2008 Escape - Transmission Cooler Failure

[antonin]

A week ago, my 2008 Escape Limited developed a serious fluid leak, which my dealer diagnosed as a failed transmission fluid cooler.

 

Apparently, a TSB exists where this failure can occur due to "extreme temperature change".

 

I am now told that a special bolt is required to fasten the new cooler to the vehicle, and it will take several weeks for this item to arrive, although the order is in emergency status.

 

A couple of questions to the group...

 

- How common is this cooler failure?

 

- Is it reasonable to have to wait several weeks to ship a simple bolt? Could they not ship one from the factory where the Escape is manufactured?

 

This has been my first domestic vehicle purchase - most of my previous vehicles have been Hondas.

While parts are more expensive on Hondas, I don't remember ever having to endure such a long wait.

[nelsonmx]

A week ago, my 2008 Escape Limited developed a serious fluid leak, which my dealer diagnosed as a failed transmission fluid cooler.

 

Apparently, a TSB exists where this failure can occur due to "extreme temperature change".

 

I am now told that a special bolt is required to fasten the new cooler to the vehicle, and it will take several weeks for this item to arrive, although the order is in emergency status.

 

A couple of questions to the group...

 

- How common is this cooler failure?

 

- Is it reasonable to have to wait several weeks to ship a simple bolt? Could they not ship one from the factory where the Escape is manufactured?

 

This has been my first domestic vehicle purchase - most of my previous vehicles have been Hondas.

While parts are more expensive on Hondas, I don't remember ever having to endure such a long wait.

 

I just had mine replaced yesterday. They did not say anything about a special bolt and it was done in about 3 hours. As soon as I mentioned it the mechanic seemed to know exactly what the issue was?

[wptski]

Parts for service are one thing and parts for assembly are another. The bolt may come with a assembled part too.

[eheaser]

A week ago, my 2008 Escape Limited developed a serious fluid leak, which my dealer diagnosed as a failed transmission fluid cooler.

 

Apparently, a TSB exists where this failure can occur due to "extreme temperature change".

 

I am now told that a special bolt is required to fasten the new cooler to the vehicle, and it will take several weeks for this item to arrive, although the order is in emergency status.

 

A couple of questions to the group...

 

- How common is this cooler failure?

 

- Is it reasonable to have to wait several weeks to ship a simple bolt? Could they not ship one from the factory where the Escape is manufactured?

 

This has been my first domestic vehicle purchase - most of my previous vehicles have been Hondas.

While parts are more expensive on Hondas, I don't remember ever having to endure such a long wait.

[eheaser]

I to had a 2008 Ford escape, it had 42000 mile on it, took it to ford, to bad i didnt have ext warrenty they said, never seen this problem, talked to ser manager at Dahl Ford and he said they get 10 of those a week, all leak at same spot, and new ones are designed differently ( go figure) they wanted 650.00 to repair it, I had it done at a private shop and contacted them again and they said I should have waited and contacted them again, no money back, because I didnt wait, we NEEDED the car and I got it done for 475.00. I'll never buy a ford again

[baggs32]

I to had a 2008 Ford escape, it had 42000 mile on it, took it to ford, to bad i didnt have ext warrenty they said, never seen this problem, talked to ser manager at Dahl Ford and he said they get 10 of those a week, all leak at same spot, and new ones are designed differently ( go figure) they wanted 650.00 to repair it, I had it done at a private shop and contacted them again and they said I should have waited and contacted them again, no money back, because I didnt wait, we NEEDED the car and I got it done for 475.00. I'll never buy a ford again

 

Something's not right about your story. Since July of 2006 all Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln vehicles have been covered by a 5 year/60,000 powertrain warranty. Since your 2008 Escape was bought after July of 2006, has less than 60,000 miles on it, is less than 5 years old, and had a powertrain related problem you should have been covered under warranty for that repair at any FML dealer's service dept.

 

Care to elaborate a little more?

