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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  Transmission issues - 2008 Ford Escape
  By msgomez1 - June 4 - 1:30 pm

  Back in 2011 my 2008 Ford Escape was found to have a cracked transmission, leaking fluid, etc. This fix was covered under the extended warranty I bought when I purchased the car. Yesterday I took the car to the dealership for transmission issues and was told my transmission was shot and its a $4000 fix. Shame on Ford for doing such a subpar fix job in 2011. I did try contacting Customer Service for some financial help...what a joke...in 5 minutes they decided they could not help me unless there was a recall. BTW if you call and get a Dylan, just hang up, he is no help.

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  Terrible product, terrible customer service - 2008 Ford Escape
  By kwolff1 - February 19 - 1:58 am

  We bought a 2008 Escape, we were so excited to finally have what we thought was a great new car. Well that quickly turned into a nightmare. It needed a new transmission in 2013, and now the transmission is gone again. $7000 to fix!!!! Why does the transmission last only a year?? What garbage. Then on top of the product being terrible, we were treated poorly when we took it to Ford AND by the representatives we spoke to at customer service o the 1-800 number. We are taking it to Honda to trade it in like the scrap it is, and getting a car we can actually rely on!!

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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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  Stop Safely now - 2008 Ford Escape
  By josephcallendr - May 22 - 6:37 pm

  I have been driving my parents 2008 ford escape hybrid for the past 6 months twice i have had the problem where a lights comes on and on the dashboard it says to stop safely now and the engine huts off and i have to coast to the side of the road and turn the car on and off again it is really scary and not safe when that happens

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  TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK FROM CONDENSER - 2008 Ford Escape
  By ashleyohio - May 3 - 12:09 pm

  My 2008 had been diagnosed with a transmission fluid leak from the condenser on May 2 2013. I am 8 months out of my warranty and 10,000 miles under my warranty. This is a $300-$800 repair. The only way to get reimbursed for this issue is after a recall has been published. Only way to get a recall is for about 150,000 complaints to be filed. They must be filed through Ford (1-888-392-3673) and through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (888-327-4236). It take 5-10 minutes for each of those calls and we are steps closer to a recall being issued.

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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.