2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

UPON STARTING MY CAR, I REALIZED I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL WITHOUT GREAT EFFORT. TRIED IT THE NEXT DAY, AND THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING, ALTHOUGH THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VIBRATING STRANGELY. HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM 2 ADDITIONAL TIMES. AFTER READING NUMEROUS OTHER ENTRIES ON NHTSA WEBSITE ON THIS SAME ISSUE, I LEARNED THAT IF I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN TURNED IT ON, POWER STEERING RESUMED. THIS WORKED FOR ME THIS MORNING AFTER 3 ATTEMPTS. BROUGHT INTO MECHANIC AND THEY COULD NOT ASSESS ISSUE. WILL BE BRINGING INTO DEALER THIS WEEK. VERY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IF I'M DRIVING AND THIS OUTAGE RECURS. *TR

AFTER DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 45 MILES, I WAS UNABLE TO STEER THE WHEEL WITHOUT A LOT OF FORCE. I WAS UNABLE TO STAY ON THE ROAD AND CAME VERY CLOSE TO HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE BEFORE COMING TO A STOP ALONG SIDE THE FREEWAY. IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION (AT 69000 MILES) AND NOW THIS. I AM NOT AN AGGRESSIVE DRIVER AND FEEL THESE PROBLEMS SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. THE STEERING IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD HAVE A RECALL! *TR

ELECTRIC POWER STEERING WENT OUT WITHOUT ZERO WARNING SIGNS AND ZERO WARNING SIGNIFIERS FROM VEHICLE DASH. WAS DRIVING ON I-10 AT 75 MPH - STEERING HAS ALWAYS SHOOK AT SPEEDS OVER 70 MPH - STEERING JUST LOCKED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING, AND WENT INTO MANUAL MODE. THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS ITEM WITH FORD, BUT THE SAME ISSUE, AT ABOUT THE SAME MILEAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED ALL OVER NORTH AMERICA (UP INTO CANADA AS WELL. CANADA HAS OPENED AN INVESTIGATION ON THIS MATTER FOR THEIR CITIZENS. A REPORT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED TO FORD AND I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO CONTACT THE DEALERSHIP - IT IS MY PERCEPTION THAT ALL OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE HAVE BEEN TOLD THE SAME THING. HOWEVER, A RESOLUTION MUST BE MADE - AND NOT AT THE COST OF THE OWNERS BECAUSE THIS SEEMS CHRONICALLY DEFECTIVE. THE 2008 FORD ESCAPE WAS THE FIRST TO HAVE THIS SPECIFIC POWER STEERING PLACED IN IT. *TR

STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO SHAKE FROM SIDE TO SIDE THEN LOST POWER TO STEERING WHEEL LIKE IT WENT FROM EASY TO VERY HARD TO STEER. TURNED CAR OFF THE RESTARTED AND IT WAS OK. NOW IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. WHEN I START CAR UP NO POWER, WHILE I'M DRIVING AND I LOSS POWER. *TR

I WAS DRIVING TO PARKING LOT AT LOCAL STORE AND THE POWER STEERING QUIT WORKINGSO I STOPPED IN A SAFE AREA TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF TO LOOK UNDER THE HOOD DID NOT FIND ANYTHING STARTED THE VEHICLE BACK UP PROBLEM WENT AWAY THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN AT HOME UPON STARTUP NO POWER STEERING TURN VEHICLE BACK OFF HAS TO DO THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES THEN PROBLEM WENT AWAY.NOW THIS PROBLEM IS MORE CONSTANT OF NO POWER STEERING AND NOW THE STEERING WHEEL SITS AND CHATTERS BACK AND FORTH AT IDLE AND DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER SHIP AND TALKED TO THE GUYS IN THE PARTS DEPARTMENT AND THEY SAID THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND FORD CAN GET IT FIGURED OUT AS TO WHAT THERE GOING TO DO THEY SAID AS OF RIGHT NOW THEY CAN'T ORDER ANY POWER ASSIST COLUMNS RIGHT YET SO I GUESS FORD IS DRAGGING THERE FEET ON THIS ONE I GUESS UNTIL SOMEONE DIES MAYBE ALL THE FORD CEO'S NEED GET INTO ONE OF THEY PROBLEM VEHICLES AND DRIVE FOR AWHILE AND SEE WHAT ALL OF US ARE TALKING ABOUT?? *TR

WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHIMMY AS IF A WHEEL WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP AND WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN. I PULL OFF INTO A SERVICE ROAD AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. I STARTED THE CAR BACK UP AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES AND I WAS ABLE TO STEER AGAIN. IT HAPPENS REPEATEDLY WHEN AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN PARKED AND I START THE CAR UP, THE STEERING FREEZES. I'LL RESTART THE CAR 3 OR 4 TIMES BEFORE THE STEERING UNFREEZES. *TR

THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IN POSITION AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE TURN IN ANY DIRECTION. THIS WAS A POTENTIALLY DEADLY SITUATION. THE DRIVER HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING WHEN IT MIGHT OCCUR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AS THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO INDICATED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING VARIOUS SPEEDS, STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE VIBRATED EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE IN A PARKING LOT THE POWERSTEERING CUT OUT. I WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND AFTER SHUTTING THE CAR OFF AND TURNING IT BACK ON POWER STEERING WAS RESTORED. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED THE STEERING WHEEL HAS STARTED TO RATCHET BACK AND FORTH. AFTER LOOKING AT A FEW FORUM I FOUND THAT THE STEERING WHEEL POSITION SENSOR FAILS AND CAUSES THESE PROBLEMS REGULARLY. *TR