spoken with, and refuses to cover under powertrain warranty. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the vehicle was being repaired when the contact noticed that there was a puddle of transmission fluid under vehicle. the dealer informed the contact that the transmission and the sensor caused the leak. the vehicle was repaired at the owners expense. the manufacturer was notified and a complaint was filed. the manufacturer stated that the complaint would be forwarded to the engineering group. the failure mileage was 47990 and the current mileage is 55000. updated 4/5/10 *cn updated 05/17/10.*jb

My 2008 ford escape has 38,000 miles on it. the warranty expired at 36,000. i noticed it running strangely and upon closer investigation, noticed a fluid leaking from the front. the dealer said it is transmission fluid. i need a new transmission cooler/ac condenser at a cost of around $750. i researched this problem online and found that it is extremely common with 2008 escapes. one person complaining said that his dealership has around 10 of these a week to fix. if it is so common, shouldn't there be a recall? transmission failures can be very dangerous-i'm very upset about this and hope someone will check into this problem and make ford fix them! *tr

Leaking automatic transmission fluid from a weld on the transmission fluid cooling unit, car has 41000 miles . ford tells me it is not covered under the 5 yr/60,000 mile powertrain warranty . approximate cost is 700.00 according to dealer. if this part continues to leak,transmission will over heat and seize up. ford issued a tsb # 08-16-12 on 08/18/08 to its dealerships about this defect , while my car was under full warranty. why wasn't there a recall? *tr

Transmission cooler leaking on 2008 6cyl ford escape causing transmission to act erratically vibrates and lurch forward due to loss of transmission fluid. also a fire hazard as undercarriage and radiator have heavy deposits of transmission fluid. car has only 41,000 miles and majority of mileage has been on interstate. currently car is in repair shop awaiting replacement parts. from complaints on internet this is a recurring problem for ford escapes and is not being addressed by ford. some of the complaints advised of near accidents due to this manufacturing defect. ford should be forced to recall all 2008 ford escapes and reimburse all owners who have had to absorb the repair costs due to the manufacturing defect. *tr

My 2008 ford escape has transmission fluid leaking from the cooler. i found out about this issue after a regular oil change and am not sure how long it has been going on but have lost nearly 2 quarts of fluid. the ford dealership indicated this is a common problem with these vehicles and ford has issued a bulletin on how to correct the issue. which basically involves replacing the entire system. *tr

My 2008 ford escape, (not hybrid), is leaking transmission fluid at 40k miles. the ford dealership says they regularly see this problem. i have a lease and my warranty expired at 36k miles. ford says they will not cover under warranty. called ford corporate in dearborn mich. they too agree this is a common occurrence in this year, make and model. they said a tsb, (technical service bulletin), has been issued, but no recall yet. advised me to "save my receipt". this was my first ford purchase and definitely my last. *tr

Throughout the time i have owned this vehicle the transmission has acted strangely. sometimes it shifts violently and jerks the entire vehicle forward. other times it seems that it simply won't shift into gear when first started. last march i was waiting for a train to pass so i put the vehicle in park while i waited. two or three seconds after i put it in park, the entire vehicle jumped forward a couple feet. it scared the crap out of me since the train was moving at 60+ mph and was only maybe ten feet in front of me. when the train passed i put it back in drive and it didn't engage. i put it back in park and moved the shifter through the gears. after this it worked again, but i was worried. i noticed transmission fluid leaking from the passenger side of the radiator area this morning. i needed an oil change anyway so i took it in today and was told that it is the transmission / ac cooler that is leaking transmission fluid and it needs to be replaced. i called ford about it and they said that they couldn't guarantee warranty support, but that i should make an appointment with a ford dealer for the repairs. based on what i've read, the warranty is not going to cover it since i have 51,000 miles on it. the good news is that big o tires gave me an estimate for $512 for the repair work, which is much less than what others have been paying. but in the mean time i have a potential fire hazard due to transmission fluid leaking on components below the engine. i can't help but think that these events are somehow related. especially when factoring in all of the prior complaints that i've found easily with simple internet searches. unfortunately, it appears that it will take someone being hit by a train for anything to be done about this. for now i am going to wait until i take it in for my appointment at the ford dealer. consumers should not have to pay for repairs that make a vehicle safe to transport their families in their every day lives. *tr

