2008 Ford ESCAPE - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2008 Ford Escape with side airbags received a commendable safety rating of 5 stars for both the driver and passenger sides in side crash tests, indicating strong protection in the event of a side collision. However, the front crash driver's side rating was 3, suggesting some room for improvement in frontal crash protection. The rollover rating for this vehicle was 3, indicating an average risk of rollover accidents.

One noteworthy safety feature of this Ford Escape is its standard electronic stability control, which enhances vehicle stability and helps prevent loss of control in hazardous driving conditions. However, it does not come equipped with forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

On the downside, there have been a significant number of complaints filed for this model, totaling 2353. Additionally, there have been 6 recalls issued for various concerns, indicating potential issues that require attention for the safety and reliability of the vehicle. Overall, while the Ford Escape demonstrates strong safety performance in side crash tests and includes stability control, the elevated number of complaints and recalls should be taken into consideration when evaluating the overall safety and reliability of this vehicle.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

2,353

Recall Count

6

Investigation Count

4

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2008 Ford Escape 4-DR. w/SAB (Early release) Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2008 Ford Escape 4-DR. w/SAB (Early release)

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2008 Ford Escape 4-DR. w/SAB (Early release) Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2008 Ford Escape 4-DR. w/SAB (Early release) Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 3 5
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 4 5 5

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2008 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating 3 3 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result Tip No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2008 Ford ESCAPE

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "steering assist fault service required" message was displayed on the instrument panel and the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. due to the failure, the contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle to the residence. upon investigation, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) which was linked to the failure. the dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 220,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-10
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the power steering malfunctioned causing the steering wheel to become extremely difficult to turn in either direction. the vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering). the contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. the local dealer was not contacted. the failure mileage was 176,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-09-01
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated while attempting to reverse out of a parking space at slow speeds, the contact became aware that the electric power steering was not functioning properly. the eps warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module. the vehicle was not repaired. after investigating the failure, the contact related it to nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering), and the vin was included but had already been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. the failure mileage was unknown."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-11
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the power steering warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact stated related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 191,625."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-01-08
Complaint:
"steering stops and starts working randomly making it hard to turn corners and into gas stations"
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2023-08-07
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving out of a parking space, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of electric power steering assist. no warning lights were 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) however, the vin was not included. the manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. the failure mileage was 100,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-11-07
Complaint:
"my girlfriend was driving around 40mph, when the power steering started going out. she continued to drive since she was already close to her place of employment. we had a family mechanic look at the vehicle and he stated that it was the electric power steering that had went out. there were no warning lights except for a yellow tool symbol which had already been on the dash for a while."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-10-06
Complaint:
"warning light for “power steering assist fault” came on last night and this morning the steering is hard to control when turning."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2025-02-05
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering assist and the “service vehicle” warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact the torque sensor needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with nhtsa hotline. the failure mileage was approximately 200,000."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-08-03
Complaint:
"the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated while driving 55 mph, the yellow wrench warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the contact continued driving to her residence. the contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer had not been informed of the failure and the contact was made aware that nhtsa campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) recall repair was completed on the day she purchased the vehicle. the failure mileage was unknown."
Components Involved: STEERING
Date of incident: 2024-08-03

Recalls for the 2008 Ford ESCAPE

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"the timken company (timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from january 22, 2015, to may 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 ford escape, 2001-2011 mazda tribute, and 2005-2011 mercury mariner vehicles. the affected wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of a 42mm bore, 78mm outer dimension and a 45mm width."
Consequence:
Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.

Component(s) Involved: SUSPENSION > FRONT > WHEEL BEARING
Date of incident: 2015-06-03

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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