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2008 Ford Escape steering complaints

Page 5 of 39: complaints 101 to 130 of 1,127, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2008 Ford Escape steering problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Jan 31, 2022 · Steering · 150,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel suddenly became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering torque sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced however, the part was on back order. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. 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 150,000.

Filed Jan 28, 2022 · Steering · 112,832 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 50 MPH, the power steering assist warning light illuminated, and remained illuminated. The driver continued driving the vehicle in manual steering mode until arriving at his destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,832.

Filed Jan 21, 2022 · Steering · 130,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25-35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering torque sensor was not detecting the driver's steering input and that the power steering assists needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall because the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Filed Jan 19, 2022 · Steering · PA

While I was driving is when I notice the diffrence.And when I was stopped I couldn'do even turn the steering wheel..

Filed Jan 19, 2022 · Steering · PA

While I was driving my car my power steering stopped working.I took it to my service garage and he did some kind of a rebate on it.But he also said he dosen"the no how long it will work.

Filed Jan 13, 2022 · Steering · 124,510 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" warning message was displayed. The steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic reset the computer code B2278 (Power Steering Shaft Torque Sensor) and performed steering angle torque sensor calibration; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 124,510.

Filed Jan 13, 2022 · Steering · OH

I have a 2008 Ford Escape. I was driving with my 7 year old and 4 year old and my power steering out, out of nowhere and went into manual steering. Without me being aware of that I went to turn and my car would not turn, I almost wrecked (because I could not turn the wheel) into the person at the stop light while my kids were in the car. Thankfully I hit my breaks and did not but it was a very scary moment for myself and my kids. I had my car towed to my mechanic who then told me the torque sensor went out. He looked online and it said there was a recall on the exact problem I am having for the exact model I have. I called Ford and one person told me that the software was cleared. I talked to another guy from a different ford who then told me that my car doesn’t and has never had a recall done and it doesn’t qualify. So I am frustrated trying to get this recall done that I’m getting misinformation on from multiple different people at ford. I can not drive my car because the steering is a safety hazard one and two I am not strong enough to turn the wheel if I wanted to. I need to get my children to and from school and myself to and from work and can’t because of this problem. I don’t understand how one person can tell me I had a recall done and the other tell me I did not and can’t. I’m having a hard time believing that I don’t have a recall on this problem when I have the exact problem and my car is a 2008 escape and the recall they have is for a ford escape models 2008-2011 for the torque sensor and software. I am a single mother who doesn’t have the extra money to have this problem fixed especially when there is a recall on my exact problem but no one at ford is being kind enough to help and they are all giving me different information. At this point I don’t know what to do because they are leaving me confused and with no options. I just want this safety hazard fixed as soon as possible.

Filed Dec 23, 2021 · Steering · PR · crash · 1 injury

Vehicle lost electric steering assistance system while driving causing a crash in a street curve. This system problem is now intermittent. The Ford dealer told there is nothing they can do if I don't pay for the repair. I think this is a secury issue and Ford is responsible for it.

Filed Dec 13, 2021 · Steering · AZ

Power steering assist fault is being displayed on the screen. My vehicle is hard to turn when slowing down.

Filed Dec 12, 2021 · Steering · WI

Electric power steering intermittently has a failure while driving. Vehicle gets very hard to steer.

Filed Nov 26, 2021 · Steering · 100,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while reversing out of her driveway, the power steering assist failed without warning. The contact called an independent mechanic to her home who informed her that there had been a recall placed on similar vehicles for the power steering, which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer then referred the contact to the federal safety agency for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Nov 15, 2021 · Steering · 144,000 miles · CA · crash · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the power steering failed while the contact was making a left turn. The failure caused the contact to crash into a parked vehicle. The air bags were deployed upon impact. The contact sustained injuries to her neck, back, left hand, and ringing noises were heard in her ears. However, no medical attention was received. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. Prior to the failure, the steering rack and pinion and lower steering coupler shaft were replaced by the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

Filed Oct 18, 2021 · Steering · 100,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the power steering assist fault warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle to continue driving. The contact called the dealer where she was informed that her vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Aug 25, 2021 · Steering · 179,643 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH and attempting to make a right turn, the steering wheel inadvertently lost power. The Power Steering Assistant Fault message was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated she was able to pull to a nearby gas station and she turned off the vehicle. The contact stated when she restarted the vehicle, the steering wheel was significantly more difficult to maneuver. The contact stated she was able to forcefully maneuver the steering wheel and drove to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that she would be responsible for the cost of the repair since the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 179,643.

