Steering Problems of Ford Escape - part 1

I started the truck and began to back out of my parking spot but the steering was so stiff I couldn't turn so I shut it off. After about 3 minutes I stated it up and the steering was fine. The. It happened the next day while I was driving and that was terrifying!!! it became extremely difficult to steer so I found the strength to turn and park. After turning the truck off and on it was fine. . Now the truck is in my driveway and the steering so stiff that I'll have to leave it.

See all problems of the 2012 Ford Escape 🔎.

Loss of electric power steering assist power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds. Steering locks up while driving. This has happened 3 times within the last 6 months. Before this, the last few years it has been difficult starting the car with the key. It would take multiple tries before starting. But now that the steering has locked up more than twice while driving is concerning. I see there were previous problems with the steering and corrected in 2014. After reading the recall description, it sounds to be the same problem. And recently I parked the vehicle, put in park, pulled the key and when opening the door beeping occurred like the key was in the ignition. Once the key was put in the ignition, it stopped. Please help, [xxx] [xxx]/[xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2010 Ford Escape 🔎.

While driving the power steering goes completely out. It jolts suddenly and causes to steer off course. The steering tightens up making it difficult to safely make turns. Occasionally the steering assist goes back on without warning, forcing another jolt and overcorrection. It can not be safely driven with this malfunction. It forces the wheel to suddenly turn hard unexpectedly. , making it dangerous for me, my passengers, and other drivers in the road we have had the problem confirmed by a Ford service mechanic. A steering assist notification flashes on the dash, as well.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford Escape 🔎.

Electronic power steering went out a couple times on me .

See all problems of the 2008 Ford Escape 🔎.

"while driving down a steep mountain hill, my 2015 Ford Escape suffered a sudden and complete loss of electric power steering assist without any advance warning. . . We came within inches of a catastrophic collision and almost crashed directly into a utility pole. " I'm absolutely terrified & now going to cost a fortune. No injury, just wife panic attack.

I have a 2011 Ford Escape awd 3. 0 engine. I took it for NY state inspection and it fails due the right side front subframe is rusted and unsafe. Ford has a recall on models up to 2004 but this vehicle has the same issue of the a/c draining on it causing the rust. I have been an auto tech for over 48 years, retired now, and strongly feel this should be a major concern and covered at least 50% by Ford. This design flaw and the fact that I live in a state that uses salt in the winter on the roads, I feel there is nothing I could have done to prevent this from happening.

See all problems of the 2011 Ford Escape 🔎.

Was driving on highway at 55 when the wrench warning light came on drove car to residence and turned it off, when car was cranked again it had no power steering. VIN number was not included in recall on same issue. Has not been fixed.

While driving the steering wheel stopped returning to center when in turns and also would occasionally get "stuck" in the turn. A few days after this began, was out driving, notice flashed "power steering failure" and then the steering wheel was not able to be turned. Turned off and restarted the vehicle, the steering wheel would not budge. Had it towed to a nearby mechanic, told me that it was not the power steering but that something inside the steering rack had broken. He stated that he had never seen that before, where the wheel would not budge at all. $1,750 later and it's fixed and running fine. Why was this issue not looked into for safety purposes? thankfully I was on a straight road and not needing to turn going 45mph.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Escape 🔎.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "power steering assist" was displayed. The vehicle was restarted, and the message was no longer displayed, and the vehicle operated normally. Later, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering message returned, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. Additionally, the traction control warning light was illuminated. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 236,000.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Escape 🔎.

The steering rack and gear went completely while we were driving 60mph on the highway. We had absolutely no steering all of a sudden and ended up missing a cliff and veering/driving 40 feet into a pasture at 60mph. No warning lights came on, the steering wheel pulled for a minute and then went completely loose with no steering. We had the vehicle towed. Steering rack and gear are completely out and the car is sitting a Ford dealership, they are the ones that did the diagnostics on it and told us what had happened. The dealership says they have never repaired or ordered this part before. This is a dangerous situation that should not have happened and obviously is a manufacturing/vehicle issue.

See all problems of the 2022 Ford Escape 🔎.

