general problems of the 2008 Ford Escape - part 1

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the powertrain malfunction warning light and the abs warning light were illuminated. The driver was able to pull over, the battery was disconnected and reconnected, and the contact was able to continue driving. The brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard when the abs light was illuminated. While reversing, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted and stated that the repairs would be at the owner's expense. Another local dealer, bob davidson Ford Lincoln, located at 1845 e joppa rd, baltimore, MD 21234, was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall and referred the contact to the local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

In rainy conditions, executed a hard stop activating the abs. After successfully activating, the brakes go almost to the floor, and abs function has stopped. No air in brake system, and master cylinder checks out good. Seems dangerous that the one time you really need abs, it goes out. No warning lights on dash, mechanic has confirmed issue.

Abs brake light goes on and off and regen system disabled appeared. Brake pedal goes between being spongy and going to floor. I took it to an independent service center and the mechanic almost lost control of the car when test driving. There was no braking except to one wheel, which is why he almost lost control. They thought they fixed the problem by bleeding the brakes, but soon after I got it back on April 8, 2024 the abs and brake lights came back on April 10, 2024. I am afraid that it will cause an accident if the brakes go out. The car is back at the mechanics and they are going to inspect the brake system. Not sure when the car will be fixed and returned back to me.

My Escape keeps having the brakes go to the floor. Then they will be fine again for a while and then go to the floor again and have to be pumped to stop. The brake components are good. We replaced the master cylinder, continued to have the problem. Blakes bled by mechanic twice, again the same problem. Mechanic has determined it is a failure with the hydraulic control module. In researching they are back ordered everywhere and there is none available. In further research we have found that there have been over 200000 complaints. Ford wants us to pay 1000. 00 to buy a new module and mechanic wants 500. 00 to replace it. But again there are not any units available even from the Ford dealer. Ford needs to recall this part and make them available to be replaced. This is a serious safety issue. Ours have never completely failed but there are many people who say theirs have. Ours is very dangerous if you should have to hit your brakes suddenly and they do not stop or they skid.

My regen system failure light come on and off. When it does come on I lose my brakes. I have tried effortlessly like others to find out why they are malfunctioning. I am continually having near misses due to the brakes not wanting to work when they choose to. Why has this not been a recall yet. The brakes go all the way to the floor whenever they feel like it. I just purchased the vehicle. I wld have left it at the lot had I know this and no recall seems to be hand. So we get to have accidents or spend endless money while the Ford company doesn’t have to deal with any of it.

Abs, parking break light and regen breaks disabled. My breaks will go all the way to the floor and have crashed into a vehicle because out of nowhere I was not able to break like normal. Is not safe to drive. Was diagnosed with a bad hydraulic control until like thousands of other people with this car. Ford posted a service bulletin about this issue and recommended replacing the flex hoses before eventually replacing the hcu but wont pay for it. It is faulty and they should be held responsible and recall this hcu issue instead of just acknowledging there is something wrong with thousdands of these vehicles.

The brakes stopped working correctly and are very unsafe. The regenerative brakes get disabled, and the abs light is on, you lose the power brakes stopping power. I have to step on the brake pedal very hard for the vehicle to stop. It feels like the old school pre-power brakes. I took it to the Ford dealer, and they want to charge 5000 + dollar to fix it, they also say parts are no longer available, they instructed me to call my insurance company and have it totaled. I read the Escape hybrid forums and I see many people having this same problem.

The hcu fails causing the car to have little to no braking power while driving, at random times. There is a loud grind coming from the front right. . Happens only when it is warm.

When the car was started in a shopping center parking lot, the emergency brake light and the abs warning light were displayed and remained displayed. When driven, the brakes were "spongy" and then "regenerative braking disabled" appeared in the odometer display. I pulled over briefly, turned the car off for a short period and then restarted it. The same messages and odometer display remained, and brakes were still spongy. As I continued to drive (carefully), the situation resolved itself, though the "regenerative braking disabled" continued for another minute or two. Normal braking then resumed. This issue just occurred so it has not yet been taken to a dealer, nor has it been inspected by mfr, police, etc. . Read more...

Having issue with throttle body and or controller. Break takes time to respond and is stiff. When on an incline road, the car rolls backwards before accelerating forward. The rolled back at stop signs on inclined roads and inclined parking lots. The car shows no warming lights. The car has issues accelerating and decelerating. The car has rolled back while another car was behind it. The car at some instances has come to almost a halt while driving at 70 mph on the highway. While displaying no warming signals. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? this type of issue has been confirmed by the dealership and has been recalled for some Ford Escapes but not all. The car has been inspected by a technician. The transmission has been rebuild but that did not work so a new transmission was placed inside yet this did not resolve anything. The car has been having these issues for some years.

