The electric power steering went out with no warning and almost caused an accident as there was no way to control the direction of the vehicle. Ford had a recall on some of these models but did not include all models. This problem is the same as the problem that was recalled on the same models but limited by VIN #. This could have been a major threat to human life had the operator not had the strength to over come the lack of power steering. Ford should have recalled all vehicles in this model knowing there was a problem with the escape/mariner steering system.
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid steering complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 110, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape hybrid. While driving, the steering wheel shook, jerked, and lost power. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a median and a tire blew out. There were no warning indicators illuminated. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to big valley ford lincoln (3282 auto center cir, stockton, ca 95212, (800) 867-1516) where it was diagnosed that the power steering assist failed and the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was 144,000.
Steering wheel began shaking when parked/idle and wild stop after exceeding 10mph. Issue escalated and now happens at all speeds when not turning (traveling straight). Shaking has become more violent in wheel. First mechanic determine codes were associated with recall #14s05. Ford claims this recall was performed and closed in 2015. Now, issue has resurfaced, and entire steering column needs to be replaced. Second mechanic at a ford dealership claims this issue is the same issue as the recall and will attempt to contact ford again. Steering power assist failure displayed.
Sunday afternoon around approximately 3pm (10/21/2018) I was driving and my steering wheel became stiff without any warning, and I was unable to move it. In the car with me was my friend, and myself. On the first instance this day, I was pulling into a parking lot, and without warning my car beeped twice, and the steering wheel went completely stiff. Thankfully, I was able to just park where I was, turn the car off and back on, and the problem seemed to be gone. About 15 minutes later, as I was in the intersection coming out of that parking lot, my steering went out again. There were no lights on the dashboard, and no beeping occurred. I could not move the wheel, and I was traveling in the direction of other vehicles that were turning, and I was very close to hitting them. Again, thankfully, I was able to get to a spot straight ahead to park and I ended up leaving my car there overnight. My friend and I almost wrecked in a busy 4-way intersection due to a manufacturer mistake, as I have recognized online through multitudes of other complaints for similar situations. This is dangerous. Someone needs to take responsibility, as the vehicle (a 2008 ford escape hybrid), gave me no warning whatsoever before the steering wheel seized up.
Ive had reoccurring issues with my brakes ,ABS system , power train , steering column starter. Over the course of three years and it seem like the problems keep coming up . The only close call I remembers is coming home from work . Making a turn on to a street, then all of a sudden my power steering went out completely. I could have crashed if a huge curb wasnt there .
Takata recall power steering stoped working very suddenly. While I was doing deliveries for my work I parked the car turned it off and when I got back after about 10 min. Power steering didn't work and hasn't worked ever since. The only thing that I noticed that day is that every time I turned there was a very slight shake on the steesring wheel. I thought that was unusual but never thought that 2 hours later the power steering would completely fail. Thank god this happened when the vehicle was parked. I checked for recalls and noticed that the ford escape 08 has a recall on the power steering, I imagine there was enough complaints to make the recall happen. However, there are not as many hybrid models and I'm sure that's the only reason why there's no recall for this specific model yet. But as far as I know both models the escape and the escape hybrid are identical in many ways including some parts if not all parts of the power steering system.
The electric power steering assist has failed creating dangerous driving conditions. The vehicle was in motion on the interstate when this occurred. Ford has recalled a number of ford escapes for this issue, but not all models that are affected, including my vehicle.
Power steering went out in my 08 escape. Took to ford dealership who told me that recall was no longer attached to the vehicle since its over the 46,000 miles limit. I informed them that there is no expiration or mileage on recalls. They then said that it needs a software update and the cost will be about $1000. My husband was driving it to work and noticed the steering wheel started to shake when stopped. Then driving home the power steering went out.
