2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

. IN 2012 AND 2013, I HAD POWER STEERING FAILURES WHILE DRIVING, LUCKILY RESULTING IN NO COLLISIONS. BOTH TIMES I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO A FORD DEALER. BOTH TIMES, I WAS TOLD THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. IN 2014, FORD ISSUED A RECALL FOR A FAULTY SENSOR IN THE POWER STEERING. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT MY FORD TO MY DEALER FOR SERVICE. INSTEAD OF REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN, THEY CHOOSE A 2ND OPTION (CHEAPER) AND SIMPLY REPROGRAMMED/ REBOOTED THE SENSOR. ON JULY 21ST, 2017, I PARKED MY CAR AND WHEN I CAME OUT A STARTED THE CAR, I HAD NO POWER STEERING. I WAS LUCKY I WASN'T ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL SERVICE CENTER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT ACCORDING TO THE COMPUTER THE SAME PART FAILED AGAIN. THEY RE-SET THE SENSOR AND WE TOOK THE CAR INTO OUR FORD DEALER TO HAVE IT SERVICED FOR THE RECALL. BOTH THE FORD DEALER AND FORD NA TOLL FREE SERVICE CENTER (I SPOKE TO DARREN IN AUGUST 8TH) TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE FORD HAD ALREADY PERFORMED THE RECALL SERVICE THAT THEY WILL NOT HONOR THIS ISSUE AS PART OF THE RECALL. HOWEVER, SINCE THE FORD DEALER TOOK THE 'CHEAPER' OPTION AND REPROGRAMMED THE SENSOR, FORD SHOULD HONOR THE RECALL AND REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN. THIS IS THE SERVICE THAT OUR FORD DEALER STATED IS NOW REQUIRED TO FIX THE ISSUE. WE ARE FACED WITH SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OR DRIVING ESSENTIALLY AN UNSAFE VEHICLE BECAUSE FORD WAS ALLOWED TO OFFER THIS 'CHEAPER' RECALL SERVICE TO FORD OWNERS. IT'S A DISGRACE.

RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL NOTICE 14S05. TOOK TO LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHO PERFORMED SENSOR RESET. TWO THOUSAND MILES LATER THE POWER STEERING FAILED WHILE DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED TO THE RIGHT NEARLY HITTING A CYCLIST IN BIKE LANE AND STARTLING ME AS I WAS BARELY UNABLE TO MANHANDLE TO NOW MANUAL STEERING VEHICLE TO AVOID THE COLLISION. I AM QUITE STRONG AND IT IS LIKELY ANYONE W/LESS BODY STRENGTH WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COMMAND THE VEHICLE. THAT IS WHEN I REVIEWED THE VOLUMINOUS COMPLAINTS FILED AND DETERMINED FORD IS COMPLETELY UNWILLING TO ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT WAS A FAULTY PART SUBJECTING TO OWNERS TO GREAT RISK OF INJURY. IT APPEARS BASED ON MY RESEARCH THAT THE RECALL SERVICE DONE WAS A FARCE AND WASTE OF TIME FOR CONSUMERS W/NO REAL REDUCTION OF SAFETY RISK. FURTHERMORE, IT SEEMS THE NHTSA IS WEAK IN RESPONSE TO THE SAFETY RISK AND NOT REQUIRING FORD TO REPLACE THE PART AND REDUCE THE CHANCES OF A SERIOUS VEHICLE CRASH.

WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL 180 DEGREES EITHER FROM FULL RIGHT TO FULL LEFT OR FULL LEFT TO FULL RIGHT, THE STEERING WHEEL STICKS, THEN RELEASES. FORD LOOKED AT THE ISSUE, REPLACED THE STEERING COLUMN, REPROGRAMMED THE ELECTRONIC TORQUE SENSOR UNDER THE PREVIOUS RECALL NOTICE AND THE PROBLEM REMAINS. THE ISSUE STARTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER REPLACING THE INNER AND OUTER TIE RODS. FORD SAYS THE STEERING RACK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, I WANT TO KNOW WHY THIS STARTED HAPPENING AFTER THE TIE RODS WERE REPLACED AS THERE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ANY INTERACTION WITH THE STEERING RACK ELECTRONICS. THIS OCCURS EVERY DAY AS I BACK OUT OF MY GARAGE INTO MY TURNAROUND AREA (SHARP RIGHT) FOLLOWED BY A FULL LEFT TO GO DOWN THE DRIVEWAY. IT ALSO HAPPENED IN LEAVING A GAS STATION ENTERING A PUBLIC STREET WHERE A FULL LEFT WAS FOLLOWED BY A FULL RIGHT IN TRAFFIC. ANY IDEAS ON WHAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS?

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK THURSDAY 3/23/17 THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED CLICKING AND SHAKING BACK AND FORTH BY ITSELF DURING DRIVING AND AT A STOP. I INVESTIGATED RIGHT AWAY AND DISCOVERED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE TORQUE SENSOR BUT ALL THEY DID WAS A COMPUTER UPDATE RATHER THEN REPLACE THE PART. NOW THEY WON'T HONOR THE RECALL AND THE COST IS $1700-$1900 TO FIX.

