general problems of the 2008 Ford Escape - part 1

Check engine light keeps flashing, car vibration, bad head gasket, oil and fluid leak.

The vehicle frequently shuts down with a stop safely now light displaying on the dash. Gives maybe a 5-10 second warning before the vehicle is immobile. Has not caused an accident for us but has occurred abruptly on busy roads increasing the risk of one. However, it usually occurs when idling in a drive through or light etc. The vehicle also frequently does something that causes the clock and date to reset to 2004. This seems to always occur between drives overnight.

I have a constant issue with the power steering. This issue makes it hard for my vehicle to turn properly as well as when you go to turn a corner you have to be a body builder to get the car to even turn. At times I can't even drive my car because it gets so bad. Along with this issue I also have a wheel bearing issue in the front suspension. To me this issue feels like my whole car is going to rattle apart while I am driving it. To add to it, the propulsion system, it has a constant whine, tries to stall, and sometimes it will not get up to speed nor gain speed. There has been times when I am driving my car that I have to pull over to the side of the road very carefully because I feel like my car is going to die and then when I turn it off and then back on it acts like it has absolutely no power. I haven't gone anywhere to get my vehicle checked yet. But I have done extensive research on the issues that I am having with my vehicle and the three main issues are a recall for same year and same year make and model.

Car will run fine then, all of a sudden, goes into no drive mode. Will not go forward or reverse without a lot of gas pedal pushing ( like if the e brake is on then pop and lunges forward, but there is no brakes being applied, just gas. ) now car is sitting because mechanic pulled code p0a7c and said can't drive until fixed.

Tl- the contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid. The contact stated that while idle or traveling at various speeds, the vehicle would shut off as the stop safely now warning message would appear on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle would resume normal operation after a five minute wait. The vehicle had yet to be taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or serviced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 14v526000(hybrid propulsion system) which he linked to his failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer offered no further assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 191,000. Jo.

I have had replaced steering ujoint. And now no power steering it dont work and the gargage cant even figure it out. Right after replaceing it.

The gas pedal sticks and will not accelerate. When it finally does accelerate it is very quickly which can send you into traffic. This can happen any time while driving. It can happen from a complete stop at an intersection, it can also happen on the highway when you go again to press the gas, nothing will happen. The gas pedal will then suddenly press down very quickly.

My car has displayed the issues this model was recalled for numerous times and now will not start again. It stopped driving unexpectedly on several occasions when I have been driving on both freeways and residential streets. When it happens it becomes impossible to steer, gas and brake have no effect, and flashes a mesage that says to stop safely now (even though you have no control over it anyway). It sounds exactly like what happens in the one of the handful of recalls I've read about for this car, yet my VIN number says there are none associated with it and I think that needs to be reexamined.

Takata recall. . My 2008 Ford Escape when it shifts to 4th gear it goes down then shakes and goes up a gear.

When I will drive on the highway for an extended period of time, I will get master vehicle electrical hazard warning sign on my dashboard, a "stop safely now" message, and my vehicle engine will instantly shut off. This happened to me twice- first time, I was driving from cape girardeau, mo to st. Louis, mo and pulled off from the highway and stopped at the light when the engine turned off, and won't start back up until a few hours later. The second time I was driving from st. Louis, mo to creve coeur, mo. During that time I was driving downhill and was braking when I got the same warning light and message, and my car engine just shut off. Both of these incidents happened within the same month of July of 2019.

We bought our car used in 2008/2009. We took our car into a dealership when it was under warranty because of exhaust fumes. We often are smelling exhaust but since the dealership dismissed our problem we have been dealing with it all these years as 'normal'. I recently was hearing of police officers with Ford vehicles passing out or having damage because of the fumes in their Ford SUV. I took my daughter to the doctor a few years ago after being on a trip in the vehicle because she was throwing up on the way there and back. The doctors gave her back x-rays and said that it was just motion sickness. . She often complains of being sick in the car. I also don't like the fumes, but just drive it. Now I realize it may be a problem that was ignored by Ford to begin with. The more I drive it the more dizzy spells I have during the day. The fumes are almost immediately when we run the vehicle and when driving. This is been re-accuring since we bought the vehicle with around 50k, now it has 212k miles.