* the braking system is failing without warning arbitrarily, resulting in pedal doing to floor and not stopping the vehicle and requiring swerving if possible to avoid collision, often needing to drive off the road surface to do so safely. This is a very common and largely reported problem with this vehicle with no assistance from the manufacturer, and a singular resolve that far exceeds the vehicle value; there is not an option to replace failing part/s with used as manufacturer prevented that. * the safety of the family member and others on the roadway are at substantial risk with a vehicle on the roadways that has a failed braking system, especially on highways/byways at increased speeds with no means to stop without warning. * the problem has been inspected and confirmed by the Ford dealership service department, where it's evidently a well-known issue. Many are subjected to leaving their Escape hybrid with the dealer as they are too dangerous to risk driving, but the excessive cost levied to (temporarily) resolve the problem too much and outside the value of the vehicle. * illuminated warning lights include: regen brakes disabled, abs, check brake system.

Abs light on, vehicle stalling, dragging while driving 40mph or over. Brake petal non functional. *c1313, c1480, c1481 brake hoses restricted not allowing brake pressure in caliber damage *sway bar links damage, excessive noise and play.

My abs brake warning and my regular brake light come on and go off occasionally with a warning that says "regen brake system disabled". When this happens, it very difficult to brake, the brakes go almost to the floor before they engage and there is some sort of air leak because I can hear a leak in an air system of some kind. And when that started happening, the a/c stopped working and I heard a loud pitched whine coming from the vehicle. On the days there is no brake warning lights, the brakes still are not great and sometimes will start to stop the vehicle, then there is a kind of hiccup that happens where the pedal just goes to the floor while you are stopping, and not just as you begin braking. There are so many complaints on the web about people experiencing the exact same problems, I don't see why this has not been deemed a recall yet. Very dangerous!!!!.

There is a major safety issue with the braking system. The brakes were getting soft (having to push all the way to the floor to get it to stop) a brake warning light then came on, I had a mechanic check it and he replaced all 4 brakes and rotors on it, a small improvement. . . Then the abs warning light came on. . . . . It now brakes fine from speed until about 10 mph and then the brake pedal goes to the floor. Upon having the warning light scanned, it appears that the hcu (hydraulic control unit) needs replaced for a tune of $5000 plus. Upon more research there are many complaints on-line about this problem, unfortunately those of us that drive 13 year old cars typically cant afford such a repair bill for an obviously bad design flaw and must continue driving these dangerous vehicles because we have no choice. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

It started early thanksgivings(11/26/2020) drive as I was coming to my 4th/5th stop of the morning, I went to apply the brakes and felt my brake pedal sink with slight to no pressure, no response. I panicked and I remember pumping the brake rapidly to build pressure, but the brake did not respond as expected, I did feel I slight jerk and heard a growling sound coming from the bottom engine area. I must of gone over a pothole that made my truck feel like I jumped the curve, I was going about 35-45mph. After a few rapid brake pedal pumps my vehicle did come to a stop on time before running the light, luckily I was alone in the street that early morning. As of today the brake pedal still feel mushy/spongy lack of pressure and scary unsafe.

Driving for the 1st couple of miles was fine. Problem happened after stopping the car 1st time at friends house then 2nd time after gas station stop. After car was re~entered onto the road it would not go over 15 mph and felt like the brakes were on. This was after the 2nd trip to the mechanic about this problem. The mechanic couldn't figure out the problem and started researching . After talking to friends at parts store he was told there is a class action law suit on this vehicle for this problem. I have only had vehicle for 5 months so I am having a hard time finding any way to participate in this. It is possible previous owner was attempted to contact but has moved several times since original purchase. Can you help me with this, or will Ford contact me since title is now in my name. This is a safety issue.

Tl the contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated the brake pedal was depressed and became soft and sticky. The contact stated that the brake pedal remained on the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the brake fluid was flushed, inspected for leaks, and replaced the brake fluid however, the repair failed to fix the failure. The manufacturer was contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.

Yesterday, while driving at speed on i95 in connecticut, I approached stopped traffic and attempted to slow down by using the brakes. My foot went to floor without any vehicle braking. I began to pump the brakes vigorously and was able to achieve braking without further incident. This very much disconcerted me as I drove straight home with what appeared to be very poorly functioning brakes that may have caused serious injury if I was not ever vigilant of traffic ahead of me that I could anticipate needed slowing and stopping. I checked my brake fluid level when home and found it correctly filled as well as a survey under the hood and under the vehicle that found nothing out of the ordinary. The vehicle is well maintained by myself and a local shop. The vehicle now sits in my driveway as I contemplate my next course of action. Web research indicates a failed hydraulic control unit for which a recall has been issued for this problem for similar year/models, but, not my 2008 Ford Escape. Many other Escape owners have noted this experience with no federal response to date. Please review complaints regarding this dangerous failed component and act. Thank you.