MULTIPLE EPISODES OF "STOP SAFELY NOW" (AFTER NEW ENGINE ($8000) WAS PUT IN 6/2014). AT TIME OF ENGINE REPLACEMENT, RECALL FOR POWER STEERING MODULE WAS COMPLETED. FAST FORWARD TO 3/2017.... MONDAY MORNING (8AM) NEW 'WRENCH' LIGHT GOES ON IN DASH. DROP KIDS AT DAYCARE AND WHEN I RESTART CAR (830AM) AND WENT TO BACK OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY - NO POWER STEERING!!! GOOD THING FORD TOOK CARE OF THAT RECALL BACK IN 2014...*SARCASM* NOW THEY SAY THAT THE ONLY WAY IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER RECALL WAS IF LOSS OF POWER STEERING OCCURRED WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF RECALL BEING COMPLETED. THIS CAR HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT A HEADACHE AND 2 FORD DEALERSHIPS THAT DO NOT STAND BEHIND THE FORD NAME OR THEIR SERVICE!

I HAVE A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID, ON 03.02.17 WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE FOR WORK, A WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON IN MY CAR. WHEN I DID SOME RESEARCH I FOUND A LOT OF RECALL NOTICES OF FOR THIS-PRIOR TO THIS, WHEN AT AN IDLE MY STEERING WHEEL HAD RECENTLY STARTED TO VIBRATE-THE CAR DROVE PERFECTLY FINE TO WORK. AS I LEFT FROM WORK THAT DAY, I HAD NO STEERING!! IT WAS WORSE THAN DRIVING A CAR WITH NO POWER STEERING. I WAS SCARED AND ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT GOING HOME DUE TO THIS!! I TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY AND IT PULLED A CODE B2278-STEERING SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR MALFUNCTION-WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE RECALL FOR MY YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL WERE FOR. WELL, FORD STATES MY VIN NUMBER DOESN'T QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!! I WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT AND IT IS THE EXACT SAME THING THAT THE RECALL WAS FOR!!! I WANT FORD TO BE HELD RESPONSIBLE TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THIS. THEY CAN'T PICK AND CHOOSE WHICH VEHICLES QUALIFY AND DON'T WHEN IT IS THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM.

MAKING A TURN TODAY MARCH 1,2017 ON A MAIN STREET THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN. THE DASHBOARD ERROR MESSAGE STATED POER STEERING ASSIST FAULT. CALLED DEALERSHIP SINCE I READ ONLINE OF A RECALL FOR THIS MALFUNCTION BUT THEY SAID MY VIN IS NOT INCLUDED. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS SINCE TURNING THE WHEEL IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND UNSAFE TO DRIVE!!!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, A BEEPING NOISE WAS HEARD PRIOR TO THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZING AND THE VEHICLE HIT A CURB. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V284000 (STEERING) WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE OR CONSENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT OF THE RECALL REPAIR. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000.

REMEDY RECALL 14S05 -- POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE (PSCM) SOFTWARE UPDATE PERFORMED (AS DIRECTED) DID NOT ADEQUATELY REMEDY THE SAFETY DEFECT (THE TORQUE SENSOR ITSELF) AND MAY IN FACT CAUSE FURTHER ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLES POWER STEERING. FORD CURRENTLY DOES NOT PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR REPAIRS UNDER THE SAFETY RECALL. PERHAPS THEY ARE WAITING FOR MORE INJURY /CIVIL LAWSUITS BEFORE ADDRESSING THESE CRITICAL SAFETY CONCERNS. THE NHTSA ALSO PARTLY SHARES THE BLAME FOR THIS ... AFTER ISSUING RECALL 14V-284 (VOQ 10670665), THEY HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THE CONTINUED PSCM ISSUES AND HAVE NEGLECTED TO GRANT A DECISION THAT DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE STEERING WHEEL TORQUE SENSOR DEFECT. SHAME ON YOU. DATE OF RECALL PERFORMED ON 9/3/2014 AT ODO 116,044. ELECTRIC POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE OBSERVED AND TAKEN INTO DEALERSHIP ON 1/11/2017 AT ODO 139,151. FORD CUSTOMER CARE DENIED ASSISTANCE IN REPLACING THE TORQUE SENSOR AS NOTED IN RECALL 14S05. I WAS TOLD, "THE RECALL ADDRESSED THE SOFTWARE ISSUE, NOT THE DEFECTIVE PART(S) AND TOO MUCH TIME HAS ELAPSED FOR OUR COMPANY TO HELP YOU PAY FOR THE REPAIR." FORD WOULD RATHER ITS DRIVERS (VEHICLES) OPERATE IN CONDITION THAT IS UNSAFE AND AT AN INCREASED RISK OF CRASH OR INJURY, THAN GO THE EXTRA MILE TO ENSURE THE SAFETY CONCERN IS RESOLVED. SEEING AS OTHER PETITIONERS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND THIS IS AN OPEN AND ONGOING INVESTIGATION, MYSELF AND OTHER DRIVERS WOULD APPRECIATE AN EXPEDITED RESPONSE FROM THE NHTSA TO RECONCILE AND RE-MEDIATE THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU. *TR