This problem originally occurred on dec 12th 2013. When I started my car,the steering wheel was locked. I then turned off the car,pulled the key out of the ignition and restarted it,and the wheel was fine then. As I was driving, my steering wheel would shake slightly back and forth without me touching it. There were no indicator lights lit up on my dashboard. Then while driving some more,I heard a faint click,and my steering wheel was locked again,it had absolutely no power steering and it took all of my strength to turn the steering wheel. That has continued to happen every time I drive now,and recently it has gotten to the point where the steering wheel is always locked with no power steering. I took the car to the mechanic and was told that the electronic steering sensor is malfunctioning and the whole steering coloumn needs to be replaced and it is a very big job. I am still awaiting my quote to see exactly how much it will cost me.I have had this car for only 7 months and it seems like this is a common problem among the 2008 ford escapes. I do not understand why this issue has not been recalled,they can recall things like a power window for locking up and not being able to go up or down,but not this. This problem could cause serious injury and possibly death. This is the only car I have and I rely on it heavily. It it almost impossible to turn the steering wheel and this issue needs to be taken care of by ford already. How many complaints do they need before this problem is addressed??
2008 Ford Escape steering complaints
Page 33 of 39: complaints 941 to 970 of 1,127, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The first time my steering wheel started to shake for no apparent reason at a red light. Then it stopped as I proceeded to drive down the road the steering wheel jerked to the left. I then was worried because I had my little boy with me. I ran into the store and then went home and it stopped. Today, I drove 36 miles pulled into my driveway, stopped waiting for the garage door to open and the steering wheel started to shake. I tried to tape it with my phone and it stopped after a couple of minutes. Will have it checked out because I would hate to drive my little one and have the power steering go out in it.
Started vehicle and began to back out of driveway when I noticed the power steering wasn't working. Turned the vehicle off and upon re-starting, power steering began to work again. This has occurred several times since.
While attempting to turn left on an intersecting road from a stop sign, the power steering went out with no prior warning. It took all of my strength to get out of the intersection and off of the side of the road. After turning off the engine and restarting the car a couple of times, it began working again. The car was taken to the nearest ford dealership and they said the steering column had to be replaced for $1,300.00 which is not covered under my extended warranty that was purchased when I bought the car brand new. I could not drive the car because after researching on the internet, I have found hundreds of the same complaints and this can happen intermittently while driving at any time. This is a major safety concern and I can not believe that ford has not made a recall on this! I can't bare to think of what could have happened with my child in the car as I was taking him to school.
I had been having an issue with my vehicle starting and the steering wheel not unlocking. Had to turn it extremely hard or put the key in and out a few times turning to unlock. Upon starting the prior 2 weeks it would hesitate- like it had to think about starting. I had it checked out by my mechanic and he said everything looked good - no issues with starter, alternator or anything. On 11/27 vehicle wouldn't start - ended up with a new battery. Now two weeks after battery install I have a very loud clunk in my steering wheel column and my steering wheel is loose. Makes me very nervous. Of course the extended warranty just was up.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving in reverse at an unknown speed, the steering wheel failed to maneuver in any direction. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Help! I bought a brand new 2008 ford escape and have a pretty good record of maintenance. A week ago, I noticed my steering wheel is locking. I have to restart so many times before I can move it. Two days ago, I was exiting from the freeway and as I turned, the wheel locked and almost crashed, straight head on to the opposite side. That was frightening! I checked online and surprised to find thousand of complains about the same incident for 2008 model and up. I believe this is a mechanical problem and ford should have update the way how they make the electrical sensor/power steering wheel that is causing this and should not be stuck to pay $2,000 just to have this parts fixed. There should be a recall for this before someone gets really hurt and cause death.
Started car and attempted to turn wheel to find absolutely no power steering, was able to get car to repair shop. Once car was shut off and restarted, power steering worked perfectly, then once driving it intermittently would stop working causing severely dangerous driving conditions. No warning lights on vehicle regarding power steering control issues were ever displayed. Diagnostic test done at ford dealership shows error with the sensor in steering column, which requires a complete replacement of steering column. Ford online forum list hundreds of complaints with that exact same issue, similar mileage on vehicle. Car is scheduled to be repaired by ford dealership, unable to drive until repaired do to sporadic loss of power steering.
I started my escape on day and noticed that the steering wheel was locked up, I could not turn it, so I turned the truck off and started it back up and it was working. It has done this several times, sometimes it takes quite a few time of turning it off and on to reset it. I have not had issues with it locking up while driving, but I am worried about it, so have not been driving it. While in the park position the steering wheel does shimmy a little and makes a noise.
While backing out of my driveway the power steering failed, placed the escape back in the driveway. Will call the ford dealer on monday.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact turned the engine off and after restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel returned to normal function without failure. The manufacturer was made aware of failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
I purchased my 2008 ford escape at 71,000 miles, now at 122,000 miles my steering appears to be locking up. Or losing power steering. While the vehicle is in park idling, the steering wheel will move from side to side on its own making noise that sounds as if it is coming from the steering column. There have been thousands of complaints on this. Ford needs to recall this before someone gets hurt. Driving down the highway at 70 MPH, and steering locks up. This is an accident waiting to happen. I called ford and they have yet to do anything about it. As many complaints they have out there with this issue, you think they would take this into consideration and the safety concerns for this.
In feb. 2013, the power steering went out on our 2008 ford escape. After shutting down the engine, I restarted the engine and the problem was gone. I took the vehicle to the ford dealer where I purchased the SUV, they told me it was only an anomaly, and probably would never happen again. At that time the vehicle was under an extended warranty. On nov. 3rd, my wife was driving around a turn when the steering went out again. She narrowly missed hitting 2 cars. I took the vehicle in to the same garage, and once again the problem was gone after re-starting. After several days I was told that the problem had been located, and it was a sensor attached to the steering column, which necessitated a $957.14 repair bill. Unfortunately, the extended warranty had now expired. The dealership said there existed no relief as there hadn't been a recall for said problem. I have now discovered that this has been a common and ongoing occurrence with this vehicle. There are multiple websites which attest to said problem including www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2008/ford/escape/steering, which lists 155 complaints for this problem. There have been literally thousands of such complaints yet no recall. This is an ongoing safety problem, and who knows how many accidents and/or deaths have been attributed to this defect. I am told that this electrical steering feature was first utilized on the 2008 ford escape, whether it was used on other models, I am not aware. Hard to believe ford allowed us to drive this vehicle when they were aware of the defect I certainly hope you can save others from suffering negative consequences in the future.
Tl* the contact owes a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel suddenly malfunctioned and became difficult to turn. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the electronic power steering needed to be replaced. The contact stated that no repairs were performed to the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 160,000.
I was driving down the road and loss power steering, luckily I was only going 45 miles per hour and was able to maintain control of the car. Surprised to see so many complaints and ford not standing behind their products. This will be the last ford our family will own. How in the world can they say this is not a safety issue is unbelievable. What will it take a fatality to get fords attention?
While sitting at a light in detroit, the epas (steering) failed. I am a grown man and it took all my strength to steer the car to safety, holding up traffic all around me. Once it was turned off, it reset itself and worked again. It has happened 3 times since and am taking it to the dealership, all at zero or low speeds. If a weaker person were to experience this it could result in a real problem as it is almost impossible to steer.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the automatic power steering failed. The vehicle engaged in manual steering mode without warning. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was taken to a independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.
Just starting to make a left turn from a stop sign. Steering seemed to be locked up, very hard to move wheel. Car almost went off road as it was a t intersection. Speed on cross road is 40 MPH and luckily I was able to back up prior to being hit. Once the car was back behind stop sign the engine was restarted and steering started functioning again. This is the second time the steering went out. The first time was approximately 6 months ago, speed approximately 20 MPH and was attempting to turn into school parking lot to drop off children. I was able to get car to curb and restarted the engine. There was no warning or idiot light prior to steering going out on either time. This seems to be a common problem with this year and make. I am surprised no one has been killed or seriously injured. There are quite a large number of incidents recorded online of this very problem. Not much word from ford though...
While driving, the steering column locks up and will not turn. Dealership has confirmed many similar occurrences have occurred yet will not fix the know problem as a recall. One day soon this will be major accident which could have fatal outcome. My daughter is a mother of one and another due early next year, such an accident could have major injuries or worth. This needs attention even more than the health care plan which would have to take care of the injuries which could occur.
While driving the steering column began to shake and I lost all power steering. I was also informed this has caused wear on my tie rods and they are now in need of replacing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving 10 MPH and attempting a turn, the steering wheel failed to operate normally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician stated that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 160,000.
While my wife was driving our 2008 ford escape the power steering failed without warning and it became difficult to turn the steering wheel. Luckily, she was not going that fast so she was able to pull over and stop. She shut the vehicle off and restarted it and the power steering was working. The same thing happened a second time about two to three weeks later. We brought the vehicle to our mechanic and he did some research and was able to locate hundreds of 08 escape owners who have experienced the same problem. This is a huge safety concern and needs to be addressed before someone is seriously injured.
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.
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.
I placed a message on the federal safety agency 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 federal safety agency 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.
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.
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.
My daughter has her car on a college campus and driving around the drill field at 20 MPH the power steering locked up. She was able to pull over, turn the car off and restart. The date listed was the first time that the steering locked up but has done it a several times since. I myself was in a kroger parking lot and put the car in park and it locked up. In the past 3 weeks the power steering has locked up on my daughter 3 times while on campus - nearly causing a 10 car pileup behind her. As a college student, on a college campus this is a huge concern for us. I have read many many many complaints to ford on the power steering issue and can not believe they are continuing to put peoples lives in danger by not recalling and fixing this power steering problem.
Sunday october 20th, 2013. While driving my 2008 ford escape the electric power steering failed. This was like trying to drive a tank. When I got to a safe place to pull off the road I turned off the engine and restarted the car. The steering worked ok at that time. I took my car to a repair shop to have the steering checked and was told the only pace to get this fixed was at a ford dealer and that this type failure on the 2008 escape was a common occurrence. Looking on line I confirmed that this problem was very frequent with the 2008 ford escape and could happen at any time. Fortunately it happened to me on a quite sunday morning when there was little traffic and I was able to pull off the road without endangering myself or other drivers. I feel this is a major safety issue that could result in a serious accident with potential personal injury and/or a loss of life accident. I feel ford should be required to recall the 2008 ford escapes equipped with this type steering and make the necessary repairs to protect the lives of both the ford drivers and others that might be encountered on the road should the steering fail.
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