Steering Problems of Ford Escape - part 1

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).

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

The power steering torque sensor went out. It was recalled, the repair was made, but the part is failing again. It is creating a safety issue. Ford won't re-repair. The part they put in is failing again. It has been less than 15 years since they put in the recalled part.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v695000(back over prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure listed in the recall. Also, while operating the vehicle the steering wheel had experience severe jerking making the vehicle difficult to steer and control. The cause of the failures were not yet determined. The failure mileage was 150,000.

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Yesterday I went to the Ford dealership and asked if my 2009 Ford Escape could have the power steering repaired under recall as the code from the obd2 data is b2278 and that falls under a recall for pscm power steering control module - steering shaft torque sensor malfunction campaign 14v284000 Ford recall #14s05 I was advised there is no open recall of my vehicle and that this recall had been performed in 2014 as a software update. The history also shows my vehicle did not have any stored codes at the time of programming the pscm. The recall work shows a 0. 3 hours time slot for the Ford covered repair. This is and was a band aid and not a genuine remedy. Ford took the cheapest way out of this and denying the repair now is shameful. There are thousands of complaints since then right here on this site. If my Escape had this b2278 code at the time it was brought in, the steering column and torque sensor would have been replaced free of charge. Yesterday while at the dealership I called the Ford customer service national line and spoke with a very courteous gentleman but he was unable to honor a goodwill claim for me. I just want my vehicle to be safe to drive. I believe Ford should repair anyones vehicle that only had a software update and not actual replacement of defective parts. Fords own site says there is no expiration date on this recall. Ironically, this morning I had my power steering again fail while driving this time at the 90 bend in my drive. The steering completely locked up while attempting the turn. The front of my SUV crashed into a frozen snowbank damaging the front. I also wacked my forehead pretty good because I was not wearing my seatbelt yet. I normally get out at the end of my driveway and check my mail before leaving so I don't buckle up until that point. I'm pretty upset by all of this to the point I will be late to work this morning in taking the time to write this back at home. I work for myself and am an electrician please make Ford fix.

This is a follow up complaint because I would like to attach more files that are pertinent.

Steering sensor failed as documented in Ford fixing the steering torque from a recall on b2778:ef. The steering would not turn and happened while driving near airport dr and garrison in carthage, mo. There was traffic and could barely get the SUV to turn at all. Almost hit another car in a 35 mph zone when it happened. There was no warning or lights on dashboard at all. Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may result in an increased risk of a crash per Ford. A computer update was done in 2023 but obviously, it did not fix the safety issue for my vehicle and put me and others at risk of accidents.

The power steering started going out at low speeds and eventually just stopped working. The car keeps saying power steering assist fault. The power steering no longer works.

Torque sensor. No warning. Has not been looked at by a mechanic. Was working fine when I parked it. Came back out and it was steering funny and making a grinding sound.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel failed to operate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was extremely tight, and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a defective steering column that needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) and associated the failure with the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

For months my vehicle has had intermittent loss of power steering making it nearly impossible to control direction. On Jan. 29, 2026, I ran into the back of a vehicle that stopped suddenly and due to sudden power steering loss, I wasn't able to swerve and avoid collision. I was issued an infraction for this incident and had to file an insurance claim to repair the front end damage to my vehicle. I brought my vehicle to an independent repair shop who confirmed the issue and said the entire steering column would need to be replaced and would cost approximately $3,000. 00. I was also notified that Ford issued safety recall campaign/NHTSA #14s05/14v284 for this exact issue. I contacted the Ford dealership where I purchased my vehicle and they said my VIN is not included in that recall. It seems too coincidental that my 2011 Ford Escape is experiencing the very same issue that prompted a safety recall for thousands of 2008-2010 Ford Escapes but not mine. I contacted Ford customer service and was issued escalation case #cxh-07666011-h9l5h3.

Steering went out suddenly and I was unable to move my steering wheel in the middle of driving. I had no warning lights or other symptoms before losing steering.

The electronic power steering stopped working and it is almost impossible to move or turn the car. Dashboard shows fault. This is a Ford Escape hybrid 2008 model with 142,000 miles. The car has not been repaired and I have yet to take it to a Ford dealership.

The car had a recall in 2014 was fixed then went out again same part same problem after being fixed Ford dealer said they won't handle the recall again steering torque sensor went bad a second time car only had 110000 thousand mile and the same torque sensor that was recalled and replaced went bad again.

The following message was displayed on the dash "steering assist fault service required". Immediately lost power assisted steering and the steering became difficult (manual steering), mostly at lower speeds. Could have resulted in an accident if it happened while making a turn, as I would not have expected to need that much effort to turn. Car is currently at a Ford dealership for service. The error message has come on several times in the past at start up, but by restarting the car it went away with no loss of function. This last time, it came on while driving.

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Vehicle: 2008 Ford Escape VIN: [xxx] component: steering – electric power steering assist recall involved: 14s05 / NHTSA 14v-284000 description of the safety problem: my vehicle is experiencing a recurrence of electric power steering assist failure after a prior safety recall repair. This 2008 Ford Escape was subject to safety recall 14s05 (NHTSA campaign 14v-284000), which addresses sudden loss of electric power steering assist due to a torque sensor fault. This condition can occur while driving and results in significantly increased steering effort, creating a safety risk. Ford records show the recall was marked “completed” on November 22, 2014. In a written response dated December 22, 2025, Ford motor company confirmed that the recall remedy consisted only of software reprogramming of the power steering control module (pscm) and instrument panel cluster (ipc). No mechanical components (including the torque sensor or steering column) were replaced. In 2025, the same steering assist failure recurred, resulting in heavy steering effort and renewed safety concerns. This indicates that the recall remedy did not correct the underlying defect. Ford motor company has acknowledged in writing that: the recall was software-only the recall is closed no current programs provide coverage for the recurring steering failure Ford denied further assistance strictly on eligibility grounds and did not dispute the recurrence of the defect or its safety implications. Because this is a recurrence of the same safety-related defect addressed by the recall, I am concerned that the recall remedy was inadequate, and that other vehicles repaired under this recall may also experience recurrence after software-only updates. I am submitting this complaint to request NHTSA review the adequacy of recall 14s05’s remedy whether a software-only repair sufficiently addresses torque sensor failure the safety implications of recurring steering assist loss after recall completion loss of information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informatio.

Me and my [xxx] old was driving on the highway in my 2009 Ford Escape and suddenly my power steering completely went out with no warning. I was driving 60 mph because that's my safe speed. Steering got completely resistant to the point I could not turn my steering wheel almost crashing into another vehicle with a child in the vehicle. I found out that Ford has had power steering issues with almost all their vehicles due to their electrical power steering system. My vehicle was inspected by a independent service center that confirmed that Ford's electrical power steering is not safe because it can disable while driving, however I called to see if Ford could inspect the issue complimentary, they declined and said it would cost. Not knowing that as a consumer, that is extremely terrifying to know that while driving I'm at a high risk of an accident. I also called Ford to see about a recall because I was informed Ford had multiple recalls for their electrical power steering in most of their Ford Escapes, but there was none for mine. The Ford service worker I spoke to, infact, volunteered to inform me that all Ford Escapes from 2008-2012 should be recalled due to the electrical power steering issues. Once I got home turned my vehicle off and the next morning started my vehicle up to show my husband the power steering issue, 24 hrs later a warning came on saying power steering assist fault. With that warning coming on after the fact, 24 hours later, without that warning could have ended fatal. This is not a situation that should be handled lightly because it can end fatal, and with no warning that these vehicles power steering can disable while driving there's no telling how many accidents have ended fatal already because of this very issue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).