One problem related to engine overheat has been reported for the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid based on all problems reported for the 2008 Escape Hybrid.
When driving at higher speeds (approximately over 50 mph), the car would suddenly lose engine power and the "stop safely now" message would come on. The car would go into limp-home mode and allow me to pull over to the side of the road. Turning off the car and restarting it would alleviate the problem for a few more minutes of driving. This happened about 15 times on a 60 mile trip home, allowing me to drive anywhere from one to 10 miles at a time before the engine shut off. This was accompanied at times with an engine overheating message. I took the car to the dealer for a repair. They claimed it was a malfunctioning electronic throttle body and replaced it for about $1000. A week later, the same thing happened twice on a 30-mile highway trip when driving at higher speeds, but has not happened since then.