While driving down road, vehicle suddenly pulled right and started shaking the steering wheel and started making grinding noises. The steering wheel was now off by several degrees in order to drive straight. Luckily this occurred at a low speed and not at highway speed. If this was at 70 miles per hour it probably would have resulted in accident. Pulled to side of road and noticed right wheel out of alignment. After getting vehicle home looked under vehicle and discovered the end of the subframe where lower A arm mounts has rusted thru and cracked. This had the potential to be a really bad accident. Hard to believe a 2011 Ford Escape with only 93000 miles has cracked subframe.
Ford Escape steering noise problems
61 of the 27,609 owner complaints about the Ford Escape describe clunking or noise when steering, most of them for the 2008 model year.
- owner complaints
- 61
- worst model year
- 2008
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,600
- typical mileage
- 108,000
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Power steering loss 15Harsh shifting 10Grinding brakes 6Steering lock-up 4Loss of power 3Pulling 2Knocking 2Won't start 1
What owners say
When driving i hear clicking sounds in the steering column and then the power steering goes out and it becomes very difficult to steer.
When steering the vehicle a loud,strange noise suddenly occurred. It started being hard to steer around corners and especially when turning right. I took it to my mechanic today and he told me the rack and pinion looked like it had blown apart,he could see inside parts that shouldn't be visible.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal clicking sound coming from the steering wheel, after which the contact became aware that the electric power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the electric power steering assist control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds and making a turn, the steering wheel was making an abnormal clicking sound. The steering wheel was unsteady and wobbling. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who referred the contact to the local dealer. The vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was due to an electrical issue. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist became disabled. A clicking noise was coming from the steering column. The check battery warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage 200,000.
Turned vehicle on and steering wheel would turn with clicking but front tires would not move. Problem was fixed by turning vehicle on and off. No warnings from display. If problem occurs while driving I would have no steering which is clearly unsafe.
On June 1, 2018 which was a Friday and the time was around 5pm. My co worker and I just finished a patient at the Boise Christian Retirement Village. I proceeded to enter the 2017 Ford Escape to start the engine so that the inside would cool down. As I exited the vehicle to speak to my co worker who was parked 2 cars down. We were discussing a situation about a coworker and she states " Danielle your car is rolling back". At that moment I did not know who was in the building the ford was heading. I ran after the ford and opened the driver side door and grabbed the steering wheel. The drivers door knocked me down and the drivers front tire ran me over starting from the foot , leg, pelvic, chest and then my head. I sustained numerous injuries. I had 5 fractured ribs, a hole in my right lung, 2 fractures on my face, several hematomas. My head was squeezed like grape and had a 15 inch laceration. I suffer everyday from this accident. I have scars and a lot of PTSD. I am currently driving the 2019 Ford Escape for my work. Now I am scared to death and dont know what to do
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, he heard an abnormal popping sound as the "power steering assist fault" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle but he was able to drive home. The contact called the dealer and manufacturer and was informed that his vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
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.
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.
- Risk
- If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.
Recall number 14V284000 · Recall details
Steering: steering wheel/handle bar
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. These vehicles may have a mis-assembled or incorrectly manufactured nut that attaches the steering wheel assembly to the steering column. The nut could be upside down in the steering wheel assembly, which could overstress the steering column shaft when the nut is tightened. In addition, some of the nuts may have been cracked during manufacture resulting in the nut fracturing when it is tightened during vehicle assembly.
- Risk
- Either of these conditions can lead to the steering wheel becoming loose or separating from the steering column, resulting in loss of steering control.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the steering wheel retention armature and, if necessary, the steering column to correct this condition.
Recall number 00V223001 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Escape steering noise
Which Ford Escape years have clunking or noise when steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2008 (25 complaints), 2010 (7 complaints) and 2002 (6 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix clunking or noise when steering on the Ford Escape?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,600 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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