Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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).
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.
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
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. …
The vehicle stalled and lost all power to the engine with a "pull over safely" sign while on the freeway back in September 2013 wherein I was told to have the cooling part for the Hybrid battery replaced. I was told the part was faulty. The replaced part had to be replaced again that same week by another dealership with Ford. Fast forward to today, and the same red triangle warning lights appeared and the part needs to be replaced again. The warranty for the part is only for 2 years, but after 3 years with the part, the dealership is telling me it needs to be replaced again. I find this aggregious in nature and a racket that Ford is taking advantage of their customers. …
The issue has happened several times. Latest was 2 days ago. While driving, the car acceleration all of a sudden drops to zero and the car will not go. It does not shut off but it cannot be driven. After about 2 or 3 minutes a message comes on the dash that says "it is safe to shut off your vehicle now." once the vehicle is shut off and I wait about 5 minutes I can start it again. It happens while driving down the road. There is a recall issued for this problem but because there isn't a yellow triangle warning on my dash Ford and the dealer will not do the recall because there is a shortage of parts. So I have to drive an unsafe car until there are parts available all because I don't have a code. Dealer claims there is a ground fault wire problem and refuses to do the recall. This is really unsafe when driving down the freeway and all of a sudden the car comes to a complete stop on me. …
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?
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. While driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel shook severely and the vehicle was out of control. Also, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and powered off the engine. The vehicle was restarted and was able to drive normally. The vehicle was slowly driven to matthews currie Ford (located at 130 n tamiami trail, nokomis, fl 34275, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the steering column assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact was referred to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 133,588.
I was stopped at a signal. When the light turned, I pressed down on the accelerator and the car started to move as normal. Just past the intersection, the gas engine shut down, a red light came on and the car lost all power. The car behind me struck us. Upon going to the dealership, they knew that the electronic cooling pump had failed. There was not many questions, as they described what the symptoms were. Upon looking at the internet, it would seem that this is a known issue with Ford, and that the new ecp was redesigned to prevent the issue. There are literally hundreds of complaints about vehicles losing power to this same problem. In some cases, as was mine, electrical power is lost as well, causing loss of power steering and brakes.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. While driving various speeds, the stop safely now warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle decelerated independently. After shutting down the vehicle for several minutes, it resumed normal operation once restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician determined that the throttle body would need to be replaced. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not affected by a customer satisfaction program. The contact experienced the failure described in the program. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 106,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the "turn off engine immediately" warning indicator illuminated. The contact pulled over and waited approximately 30 minutes before the vehicle was restarted. After the vehicle was restarted, a lock with a key warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle was previously serviced per an unknown recall for the same failure in 2013. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
NHTSA investigations
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 Ford Escape vehicles.
Engine complaints in other Escape Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid?
NHTSA has 111 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, 25% of the model year's 443 complaints. The component named most often is engine (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling 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 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.