2008 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING (EPS OR EPAS) FAILED. THE CAR INSTANTLY LOST ALL ABILITY FOR POWER STEERING, WITHOUT ALERTING THE DRIVER. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, AND MAY FAIL AT ANY TIME. THE EPAS CAN SOMETIMES BE RE-INSTITUTED BY STOPPING THE CAR (IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AT TIMES, OR FREEWAY), TURNING OFF THE CAR COMPLETELY ... WAITING 10 SECONDS, AND RESTARTING THE CAR. BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE PROBLEM WILL NOT OCCUR AGAIN AT ANY TIME WITHIN THE SAME DRIVING INCIDENT. THE EPAS CONTINUES TO FAIL AT INOPPORTUNE TIMES, WITHOUT ALERTING THE DRIVER UNTIL FAILURE HAS OCCURED. *TR

WHILE ATTEMPTING TO BACK OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. I REGISTERED THE COMPLAINT WITH ABOUTAUTOMBILE,.COM ON THAT VERY SAME DAY. THE # IS 10489579. THE CAR WAS TAKEN IN LAST YEAR AND NO ONE COULD FIND A PROBLEM AS IT IS INTERMITTENT. 3 DAYS AGO, MY 16 YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING TO SCHOOL AND AS HE WAS TURNING RIGHT AT A CORNER (20MPG), THE WHEEL LOCKED. SINCE I WAS NOT WITH HIM, WE SAID WE WOULD KEEP AN EYE ON IT. TODAY, AGAIN HE WAS TURNING (THIS TIME LEFT AT 20 MPG) THE WHEEL LOCKED AGAIN. HE WAS ABLE TO GET IT ACROSS THE ROAD AND PARK IT IN A PLAZA. I PICKED HIM UP AND DROVE HIM TO SCHOOL. I HAVE BEEN WAITING ON SERVICE TO CALL ME TO GET THE VEHICLE LOOKED AT. AT THIS POINT, EVEN THOUGH HIS SCHOOL IS LOSE TO HOME THERE IS NO WAS I WANT MY SON TO DRIVE THIS FORD PRODUCT. I WORK AT HENRY FORD HOSPITAL AND I AM BEWILDERED AS TO WHY THIS HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED AS IT IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. LOOKING ON-LINE, THERE HAVE BEEN A LARGE NUMBER OF CUSTOMERS WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY 595 SPEED OF 65 MPH THE CAR JUST LOST POWER CAUSING TO REDUCE SPEED FAST WITH NO PRIOR WARNING. HAD TO MOVE FROM THE FAR LEFT LANE TO THE RIGHT LANE ON RUSH HOUR ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *TR

I PLACED A MESSAGE ON THE NHTSA DATABASE ON 11/04/13 CONCERNING THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE. I CALLED THE FORD CORPORATE CENTER AT 800/392-3673 - THE FORD CENTER STATED THAT BY CALLING THEIR NUMBER THEY WILL HAVE A RECORD OF THE PROBLEM AND THE MORE PEOPLE THAT CALL THE CENTER IS HOW THE RECALLS ARE INITIATED AND NOT BY SIMPLY USING THE NHTSA DATABASE. IF YOU ARE HAVING POWER STEERING ISSUES WITH YOUR FORD ESCAPE, PLEASE CALL THE FORD CORPORATE CENTER AND GET YOU NAME ON THE LIST AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN HAVE THIS VEHICLE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS TERRIBLY HURT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED TO OPERATE NORMALLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR WOULD ENGAGE AND DISENGAGE SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING POWER ASSIST UNIT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I PUT IT IN REVERSE AND IT WOULD STALL AND THEN PUNCH IN AND TAKE OFF. THEN I WOULD PUT IT INTO DRIVE AND THE SAME THING WOULD HAPPEN. IT WAS KIND OF SCARY. IF SOMEONE WAS IN FRONT OF ME I COULD HAVE HIT THEM. THAT HAPPENED A FEW TIMES AND FINALLY IT WOULDN'T MOVE AT ALL. MY TRANSMISSION JUST QUIT ON ME. WITH ONLY 66,000 MILES ON IT AND I STILL OWE $15,600 ON IT NOW AS A SINGLE MOTHER OF TWO I HAVE TO TRY TO COME UP WITH $3700 TO FIX THIS????? THIS VEHICLE JUST GOT BROKEN IN WITH 60,000 MILES ON IT. I'M SO UPSET. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AND AFTER DOING RESEARCH IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME WITH THIS VEHICLE! WHERE IS THE RECALL ON IT? I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND SHIFTED OUT OF GEAR. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE WRENCH WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE SECOND AND FOURTH GEARS MALFUNCTIONED. AS A RESULT, THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 45 DEGREES OUTSIDE AND I WAS DRIVING DOWN A ROAD AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 50 MPH AND TOOK MY FOOT OFF OF THE THROTTLE. I ATTEMPTED TO GET BACK UP TO SPEED AND THE THROTTLE WAS LOCKED SHUT AND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AT ALL. THIS HAPPENED REPEATEDLY UNTIL THE ENGINE WARMED UP. IT HAS CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THAT TIME AND YESTERDAY WAS SO SEVERE, I COULD NOT MOVE FROM A STOP SIGN. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WANTED TO CHARGE ME A TOTAL OF $385 TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY. NOW I SEE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL AND I AM FEELING VERY RIPPED OFF. FORD SHOULD PAY FOR THIS MANUFACTURING/DESIGN PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TURNING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT ALSO MENTIONED THAT THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED SEVERAL TIMES AND THE FAILURES WERE INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND RESUMED NORMAL FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED MECHANIC WHO TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE BUT WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,600.

WHILE SITTING IN THE PARKING LOT I WENT TO DRIVE AND I HAD NO POWER STEERING. NOTHING SEEMED TO BE WRONG BUT I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTARTED THEN POWER STEERING WORKED FINE. THIS HAS SINCE HAPPENED AGAIN ON 11/4/2013 WITH MY WIFE DRIVING. SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE THEN RESTART AND EVERYTHING BEGAN TO WORK AGAIN. INVESTIGATING THIS PROBLEM THERE ARE MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND FORD DOESN'T SEEM TO BE DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. IT'S A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IF YOUR DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY YOU CANNOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. *TR