The vehicle currently has 119,000 miles. While driving, I received a service steering assist fault on my dashboard and immediately lost all power steering. There was no previous signs of any sort of power steering failure whatsoever. After diagnosing the vehicle, it was determined that the power steering control assist module head failed, which is directly attached to the rack and pinion assembly. After doing some research, it is very apparent that this is a common issue on all Fords of this era that have electric power steering. Due to the module being built into the rec companion, the entire rack assembly has to be replaced, which is about a $3000 job at the dealership. Given how much this is a reported problem I am surprised that it’s not already recall. This raises a severe driver safety concern as when operators are on the highway and lose all power steering, there is a little to no reaction that they are able to have when going 70+ miles per hour.

While driving the car, the electronic power assist steering stopped working, making it extremely difficult to steer and drove straight into a curb. Was able to slowly back the car up then very carefully drove to the local shop. Thankfully, no pedestrians were walking on the sidewalk. Power assist unit failed which caused a very unsafe driving condition. It required two strong arms to muscle the steering carefully to drive the car to the shop.

My husband bought a 2018 Ford Escape and he took it back to the dealer because it was speeding up when he did not touch the gas and it was veering off the road. I put the VIN# in the website and it pulled up 4 past recalls one of which fits the description of what he experienced.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford Escape 🔎.

2018 Ford Escape. I have had the car since 12/2024. Less then 22000 miles in it. In this time I have had 4 alignment done. First one was 2 day after getting car. I pulls to the left. Second was 2 weeks after the first one. Then drove my car with a trailer on it to [xxx]. I made it [xxx] and dropped my load in a storage because I could not control the car. I was so scared. What should have taken maybe 2 days took a week. That was a nightmare trip. Ok so now in [xxx] took it to car max and explained what happened. Alignment always out. Always pulls to left. Carmax had my car 3 days called me and said I need a alignment and 4 new tires. I was like what I just drove from [xxx]. Gentlemen told me I shouldn't have drove that car with it like that. I said carmax in [xxx] a load me to. Car repair places just think we can drop of our car and say here. I don't have another car to us will that one in the shop. Now the forth was when I got back into [xxx] which was maybe 2 months later. So my car did a lot of sitting in the driveway when I was in nc. With this car u have to have your hands both on the wheel because if u hit a pot hole the car goes crazy. I have been drive for about 40 yrs and I'm from [xxx] where u can drive not legally but able to drive with your knee,eat with the left hand will putting on makeup with the right. I can't do that. I can't even take my eyes off the road because the car will go to the left and I'm not even steering that way. So anyone out there please help. This is my first Ford and it's been a nightmare. Plus less then 40000 I have had a new battery alternator and start put in. My window wipes don't work. Came on it never rains in [xxx] so what the. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Car started with loss of steering fault, then power steering completely failed and car was not driveable.

Excessive bilateral play/backlash in the steering rack unit was identified by a 3rd party repair organization. Ball-joint wear was ruled out and the problem suspected to be caused by internal wear of mechanical restraints. Third party mechanic advised that the car was unsafe to drive due to possible uncontrolled loss of steering function and that corrective action by the manufacturer was required. Vehicle was subsequently towed to big valley Ford where the dealership confirmed the initial diagnosis: "upon inspection found play - severe internal play in rack". Normal vehicle use was not considered a causal factor of the defect on the vehicle with only 73,394miles. No warning messages were displayed to indicate the problem but front-end noise was noted while operating the vehicle.

Hi! I [xxx] [xxx] my vehicle streeing wheel struck or lock when the vehicle slow down or stopped. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2009 Ford Escape 🔎.

When driving I was approaching a curve and lost all steering for several seconds. I could turn the wheel completely all the way around and there was no control. After about 8 seconds steering was available again. This was not caused by hydroplaning as the roads are dry. Speed was about 30 mph.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Escape 🔎.

I went out to start my car and the power steering assist fault came on and wouldn't let me turn the wheel easily. When I looked up the problem the code came back to one of the recalls Ford has on those Escape. But now my car is not in the recall but it was made with in the years and the plant the they recalled for.

Front subframe on the right side prematurely rusts, causing the vehicle to loose steering and pull to the right.

No power steering hard to turn left and right.

When the vehicle was started, the steering wheel was impossible to turn. A message on the dash showed “steering assist fault, service required”. After shutting the vehicle off and restarting, the power steering was restored. The problem persisted on 2 more vehicle starts on the same day.