Filed Aug 25, 2021 · Steering · 50,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 5 mph or a slower speed, the steering wheel pulled to the left. The contact would turn the steering wheel with force to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that an unknown warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and a sound was heard when the failure occurred. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a safe location. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic for a diagnostic test to be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer advised that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

Filed Aug 23, 2021 · Steering · CA

Hello, While I was driving on the highway suddenly my steering became very stiff and it required much more effort to to turn the steering wheel. This was a very scary and dangerous situation in which could have led to a potential accident. There were no warning lights prior to this issue. I did some initial investigation and found out that there was a big recall for Ford Escapes for this same issue. (Issue with the torque sensor within the steering column, which may result in the loss of electric power steering assist). I called Ford and they informed me that my car had already been recalled and that they had already fixed it and that I would have to fix it at my own cost. It obviously wasn't fixed 100% and now I am being forced to pay the cost even though it is obviously the same issue that the vehicle had originally been recalled for.

Filed Jul 11, 2021 · Steering · IL

Hard to steer the vehicle.

Filed Jun 25, 2021 · Steering · MO

The loss of power steering that was reported as being fixed with Ford Recall # 14S05 is still happening and Ford is not covering the cost of fixing it again.

Filed Apr 10, 2021 · Electrical, Steering · 132,500 miles · KS

I started my vehicle and I got a warning beep saw the display saying power steering assist fault. My steering wheel was vibrating and a loud motor type noise was sounding. I would drive and I could feel the steering wheel shimmy while driving. The next day I started my car and display showed right away the power steering assist default. And I had no power steering from then on. Other 2008s had recalls for power steering but my VIN was not on the list for recalls

Filed Apr 5, 2021 · Steering · 116,710 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle loss power steering assist and became difficult to steer. The contact stated that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with the power steering needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 116,710.

Filed Apr 2, 2021 · Steering · 157,000 miles · OR

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated while at a standstill, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the electric steering column and steering plate needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

Filed Mar 21, 2021 · Steering · 130,000 miles · TX · crash

Electronic power assisted steering failed in the exact same way that it failed in the previous recall that only included a limited number of ford escapes, of which mine was not included. No warning light came on, it just stopped working completely and caused a minor accident. In doing research I found an active recall for this issue on my model car produced in the same plant as recall but my VIN was not included so dealer is refusing to fix issue. In doing more research this seems to be a very common and very dangerous issue that most everyone with this model car has had at some point or another. The ntsb needs to step in and require ford to recall all of the 2008 ford escapes for replacement of the steering column.

Filed Mar 19, 2021 · Steering · 100,000 miles · MT

Electric steering shakes with slight pressure turning either way. This happened on a city street, as I was slowing down.

Filed Mar 13, 2021 · Steering · 125,000 miles · CO

The steering wheel tends to lock while driving the vehicle. It does not matter the speed being driven. The only way to unlock it is to attempt to pull over turn the ignition off and start it again. But this is an ongoing issue. I'm afraid to drive on the highway. This can very well cause an accident.

Filed Mar 8, 2021 · Electrical, Steering · 88,611 miles · CA

Red battery light came on. All accessories went off and the car wouldn't start again. I just replaced my 12v battery the night before. The car had been driven 2 miles, at most. The brand new battery had been in the car less than 24 hours. I had no steering capability as my steering wheel locked up. I couldn't shift. The brake pedal pushed my foot back like it was "pumping" my foot. Put another fully charged battery into my car and started right up. Drove home and as I was pulling into driveway exact same thing happened. Both batteries were drained completely dry of any voltage. Abs light on all the time. Check brake system/regen brake disabled on drive info.

Filed Mar 2, 2021 · Steering · 216,000 miles · CA

Received a power steeting assist fault on my vehicle when turning it on in a parking lot. I was unable to steer the vehicle unless I gave it brut force. When calling ford, they said that recall 14s05 was performed on my vehicle in 2014 which was suppose to fix this issue with some software update. There are many complaints that this software update did nothing to fix the issue and many times, caused steering failure after the software update. Ford is leaving many people out in the cold making them pay for their defect and found a way to "pretend" to fix the issue when they should have replaced the entire steering column to begin with, not a software fix. This failure should be fixed by ford, especially if the software fix was not the correct solution.

Filed Feb 24, 2021 · Steering · 160,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel shook with the service vehicle soon warning light illuminated. The steering wheel then ceased. The contact restarted the vehicle and drove to the residence. The vehicle was taken to kearny mesa ford (7303 clairemont mesa blvd, san diego, ca 92111) where it was diagnosed with an electric power steering assist failure. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle failure was associated with the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v284000 (steering). The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

Filed Feb 22, 2021 · Steering · 197,000 miles · AZ

The steering wheel started vibrating and eventually the steering started shaking and it lost all power to steer. I have been told this has been a common issue with this model and year escape. It appears to be the problem with the rack and pinion system.

Filed Jan 24, 2021 · Steering, Transmission · 113,000 miles · MO

Power steering went out while driving. Nearly impossible to drive the short distance home. Was leaving a grocery store onto the street

Filed Jan 22, 2021 · Steering · 90,000 miles · NC

My power steering went out. I was lucky not to have an accident. I have been told there have been recalls on the torque senser in the steering column, on the ford escapes. The mechanic was able to reset it. I drive in fear of it happening again. He said it would likely happen again. My VIN does not show on the recall.

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