2008 Ford Escape Service Brakes Problems
Owners have filed 120 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes problems on the 2008 Ford Escape, 6% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 114,206 miles. The words owners use most often: “hydraulic control” (13% of reports).
- 120service brakes complaints
- 114,206median miles at failure
- 8mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $6,500typical repair cost reported by owners
- 14%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Hydraulic control: mentioned in 16 of 120 complaints (13%)
- Way floor: mentioned in 12 of 120 complaints (10%)
- Brakes disabled: mentioned in 9 of 120 complaints (8%)
- Tone ring: mentioned in 7 of 120 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical service brakes repair on the 2008 Ford Escape at $6,500, and half of them between $6,200 and $6,750.
Based on 10 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2016–2021), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do service brakes problems happen?
Based on 96 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 120 complaints, 8 mention a crash, 4 an injury.
Ford Escape service brakes complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Escape | 1 | 33% | — |
| 2024 Escape | 2 | 3% | — |
| 2023 Escape | 4 | 4% | — |
| 2022 Escape | 33 | 14% | 15,000 |
| 2021 Escape | 40 | 11% | 2,965 |
| 2020 Escape | 33 | 2% | 12,900 |
| 2019 Escape | 8 | 1% | 11,000 |
| 2018 Escape | 25 | 1% | 25,500 |
| 2017 Escape | 45 | 2% | 16,000 |
| 2016 Escape | 16 | 1% | 42,000 |
| 2015 Escape | 25 | 2% | 47,000 |
| 2014 Escape | 31 | 1% | 22,100 |
| 2013 Escape | 63 | 2% | 58,000 |
| 2012 Escape | 18 | 3% | 76,000 |
| 2011 Escape | 22 | 2% | 60,000 |
| 2010 Escape | 43 | 2% | 98,000 |
| 2009 Escape | 94 | 6% | 100,000 |
| 2008 Escape | 120 | 6% | 114,206 |
| 2007 Escape | 30 | 12% | 74,000 |
| 2006 Escape | 41 | 9% | 101,000 |
| 2005 Escape | 40 | 3% | 107,926 |
| 2004 Escape | 18 | 4% | 125,715 |
| 2003 Escape | 11 | 2% | 127,000 |
| 2002 Escape | 41 | 4% | 132,294 |
| 2001 Escape | 30 | 3% | 147,992 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes for the 2008 Ford Escape. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
In rainy conditions, executed a hard stop activating the ABS. After successfully activating, the brakes go almost to the floor, and ABS function has stopped. No air in brake system, and master cylinder checks out good. Seems dangerous that the one time you really need ABS, it goes out. No warning…
ABS brake light goes on and off and regen system disabled appeared. Brake pedal goes between being spongy and going to floor. I took it to an independent service center and the mechanic almost lost control of the car when test driving. There was no braking except to one wheel, which is why he…
My escape keeps having the brakes go to the floor. Then they will be fine again for a while and then go to the floor again and have to be pumped to stop. The brake components are good. We replaced the master cylinder, continued to have the problem. Blakes bled by mechanic twice, again the same…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Ford Escapes have service brakes problems?
No. NHTSA has 120 owner complaints about service brakes for the 2008 Ford Escape (6% of the 1,974 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Ford Escape service brakes?
No recall currently lists service brakes for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes problems start?
The median reported mileage is 114,206 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix service brakes problems on the 2008 Ford Escape?
Owners report a typical cost of $6,500 (half paid between $6,200 and $6,750), from 10 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about service brakes problems on the 2008 Ford Escape?
The most frequent phrase is “hydraulic control”, in 16 of 120 complaints, followed by “way floor” (12).
Other 2008 Ford Escape problems
- Steering problems (1,127)
- Power Train problems (329)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (175)
- Electrical System problems (136)
- Engine problems (83)
See all 2008 Ford Escape problems or service brakes problems across all Escape years.