2005 Ford Escape: loss of power steering

Filed Apr 28, 2025 · OH

Front Subframe rusted out causing loss of steering and control. Car came to a complete skidded stop . The front wheel nearly came off. The subframe issue is the same problem that resulted in a recall of the 2001-2004 Ford Escape.

Filed Apr 28, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 105,000 miles · AK

2005 ford escape. Purchased with a car loan in 2012. @ 40,000 miles.$$ kept all regular maintenance up. $$replaced battery & had $$all brakes done front & back in 2014. $$paid off loan in 2015, & 2016 rolled over to 95,000 miles.. $$had to replace alternator & battery & $$redo the brakes in 2016. $$in 2018 had to replace alternator again..(note: during all these years the check engine light was constantly coming on & showing 'check emissions system'.. Bringing up all sorts of fuel & emissions codes. $$replaced 4 different fuel related parts as well). In 2019 all brakes failed! & had a near crash! $$having to replace the brake lines. Then in april 2019 driving an alaska mountain pass in a spring winter storm! Major breakdown!! Lost all power with no control of steering or braking.. Panel was lighting up on & off like a christmas tree! Engine chugging & sputtering like getting no fuel but also not getting the power to keep running.. $$left stranded 500 miles from home. $$had to get towed back home! To have a PCM burn up! $$new/remanufactured PCM, $$new alternator, $$new battery, $$new coils!! Still did not run right! Check engine light still coming on only showing check emissions system, but all parts replaced! Engine sputtering but no code on diagnostic machine to give right correct problem or how to fix!$$$!! 6 months later, replacing alternator yet again!! $$4 alternators one in 3 years!! $$3 coils replaced. & engine is still not running right!! Seems once this PCM goes out.. It's all over for this vehicle!! Nothing is keeping it going anymore, $$just a moneypit of endless fixing & breaking down on the road! Not to mention how it stalls out in mid driving at high speeds! Leaving you with no steering or brakes or power to stop! And then crash!?! I'm feeling left in the dust by ford company with no compensation on over $20,000 spent on a ford escape that can't run!

Filed Jan 28, 2018 · Brakes, Electrical · 112,000 miles · CT

Terrifying! Potentially fatal . Power just cut out on highway while going approximately 55 MPH. No steering, no brakes. No power. All warring lights ablaze, but no warning beforehand! Gratefully, I was in the right lane and managed to get the car into the median. After several minutes, car restarted. Luckily I was only 1/4 mile from the exit. I read about this well known electrical problem. It is the PCM. Apparently ford used faulty spark plugs. The fix is too costly. I will have to purchase a new vehicle. Ford recalled the 2005 escape hybrid but not this model? Criminal

Filed Nov 20, 2017 · Body, Steering · 115,000 miles · IL

After breaking while in traffic, my car swerved unexpectedly on to shoulder of the road and afterwards my steering wheel was at a strange angle. I immediately took my car to a repair shop where it was determined that the car had excessive corrosion of front subframe crossbrace and lower control arm resulting in a significant loss of steering control. A recall was issued on 2001-2004 ford escapes with the same problem as my 2005 ford escape. 2005 models should also be included in the recall

Filed Sep 25, 2017 · Engine, Steering · 136,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering ability without warning. The contact, an independent mechanic, stated that the idler pulley bolt fractured in half and caused the vehicle to overheat immediately. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the right side of the road and the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and that there was no recall. The failure mileage was 136,000.

Filed May 28, 2017 · Steering · 85,000 miles · CA

Power steering failure while parked on city street.

Filed Aug 9, 2015 · Steering · 230,000 miles · CA

Mid day, mild weather in the 70's, power steering went out without warning, almost had an accident as I was in a turn, it's really hard to turn this vehicle. Why is there not a recall for this significant safety issue?

Filed Aug 6, 2015 · Steering, Suspension · 120,000 miles · PA

Sub-frame rust problem. There was a recall on 2001 to 2004 ford escape for this problem. Ford motor company has recalled escape crossovers from model years 2001-2004 in states that use a lot of road salt. In affected vehicles, part of the car could suffer damage from rust and even lose steering control.

Filed Apr 24, 2015 · Engine, Steering · 56,000 miles · NJ

I had purchased a used escape, in very good condition, in aug 2014. I bought from the original owner, a family member, with only 55k mileage over their 10 years of ownership (they were upgrading). I drove the car an additional 1,500 miles here (to 56k, total) over my first two months of ownership, and the car had passed all its regular annual inspections. Suddenly one night on the road the car's engine began chugging when I attempted to travel beyond 45mph, and a blinking yellow check engine light appeared. Upon restarting that indicator did not come back on, but the engine was still sluggish and so I attempted to coast home at managed speeds (as I was only a mile away) to have a mechanic check it out during business hours. I didn't even make it home. The engine light went on full and I soon lost power completely, with barely enough notice to pull off the 6 lane highway. The sudden power loss seemed very unsafe as I had to steer manually with no power steering nor acceleration. After the car stalled out it would not even restart for a long period of time. I towed it to a mechanic the next day and they read me a long list of error codes that had been identified, all of which went back to the power control module (PCM) failure, apparently, as described in tsb 10-18-10. I have been told by two different mechanics, including my local ford dealership, that it would cost at least $2,000 to service the PCM and replace all affected spark plugs, coils and cylinders. Despite the very low mileage below the 80k PCM warranty, the vehicle reacted rather sporadically and unpredictably and it created an unsafe condition. I would have liked to have been informed sooner of this known issue. There should have been a recall notice since the PCM is known to cause a hazard. I now see that there are 113 complaints logged at carcomplaints.com, citing similar PCM and/or engine problems.

Filed Jan 16, 2015 · Steering, Suspension · 174,033 miles · OH

The vehicle's rear passenger wheel well rusted out completely. This allowed the rear shock to become dangerously loose and produced a loud banging noise. Had the shock come loose there would have been a substantial loss of steering. Car is now unsafe to drive.

Filed Nov 29, 2014 · Body, Engine · NY

Complaint one: excessive rusted passenger side rear wheel well and strut mount, strut mount broke away. Complaint two: rusted engine cradle caused passenger side front half shaft to separate from center of the car causing the to stop moving foreword and loss of steering.

Filed Jun 24, 2014 · Engine, Transmission · 113,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford escape. The contact stated that while traveling 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road and turned off. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle on several occasions but it failed to start. The check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering became difficult to maneuver. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the PCM and the electric spark coils needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and did not offer a remedy. The failure and current mileage was 113,000. Cn10/24/14*cn updated 04/16/2015