When driving car will shut down with a warning pull over and turn vehicle off very dangerous no time to find exits does not matter where you are at!!.

Gas pedal sticks, I have to prss it to the floor in order for acceleration, it won't let me excelerate over 5 miles and hour and will coast, it has happened several times but then seems to return to normal, has happened several times this winter.

Sometimes when I push on the gas pedal. . . It just won't depress and I am pushing on the pedal with my foot - but I can't make the car go, and the pedal seems 'stuck'. . . It has led to a few dangerous situations where I tried to merge onto a highway and pulled out - but then could not get the gas pedal to depress! eventually after 3-10 seconds the pedal will depress and I can get the car to move but I never really know when it will happen. Sometimes it seems to be 'stuck' worse than others. . . . I can tell it happens more often as the air gets colder - it has happened while the car was in motion and I used to think it was because I had a floor mat that I was certain was causing the problem and getting in the way- but when I removed the floor mat the issue still persisted. Eileen s. 215-206-5386.

Brake pedal dropped to floor while driving on highway at 70 miles per hour. Applied brakes and coasted to side of road. Then car lost all acceleration power. A tow truck was called.

When you are stopped and idling the car, it stalls out. It stalls when idling in gear, but not when in the park position. If you slow down at a light or for traffic obstacles, it sometimes stalls before you actually stop. As long as I have no stop lights or other obstacles to slow me down I'm fine. It mostly happens on city streets. Sometimes but not always it seems to buck a little. I am female and know little about cars, my husband took care of everything, this was his vehicle, but he passed away last month after a long illness. I did hope it was the fuel filter, so I had that replaced a few days ago. It did not help. When this occurs none of the many warning lights on the dash come on, nor do they come on or stay on other than when you first start the car. This is a situation that scares me, but at present, it is my only transportation, and there are many things required of me, relating to my husband"s death. I've read all the issues of stalling in many Fords before, during and after 2008, in just about every model including the Escape. I believe they have a problem with my car. No documentation, no accidents yet. . . . The stalling has been going on for almost a month. Month.

Idles very rough at stops . Must hold brake and gas at same time to keep engine from dieing . Danger is possible hitting slipping off brake and hitting gas pedal causing accident. . .

In cold weather the gas pedal sticks, I have to push it twice, after 50 km when the engine is warm it is not so bad. My son is scared to drive this car so I had to buy him another one, I still drive the Escape.

Takata recall - vehicle transmission slips, engine revs and decelerates while driving, ignition switch will not start car each time. Sometimes it takes twenty tries. I have read hundreds of these complaints on the internet. Ev.

While sitting in a drive thru the gas pedal went flat to the floor. Had towed to dealer and was told throttle cable broke. Needed replaced and throttle body,injectors cleaned. Cost approximately $800. 00. Looked on internet and found it to be a common problem. Called dealer and no help. Called Ford corporate and they took information but would not offer any help. If this had broke while driving we and others on the road could of been injured or killed. This vehicle should be immediately recalled in my opinion. Also this fix is no guarantee it won't happen again. Nice thought to have while driving in traffic.

While driving my car it lunge forward, which it have never done before. After coming to a complete stop at a red light, when I push on the gas peddle to continue on my way the car stalled, then lunge forward again. I was scared that the car behind me was going to hit me. Please help all the Ford Escape owners with this problem. My car is currently at the Ford dealer, hoping they can rectify the problem. I haven't had my vehicle for a year yet, just brought it last year.