[97svtgoin05gt]

2 or 3 oil changes ago I was told I had a fairly serious transmission leak going on and I was a quart low on trans fluid. I had them refill the trans and contacted service immediately. It turned out to be the trans cooler like others here have stated. The irritating thing about this story was that I had the vehicle in about a month or so prior to this complaining about the vehicles shift paterns. I felt it just wasn't acting right. I know the 4 speed in the earlier 3.0s wasn't exactly the most graceful tranny but it seemed to be acting even more strange. The dealership apparently didn't do a very thorough diagnosis because if they had, they'd have caught that leak at that time. It was fixed under warranty and I've not had issues since. My only concern is did I do damage running that trans a quart low for a while. I surely hope not.

Edited July 27, 2009 by 97svtgoin05gt

[Hebitchmanslapper]

2 or 3 oil changes ago I was told I had a fairly serious transmission leak going on and I was a quart low on trans fluid. I had them refill the trans and contacted service immediately. It turned out to be the trans cooler like others here have stated. The irritating thing about this story was that I had the vehicle in about a month or so prior to this complaining about the vehicles shift paterns. I felt it just wasn't acting right. I know the 4 speed in the earlier 3.0s wasn't exactly the most graceful tranny but it seemed to be acting even more strange. The dealership apparently didn't do a very thorough diagnosis because if they had, they'd have caught that leak at that time. It was fixed under warranty and I've not had issues since. My only concern is did I do damage running that trans a quart low for a while. I surely hope not.

 

I just noticed the same leak under my '08 Escape as well. It has been shifting funny too. I looked at my miles after I read your post and I'm about 1k miles from being out of warranty. If you are in SE Michigan, what dealer did you take your vehicle to? Thanks

[Petrocci]

I just had my 08 Escape repaired in the Kansas City area for the same failure. In my line of work, I come into contact with service managers from Ford regularly. I was told this is a common occurrence with the 2008 Escape, three different shops claim they perform up to 3 repairs a week. I talked to Ford Customer Service about an hour about issue and requested that they repair the defective designed part at their cost. I'm 6k out of warranty. They refused stating the 08-5-7 Bulletin was only to repair if under the 36k warranty period.

 

My SM told me today that if enough people complaint about it, Ford may issue a recall and the reimburse all owners that make a claim. It is clearly a design flaw in the part, as the cooler design was changed. Check your mileage and have Ford check this under the 08-5-7 paperwork, otherwise the repair is $700.

[tcapitated]

When I had this issue with my 08 mariner the sevice guy got the job done for $50 and the dealership picked up the rest of the tab.

[atomaro]

This has been my first domestic vehicle purchase - most of my previous vehicles have been Hondas.

While parts are more expensive on Hondas, I don't remember ever having to endure such a long wait.

 

 

This is not just limited to domestic vehicles. My sister took her 2009 (18,000 miles)Toyota Hylander back to Toyota on a Friday because one of the CV boots was torn or ripped. Toyota kept her vehicle until the following Thursday because the boot had to ordered.

 

Never mind I could have have the boot delivered the same day from NAPA...and installed in half an hour...they had 5 in stock.

[T'Cal]

My wife's 08 Mariner developed a trans leak as well. She took it in and, like the other poster said, the service writer knew exactly what the problem was. Had she come in a bit earlier, instead of at 5pm, she could've gotten it back that evening since she was told they stock this part due to the high frequency of its failure, she was told.

[amacalla]

I just got back from my dealership. My 2008 Escape has 38,000 miles on it - the bumper to bumper warranty expired at 36,000. My transmission cooler/ac condenser is leaking and I was quoted $720 to fix it-while it would have been fully covered 2,000 miles ago. I've called Ford and they filed my complaint and said they'd research it and get back to me. In the mean time, I was told to check my transmission fluid often and top it off, because it's leaking rather quickly. Unless they surprise me and attempt to help cover the charges, this will be the first and last Ford I ever own.

I'm just shocked that so many people are having this same problem, yet they have not issued a recall.

