Overview & Reviews

The 2008 Ford Escape gets a makeover inside and out. This means new sheet metal that mimics the look of newer and recently redesigned Ford models (such as the Edge and Expedition) and a more attractive and functional cabin. Under the skin, however, the chassis and powertrain are virtually unchanged, meaning this "redesigned" Escape has the same running gear as before.

• Comfortable interior, impressive list of standard safety features.

• Lackluster performance, braking and fuel efficiency compared to rivals, folding down second seat a multistep process.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 214.00

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  2008 Ford Escape XLT - 2008 Ford Escape
  By Rb_osu - November 2 - 9:51 pm

  Bought the 2008 Escape new in 2007. Loved it until about last year when we started to get nickeled and dimed on repairs. To be expected of an older car I suppose. Electrical in drivers seat went out. Front end rods needed replaced. Starter was going bad. Some of the interior was also wearing. Given the years we lived out west and now in the south, I suppose the oppresive heat likely accelerated these issues as I know people who have 2004 escapes and have had none of these issues. In the end we ultimately traded it in for a bigger vehicle as we added to our family & needed the space.

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  Awesome small SUV! - 2008 Ford Escape
  By mmckimmey - February 11 - 2:21 pm

  Our 2008 Escape V6 AWD is awesome! It does very well in all weather conditions. The V6 is powerful, sounds good, and gets decent MPG. If you want a 4 cylinder, get a 2009. The 2.3L 4 and 4-spd in the 2008 is woeful! Overall, build quality is excellent. A few rattles here and there, but none are pervasive or persistent. Seats are great, and the ride is super smooth! Wonderful for a long trip. The electric power steering provides good feel at high speeds, and lots of assist at parking lot speeds for easy parking. Ride height is great! Just make sure to service the transmission OFTEN and keep an eye on the levels. These have a tendency to blow cooler lines.

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  Great small family SUV - 2008 Ford Escape
  By mrjustin24 - June 24 - 1:59 pm

  It still had the truck styling. Too bad the new ones look like space ships. We bought it as a small, safe, family car. It completely served the purpose. It had plenty of cargo space. The seats were cloth and a rough material. Water would leave rings in the material too. However, it was reliable.

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  Great Little SUV - BUT slippery when wet - 2008 Ford Escape
  By descape1 - January 1 - 11:59 am

  Ive only owned my Escape for 11 months, and I love almost everything about it. It has plenty or room, all seats are comfortable and its fun to drive and easy to park. I have not had a single issue with it, except I think it might need a battery soon, but thats to be expected with any car that has 72,000 miles and temps around zero here in the Midwest. My only complaint is I didnt get the 4wd. Even with new tires, the front wheels spin at every start when its raining or snowing. Im getting used to the traction control light blinking at me (indicating the wheels have lost traction), but still very annoying. Maybe I have a lead foot for the amount of torque in the V6.

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  Dangerous - 2008 Ford Escape
  By roslynr - June 2 - 9:29 pm

  On May 24, 2013 while driving in the middle of a memorial day weekend rush hour traffic the lights came on in the dashboard and the suv, was not accelerating and just shut down , while trying to coast to the side of expressway this was impossible, I had to restart the truck. Once the suv restarted a short distance later it shut down again forcing me off the expressway. Once I made it home I called the dealership who told me to contact ford and file a complaint. My truck is a 2008 ford escape. After this email I will contact the BBB , this is dangerous to myself and others in traffic. This is a law suite waiting to happen.

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  08 Escape 4 cyl Auto Great MPGs for SUV! Very reliable - 2008 Ford Escape
  By dalebass3 - April 3 - 9:16 am

  We bought our escape with 46k on it and have put 40k on it since. It is a great vehicle for a small family. We are about to have a second child so we are thinking about upsizing a little. These old style boxy SUVs have more room than the newer crossovers I think. Only problem we had was when there was a carbon build up on the throttle body that was making it hard to press the gas. That was easily fixed with some carb cleaner.

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  An overall Great car - 2008 Ford Escape
  By j3rry - January 31 - 10:22 am

  I had this 2008 vehicle as a company car. I was fortune enough to have no financial association with this vehicle. I rode it hard, and put it away wet all the time. I found that this vehicle stood up to my abuse extremely well. I did have some problems with it. warranty fixed most of them. they replaced something that leaked (Cant remember what, sorry) and my acceleration pedal failed on me once around 15,000km. This was repaired.

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  97K miles, 2nd Escape & its a great car - 2008 Ford Escape
  By christofferson - December 1 - 9:35 pm

  2008 is my 2nd Escape, previous 2003 that transmission went out at 119K. This one I have 97K miles on it today, and have had no major failures or problems. I like it and it was an excellent buy and value. Mileage is good for a 4X4 and it has handled very well in water, mud and sand (Rocky Point, MX--not 4-wheeling, just the circumstances--rare). I am buying a 2012 right now. I dont like 2013 body style 3.0-V6 This Escape & all small SUVs, have lot of road noise. Seats get tiring when you driving long. Thats the nature of what you get and what you pay. Buy good Michelin tires. People complain about seats staining--very easy--use carpet cleaner or expecially Oxyclean---works!

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  LOVE MY FORD ESCAPE!!!! - 2008 Ford Escape
  By pumpkin2008 - September 22 - 4:09 pm

  I recently purchased an 08 ford escape limited used. I love this SUV, it drives so smooth for a 4WD and handles very well. It is very roomy. I cant wait to try it out in the snow this winter. Gas milage isnt bad for a 4WD, very happy with my purchase.

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  Great car - 2008 Ford Escape
  By colin_88 - April 15 - 7:55 pm

  This is my moms car and I love it. We have had it for 5 months now and it has changed my view of Fords since the demise of my 1995 Escort. I find this more luxurious than my plain 2002 Toyota Camry. The ride is very smooth. The 4WD comes in handy on the snowy Philly winters and our yearly Xmas trip to Maine.