"How reliable is the 2008 Ford Escape?"

"Based on 2398 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Ford Escape has a median complaint mileage of 98000 miles. The most common issue is STEERING."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Ford Escape?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Ford Escape is STEERING, accounting for a significant portion of the 2398 total complaints filed."

2008 Ford Escape: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 2398 complaints

2398

Total Complaints

98,000mi

Median Mileage

STEERING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

63,000 25th Percentile

98,000 Median Mileage

132,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING

1105

POWER TRAIN

221

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

167

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

127

SERVICE BRAKES

120

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

107

ENGINE

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE NEWLY REDESIGNED INSTRUMENT CLUSTER "AREA" FOR THE NEWLY ARRIVING 2008 MAZDA TRIBUTE IS A SAFETY AND TRAFFIC HAZARD IN THE FOLLOWING WAY: BECAUSE OF NEW SHAPE FOR THE PLEXIGLASS FRONT AND THE LOCATION OF THE HOOD AND THE MATERIALS USED, IT ALLOWS THE SUN'S RAYS TO SPOTLIGHT ON THE SPEEDOMETER A..."

"I PURCHASED A NEW 2008 FORD ESCAPE ON JUNE 2,2007. MY DAUGHTER IS ACTUALLY COOWNER/DRIVER. SHE GOT IN THE VEHICLE ON WED, JUNE 6 AND WHEN SHE WENT TO START IT, IT WAS LOCKED UP. NOTHING WORKED TO GET THE STEERING, ETC. TO WORK. SHE SAID IT WAS LOCKED IN ADVANTRAC MODE. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOW..."

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE COULD SEE THE CLAMPS WHEN HE INSPECTED THE BRAKE RESERVOIR. HE BELIEVES THAT THE CLAMPS WERE DESIGNED TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY THE DEALER. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 4,000."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28