The transmission coolant line running to the a/c condenser leaks and sprays transmission fluid everywhere. started at around 36,000 miles found it at 38,000 and ford has informed me that the transmission hose is not covered under the powertrain warranty because it is an ac part. *tr bogus

I have a 2008 ford escape was sitting at a stop light and when i started to go forward it just rolled back and then lunged forward barley missing the car in front of me. i finally noticed a leak coming from the from end of the car took it to ford and they said it was a common problem there are 100s of people with the same prob ford refuses to fix the issue saying it wasn't covered after 36k there should be a recall ford should own up to there poor workmanship too many people with same problem. *tr

Trans fluid leaking on floor. dealer says it is a known issue by ford and they will not pay for it. tsb # 08-5-7 .many other complaints on this form and others . may cause trans failure at any time and cause someone to get killed in traffic. *tr

My 2008 ford escape would slip or stall when accelerating. looked on web and found out needed new transmission cooler had to have replaced at my own expense since the transmission cooler has nothing to do with the transmission and is not covered under the powertrain warranty. *tr

2008 ford escape: failure mileage 21,775. engine rev-ed for no reason at < 10 mph. vehicle stalled while coming to stop. vehicle leaked large puddle of transmission fluid under right front passenger side. ford replaced transmission cooling assembly (part #8l8z-19712-j) under warranty noting tsb 09 09 04. i purchased this escape on 08-04-09 as a certifed used ford off a ford lease with mileage 20,227. i had not yet made the 1st payment. this appears to be an ongoing issue with many 2008 escape owners and over the long term causes damage to the transmission due to a dangerously flawed design. there is no recall at this time. *tr

2008 ford escape - 41,800 miles. rpm's would fluctuate - car would not accelerate - car would roll backwards on incline- car would stall out . took in for service dealer advised transmission fluid is leaking due to cracked in the transmission cooler. defect is not covered by powertrain because they say this part is not part of the transmission it is a cooling unit. approximately $750 to fix. *tr

Transmission fluid leak within condenser resulting in transmission damage and gear slippage. the vehicle would suddenly not accelerate or would lurch forward. there is no evidence to suggest it was caused by an outside source, rather a faulty line that cracked. this repair was not covered under warranty and occurred shortly after 36k mile warranty expired. total cost for repair was $1025, plus out of pocket tow because it turned out not to be covered under a warranty repair. *tr

Girlfriend bought 2008 ford escape new from dealer. at approx. 39,000 miles noticed fluid leak from front of engine. soon car began stalling and or jumping as stop and go driving. she called dealer for appointment to have condition of transmission checked. and was advised to check fluid level. level was low but kept appointment. upon arrival was quoted $850 to replace leaking transmission cooler. i got angry that ford isn't standing behind their product and used some profanity to express my dissatisfaction. at this point service manager at hansel ford says that they don't need our business, retrieved her car and we were told to leave. had car repaired by private shop for $650. no recall yet? 2008 explorer has recall for loose mounting bolt for lines from tranny to cooler for possible fire danger,(see nhtsa id 07v453000, ford recall number 07s56). will all of the people who have had this problem corrected have to replace these units every 38,000 miles? *tr

2008 ford escape--leaking transmission fluid---brought to dealer--crack in transmission cooler. not covered under ford's warranty or extended warranty we bought with the car. ford will not do anything about it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that she noticed an oily substance leaking in the engine area of the vehicle. she confirmed that there was transmission fluid leaking from the vehicle. while driving the vehicle it failed to shift into first gear. the dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that the transmission cooler was leaking fluid and the cost to repair the leak was 1,000. the vehicle has not been repaired. the manufacturer stated that since the warranty expired they were unable to assume the repair cost. the contact stated that recall 07v453000, power train:automatic transmission:cooling unit and lines is related to the failure. the failure mileage was 36,000 and the current mileage was 37,200.