Brake pedal goes down too far. Diagnosed as hydraulic control unit failure. Car has 84k miles on it. Ford seems to have recalled other vehicles for hydraulic brake problems. Why not these? very dangerous.

I got this vehicle in 2019,the brakes started acting up off and on,then in 2020,as of July 1,my daughter and I were out shopping. When I say the brakes were acting up,this is not like most brakes would do. Feel squishy,go to the floor or something like that. I was coming to a stop sign,put my foot on the brake,and it does not give at all. Just kept going. I finally shoved it into park and it stopped. This happened about 3 or 4 times that day. . Went through 2 stop signs,unable to stop. I have not driven it since the 1st of July. Also,I think the starter went out in it. Was unable to start it anymore.

Brakes started messing up when I first got this last year. I was driving and getting ready to stop. The brakes never went to the floor,as normally they would,if brakes would be going bad. I stepped on the brake and it was like stepping or putting my foot on a stone wall. This happened the worst 1 day ago. Coming to stop sign,it's like the brake hardens,stepping on it instead of going down. (I pray)finally stopped when I put it in park. Then go on very cautiously to home. I have been in vehicle when brakes were messing up,going out,or what ever. The brake in this is not like that. When it is going right,it is a good brake that stops well. When I hit it at different times,highway,street traffic,parking,etc. Unexpectedly,it will be like hitting concrete or cement trying to get it to stop. It happens at random times,unexpectedly. Very unnerving,to say the least. There have been people in vehicle with me when this happened. This started as of oct. 2019-June 30,2020. Never kept track of all to be specific in dates,other than last one on June 30,2020. More than 10 unexpected stops,so far. Maybe I did not say that right. I was expecting to be able to stop normal as I had many times before when stepping on the brake;instead,prayed and threw shift into park,it stopped.

While driving it was hard to push on brakes and when I took my foot off of the gas it vehicle would stop. So I took it to mechanic and he said my brakes went w caliber or wheel bearing. A few weeks later same thing happen all needed replaced now again its happened. This is to much something has to be wrong. It would pull back and burn the brakes up. I mean it was hard to get it two 25 miles per hour. This is the 3rd time. This happened while I was driving each time. The vehicle felt like it was pulling back, hard to go forward then hard to push on brakes then the brakes stated smoking.

Brakes went to floor when I had to make an emergency stop. Diagnosis as abs moduel/pump & brain. Estimated repair cost over $3,000 at Ford dealer. On just one web site, carcomplaints. Com there are multiple complaints about the dangerous safety issue with the abs moduel on the 2008-09 Ford Escape. There has been multiple accidents & injuries, no deaths that I can find. This is a problem that Ford knows about according to the dealer service rep I spoke too. This is a dangerous safety issue and Ford should be required to repair this safety issue via a recall on the abs moduel in all 2008-09 Ford Escapes.

Brakes go to the floor and I almost had to stand on the brake pedal to stop. Drove it back home, and scanned it, abs codes are leading to the hydraulic control unit. After research, it's a pricey repair. I just cant believe Ford has not stepped up, recalled and fixed the issue.

2008 Ford Escape hybrid awd, 197000 regen brakes disabled notice at vehicle start and in rush hour traffic. Soft brakes, nearly could not stop. Very unsafe in traffic or, in the case that it happens in a high-speed situation, could be deadly. Confirmed hcu and abs system. The fact that this has so many complaints with different years and models of hybrid vehicles with no resolution is unacceptable.

Brake peddle goes to the floor sometimes after a hard braking event. After pumping the brake peddle a few times, they come back. They sometimes go out when hitting a bump in the road also. Again they come back after some vigorous pumping of the peddle. Fluid level is good. I haven't wrecked it yet, but I can for see a passable problem in the future.

