NHTSA Safety Recalls
2008 Ford Escape Recalls
The 2008 Ford Escape has 5 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on September 29, 2015.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2008 Ford Escape. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 5
- Owner complaints
- 1,974
- Crashes reported
- 59
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
6 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2008 Ford Escape, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
5 recalls on the 2008 Ford Escape
Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
- Campaign
- 15V606000
- Reported
- September 29, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 57
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2007 Escape, 1 other model
Hybrid propulsion system
- Campaign
- 14V526000
- Reported
- September 3, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 70,209
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2005–2007 Escape, 1 other model
Steering: electric power assist system
- Campaign
- 14V284000
- Reported
- May 29, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 740,878
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2009–2011 Escape, 1 other model
Equipment
- Campaign
- 10E043000
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Same campaign
- also 2006–2007, 2009–2010 Escape, 10 other models
Suspension: front: wheel bearing
- Campaign
- 15E045000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2007, 2009–2012 Escape, 2 other models
2008 Ford Escape complaints by year
NHTSA has received 1,974 owner complaints about the 2008 Ford Escape, the newest on September 2, 2026. Of these, 59 describe a crash (3%) and 6 a fire; owners reported 44 injuries.
In complaints about the 2008 Ford Escape, the component group named most often is the steering (57%), followed by the power train (17%) and the vehicle speed control (9%).
1 of the 2008 Ford Escape's 5 recalls also concerns the steering.
Where 2008 Ford Escape owners gave the mileage (1,710 complaints), the median was 100,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Steering1,127
- Power Train329
- Vehicle Speed Control175
- Electrical System136
- Service Brakes120
- Engine83
Complaints received, by year
| 2007 | 11 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 30 | |
| 2009 | 70 | |
| 2010 | 89 | |
| 2011 | 90 | |
| 2012 | 98 | |
| 2013 | 185 | |
| 2014 | 309 | |
| 2015 | 160 | |
| 2016 | 184 | |
| 2017 | 156 | |
| 2018 | 190 | |
| 2019 | 125 | |
| 2020 | 92 | |
| 2021 | 41 | |
| 2022 | 51 | |
| 2023 | 30 | |
| 2024 | 21 | |
| 2025 | 29 | |
| 2026 | 13 |
Complaints about the 2008 Ford Escape peaked in 2014, when NHTSA received 309. 15% arrived between 2007 and 2011, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2008 vehicles, the 2008 Ford Escape drew 1.7× the complaints of the median Ford Escape year in the same window: 8th highest of the 22 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 3/5
The 1,974 complaints about the 2008 Ford Escape are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
2008 Ford Escape crash tests and safety technology
NHTSA rated 2 versions of the 2008 Ford Escape: 4-door with side airbags (Later release) and 4-door with side airbags (Early release).
On the 2008 Ford Escape, the driver seat scored 4 stars in the frontal barrier test, the front passenger seat 5 (4-door with side airbags (Later release)) and the driver seat scored 3 stars in the frontal barrier test, the front passenger seat 5 (4-door with side airbags (Early release)).
For the 2008 Ford Escape, NHTSA lists electronic stability control as standard and no forward collision warning or lane departure warning. Forward collision warning became standard on the Escape with the 2020 model year, 12 years after this one.
NHTSA puts the chance that the 2008 Ford Escape rolls over in a single-vehicle crash at 20.4% (3 stars). Of the 20 Escape years NHTSA rated from 2004 on, 12 had a lower risk, the 2020 the lowest at 16.9%. Of 39 other 2008 SUVs with NHTSA ratings on this site, 26 (67%) had a lower rollover risk; their median was 17.9%.
Photos: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, NHTSA test vehicle 2804, shown from static.nhtsa.gov. Ratings, rollover risk and technology of the 2008 Ford Escape: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings API, retrieved October 28, 2026; NHTSA terms of use. How the tests work
Ford Escape by model year
Other 2008 Ford models
Newest record on this page: September 2, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted