The power steering torque sensor failed while driving today. As a result the vehicle lost all power steering and became difficult to steer and posed a serious risk to my safety while driving a distance over an hour from home on back country roads in Kentucky which were winding and made making curves and staying on the road very difficult to manage. There was no warning, no engine check light to come on. About 5 minutes before the power steering failed to function, the steering wheel began to have a very slight movement while at a stop light. This was not a sufficient warning to give me enough time to determine that my vehicle was about to become unsafe and there was no noise coming from the car or affected components. As a result of the malfunction/ equipment failure, I had to make wide turns that made the vehicle leave the roadway slightly at times with the tires going off the side of the road before the wide turn was completed. Steering became very difficult and the vehicle did not respond to my steering attempts. I could not make sharp turns and had a long distance to suffer through the hazard this caused. When I finally arrived home I had to drive through my yard to park because I could not get the vehicle to turn sharp enough to make it into the driveway. While driving there wasn't any shake or noticeable issue with the steering wheel itself other than the loss of power steering that felt as if the entire steering column was locked up. I have contacted the nearest Ford dealership to inquire about getting the recall repair completed tomorrow. I will have it inspected at that time. As of now, the failed component is available for inspection upon request. I am sure the problem will be reproduced as it has not regained steering function hours later and is in need of repair. I never received any notice prior to the equipment failure that there in fact was a safety recall on my vehicle. I would like to know how I was missed on being notified.
2008 Ford Escape steering complaints
Page 4 of 39: complaints 71 to 100 of 1,127, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Electric power steering system not working causing the vehicle to default to manual steering which makes the vehicle extremely hard to drive. My safety is at risk because I do not have sufficient control of the steering of the vehicle. The car has been inspected by the dealership. There were no signs or lamps prior to the problem starting.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the power steering assist failed temporarily. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle was not drivable. The message "Power Steering Assist Failure" was displayed. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The seatbelt shoulder strap will lock and will not unlock unless you release the buckle. We came out one morning and had no power steering it is equipped with electronic power assist The dealer said that there were no recalls for this particular condition. I found out from a shop that I used to work for that there were. My wife cannot drive the vehicle in this condition via surgurey. Thanks for listenig.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel locked up and became difficult to turn. After restarting the vehicle, the steering operated as designed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure and referred her to another dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,054.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the steering wheel jerked and turned independently towards the left, almost causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she steered the steering wheel all the way to the right and then steered back to the center. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft torque sensor kit and steering angle sensor calibration had failed and needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the failure was associated with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 225,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel locked inadvertently and became significantly difficult to steer. A message indicating a power steering assist failure was displayed. The contact stated while attempting to veer to the side of the road, he lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle struck a road construction barrier. The hood of the vehicle flew open and struck the windshield. The contact did not sustain an injury. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that he was informed by the local Pep Boys that his vehicle had an electric power steering; therefore, he could not add power steering fluid. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was associated with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
Similar to the steering issues that others are experiencing, my Escape is pulling significantly to the right. I have had the suspension practically rebuilt, new tires put on and everything re-aligned, and the vehicle continues to pull to the right significantly. The mechanic checked with a local dealership who recognized that there are steering recalls with this make and model year, however my VIN does not appear to be included in the recall. This is a very dangerous situation, because if a situation arose to where I had to correct my steering wheel to the right to avoid a collision or animal, I would likely easily lose control. There are no warning messages on my dash associated with this.
I bought it 2 months ago it's happened to me three or four times now when I'm driving all of a sudden the power steering goes out and there's no power steering at all .I found out by turning it off and turning it back on it works the power steering but it's very dangerous all of a sudden it goes out. It's called the steering modular unit sensor. There's no warning or nothing it's loses all power steering. There was a recall on it when I first bought it I checked it out but now it's not there I don't know what happened to it. The car is available for inspection. I have not had it expected. I did have an appointment to get it looked at at the dealership but I canceled the appointment due to very hot temperatures that day. I wrote it down on a piece of paper what the recall said at that time and it said it was the steering modulator sensor something like that. If I can find it I will upload the paper.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while a friend was operating the vehicle, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign 14V284000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 145,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the steering wheel was uncontrollable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the ignition module switch needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was without power steering assist functionality. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The power steering failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the failure and determined that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The failure mileage was unknown.
The power steering assist failed when I was driving home about 2 months ago. I cannot afford repair to the Power steering assist. The warning light came on as it failed. It put myself and the person with me at risk, as we were on a major highway. The Ford recall number as of 2014 is 14S05. My mechanic said it is most likely the Power Steering Assist motor.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned causing the steering wheel to vibrate and become very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the torque sensor but the vehicle would erroneously steer to the right. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the entire steering column was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number 14V284000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 78,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, he felt the steering wheel jerk to the left and while attempting to correct failure, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact observed that the "power steering assist fault" warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over safely and turned off the vehicle and upon restarting the vehicle the power steering was still not functioning as needed. The contact called an independent mechanic who went out to where the vehicle was parked and performed a temporary fix. The mechanic advised that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.