[escape08]

I just got back from my dealership. My 2008 Escape has 38,000 miles on it - the bumper to bumper warranty expired at 36,000. My transmission cooler/ac condenser is leaking and I was quoted $720 to fix it-while it would have been fully covered 2,000 miles ago. I've called Ford and they filed my complaint and said they'd research it and get back to me. In the mean time, I was told to check my transmission fluid often and top it off, because it's leaking rather quickly. Unless they surprise me and attempt to help cover the charges, this will be the first and last Ford I ever own.

I'm just shocked that so many people are having this same problem, yet they have not issued a recall.

 

 

 

I also just got back from my dealership. It's the second time that the cooler has failed. Once when the Escape was 11 months old and had about 17,000 miles on it. Now it's 2 1/2 and about 47750 miles and the same leak has occurred. Now, of course they don't want to cover it and are quoting me a $800 repair bill. Can't believe that this part would fail twice and Ford acts as if nothing is wrong. I went to a former ford dealer and they told me that the part number for the cooler has changed and that indicated a modification has occurred. If the part has changed (not sure if it's true) then Ford knows there is a problem and they have changed it or gone to a different vendor to get better parts. So why not cover this. Even if they would just cover the cost of the part, that would be a start to taking care of their customers .... It really shouldn't even be an expense to the dealer either. If they have a defective part, it should be Ford themselves covering it.

[crazydog]

I have a 2008 Ford Escape, 46,000 miles - just found out about this transmission leak. Have been to dealership and called Ford Motor Co twice and the most they will do is knock $120 off the $611 they are charging to fix this. I could get it fixed for less elsewhere but am going to pursue compensation so want to make sure it's done by an authorized Ford dealer. Everyone I've spoken to (two dealerships and one chain repair shop) know what it is and say they do this repair on a routine basis to the '08 Escapes. So it's obviously a flaw. It appears that the service bulletin on this was issued well before my 36/36 warranty expired, but now it's too late. As it stands now, Ford refuses to cover this under the powertrain warranty. We have always been Ford buyers (5 new Fords in last five years) but this is the last.

[gypsyone41]

I have a 2008 Ford Escape, 46,000 miles - just found out about this transmission leak. Have been to dealership and called Ford Motor Co twice and the most they will do is knock $120 off the $611 they are charging to fix this. I could get it fixed for less elsewhere but am going to pursue compensation so want to make sure it's done by an authorized Ford dealer. Everyone I've spoken to (two dealerships and one chain repair shop) know what it is and say they do this repair on a routine basis to the '08 Escapes. So it's obviously a flaw. It appears that the service bulletin on this was issued well before my 36/36 warranty expired, but now it's too late. As it stands now, Ford refuses to cover this under the powertrain warranty. We have always been Ford buyers (5 new Fords in last five years) but this is the last.

 

It appears that they FORD considers this part of the A/C not the Powertrain...hince..NOT COVERED. I just found transmission fluid all over my drive @ 15000mi and it is the cooler. I have been to 5 shops with slipping and loud humming coming from the what seemed to be the brakes while in gear. No one figured this out until the large puddle of fluid. So sorry.......

[gypsyone41]

Something's not right about your story. Since July of 2006 all Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln vehicles have been covered by a 5 year/60,000 powertrain warranty. Since your 2008 Escape was bought after July of 2006, has less than 60,000 miles on it, is less than 5 years old, and had a powertrain related problem you should have been covered under warranty for that repair at any FML dealer's service dept.

 

Care to elaborate a little more?

 

It appears that they FORD considers this part of the A/C not the Powertrain...hince..NOT COVERED. I just found transmission fluid all over my drive @ 15000mi and it is the cooler. I have been to 5 shops with slipping and loud humming coming from the what seemed to be the brakes while in gear. No one figured this out until the large puddle of fluid. So sorry.......

[elgino26]

Ha. Ha. 44K and the same leak that everyone else has seen (it is exactly where the youtube video about this problem shows it to be). I added a little fluid and got it into the shop today.