Driving the vehicle about 40 miles per hour and vehicle lost acceleration or throttle response. Vehicle coasted to a stop and engine stopped. Car restarted without incident. Seems to be very similar to other reported electronic throttle body issues with other Fords.

While driving the vehicle it stopped accelerating & lost rpms. The SUV jolted forward & back & did not have enough power to accelerate. It made a revving sound each time the gas pedal was pressed. At moments the SUV would accelerate slowly but then repeat the process over.

After years (since early on in the ownership of the vehicle purchased new from the dealer) of intermittent problems with my gas pedal sticking (mostly in colder weather), the most recent incident was by far the worst and, like many other 2008 Ford Escape owners with the same issue, I am very lucky that it occurred in an area where I was not in immediate danger from other cars. I was stopped at a stop sign and when I pressed the gas pedal to move forward the pedal started to respond then fell to the floor with no further response. There was no power to move forward and no warning lights came on. I lifted the pedal to make sure that it was not stuck on anything and it just fell limply back to the floor. I manipulated the arm under the pedal with my hand until it loosened up and the pedal was able to engage again. I then drove to my destination without further incident. This is not the first time this has happened and if my car does not become part of the "customer satisfaction program," I am sure that it will not be the last. The NHTSA investigation of alleged throttle body failures in 2005-2012 Ford Escape vehicles sharing the same or substantially similar part, did not result in enough vehicles being included in the resulting Ford "customer satisfaction program," which only included cars from 2009-2012, when it should have included many more cars. The complaint forums are filled with many complaints regarding the same issue from at least 2008 Ford Escape owners. To not include everyone from the initial investigation is doing a disservice and it will be sad day when the rest of the car owners are included only because somebody has died!.

"stuck gas pedal": as I was driving to work in moderately heavy traffic on us 127 in michigan at approximately 8 a. M. , on 10 October 2014, the gas pedal froze on my (manual transmission) 2008 Ford Escape and I began to lose speed quickly from the 70 mph I had been traveling. The pedal would not move up or down no matter how hard I pushed or pulled at it. I tried kicking it as best as I could but it would not budge, and the floor mat was not near the pedal at all. I had to maneuver to the shoulder of the road and continued 'coasting' while I tried to get the pedal to move. The area I was at was not conducive to a full stop unless absolutely necessary due to the clearance on the side of the road and the curve I was on. My speed had dropped to less than 55 mph when the gas pedal finally released and I was able to push it down to increase my speed again and eventually work back into traffic, though with caution in case it happened again as I was still not in an area safe for a full stop. The temperature at that time was around freezing. I took the Escape to the Ford dealer and they said no codes appeared when scanned so there was nothing to indicate it had happened. They also told me that neither my vehicle, nor the throttle assembly in it are listed as part of the recall for "sticky accelerator pedal" for Ford Escapes. This is a 2008 manual transmission, 4 cy. , 4-door, 2wd Escape. Why was it not included in the recall? I've had problems with the gas pedal 'catching' and then immediately releasing since we bought it (at about 16000 miles), but the dealer could never duplicate the problem and thus did nothing about it. My online research indicates this "frozen" or "stuck" pedal (where the pedal will not depress at all) is not a new issue and across all model years, yet nothing has been done by Ford and they refuse to acknowledge it.

The gas peddle sticking and affecting being able to accelerate and therefore to drive safe. Took it in for diagnostics and it is a $500 + repair to fix the throttle body. Lots of other Ford Escapes are reporting the same problem per research on this issue. Very disappointed in Ford for not having a recall to fix this dangerous issue. I can continue to drive with this issue but decided to pay the $500 to make it work correctly and not put myself and others at risk.

The gas peddle sticks and raves up and other times the vehicle dies when starting from a stop position. The incident has happen multiple times and seems to be more when the vehicle is cold. So far there has not been a accident and mechanics are giving me multiple answers but cannot fix the issue. There is not a recall on the VIN number for my car but the issue is going to cause an accident for my car and me.