The power steering assist fault came up while I was driving through a sharp turn and almost caused an accident. Went away on its own and next day came in again and since then my car is hard to steer and dangerous to drive. There was a recall of 14s05 but it doesnt show for my vehicle. Mine is the same year affected but does not apply for some reason and dealership is refusing to take any action to remediate.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape hybrid. While driving 40 MPH, the power steering failed and the steering wheel became extremely difficult to steer left or right. Paul miller ford in lexington, kentucky was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was no longer under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that, because the vehicle was previously repiared under manufacturer recall number: 14s05, a second repair would not be free. The failure mileage was approximately 202,000.
. In 2012 and 2013, I had power steering failures while driving, luckily resulting in no collisions. Both times I took my vehicle into a ford dealer. Both times, I was told that nothing was wrong with my vehicle. In 2014, ford issued a recall for a faulty sensor in the power steering. I immediately brought my ford to my dealer for service. Instead of replacing the steering column, they choose a 2nd option (cheaper) and simply reprogrammed/ rebooted the sensor. On july 21st, 2017, I parked my car and when I came out a started the car, I had no power steering. I was lucky I wasn't on the highway. I had the car towed to a local service center and they told me that according to the computer the same part failed again. They re-set the sensor and we took the car into our ford dealer to have it serviced for the recall. Both the ford dealer and ford na toll free service center (I spoke to darren in august 8th) told me that because ford had already performed the recall service that they will not honor this issue as part of the recall. However, since the ford dealer took the 'cheaper' option and reprogrammed the sensor, ford should honor the recall and replace the steering column. This is the service that our ford dealer stated is now required to fix the issue. We are faced with spending thousands of dollars or driving essentially an unsafe vehicle because ford was allowed to offer this 'cheaper' recall service to ford owners. It's a disgrace.
Received a safety recall notice 14s05. Took to local dealership who performed sensor reset. Two thousand miles later the power steering failed while driving and the vehicle lurched to the right nearly hitting a cyclist in bike lane and startling me as I was barely unable to manhandle to now manual steering vehicle to avoid the collision. I am quite strong and it is likely anyone w/less body strength would not have been able to command the vehicle. That is when I reviewed the voluminous complaints filed and determined ford is completely unwilling to accept responsibility for what was a faulty part subjecting to owners to great risk of injury. It appears based on my research that the recall service done was a farce and waste of time for consumers w/no real reduction of safety risk. Furthermore, it seems the federal safety agency is weak in response to the safety risk and not requiring ford to replace the part and reduce the chances of a serious vehicle crash.
When turning the steering wheel 180 degrees either from full right to full left or full left to full right, the steering wheel sticks, then releases. Ford looked at the issue, replaced the steering column, reprogrammed the electronic torque sensor under the previous recall notice and the problem remains. The issue started immediately after replacing the inner and outer tie rods. Ford says the steering rack needs to be replaced, I want to know why this started happening after the tie rods were replaced as there should not have been any interaction with the steering rack electronics. This occurs every day as I back out of my garage into my turnaround area (sharp right) followed by a full left to go down the driveway. It also happened in leaving a gas station entering a public street where a full left was followed by a full right in traffic. Any ideas on what would have caused this?
As I was driving home from work thursday 3/23/17 the steering wheel started clicking and shaking back and forth by itself during driving and at a stop. I investigated right away and discovered there was a recall on the torque sensor but all they did was a computer update rather then replace the part. Now they won't honor the recall and the cost is $1700-$1900 to fix.
Multiple episodes of "stop safely now" (after new engine ($8000) was put in 6/2014). At time of engine replacement, recall for power steering module was completed. Fast forward to 3/2017.... Monday morning (8am) new 'wrench' light goes on in dash. Drop kids at daycare and when I restart car (830am) and went to back out of the driveway - no power steering!!! Good thing ford took care of that recall back in 2014...*sarcasm* now they say that the only way it would be covered under recall was if loss of power steering occurred within 12 months of recall being completed. This car has been nothing but a headache and 2 ford dealerships that do not stand behind the ford name or their service!
