Problems · by component
2008 Ford Escape engine problems
157 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2008 Ford Escape cite engine, 6% of all 2,417 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
157
6% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“While driving over 60 MPH the car will begin to say the engine is hot and sometimes without warning going to stop safely now however when you open the hood nothing is hot to touch and there's an extreme amount of coolant gone from the engine coolant tank have replaced coolant tank itself still having issue begin happening in March and is still continuing”
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault," message displayed; after which, the driver became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.”
“The contact called on behalf of his girlfriend who owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was firm and difficult to maneuver. After coming to a stop, the failure progressed, and the steering wheel became extremely firm. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a steering sensor rotation failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure recently occurred and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the recent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 161,432.”
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the oil cap had loosened. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the oil cap and the valve cover were replaced; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.”
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled, but restarted after 45 minutes. The vehicle stability assists system warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.”
“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.”
Showing 6 of 157 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.