I have to replace the transmission cooler on my 2008 ford escape for the second time in less than a year. it was replaced last august 31st and went again yesterday aug.6th. i am being told ford has a tsb for this part, and it is a known issue. the car simply will not move in drive. the cooler leaks the transmission fluid causing the vehicles transmission to slip and then eventually does not engage into gear. i came to a red light yesterday at a busy intersection and my car would not move!!! last august ford replaced the part under warranty. i am being told i have to pay this time even though it has the tbs. *tr

2008 ford escape - i was informed that the fluid line leading from the transmission to the condenser had sprung a leak. after asking two separate ford dealers and doing a lot of web research, i have come to find that this issue is widely prevalent with this model and is a result of a design flaw. i asked about the replacement part and if it would suffer the same fate. i was told that the replacement part, engineered and manufactured by ford has been designed differently to accommodate the original flaw. this to me represents a situation where ford knew of this issue and failed to inform customers or issue a recall. as a result i am out almost $800 for the repair. ford will not cover it under warranty and accepts no responsibility for the defect. there is a technical safety bulletins issued on this defect tsb -08-5-7 if i recall right. it took me about 30 minutes to discover that this issue is wide spread and that all others affected with this problem on their ford escape vehicle have been given the same brush off by ford. something needs to be done about this. the resulting issue created by this problem, documented several places is a transmission failure. some have resulted in the vehicle jumping into gear and others creating a lurching issue which ultimately leads to a potential accident situation. *tr

For no apparent reason the transmission cooler on my 2008 ford escape started to leak. the leak go t worse and i took it to ford who told me it would be about $950 to fix it. the car had 41,000 miles on it when the problem started. ford will not fix this even though the drive train is still under warranty. ford customer service told me that if it didn't break during the original warranty period it was my problem. i found out the leak was due to the fact that they riveted the air conditioning pipes to the return tube of the transmission cooler and the rivet fails on almost all the units causing the leak. *tr

Car in reverse backing into my drive --i remove foot from gas pedal and car immediately rolls back down into street staying in reverse but going forward. when in drive entering driveway and i remove foot it again rolls back down into street being in drive but moving in reverse . i must use the brake at all times. it is not a steep drive at all. ford says they can't duplicate it so it isn't true and refused to put it on a lift to check for defects. another mechanic says it's dangerous and so did several friends who also experienced it. i am afraid it will roll into the street or fail to stay in drive when or if i try to travel over a hill or steep grade. it is automatic but seems to act like a stick shift. *tr

2008 ford escape. no problems up until leaking from the front. at first thought it was condensation from using my a/c. however, it turned out to be leaking transmission fluid. the transmission has started to fail and slip out of gear on highways and rural roads. *tr

Condenser/transmission cooler leaking resulting in transmission damage and/or failure. 2008 ford escape. this is 3rd time leak/transmission problem has occurred with the first 2 happening under warranty. ford motor company refusing to cover the cost of transmission repair d/t the "condenser" not being manufactured by ford. thankfully, no vehicles were behind me when i lost transmission first time while going up a steep hill. *tr

Transmission coolant leak. rolls back, engine shuts off, leaks transmission fluid. accident risk. ford not going to replace bad part. *tr

Transmission fluid leak. has been recalled for many other ford suv's but not the escape. started leaking just after my 36,000 warranty ran out so they gave me an estimate of $750 to repair. my car is 1 year old. *tr

I bought my 2008 ford escape in 02/2008. last week my escape started sticking when i pushed the gas petal and it would lag then all of a sudden jump and jerk forward. then i noticed that i had a transmission fluid leak. i called the dealer and took it in for them to check because transmission issues were supposed to be covered under the powertrain warranty. well boy was i surprised when the ford dealer i bought it from called me and said that it was going to cost me $1600.00 to fix because it was the transmission cooler and line was leaking and that is considered to be an external problem with the transmission and hence not covered under warranty, only internal parts. i have done some research on the internet and now see that many many people have had the exact same issues with their 08 escapes yet ford is doing nothing about it but ripping off their consumers. the service center at the dealer even told me that this was a common problem they were seeing in the escapes lately and that they are fixing these daily. what can be done about this? here i thought i was doing good by buying a new car last year and i am having more problems with it than i did with my 10 year old mazda i traded in for it. *tr

My 2008 ford escape limited 4wd with approx. 29,000 miles started running a little louder than normal. then it began shaking while in motion, usually between 35 to 40mph. when it was taken to the dealership they told me it has a bad transfer case. when the part never came in i was informed that there was a stop shipment on the part because of a defect they found in the manufacturing. almost a month later they have received the part. had i not still be covered under warranty this would have been a very expensive and upsetting repair. *tr