I have a 2008 ford escape hybrid, on 03.02.17 when I went to leave for work, a wrench light came on in my car. When I did some research I found a lot of recall notices of for this-prior to this, when at an idle my steering wheel had recently started to vibrate-the car drove perfectly fine to work. As I left from work that day, I had no steering!! It was worse than driving a car with no power steering. I was scared and almost got into an accident going home due to this!! I took it to the ford dealership the next day and it pulled a code b2278-steering shaft torque sensor malfunction-which is exactly what the recall for my year, make and model were for. Well, ford states my VIN number doesn't qualify for the recall!!! Are you kidding me?!! I was almost in an accident and it is the exact same thing that the recall was for!!! I want ford to be held responsible to reimburse me for this. They can't pick and choose which vehicles qualify and don't when it is the exact same problem.
Making a turn today march 1,2017 on a main street the steering wheel became very hard to turn. The dashboard error message stated poer steering assist fault. Called dealership since I read online of a recall for this malfunction but they said my VIN is not included. This is very dangerous since turning the wheel is extremely difficult and unsafe to drive!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, a beeping noise was heard prior to the steering wheel seizing and the vehicle hit a curb. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v284000 (steering) was performed on the vehicle without knowledge or consent. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact of the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
Power steering assist cut out on route 80 at 65mph . Smashed into curb in rest area trying to stop. Replaced tire
Remedy recall 14s05 -- power steering control module (pscm) software update performed (as directed) did not adequately remedy the safety defect (the torque sensor itself) and may in fact cause further issues with the vehicles power steering. Ford currently does not provide assistance for repairs under the safety recall. Perhaps they are waiting for more injury /civil lawsuits before addressing these critical safety concerns. The federal safety agency also partly shares the blame for this ... After issuing recall 14v‑284 (voq 10670665), they have been informed of the continued pscm issues and have neglected to grant a decision that directly addresses the steering wheel torque sensor defect. Shame on you. Date of recall performed on 9/3/2014 at odo 116,044. Electric power steering assist failure observed and taken into dealership on 1/11/2017 at odo 139,151. Ford customer care denied assistance in replacing the torque sensor as noted in recall 14s05. I was told, "the recall addressed the software issue, not the defective part(s) and too much time has elapsed for our company to help you pay for the repair." ford would rather its drivers (vehicles) operate in condition that is unsafe and at an increased risk of crash or injury, than go the extra mile to ensure the safety concern is resolved. Seeing as other petitioners have had the same issue and this is an open and ongoing investigation, myself and other drivers would appreciate an expedited response from the federal safety agency to reconcile and re-mediate this issue. Thank you.
Steering torque sensor went out, over $700 in repairs, recall 14s05 in effect for this model year on this part, but somehow our VIN not included in recall. Should have been included in recall and we should not have to pay for this repair. Steering shaking, vibrating, stiff.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape hybrid. While driving approximately 75 MPH, the power steering assist faulty message suddenly displayed. Also, the power steering suddenly failed and caused the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact indicated that the vehicle was previously repaired per a recall for the same failure in november of 2014. The recall information was not available. The failure mileage was 154,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape hybrid. While driving 25 MPH, the steering wheel seized without warning the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft torque sensor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 05/04/17*lj
When I would turn occasionally the wheel would lock up but after a few seconds I would regain power. I parked it at school and approximately 7 hours later I returned and started it. As I was backing out the steering only worked for about 2 seconds and locked up except this time it did not correct itself. I tried turning it off and on again but it was not fixing it. I had to have it towed. There is a recall on other '08 ford escape hybrids but not mine. All for the same problem too.
In august 2014 with 99k miles vehicle was taken to dealership for regular scheduled maintenance. The vehicle had not experienced any steering problems however, during maintenance dealership installed software updates to pscm and ic modules per the federal safety agency recall 14-v284000. Within a few months the vehicle began intermittently losing the power steering during lower speed turning, the exact thing the recall was supposed to fix. In august 2015 at the next regular service appt I informed dealership of the problem and copies of on-line research that showed it as an ongoing problem related to the recall. I was told that they had done the recall "fixes" and could not specifically identify the problem but if I wanted the steering column replaced they would do it, for several thousand dollars, of which I declined. I have had many close calls when without warning the steering becomes almost locked up but have been able to so far muscle it around the turns.