 

Has anyone had any luck with their extended warranties? I have a Zurich Standard option which includes internal transmission and powertrain parts (NOT external) but, I am also covered for my a/c condensor, compressor, evaporator, plus a few other parts.

 

My dealership in So. Maine has said the Transmission Cooler was not covered under the powertrain/trans warranties, but he didn't discuss the a/c coverage - anyone?

 

Thanks to everyone that has already posted. I will be sure to reply once I have answers after the service (they have quoted me $825 to do the work).

[monroe]

I have the same problem with my 2008 Escape. I went to 2 dealers yesterday and they knew exactly what the issue was before they even opened the hood. I have been on the phone with Ford Customer Service twice and they stated Ford does not consider this a problem and the TSB that was issued was for dealers only to fix the problem. Southgate Ford told me that they can't keep the replacement part in stock because they have been fixing so many of these. Southgate, Gorno and Crest Ford have stated to me that this should be a recall because most of the 2008 models have this problem. I have contacted channel 4 and filed a complaint with the NHTSA today. FYI- the best price I have so far is $625 from Crest Ford

[KvnLynch]

I too have just experienced the same problem. My 2008 Ford (quality is Job 1) Escape developed a leaky Trans air cooler at 37,800 miles. I didn't find this forum until after the fact so I was shocked to learn from my dealer that this part wasn't covered under the Powertrain warranty. Since this part is an integral part of the transmission system it seemed logical to me that it should be covered as part of the transmission that is covered under the Powertrain warranty. Of course my logic is different than Fords.

 

I buy new cars (own 2 Escapes) and service them regularly at the dealership in order to avoid potential costly and unexpected repairs that could result from buying used. The car is 18 months old and has not been subjected to abuse. It seems that due to the parts poor quality, there was nothing I could have done to prevent this from occurring. I am being penalized for Fords lack of quality control. There is a known issue with the part as evidenced by the TSB. This part needs a recall. This part directly influences the performance of the transmission. In my case, I noticed the problem because my transmission slipped as I was merging onto a highway. The lack of power and acceleration almost caused my vehicle to be rear ended. I would argue that there is also a safety issue at stake with this part.

 

The total cost of repair was around $1000. The repair cost included a trans flush which was recommended by the dealer. So far, I have received no help from Ford Customer Care who just bounced my complaint back to the Service manager. The Service manager was just following Ford policy when he made the decision not to cover this under warranty or use his Customer Loyalty Budget (if this exists) to help cover any cost of the repair....that's why I called Customer Care to begin with....because there is a problem (in my opinion) with Fords policy....not a problem with the way the service manager handled it. This has been a very frustrating experience that will be in the back of my mind when it comes time to replace my older (2001) Escape.

[2010TB]

...This has been a very frustrating experience that will be in the back of my mind when it comes time to replace my older (2001) Escape.

It would be in the FRONT of my mind! We haven't had any problems with our '08 Escape at 2 years/20,000K miles. Is this something I need to get ahead of, or will they not even look at it unless it's broken??

[baggs32]

I'll make this short. Wife reported the tranny was slipping and acting funny yesterday. Found puddle of tranny oil on the garage floor last night right under the front bumper just off to the center of the vehicle from the passenger headlight. Checked tranny fluid while hot, barely touching the bottom of the cross marks on the dip stick. Called dealer and they want to look at it today. I think we all know what this is.

 

Thank God I leased. Just under 12k miles and it's only 19 months old so this one will be on Ford anyway.

[fordescape08]

I to had a 2008 Ford escape, it had 42000 mile on it, took it to ford, to bad i didnt have ext warrenty they said, never seen this problem, talked to ser manager at Dahl Ford and he said they get 10 of those a week, all leak at same spot, and new ones are designed differently ( go figure) they wanted 650.00 to repair it, I had it done at a private shop and contacted them again and they said I should have waited and contacted them again, no money back, because I didnt wait, we NEEDED the car and I got it done for 475.00. I'll never buy a ford again

can't believe i found this post and that this is such a common problem - 46k miles and it seems i am experiencing the same issue. the leak at this time is very minor but no idea how long it will hold, this is my only transportation and economy what it is will be a hurting on budget to repair. i can't believe ford isn't fixing this as a power train problem. i guess i need to find someone other than dealership that can help repair it - they basically said $800-$900 to repair and replace the ac coolant condensor! hope we all get some resolution - i contact ford on it as well and posted discontent with these findings, let's see.