Car ran out of gas and was prompted to safely stop car I did, then put car in neutral and was assisted in pushing off to nearest park n ride lot. Was able to get gas into car and when I went to drive it a prompt came up stating power assist fault. Looked online how to fix and tried online instructions but to no avail, prompt is still on dashboard. Has not been diagnosed by mechanic yes can be inspected upon request safety was ok as I turned hazard lights on, no previous warning sign or messages prior to this happening. Mileage on car when it happened 271,071
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the power steering fault warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact lost power steering; however, safely drove to the local mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed the failure to the torque sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign number: 14V284000 (Steering) in 2014. The failure recurred in 2019 and was repaired by the owner however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.
I was driving on a dirt driveway to visit husband at work, I went to park in grass to avoid getting stuck in mud. Then it started getting difficult to turn my car. I ignored it at first and shut my car off. When I left my destination it was difficult to turn my wheel to back out of the driveway. Started to drive home, could not turn wheel to turn into home driveway. I pulled over on the side of the road, made a y-turn to go back to dirt driveway to had husband check out car. Fluids are full, car sounds fine, belt is fine, no other worries when checked out. We are assuming it’s steering pump from non-mechanics. No safety or injuries. No mechanics available at time to check out car, we live on a rural island with limited resources, will be getting checked out ASAP. No insurance claims No warning lights
I was driving my car in a 3 hour trip. I noticed the power steering was going out. My steering wheel was stiff when turning at. It was coming in and out then it stopped. The following day we started our 3 hours trip back but my power steering was not working. The steering wheel again did not want to move and was stiff at the turn. This could of killed me and my passenger plus our dogs. If I lost power steering while driving on the highest back home could of cost a accident and lives. I had no warning light or a audio warning. The car was running fine before this happened and was not failing on me. The Escape is currently being fixed by a independent service center for the torque sensor. I hoping my power steering will work after.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and it became difficult to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel lost power steering inadvertently. The contact veered to the side of the road, turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the steering wheel did not regain power steering functionality. The power train warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had already been repaired for the same failure under an unknown recall six years ago. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering failed to operate. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that she used her physical force to steer the vehicle while driving at various speeds. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that her VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (STEERING). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
Steering shaft torque sensor failed which is part of vehicle recall through Ford on Escape Models . Upon conversation with ford they said recall was used by previous owner. If same part fails again should it not still be part of recall under safety guidelines loosing power steering while driving ? Thankfully no accident and able to pull off highway safely
Power steering failure and shaking while idling in park. Went out fully while pulling out of parking lot. whole vehicle inspected by dealership before purchasing. No warning lamps. Felt like had a bad tire while driving down the road and steering wheel started shaking in park 24 hours prior to it failing.
On January 22, 2022, I was driving my 2008 Ford Escape from Everett, WA to Puyallup, WA. A few miles from my destination, the wrench indicator came on at the same time my steering wheel jerked from my hands for a second, then went back to normal driving and the wrench indicator turned off. Several more miles passed and I arrived at my destination, but as I was backing up to park, the wrench indicator came back on and I had complete loss of steering. Later that afternoon, I started my car again and the wrench indicator was still on and I had still had complete loss of steering. I had to have my car towed to my mechanic. After diagnostics, they confirmed there was an issue with the steering torque sensor, but that they would have to refer me to a Ford Dealership for further diagnostics. My car was then towed to the Ford Dealership. I was told the torque sensor was faulty and I had two options. I could replace the steering torque sensor or replace the entire steering column. But as steering columns are on back order with no ETA of when they will be back in stock, the sensor was my only option to have an operable vehicle. The dealership replaced the sensor and recalibrated the system on Feb 15, 2022. I picked up my car on Feb 18, 2022 and drove it home with no issues. A couple hours later I drove to a FedEx and the wrench indicator started coming on and off, accompanied by my wheel jerking slightly, and loss of steering. Vehicle was returned to Ford Dealership on 2/21/22 for further diagnostics of why the new sensor was also failing immediately.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel started shaking and it was slightly difficult to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that she then went to a local auto store to have power steering fluid added to the reservoir however, she was informed that the vehicle was equipped with an electronic power steering. The following day after starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality and was difficult to steer. The contact referenced the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
My 2008 Ford Escape XLT electrical power steering will stop working while driving the vehicle. It is available for an inspection at anytime. The safety issue is the car is next to impossible to steer once it stops working. My wife just missed running into a power pole while driving in a roundabout when it stopped working while she was driving it. It has happened more then this one time. If it happens at low speed it’s even harder to steer. I called a recall number to see if it was in a recall but was told it was not in a recall due to where it was manufactured. I have not taken the Escape to a Ford dealer yet because of what I was told about the recall. However since that time I found out my Escape was manufactured at the plant where the recall is for. There has not ever been a warning light that comes up on the dash before it stops working, it just stops working. It has the same symptoms that are given in the recall.
Steering wheel starting clicking and moving on its own, a few days later a power sterring assist fault error message came on and the same day the power steering went completely out.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized and would not turn in either direction. The driver turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the steering wheel functionality returned but the power steering assist was inoperable. The driver was unaware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact's husband arrived on the scene and drove the vehicle back to the residence. The vehicle remained in the driveway and had not been taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact had spoken to independent mechanics who had not diagnosed the vehicle but verbally stated that there were recalls for similar years, makes, and models. The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that there were no open recalls on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
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