My vehicle mileage is 58049 original. I noticed while I was driving, within the last 8 months. I wouldn't get an alert about the odometer reading that would say regen brakes disabled I also noticed when I try to stop, the brake pedal would buckle while pressing it. And the vehicle didn't seem to notice that I'm trying to stop, it would eventually stop. It's a good thing that I'm not a tailgater cuz I would have clocked any vehicle in front of me. Here is a copy of the service forum that gary yeoman Ford daytona beach florida print it out for me. They told me that I need to have my hand on the emergency brake or my foot on the emergency break whenever I'm breaking out just in case. I bought this vehicle brand new, I have always taken it to Ford for any if any repairs. I literally have every receipt, if they haven't already faded through the years. The hybrid battery died after 7 years OH, pretty much on the 6th year I noticed it wasn't holding a charge longer than 24 hours. I inquired at the dealership they told me it would be 10k to replace. I still have it on the vehicle OH, I just get poor mileage now. I am in no financial predicament to afford a trade in newer major repairs. I'm just discouraged considering with such low mileage the most important part of a vehicle which is the braking system is going if not already gone. I am disabled so I do not drive often, the vehicle sits in the driveway more than its on the road. I've not traveled a far distances with the vehicle, mostly doctor's appointments and picking up medication and grocery store. That's it, now I've come to a crossroads not sure what to do how about this conundrum.

I have had several occasions in the past few months when the brakes went almost to the floor and came back up after I pumped them. They continued doing this every time I stopped until I got home. I have had a mechanic check out the brake system each time and he can find nothing wrong with the brakes. His only suggestions is that "maybe" the abs module is trying to go out and if it happens again, pull over, turn off the car and turn it back on and see if that fixes it for the time being. The only common element I can think of is that one time, I had driven over a very rough spot in the road, one time I had just hit a pothole, and one time I was making a turn as I hit a rough spot in the road. The mechanic thought this was making the abs system think it needed to engage but offered no suggestions of how to fix the issue other than what I mentioned above.

I just purchased this car. It has 18,000 miles on it . After driving for one week. I noticed the car brakes have become very hard to stop. Almost to the point where I have to press the pedal to the floor. I was driving about 45 mph when a car turned in front of my and I had to hit the brakes. I had an extreme delay in the brakes and almost smashed into the car in front . Luckily there was another lane to merge into or I could have been in a major accident. I now always have to have my foot ready for the emergency brake because I am afraid the brakes will go out. I took the car to a Ford dealership and they are telling me that the car has a faulty hcu. The cost to replace is over 5000 dollars. How does a car with 18k miles require a part that cost more than an engine? this car is not safe to drive. Upon research we noticed that thousands of these cars have the same braking issue and its a hazard. A recall must be issued and Ford needs to own up to their faulty car before someone gets killed. This car is dangerous and we will be taking a huge loss and disposing it if there is no recall issued.

When you take the transmission is sluggish on changing gears and after a change out of logan her into high gear is sykes working fine wine step on the brakes the truck starts bouncing feels like the front end is about to fall out from under the truck and I told you to the Ford company and they said there's no any recall on my VIN number but I have a part that is listed under the government site is good that's what's going on with my vehicle is a Ford Escape 2008.

Abs brakes engaging while driving at low speeds constantly.

While driving, the car will randomly display the "parking brake" warning-light, abs warning-light, and a message stating that "regenerative braking has been disabled". At which point the brake pedal will no longer slow the car down unless depressed all the way to the floor. Braking appears to be entirely manual -- there is no support from the regeneration or hydraulic system. This can occur suddenly, without warning, in conditions as varied as highway driving (at speeds greater than 65 mph) or in stop-and-go traffic.

Well known 2008 Ford Escape hybrid anti lock brake problem but when I brought car to hempstead Ford 301n. Franklin street, hempstead n. Y. 11550. Supervisior name maria (888)457-8442 service dept claim to havent heard of the problem. Aslo I was there for a coolant pump recall and all they did was check my antifreeze and never change coolant pump. Waste of my time. I called the Ford company phone number, does not speak english. Ford is playing phone tag. Ford hybrid brakes are the worst I ever experience in a vehicle. Regenerating braking manufacture defect ! they don"t want to recalled because anti lock brakes cost money. Ford motor company please do the right thing and fix recall anti lock brakes for 2008 Ford Escape hybrid. I was coming to a stop at red light and went right through it ending up into the intersection. Lucky it was not a busy road or else I would not be here reporting this problem. To mention . . . Not that many 2008 Ford Escape hybrid on the road you are not going to lose a lot of money instead gain new customers for correcting your problem. I would accept a settlement or a trade in for working vehicle.

My 2008 Ford Escape hybrid would not stop with both feet pushing to the floor. Check brake system and regen brake disabled as my car hit the car in front of me. This could have been much worse for both me and the vehicle in front of me. I'm also a biker and I could have killed someone on a bike or a pedestrian. This is very scary and the fact that I was unaware this is a known issue, I had no idea what just happened and why. I have four Fords and now I'm concerned to drive them.

Ok as I was making a right turn off the highway I felt my steering wheel tighing up to point I have to a make sudden stop because of the loss steering. Look it the message center lost message showing passages air bag off. Showing check brake system. Showing battery light on lost thing going message center.