[baggs32]

can't believe i found this post and that this is such a common problem - 46k miles and it seems i am experiencing the same issue. the leak at this time is very minor but no idea how long it will hold, this is my only transportation and economy what it is will be a hurting on budget to repair. i can't believe ford isn't fixing this as a power train problem. i guess i need to find someone other than dealership that can help repair it - they basically said $800-$900 to repair and replace the ac coolant condensor! hope we all get some resolution - i contact ford on it as well and posted discontent with these findings, let's see.

 

$800-$900 seems a little steep. The condenser assembly was listed as something like $395 on my repair documentation and it only took them about an hour to do it. You might want to ask around.

 

Our leaking condenser was actually blamed on the minor accident my wife was in on 10/31/2008. She was hit from behind at a stoplight and pushed into the hitch of the Explorer in front of her. The dealer did the body work and all they had to replace at the time was the rear bumper/reverse sensors, the passenger headlight because a retaining clip broke, and the bottom "chrome" fascia piece in the front (Escape Limited) because it had a hitch shaped indentation in it. Turns out a vertical plastic air deflector behind the grille and the radiator mesh surround were bumped too but not repaired back in 2008. Since those were never repaired they blamed the leaking condenser on it and the insurance company of the girl who hit my wife paid for all of the repairs. They simply wouldn't warranty the part because of the existing damage.

 

They did agree that the part is faulty even stating that they "do one a week". I have a hard time believing that it took over a year for the condenser to start leaking after the minor accident given how easily you can find others with the problem, but it's all taken care of and I didn't have to pay a dime so I'm OK with that.

[cescape]

I got my 2008 Escape in July of '09. It had 40,000 miles on it and just last month, at 45,000 miles, I started having trouble with my transmission. The first thing I noticed was the car would lurch forward sometimes when starting out. At first I thought it was because the weather had gotten pretty cold. Then I had a couple of times when I'd be in traffic at a stop, but when it was time to move forward the car wouldn't move and I had to put it in neutral and then back in drive to get it to go. I never had a noticeable leak, but when I called my mechanic he said to bring it in. The transmission fluid was down over a quart and a half. He suspected the trans/air cooler because he had seen the TSB and pretty much new what the problem was. About $800 later the car was fixed. I called the Customer Resource Center at Ford and explained my problem. Of course the part was no longer under warranty and the power train portion didn't cover the replacement cost because the part was not "internal." They asked me what I wanted Ford to do and I told them I wanted Ford to cover the replacement cost and recall the defective part. They logged my complaint and said I should ask a Ford Dealer to take care of my expenses. I asked them if they really expected a dealership to replace a part on a vehicle they did not manufacture, did not sell me, and did not repair...they said yes. So I did ask a dealership and they were kind enough to listen to my experience and the research I had done. They forwarded my info on to Ford - they did not refund my repair costs,but they were understanding. My point in commenting here is that anyone who has this problem needs to call Ford's Customer Resource Center 800.392.3673 and voice your complaint and frustration. Additionally, I think the recall is necessary because this is a safety concern. My car lurched forward and did not move upon initial acceleration at times. This could have caused damage or injury to another vehicle or person or to myself and/or my passengers. People have said they would never buy another Ford because of this one experience. I feel it would be in Ford's best interest to step up and take care of loyal customers and new customers who have purchased vehicles from them in good faith. It seems that is what Toyota is currently doing with their cars and gas pedal problems.

 

Sorry this is so lengthy, but we believed in a product and a company that should do right by us for our continued support, especially in a struggling economy.

Edited February 12, 2010 by cescape