2008 Ford Escape Hybrid problems & reliability
443 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes → | 129 | 29% |
| Steering → | 110 | 25% |
| Engine → | 74 | 17% |
| Electrical System → | 64 | 14% |
| Power Train → | 43 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 37 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 25 | 6% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 21 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 20 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 13 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 95,534 miles (middle 50% between 65,250 and 133,576 miles), based on 410 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Engine · filed Jul 13, 2026
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel became stiff and made a hard right and the vehicle jumped the curb. The brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that on several occasions…”
Tires · filed Mar 4, 2025
“The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn with the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred…”
Steering · filed Dec 18, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
- Loss of power steering while driving
Defect Petition DP15001 · opened Apr 1, 2015 · closed Jun 14, 2018
- Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
Defect Petition DP12006 · opened Oct 2, 2012 · closed Feb 21, 2013
Technical service bulletins
6 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid.
Some 2005-2012 Escape Hybrid and 2006-2011 Mariner Hybrid vehicles may set DTCs P0A81 (battery pack cooling fan 1 control circuit) and/or P0A96 (battery pack cooling fan 2 control circuit) in the traction battery…
TSB 16-0118 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 8, 2016
2005-2008 escape/mariner hybrid - anti-lock brake system (abs) warning indicator illuminated with dtc(s) c1478, c1479, c1480 and/or c1481
SSM-45870 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 8, 2016
Ford/mercury: some hybrid vehicles may require a unique bleed procedure after a replacement for one or more of hydraulic brake system components. *pe
ASI-22242 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2012
Ford: if there is an intermittent lack of power, surge, or hesitation while driving the brakes will override acceleration. *rm
AS-21769 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 1, 2011
Ford/mercury: some vehicles may set diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0a81 (battery pack cooling fan 1 control circuit) and/or p0a96 (battery pack cooling fan 2 control circuit) in the traction battery control module…
TSB-09-15-3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2009
Ford/mercury: vehicles may exhibit a red triangle light and codes indicating a transaxle overtemp. Condition may result in reduced power as system activates fail safe operation. *pe
TSB-08-24-5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2009
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 95,534 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.