I bought a ford escape 2008 about 1.5 years ago. the car stalled or died out suddenly when i was driving yesterday. i was almost hit by the car behind me. i then have a ford dealer to fix the car. i was told that transmission cooler was leaking and the level of transmission fluid was very low. they replace the transmission cooler and the car looks normal now. however, i did brief research over internet, and found transmission cooler seems to be a common problem for ford escape. i suspect it is a design defect and recall shall be required to prevent similar failure happen on other cars. *tr

The 2008 ford escape i own leaked transmission fluid through the a/c condenser. there was no warning lights engaged indicating a problem and the sudden starts began without warning. this is due to a factory defect and provides an unsafe driving environment given that the automobile's transmission does not engage properly due to the lack of fluid and surges forward. there is currently a tsb on this defect. there needs to be a recall before someone is injured since this is a common problem to all escape's manufactured prior to a february of 2008. the solution was to replace the condenser that has the faulty seam design. *tr

2008 ford escape hybrid, complete engine failure with less than 1/4 mile warning. ford has technical service bulletins on this problem: # 7-25-9 (dec. 24-07) and 08-3-3 (feb. 18-08). repair is a simple calibration. since this is a serious, potentially deadly defect, why is this not a recall to notify consumers? ford would not pay for the repair because my mileage was beyond warranty. it was not beyond warranty when the first tsb was issued. if this had been a recall and ford had been required to notify me, i would have had it fixed then, before it nearly caused an accident. thank you. *tr

We bougt a 2008 ford escape limited almost two years ago,it now has 70,000 miles and transmission is starting to go out., and when we took it to the dealership they said the compressor and the gearbox needed to be replaced. the trasmission fluid pours out and it shifts so hard into first and second gear that tires spin. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while driving approximately 5 mph on normal road conditions, the transmission began to shift improperly. there were intermittent harsh shifts. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the cause of the failure was related to the automatic transmission cooling unit and lines. the manufacturer warranty was expired and the vehicle has not been repaired. the manufacturer has been notified. the failure and current mileages were 41,000.

We bought the escape in march 2008 with 17,000 miles and now have 41,000 miles. the other day it started to not shift right so we checked the fluids and saw the transmission fluid was very low. we filled it and it still wasn't registering and took it to the dealer the next morning. dealer said there is a slow leak and we would have to replace the entire unit at our cost because we're over the 35,000 mile warranty. service manager admitted that the leak most likely would have started while still under warranty but could not go back. called ford and got nowhere with them. did research last night and saw all the other complaints along with the technical service bulletin issued by ford about the problem. heading back to the dealer this morning to see what they say about the tsb. the vehicle will sit in the driveway until ford or the dealer steps up and pays for this. ford knows it's a defect so why should we have to spend the estimated $800 to correct it. hoping they end up recalling this to save other consumers the hassle we've been dealing with. *tr

This is a follow up to earlier complaint #10256871 dealer was unable to do repairs to vehicle at earlier date because they could not find problem. vehicle now quit moving in middle of traffic requiring it be towed. dealer now replaced entire transmission due to complete internal failure which appeared to be caused by lack of lubrication to internal components. dealer commented that it appears to be a cooler related design problem, which restricts fluid flow in cold climates. *tr

My 2008 ford escape is currently at 16000 miles and i have noticed for about a week that the transmission has been slipping. then when i put it into reverse, it sounds like it is going to stall but doesn't. however, when then going into drive my car has stalled 4 times. i took it today and that was the second car today brought in for the same problem. they automatically said it would take a couple of days and got me a rental car till tuesday. *tr

Have a 2008 escape with 15,500 miles and it began shifting hard. took a short trip and problem worsened. husband noted transmission fluid leaking, right passenger side. took vehicle to shop and they determined the transmission cooler needed replaced. still under warranty so there was no cost to me other than a day without my vehicle and shop was excellent in cleaning my vehicle from all the transmission fluid splatters. great service but this problem on so many of these vehicles should be a recalled item. *tr

