2011 FORD ESCAPE Complaints

While driving down road, vehicle suddenly pulled right and started shaking the steering wheel and started making grinding noises. The steering wheel was now off by several degrees in order to drive straight. Luckily this occurred at a low speed and not at highway speed. If this was at 70 miles per hour it probably would have resulted in accident. Pulled to side of road and noticed right wheel out of alignment. After getting vehicle home looked under vehicle and discovered the end of the subframe where lower A arm mounts has rusted thru and cracked. This had the potential to be a really bad accident. Hard to believe a 2011 Ford Escape with only 93000 miles has cracked subframe.

I have been having problems with a coolant leak that’s been fixed but then leaks again. Got it fixed 2 different times now since I purchased the car.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to steer in the intended direction, nearly causing a head-on collision. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed of an unknown recall related to the failure and was advised that the VIN was not included in the unknown recall. The contact stated that the dealer declined to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 15-20 MPH and taking the grandchildren to school, the driver heard an abnormal popping sound coming from under the steering wheel and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was turned off and restarted; however, the failure persisted. The contact met his wife and assisted in driving the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle the following morning, the power steering was functional. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was a retired independent master mechanic, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered because the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 210,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized intermittently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that on another occasion, while the vehicle was parked, the sensor failure caused the steering wheel to move back and forth with a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with torque sensor failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.

While driving my steering wheel locks up and it is hard to turn. If I turn my car off then back on it start working right then locks right back up

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and descending a steep grade, the contact attempted to turn the steering wheel to the right however, the steering wheel failed to turn or respond as needed. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stopped and turned off and restarted the vehicle and was able to regain power steering functionality. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact had called the manufacturer and was advised that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

Yesterday, When coming to a stop at a Hwy intersection, the steering wheel suddenly would not turn. I was able to get the car to a parking lot. Turned the vehicle off. Approximately 15 minutes later I started the car to move it to a safer location and the steering wheel moved freely. This same steering problem happened today when backing out of my driveway. I pulled back in and turned the vehicle off. I have not tried to drive it again. Haven’t taken it to the dealership yet. You have to make an appointment. One is not available within the next few days. It is Thursday, I’ll call them back on Monday. So the reason for the loss of steering is unknown at this time.

The contact owned a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, as the contact was approaching a traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed; however, it failed to stop as intended. The contact moved to the other lane when the vehicle came to a stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone and the contact was informed that three sensors needed to be replaced. Two sensors were replaced; however, the ABS sensor was not replaced due to cost. The contact stated that on the drive home, an abnormal odor was coming from the vehicle. While the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was consumed by fire and destroyed. The Fire and Police departments were called. A fire report was filed; the Fire Department stated the cause of the fire was due to faulty wiring. The contact notified her insurance company and the vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

The contact's friend owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. Despite the failure, the contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the steering column, including the rack and pinion, needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.