My 2014 Ford vehicle the steering wheel began to malfunction, then became worse. I took it to pep boys mechanic, they showed me the recall for this issue. I will include the recall attached. The mechanic told me to call Ford they should fix this problem. I called Ford who said since our VIN no was not indicated on the recall, but same year make and model are, cannot repair due to VIN no not on recall. Then the Ford dealer mechanic recommended I call Ford corporate. I called Ford corporate who advised not covered since the VIN no for this Ford is not in recall, but acknowledged that year make and model is. The recall attached states this recall does not need to be VIN no specific. I told both Ford dealer mechanic and Ford corporate this, and offered to email the recall to them, yet they refused for me to send this. I asked speak to a manager multiple times at Ford corporate and was told one would call back, but no one ever called me back. After multiple calls I finally got a manager on the phone [xxx] who provided me case no xxx and she denied my claim too, since my VIN. No. For vehicle not included in recall. If you read the attached recall my car matches all the criteria for this recall, except the VIN no. As per the recall the steering wheel is a safety hazard, that can cause a crash, as stated in the attached recall. Additionally, the other year I had another issue with the bushing, when I went to park in front a store, but the car kept driving almost ran into the store that had all glass windows. Because I pumped the brake and slammed on the emergency brake it stopped. Had it not stopped would have hurt myself, little daughter in my car, and whomever else was in the store. At the time, this bushing was not on recall. Several months later, I received a notice of this recall. I contacted Ford and provided receipts and they reimbursed me. This vehicle has only been inspected by a mechanic at pep boys who informed us of this recall information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C.

I was driving down the road about 35 mph and it jerked me clean off the right side of the road. Here the driver side and passenger side subframe/engine cratle is completely rotted out bad . This needs fixed before someone dies.

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and only manual steering was available. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road, and the vehicle was towed to the residence. When the vehicle was purchased, the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v284000 (steering); and was already repaired under the recall. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while starting the vehicle the contact became aware that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as intended. Neither an independent mechanic nor a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 161,420.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph on the highway, the steering wheel seized. The failure was intermittent. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while reversing out of the driveway. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,548.

I was traveling at 20 mph and slowed to make a turn when the steering wheel took two hands to turn the wheel . . . I knew it was a power steering issue. Happend all of a sudden with no warning and I was stuck in the middle of an intersection trying to turn around to go back home.

Vehicle: 2012 Ford Escape issue: loss of steering assist while driving while operating my vehicle, the power steering assist suddenly fails, making the steering wheel extremely difficult to turn. This creates a dangerous driving condition and significantly increases the risk of an accident. This issue appears to match known problems with the electric power steering system in this vehicle, which has been the subject of recalls for similar model years. However, my VIN is not currently included. The failure has occurred while driving and has now made the vehicle unsafe to operate. I am requesting investigation into this issue and expansion of the recall to include additional affected vehicles, as this is a serious safety hazard.

I took my car into the dealership they had my car for over a month now they sent that I got to pay for a recall of the steering wheel or wait.

Power steering went out all of a sudden.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v284000 (steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm and failed to turn to the left or the right. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it remained for several weeks; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

I recently bought this vehicle, I think about three months ago, used obviously. I will be going down the road, and for no apparent reason the vehicle will lose power steering. Not often but about once a month. Also, the majority of the time I can smell fuel from outside the vehicle. It most definitely has a fuel leak. Today, I got down and looked behind the tire at the fuel intake and it seems to be leaking at a yellow ring on the outside of the fuel tank. While researching this issue online seems to be a common issue, however, I have pulled up my VIN many times on the recall list and it has not shown up. It seems like not only an accident hazard with steering, but a fire hazard with the fuel. The fuel issue seems to make it very “jumpy” when idling at red lights, but maybe that’s a separate issue.

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to steer in the intended direction. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while making a left turn, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) in 2014. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,092.

The contact had performed service on the 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the owner had experienced unintended loss of power steering functionality, making the steering wheel difficult to turn in either direction. The failure was intermittent. During the failure, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, while the vehicle was idling, the steering wheel was turning from right to left independently. While servicing the vehicle, the dtc: b2278 was displayed. The contact was informed that the steering torque sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failures. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v284000 (steering). The failure mileage was 199,003.