Seven problems related to steering failed have been reported for the 2016 Ford Escape. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2016 Ford Escape based on all problems reported for the 2016 Escape.
Steering failed while driving. It became very difficult to turn the steering wheel while driving. Made loud grinding sound and very difficult to move the wheel. As the vehicle became undrivable, it had to be towed.
My wife was returning from the store when the steering got stiff. As if the power-assisted steering had failed. She managed to get it home since she was on our road and only had to turn into our driveway. I took it out and the steering was ok for about a mile. Then it did the same for me. Ford has had this issue with several of their vehicles for some time now. Many have been recalled and this one should be. I have read many complaints and reviews about this issue. I believe this is a serious issue. If the steering fails at an inopportune time people could be killed.
Steering assist failure warning light came on when we were driving down the road. Tried resetting it like the manual said but it only worked for a little while and came on again. It is very hard to steer.
When starting the car an alert popped up stating "steering assist failure". The steering was virtually impossible to move. Turning off the ignition and restarting the message cleared. The car has only 27100 miles. Ford states that the steering gear has failed. If this had happened while moving it could have been serious.
In the last month I have had a fault code, steering assist failure. 4 times in my driveway upon start up, almost drove off driveway down 20 foot creek. One of them while traveling from a 55mph state route trying to turn right, slowed to below 20 mph and tried to turn wheel. The steering wheel did not turn, I traveled across two lanes of traffic and onto a gravel entrance for tractors into the field. I had to lock the brakes up and slid into the corn field. Once stopped, I turned the Escape off and let it sit for 10 minutes, restarted the Escape and backed out onto the road safely. I am at roberts Ford in alton, IL. The code is not showing, (so says the service writer, so Ford is not willing to repair. The date below is the last time in which this has happen. Safety before production, must be they don't care about my family or the public. Time for social media.
2016 Ford Escape with 5770 miles. Started car and had steering assist fault. No power steering. Had to be towed to dealer. They replaced the steering unit due to a steering control unit failure. If it would have happened while driving I probably would have been involved in an accident as it was near impossible to turn the steering wheel. Repair covered by warranty. Vehicle was stationary at the time of failure.
Steering assist failure. No warning signs or anything. Complete loss of steering with only 1186 miles on the car. Owned it less than 2 months.