I am filing this complaint on behalf of my daughter. her 2008 ford escape started jerking as if the transmission was slipping then engaging. upon checking the fluid level i found it was showing at the bottom of the dipstick. my daughter is a registered nurse and does a lot of driving within our tri-state area so as strange as i thought it was to be that low, i added 2 qts. of fluid. two days later it was the same situation again except this time i had her make an appointment with the dealer. after dealer inspection she was told that the transmission cooler was leaking and needed replaced. i called the dealers service manager to see if was covered under warranty and was told that it wasn't covered under the 3yr. 38,000 mi. warranty because her mileage was at 43641. i asked about it being covered under the 5yr. 60,000 mi. power train warranty because it is called a transmission cooler, again i was told no. now i am sure not a rocket scientist but to me a transmission cooler sounds as if it has something to do with the transmission operation! my arguments with the service advisor proved fruitless. what really ticked me off was when the service manager told me that the mechanic who handled the repair said that the transmission cooler was leaking in the seam (faulty workmanship???). the end result is the repair cost my daughter $667.04. when i asked to see the old part the service manager told me that the mechanic held onto it because each mechanic keeps old parts to sell as scrap. i went back and got the old trans. cooler because i figured if anyone should money out of the scrap aluminum it should be my daughter. the placement of the transmission cooler right behind the grille is the stupidest design. why wasn't some type of guard installed in front of it? *tr

I had come back from a business trip and had parked the car at the airport. when i started driving, the car was lurching, feeling like the transmission was slipping. this continued all the way home. the next day, it worsened. took it to the dealer and they had to rebuild the transmission and do many other things surrounding that as all the fluid had leaked out. luckily, it was under warranty. *tr

The vehicle feels like it does not want to shift into gear when it is put into reverse. the whole vehicle is "chugs" or shakes when it is reversing at slow speeds. has become worse with time. vehicle purchased may 2008 and has 14,000km. currently in the dealership and they are replacing the entire transmission. *tr

Vehicle would not go in reverse after driving about ten miles. sub zero weather, vehicle was parked in heated garage. it worked ok out of garage, after driven for the ten miles reverse slipped badly. powertrain light on dealer checked for codes and code read as unknown problem. transmission now has delayed engagement into reverse. dealer checked fluid and it is burnt, again no known codes yet light is still on. vehicle is 4 cylinder with 4 wheel drive. *tr

I have a 2008 ford escape that i have had transmission problems and when put into rev. it would slip and or chatter. when i brought it into the dealership they stated to me that they can not get it to do what it did for me. this happen for a few days. it started to do it when it gets cold outside and after driving it. i have 333000 miles on it and do a lot of out of town driving. i would like it fixed before it leaves me stranded out of town. the dealership has had it for a week now and still can not find a problem with it. it is hard to believe that there is no code set for this problem. *tr

I purchased my 2008 ford escape in december, 2008 with 35k miles. i took the vehicle in for an oil change about a month after i purchased the vehicle, and was told that i had a leak in my transmission cooler. i took my vehicle into the dealership, and was told that this has been a very common problem with the 2008 escape. my extended warranty covered the work that needed to be done, but it still is something that should be addressed if this is a common problem on a vehicle that is less than a year old. *tr

Total transmission cooler failure at 48,000 miles. *tr

I brought my 2008 ford escape into the dealership after noticing it was leaking transmission fluid toward the front passenger-side of the car. dealer diagnosed the car with needing a replacement of the transmission cooler at a total cost of $1,142. my escape was purchased in june of 2007 and has just gone out of warranty had just over 40,000 miles when fluid started leaking. tsb 08-5-7 was issued for this exact issue. dealership offered 60 (ford)/40 (me) split of cost, but i think this should be recalled since it is admittedly a design flaw. i've also read of many others having the same experience. ford should do the right thing and issue a recall for this problem. *tr

Today i noticed a small puddle of fluid under the right front side of the vehicle. the fluid is a red, oily fluid. i did a further inspection of the undercarriage and noticed a small leak of red fluid coming from the bottom of the right side of the engine compartment. i then checked the automatic transmission fluid level, and it was very low. i have not received any indication lights on the dash board. the service center at the dealership is closed today, so i will take the vehicle into the service center tomorrow morning. *tr

In december of 2007 i purchased a 2008 ford escape limited. about 2 months ago i had to bring it in because it was losing transmission fluid and shifting irregularly(it had 33,000 miles on it). they told me that the front seal of the transmission was leaking and they replaced it at the dealership. about 2 weeks ago my wife noticed that it was shifting poorly into reverse, first there was a pause and then it would shift into reverse shaking the entire vehicle, the dealership informed me that now we have an internal leak and they are in the process of fixing that problem (it now has 40,000 miles on it). *tr