The 2008 Ford Escape has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 811,144 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2,404 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
POWER TRAIN15V6060002015-09-2957 affected
Defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2001-2008 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured March 31, 2001, to September 1, 2009. The affected vehicles are equipped with either a 2.3L or 3.0L engine and have had their CD4E transmission replaced with remanufactured one that was rebuilt…
Consequence
If the shift lever disengages from the transmission, a driver may be unable to shift gear positions and the indicated shift position may not represent the gear position the vehicle is in. Should a disengagement occur while the vehicle is being driven, when the driver goes to stop and park the vehicle, the gear…
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the transmissions and either tighten the manual shift lever bolt or replace the manual shift lever assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's…
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2005-2008 Ford Escape hybrid electric vehicles manufactured October 13, 2003, to June 20, 2008, and 2006-2008 Mercury Mariner hybrid electric vehicles manufactured June 10, 2005, to June 20, 2008. The coolant pump for the hybrid system may fail resulting in…
Consequence
If the hybrid electronics system overheats, it may shut down the powertrain, resulting in a stall-like condition, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the original Motor Electronics Coolant (MEC) Pump with an improved brushless pump, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on October 27, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 14S19.
STEERING14V2840002014-05-29740,878 affected
Defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could…
Consequence
If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy,…
Complaints by component
STEERING
1,107
28crashes19injuries
POWER TRAIN
223
2crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
168
5crashes6injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
127
4crashes5fires4injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
120
8crashes6injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
107
ENGINE
83
1crashes3injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
55
1fires4injuries
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
36
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
36
3injuries
Total complaints2,404
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“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…”
“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…”
“The contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph on the highway, the steering wheel seized. The failure was intermittent. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while reversing out of the driveway. The dealer was notified of the…”
“The contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm and failed to turn…”
“Check engine light keeps flashing, car vibration, bad head gasket, oil and fluid leak”
“Check engine light keeps flashing, car vibration, bad head gasket, oil and fluid leak”
“Check engine light keeps flashing, car vibration, bad head gasket, oil and fluid leak”
“The power steering torque sensor went out. It was recalled, the repair was made, but the part is failing again. It is creating a safety issue. Ford won't re-repair. The part they put in is failing again. It has been less than 15 years since they put in the recalled part.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP12006 Opened 2012-10-02 · closed 2013-02-21
Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
In a letter dated August 30, 2012, The North Carolina Consumers Council (NCCC) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged electronic throttle body failures resulting in engine stall or surge while driving in model year (MY) 2005 through 2012…
InvestigationDP15001 Opened 2015-04-01 · closed 2018-06-14
Loss of power steering while driving
On May 27, 2014, amended June 2, 2014, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect that may result in a sudden loss of power steering assist while driving in approximately 746,067 model year (MY) 2008 through 2011 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with…
InvestigationPE08060 Opened 2008-10-14 · closed 2009-04-09
TIRE VALVE CRACKING
ON OCTOBER 14, 2008, ODI OPENED PE08-060 TO INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF CRACKED AND LEAKING SNAP-IN TIRE VALVES IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2007 VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY.THE VALVES WERE SUPPLIED TO FORD BY TOPSEAL AUTO-PARTS, A SUBSIDIARY OF THE SHANGHAI BAOLONG AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION IN CHINA.VALVES MADE BY…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2008 Ford Escape as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.