Throttle sticks shut, especially when vehicle is cold. Applying pressure to the throttle will sometimes snap the throttle open, causing the vehicle to surge. Sometimes the throttle will not move until the vehicle is warm. Throttle pedal assembly and cable appear to be free moving and not sticking. When moving throttle body shaft by hand (vehicle cold, not running), the throttle body sticks shut but can be freed with some effort. Once moved from the shut position, the throttle body shaft moves freely against the return spring. Cables attached to throttle body shaft are not under stress and do not appear to be impeding throttle body movement. Lubricant applied to cabling pivots and attachment points have minimal if any effect.

When the temperature outside gets cold, the gas pedal on my '08 Escape will stick in place and will not press down. If I jiggle it or jam it down hard I am able to make the vehicle accelerate. The issue is very prominent when it's cold out and the car hasn't been ran for a while. The gas pedal will jam both when stopped and when attempting to accelerate at higher speeds. It can be dangerous in parking lot situations when trying to slowly maneuver out of a space or around blind corners, and the gas pedal sticks, causing the car to lurch forward without much control. It's also dangerous when driving since you may be trying to accelerate from a stop but are unable to due to the gas pedal sticking. This can cause unsuspecting drivers to slam on their brakes, as they were assuming that you were going to move forward in traffic but the car is unable to advance. It has proven to be very dangerous in snowy situations and unplowed roads and driveways. When attempting to accelerate, the pedal will stick and then suddenly lurch forward, causing the car to slide around. Trying to drive up a snowy slope from a stop is nearly impossible, since the sudden acceleration causes you to spin out in the snow rather than allowing you to advance slowly. I have read that cleaning the throttle body is an effective fix for this issue but haven't yet tried it.

While driving my 2008 Ford Escape this morning the gas pedal got stuck and would not accelerate. This problem happens often in cold weather and occours when durring the first start of the day. This happend to me when pulling out of the driveway into traffic. I was able to safely roll into an adjacent parking area where after allowing the vehicle to warm up and testing the gas pedal a few times it resumed normal operations after about fifteen mins. If you google gas pedal stuck on cold mornings. . Ford Escape 2008 quite a few complaints come up. This needs attention as it is very dangerous.

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.

When the weather gets cold the gas pedal becomes stuck and will not depress. After repositioning foot, the pedal would depress. Yesterday on 12/27/12 the pedal would not depress while driving, which almost caused an accident because I could not accelerate when needed. I took the car to the Ford dealer and the issue was with the throttle body, which had to be replaced. This seems to be a dangerous issue and a recall should be issued.

In colder temperatures, below approximately 45 degrees, the accelerator becomes "stuck" and unable to be pressed down. After several times of stomping on it, it releases and the car accelerates. This continues to occur at every stop, red lights, stop signs, etc. , until the car/temperature warms up. While waiting to pull out into traffic, upon releasing the brakes the car merely idles into traffic as the accelerator is stuck and unable to be pressed, leaving the car creeping on to the road/highway until the accelerator loosens and is able to be pressed. As told by a Ford service technician and others with this same problem, the issue is with the throttle body. This same issue does not occur during warmer seasons/temperatures.

Gas pedal sticks, especially in cold weather. Have had to put car into neutral on more than 1 occasion due to pedal sticking at high speed. Also sticks when accelerating at low speed, making acceleration almost impossible.

As the weather has been getting colder, I started to notice how difficult it was for me to accelerate. This incident has been occurring every morning. On Wednesday I mentioned it to the Ford service person and he said that it could be the body throttle. On Thursday I noticed that the acceleration problem continued more frequently as I drove to work. Upon internet searching I saw an article about your investigation and wanted to add my information. Today I had the car serviced and the body throttle was replaced. With the weather getting colder and this part will mostly like will work hap hazardly, I feel that this is something that should be recalled by Ford. How many fatal accidents and innocent people must become victims before safety procedures are implemented? [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).