2010 Ford Escape: sudden loss of power

Filed Mar 6, 2026 · Fuel system, Steering · FL

I recently bought this vehicle, I think about three months ago, used obviously. I will be going down the road, and for no apparent reason the vehicle will lose power steering. Not often but about once a month. Also, the majority of the time I can smell fuel from outside the vehicle. It most definitely has a fuel leak. Today, I got down and looked behind the tire at the fuel intake and it seems to be leaking at a yellow ring on the outside of the fuel tank. While researching this issue online seems to be a common issue, however, I have pulled up my VIN many times on the recall list and it has not shown up. It seems like not only an accident hazard with steering, but a fire hazard with the fuel. The fuel issue seems to make it very “jumpy” when idling at red lights, but maybe that’s a separate issue.

Filed Sep 10, 2025 · Steering · 170,000 miles · WV

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. While the contact’s wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering assist and was driven with manual steering. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and contacted the dealer, and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000

Filed Oct 22, 2024 · Steering, Transmission · ND

Driving approx. 70 miles/hr. And I lost power steering!!

Filed Jul 31, 2024 · Steering · MD

Loss of power steering

Filed Jul 29, 2024 · Steering · ND

Power steering control assist went out. Daughter was driving the car n lost power steering! Contacted ford dealer n was told it isnt covered!

Filed Dec 14, 2023 · Brakes, Steering · 11,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that her husband was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the ABS had failed, which led to the power steering failure. An unknown ABS part was replaced; however, the power steering failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module (PSCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.

Filed Nov 4, 2023 · Steering · WY

I was park with the engine on, and the car started to making a chime noise. I looked at screen and it said power steering sensor fault. At that time when I attempted to drive home the car had lost power steering. When i would press on the gas it would be just a tiny bit easier. But on no or low speeds could barely turn the wheel. The vehicle is available for inspection. This issue could easily cause a accident. Since I lost all control of my vehicle I could hit another car, run off road and possibly hurt myself and other with me and around me. The car hasnt been inspected by anyone yet. I have an appointment on Wednesday for take the car dealership. There were no warnings that I noticed. Also no other light on the dash. The power steering like came on while parked. Than no power steering. All this happened at the same time. I do not know that there were any repairs done due to the fault I bought cat in 2018.

Filed Mar 27, 2023 · Steering · 159,000 miles · WA

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced loss of power steering assist. The message "Power Steering Failure" was displayed. The contact pulled to the side of the road, turned off and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

Filed Mar 24, 2023 · Steering · 107,644 miles · NY

The contact's cousin owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his cousin was driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. A message indicating a power steering assist failure was displayed. The contact's cousin veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact diagnosed that the steering shaft torque sensor had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). However, the contact stated that only the power steering control module (PSCM) update was completed during the recall repair. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 107,644.

Filed Mar 23, 2023 · Steering · IL

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel started to vibrate and occasionally jerked to either the right or left, depending on the direction the contact was steering the vehicle. The contact stated that the shaking and vibration was intermittent but gradually became more frequent, leading to a total loss of power steering functionality. The contact stated that the "power steering assist fault" warning light was illuminated. The contact parked the vehicle at her mother's residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Mar 3, 2023 · Steering · 140,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his girlfriend was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became difficult to turn, nearly causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash. During the failure the message "power steering" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering torque angle sensor module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Filed Dec 28, 2022 · Steering · 172,000 miles · NH

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 15 MPH and making a left turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel locked. The contact stated that the vehicle was stopped but the engine was still running. The contact stated that after the vehicle came to a full stop, the power steering regained proper functionality. The contact stated that his wife had heard a loud beeping sound but had not observed any warning lights being illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but occurred while the vehicle was driving at slow speeds and turning to the left or the right. The contact had driven the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed; and it was determined that the steering shaft torque sensor needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the mechanic ran a diagnostic test and retrieved Code: B2278. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,000.