The safety recall notices 14s05 / the federal safety agency recall 14v‑286 and 14s09 / the federal safety agency 14v526000 were performed on my 2008 ford escape hybrid. However, the problems did not go away. Since the recalls, the car has had issues with reduced steering range, key/ignition not turning, power surge while driving, locking steering wheel, and the worst: a complete shut down of the powertrain while driving, resulting in a stall-like condition, putting our lives at risk. On june 11, 2016 the car was serviced and steering housing replaced. We asked for service to check the entire car-- everything!!!!-- as the car had been acting strangely with power surges and locking steering wheel while driving. Today, july 10 2016, while driving south on interstate-5 in ca, heading from home (danville, ca) to college (san diego, ca) the car's system completely failed while driving up the grapevine, a section of freeway that is extremely crowded and full of large 18 wheelers. My poor daughter (who now owns the car) called me, screaming hysterically, full of terror and fearing for her life. She had no power, was unable to steer, did her best the dodge the 18 wheelers and "limp mode" over to the side of the freeway. She's now on the way with tow truck driver to drop the car off at ford of valencia ca. I told her do not ever drive that car again. It is a seriously dangerous vehicle.
Steering became very difficult to control while driving in march, 2016. Had tires/alignment checked out all good. When it started vibrating while stopped in may, 2016, I took it to dealer and was told it was a recall which was already done in january, 2016, and the recall is closed now, so I have to pay for it.
Back in april, 2016 I noticed the car started vibrating more and more as I drove down the freeway. I had to drive slow to be able to control it safely. I had the wheels checked, my alignment was good, and nothing wrong from there. The tire guy couldn't find anything wrong. Then the steering wheel started vibrated intensely while I was at a stop! After taking it to the ford dealer, it was determined that a steering wheel recall that was done on my vehicle less than six months ago to prevent this ended up happening anyway. Ford recall will not pay for this becvause "the recall is closed."
I had recall for electric power steering completed in december 2015, and then in january 2016 my steering wheel started vibrating/locking. In april power steering went completely out. I took vehicle in and asked if power steering was related to the recall and he said no it was a separate sensor that was causing the power steering to go out. So, I gave permission for the work to be completed. Then, I started researching and found this has been happening to many people. I had my boyfriend call back as he knows more about cars than I do and he was told again that a sensor not related to recall that was performed was causing p.s to go out that was unrelated to the recall. We go to pick up the car and pay for it and when we are going over our paperwork in the car we find that the work they did was replace the torque sensor which is part of the recall. I called the overall service manager and spoke to him. I asked him if I wouldn't have brought it in december when I was experiencing no issues and would have waited until april when my power steering went out would the code (p2278) be covered under the recall and he said yes, that I would not have to pay for the work. That code would cause them to replace the torque sensor free of charge. So I asked him if he was suggesting that people wait until they are driving down the road and the power steering goes out so that the work will actually be covered? He said no of course not, but what other option is there? You take it in when there are no issues they update software, and then when you start having issues with torque sensor or steering column you are responsible for the bill. What option are people going to take? Obviously, they are not going to want to pay a 675 dollar repair bill on something that should have been covered by a recall so they will drive until power steering goes out which is not safe.
The recall issued in may, 2014 for the power steering assist fault did not fix the problem. The sensor failed again, and the remedy by ford literature to the dealership was erroneous and overly costly to me. The service department detected a fault code, b2278, and the remedy listed three repairs in sequence to fix. The first was the software update proscribed in the recall bulletin. That procedure had been completed by a dealer previously. The second in the sequence was to replace the sensor. Dealer followed this and the fix failed, causing replacement of the steering column, costing an additional $1200 on top of the $500+ for the first failed fix. Attached receipt for entire repair of a recall that didn't get fixed the first time.
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