2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

TWICE THIS MORNING, WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, THE STEERING WHEEL HAS BEGUN TO MOVE ON ITS OWN. THE MOVEMENTS ARE SMALL, RAPID ADJUSTMENTS TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. WHILE INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE, I FOUND THIS TO BE A GROWING PROBLEM REPORTED WITH THIS 1ST YEAR MODEL FORD ESCAPE WITH "ELECTRIC POWER STEERING", AND HAS BEEN CITED, BY MANY, TO RESULT IN NUMEROUS, NO-WARNING, LOSSES OF POWER STEERING. THE PROBLEM REPORTED IS A MALFUNCTIONING STEERING TORQUE SENSOR, AND THE REPAIR IS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN, PART #3C529 ($908.00) PLUS LABOR. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. *TR

I DON'T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT BUT MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HAS EXPERIENCED POWER STEERING LOSS. THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES. THE POWER STEERING RANDOMLY GOES OUT WHILE DRIVING MAKING CONTROLLING THE ESCAPE IMPOSSIBLE. YOU HAVE TO TURN CAR OFF AND RESTART TO GET POWER STEERING TO COME BACK. IF THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHILE MOVING AT A FAST SPEED IT WOULD BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WILL BE TAKING MY CAR TO A DEALERSHIP TOMORROW BUT THERE HAS BEEN HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS CONCERNING THIS SITUATION (HTTP://WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2008/FORD/ESCAPE/STEERING). FORD ESTIMATED REPAIR PRICE IS $1700. *TR

WHEN I STARTED MY VEHICLE, A WARNING LIGHT IN THE SHAPE OF A WRENCH STAYED ON. I LOOK IN THE MANUAL AND THIS SAID POWERTRAIN. UPON FURTHER CHECKING, I FOUND THIS IS A PROBLEM IN THESE ESCAPES. WHEN I STOP AT THE RAILROAD TRACK OR AT A RED LIGHT, THE VEHICLE WILL SURGE FORWARD WHEN I TAKE OFF. THE SHIFTING IS ROUGH AT TIMES. I ALSO JUST HAD TO HAVE THE DOME LIGHT IN THE VEHICLE REPLACED. THIS, TOO, I WAS TOLD WAS A COMMON PROBLEM. THE LIGHTS WOULD NOT WORK WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR AND ALSO THE DASH LIGHTS WOULD GO OFF AND ON. THIS WAS A 103.88 REPAIR JOB AND THE DOME LIGHT, AFTER BEING REPLACED, IS LOOSE AND DOES NOT FIT PROPERLY. WHEN THIS HAVING TO BE REPLACED FREQUENTLY, I WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE A REPLACEMENT LIGHT THAT FIT THE ROOF CORRECTLY. *TR

WHEN I START THE CAR INTERMITTENTLY I HAVE NO POWER STEERING UNTIL I TURN OFF THE CAR A RESTART IT. ALSO WHEN THE CAR IS IDLING THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND MAKES A KNOCKING NOISE. I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THE STEERING WILL GO OUT ON THE HIGHWAY AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

WHILE STOPPED AT RED LIGHT, I NOTICED A "TWITCH" IN THE STEERING WHEEL. STEERING APPEARED TO BE NORMAL AS I WAS DRIVING. LATER, AGAIN WHILE SETTING STILL, I AGAIN NOTICED STEERING WHEEL ACTUALLY "TWITCH" ON IT'S OWN, MY HANDS WERE OFF OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS VEHICLE HAS ELECTRONIC STEERING ASSIST. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT DEALERSHIP BEING EVALUATED. THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT FORD CURRENTLY DOESN'T HAVE A RECALL ON THIS. THIS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE! I HAVE FOUND ONLINE OTHER REPORTS OF LOSING STEERING ASSIST. THIS COULD LEAD TO CRASHES IN CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS AND SITUATIONS. THE STEERING SYSTEM OF ANY VEHICLE IS ONE OF THE MOST BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL SAFETY SYSTEMS, AND BEING SO, SHOULD BE FAR MORE RELIABLE AND PROVEN THROUGH TESTING AND BEING G BACKED UP BY THE MANUFACTURER. I AM BEING TOLD THAT THIS COULD COST $1000-$1500 TO REPAIR, AS THEY MAY HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. THAT IN MY ESTIMATION IS UNACCEPTABLE. *TR

THE GAS PEDDLE STICKS AND RAVES UP AND OTHER TIMES THE VEHICLE DIES WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP POSITION. THE INCIDENT HAS HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES AND SEEMS TO BE MORE WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD. SO FAR THERE HAS NOT BEEN A ACCIDENT AND MECHANICS ARE GIVING ME MULTIPLE ANSWERS BUT CANNOT FIX THE ISSUE. THERE IS NOT A RECALL ON THE VIN NUMBER FOR MY CAR BUT THE ISSUE IS GOING TO CAUSE AN ACCIDENT FOR MY CAR AND ME. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THIS MORNING, MY POWER STEERING SUDDENLY WENT OUT, WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, BUT WOULD MOST LIKELY HAVE CRASHED IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON A BUSIER ROAD, OR AT GREATER SPEEDS. I PLANNED ON TAKING THE VEHICLE TO MY MECHANIC, BUT MY FIRST INTERNET SEARCH UNCOVERED THE BREADTH OF THIS ISSUE, WHICH SEEMS TO AFFECT MOST ESCAPE OWNERS AT OR NEAR THE FIVE YEAR MARK OF THE VEHICLE. THIS INTERNET SEARCH ALSO MADE FORD'S CRASS RESPONSE TO THIS WIDESPREAD ISSUE, TO STAY SILENT AND INCREASE THEIR PROFIT MARGIN DUE TO SHODDY PRODUCTS. IN LIGHT OF THIS, I AM STRONGLY CONSIDERING TRADING THE VEHICLE IN FOR A MORE RELIABLE MAKE. *TR

AT IDLE SPEEDS VEHICLE WHEEL SHAKES ON ITS OWN WHEN DRIVING, POWER STEERING SENSORS FORCE WHEEL TO FLUCTUATE, AND MOTOR INSIDE STEERING COLUMN MAKES NOISE. VEHICLE TAKEN TO DEALER, WAS TOLD STANDARD FIX IS FOR STEERING COLUMN TO BE REPLACED, BUT CANNOT YET VERIFY THAT IS NEEDED YET. WAS TOLD THE CONDITION WILL GET WORSE, AND FOR NOW TO WAIT ON REPAIR, WHICH WOULD COST $1,600 TO REPLACE STEERING COLUMN. *TR

MY DAUGHTER WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN FROM A FULL STOP AFTER TURNING HAD TO FORCE STEERING BACK LUCKY THERE WAS NO ON COMING TRAFFIC LATER THAT DAY WHILE TURNING INTO GAS STATION STEERING LOCKED UP ON MY WIFE LUCKY SHE WAS GOING SLOW CALLED DEALER WHERE WE BOUGHT VEHICLE TOOK IN FOR SERVICE 2/5/2014 DONE ON 2/6/2014 REPLACED STEERING COLUMN $1431.06 CAN FORD EVEN REPLACE A LITTLE FINGER FOR THAT AMOUNT I DON'T THINK SO WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER FORD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 209,000.