Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
In 2012, I was driving on freeway at approx 70mph when I heard the warning sound and red light warning me to "stop safely now." I had to cross four lanes of traffic and barely got to the shoulder before the power shut down completely. I waited and it restarted, but it did it two more times before I reached my destination. I called and took my vehicle for repair, which was determined to be the coolant pump (cost $1010.96). The next year a recall for this issue occurred and I was refunded the cost for repair. Today, 2015, the same issue occurred. This time I had just pulled off from a traffic light making a u-turn, so traveling maybe 10 MPH when I got the same sound and warning red light as I felt the engine losing power. I got through the busy intersection and safely to the shoulder. I immediately drove the vehicle to the dealership. This time I was told the issue was the throttle body. …
One morning, no prior warning, or issues with brakes or mechanical systems what so ever, I start to drive to work and after turning out of my neighborhood onto a major street my brake lights light up and at the next stop sign my brakes don't work! I pressed all the way down and ended up using the emergency brake not to go through the stop sign. Someone could have died for sure, and it was a heart stopping scare! I pulled over and walked back home. Looked up online and found many complaints about this vehicles brakes suddenly going out and that it is a $5K fix!! I had the Escape towed back to my house. The next morning I wanted to try a few things to eliminate certain problems I found online. Now, the keyless entry doesn't work, I manually open the door, stick the key in, no lights, no sound, nothing. I turn the key and again absolutely nothing. …
Approx. A year ago the brakes started failing. Suddenly you had to pump them extra hard to stop. Warning light appeared that tires need inflating. They did not. Then an ABS warning light appeared. Suddenly the brakes started working again, no extra pumping needed. Then at high speeds the warning light turned on and steering wheel shook violently and you couldn't go about 60 MPH. Ahhh! When you hit brakes they didn't respond or a terrible grinding noise happened. Looked it up, common in this year's Hybrid that ABS brakes fail. Only had 150K on it. Took to local Ford dealer, they wanted $7400 to fix. What? "proprietary ABS brakes must be replaced." they wouldn't turn warning message off computer or do anything less. Wouldn't check hoses, circuits, or pads. Just a flat "$7400" with no explanation other than ABS system. …
Takata recall power steering stoped working very suddenly. While I was doing deliveries for my work I parked the car turned it off and when I got back after about 10 min. Power steering didn't work and hasn't worked ever since. The only thing that I noticed that day is that every time I turned there was a very slight shake on the steesring wheel. I thought that was unusual but never thought that 2 hours later the power steering would completely fail. Thank god this happened when the vehicle was parked. I checked for recalls and noticed that the Ford Escape 08 has a recall on the power steering, I imagine there was enough complaints to make the recall happen. However, there are not as many Hybrid models and I'm sure that's the only reason why there's no recall for this specific model yet. …
After approx. 10 minutes of stop and go driving at <5mph a tone sounded, a red triangle lit, and the LED indicated "stop safely now." the engine did not stall, shut down, or give any other indication of a fault, therefore I continued driving at <15mph to the nearest parking lot and turned off the engine. After I returned several hours later the engine started normally with no fault indication, and I was able to drive home without any further fault indication. I read on the web that this had occurred with other 2008 Escape hybrids and was due to a faulty Hybrid system electronics cooling pump. One complainant indicated that the 2008 Escape hybrids had been recalled for this issue, but the recall does not show on your, or on Ford's, database for this vehicle. Has this been reported previously, and was there a recall?
The computer checks the brakes upon start and the computer is falsely detecting an error with the hydraulic brake pump periodically. It can occur 1 in every 50 starts to sometime 5 attempts in every 1 good start. The computer if it sees an error will disable the regenerative brakes and the vehicle will brake significantly slower and less efficiently when in error mode. The computer glitch requires a total replacement and must be reprogrammed at the dealer at a cost of $4 to $5 thousand. Based on the thousands I see online with the same issue and nature of issue (brakes and safety), I am surprised to see a recall has not been mandated. The cost is beyond reasonable and I am left with driving an unsafe car.
Multiple episodes of "stop safely now" (after new engine ($8000) was put in 6/2014). At time of engine replacement, recall for power steering module was completed. Fast forward to 3/2017.... Monday morning (8 am) new 'wrench' light goes on in dash. Drop kids at daycare and when I restart car (830 am) and went to back out of the driveway - no power steering!!! Good thing Ford took care of that recall back in 2014...*sarcasm* now they say that the only way it would be covered under recall was if loss of power steering occurred within 12 months of recall being completed. This car has been nothing but a headache and 2 Ford dealerships that do not stand behind the Ford name or their service!
The regen breaks disabled light is always on. The breaks do not work properly, if at all. Numerous times I have been unable to stop almost causing an accident. The breaks sometimes lock on and the vehicle won't move at all. Unable to go more than 40 MPH. If you attempt, the vehicle shakes and the breaks smoke. I took it to Ford for diagnostic and they informed me it is a common problem due to the the beak system and the Hybrid system being integrated. The part by itself is $4200 and the vehicle blue books for about $3000 at the most. The vehicle won't start or even turn over. The battery is good.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. While driving approximately 35 MPH and attempting to make a right turn, the vehicle's power began to decrease and the vehicle eventually came to a stop and lost all power. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the ignition switch failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000.
Over time my vehicle has gotten harder and harder to start. Now I have to press the keys in turn to have the vehicle start. After some research I found several users have the same exact problem. (https://youtu.be/bv8tdcf83vc) it appears to be an issue with plastic clips used to hold the ignition switch in place. The mechanic in the video states that it's the rod that engages the switch, it becomes loose and requires you to push the key in to start the vehicle. This is poor design by Ford and places the onus on the customer to fix it.
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
Electrical complaints in other Escape Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid?
NHTSA has 64 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, 14% of the model year's 443 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.