2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULTY MESSAGE SUDDENLY DISPLAYED. ALSO, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED AND CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED PER A RECALL FOR THE SAME FAILURE IN NOVEMBER OF 2014. THE RECALL INFORMATION WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING SHAFT TORQUE SENSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 150,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 05/04/17*LJ *CN

WHEN I WOULD TURN OCCASIONALLY THE WHEEL WOULD LOCK UP BUT AFTER A FEW SECONDS I WOULD REGAIN POWER. I PARKED IT AT SCHOOL AND APPROXIMATELY 7 HOURS LATER I RETURNED AND STARTED IT. AS I WAS BACKING OUT THE STEERING ONLY WORKED FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS AND LOCKED UP EXCEPT THIS TIME IT DID NOT CORRECT ITSELF. I TRIED TURNING IT OFF AND ON AGAIN BUT IT WAS NOT FIXING IT. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED. THERE IS A RECALL ON OTHER '08 FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS BUT NOT MINE. ALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM TOO.

IN AUGUST 2014 WITH 99K MILES VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY STEERING PROBLEMS HOWEVER, DURING MAINTENANCE DEALERSHIP INSTALLED SOFTWARE UPDATES TO PSCM AND IC MODULES PER NHTSA RECALL 14-V284000. WITHIN A FEW MONTHS THE VEHICLE BEGAN INTERMITTENTLY LOSING THE POWER STEERING DURING LOWER SPEED TURNING, THE EXACT THING THE RECALL WAS SUPPOSED TO FIX. IN AUGUST 2015 AT THE NEXT REGULAR SERVICE APPT I INFORMED DEALERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM AND COPIES OF ON-LINE RESEARCH THAT SHOWED IT AS AN ONGOING PROBLEM RELATED TO THE RECALL. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD DONE THE RECALL "FIXES" AND COULD NOT SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM BUT IF I WANTED THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED THEY WOULD DO IT, FOR SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS, OF WHICH I DECLINED. I HAVE HAD MANY CLOSE CALLS WHEN WITHOUT WARNING THE STEERING BECOMES ALMOST LOCKED UP BUT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SO FAR MUSCLE IT AROUND THE TURNS.

THE SAFETY RECALL NOTICES 14S05 / NHTSA RECALL 14V-286 AND 14S09 / NHTSA 14V526000 WERE PERFORMED ON MY 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEMS DID NOT GO AWAY. SINCE THE RECALLS, THE CAR HAS HAD ISSUES WITH REDUCED STEERING RANGE, KEY/IGNITION NOT TURNING, POWER SURGE WHILE DRIVING, LOCKING STEERING WHEEL, AND THE WORST: A COMPLETE SHUT DOWN OF THE POWERTRAIN WHILE DRIVING, RESULTING IN A STALL-LIKE CONDITION, PUTTING OUR LIVES AT RISK. ON JUNE 11, 2016 THE CAR WAS SERVICED AND STEERING HOUSING REPLACED. WE ASKED FOR SERVICE TO CHECK THE ENTIRE CAR-- EVERYTHING!!!!-- AS THE CAR HAD BEEN ACTING STRANGELY WITH POWER SURGES AND LOCKING STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. TODAY, JULY 10 2016, WHILE DRIVING SOUTH ON INTERSTATE-5 IN CA, HEADING FROM HOME (DANVILLE, CA) TO COLLEGE (SAN DIEGO, CA) THE CAR'S SYSTEM COMPLETELY FAILED WHILE DRIVING UP THE GRAPEVINE, A SECTION OF FREEWAY THAT IS EXTREMELY CROWDED AND FULL OF LARGE 18 WHEELERS. MY POOR DAUGHTER (WHO NOW OWNS THE CAR) CALLED ME, SCREAMING HYSTERICALLY, FULL OF TERROR AND FEARING FOR HER LIFE. SHE HAD NO POWER, WAS UNABLE TO STEER, DID HER BEST THE DODGE THE 18 WHEELERS AND "LIMP MODE" OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY. SHE'S NOW ON THE WAY WITH TOW TRUCK DRIVER TO DROP THE CAR OFF AT FORD OF VALENCIA CA. I TOLD HER DO NOT EVER DRIVE THAT CAR AGAIN. IT IS A SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS VEHICLE.

BACK IN APRIL, 2016 I NOTICED THE CAR STARTED VIBRATING MORE AND MORE AS I DROVE DOWN THE FREEWAY. I HAD TO DRIVE SLOW TO BE ABLE TO CONTROL IT SAFELY. I HAD THE WHEELS CHECKED, MY ALIGNMENT WAS GOOD, AND NOTHING WRONG FROM THERE. THE TIRE GUY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THEN THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED VIBRATED INTENSELY WHILE I WAS AT A STOP! AFTER TAKING IT TO THE FORD DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A STEERING WHEEL RECALL THAT WAS DONE ON MY VEHICLE LESS THAN SIX MONTHS AGO TO PREVENT THIS ENDED UP HAPPENING ANYWAY. FORD RECALL WILL NOT PAY FOR THIS BECVAUSE "THE RECALL IS CLOSED."

I HAD RECALL FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING COMPLETED IN DECEMBER 2015, AND THEN IN JANUARY 2016 MY STEERING WHEEL STARTED VIBRATING/LOCKING. IN APRIL POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETELY OUT. I TOOK VEHICLE IN AND ASKED IF POWER STEERING WAS RELATED TO THE RECALL AND HE SAID NO IT WAS A SEPARATE SENSOR THAT WAS CAUSING THE POWER STEERING TO GO OUT. SO, I GAVE PERMISSION FOR THE WORK TO BE COMPLETED. THEN, I STARTED RESEARCHING AND FOUND THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO MANY PEOPLE. I HAD MY BOYFRIEND CALL BACK AS HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT CARS THAN I DO AND HE WAS TOLD AGAIN THAT A SENSOR NOT RELATED TO RECALL THAT WAS PERFORMED WAS CAUSING P.S TO GO OUT THAT WAS UNRELATED TO THE RECALL. WE GO TO PICK UP THE CAR AND PAY FOR IT AND WHEN WE ARE GOING OVER OUR PAPERWORK IN THE CAR WE FIND THAT THE WORK THEY DID WAS REPLACE THE TORQUE SENSOR WHICH IS PART OF THE RECALL. I CALLED THE OVERALL SERVICE MANAGER AND SPOKE TO HIM. I ASKED HIM IF I WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT IT IN DECEMBER WHEN I WAS EXPERIENCING NO ISSUES AND WOULD HAVE WAITED UNTIL APRIL WHEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT WOULD THE CODE (P2278) BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL AND HE SAID YES, THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE WORK. THAT CODE WOULD CAUSE THEM TO REPLACE THE TORQUE SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. SO I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS SUGGESTING THAT PEOPLE WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT SO THAT THE WORK WILL ACTUALLY BE COVERED? HE SAID NO OF COURSE NOT, BUT WHAT OTHER OPTION IS THERE? YOU TAKE IT IN WHEN THERE ARE NO ISSUES THEY UPDATE SOFTWARE, AND THEN WHEN YOU START HAVING ISSUES WITH TORQUE SENSOR OR STEERING COLUMN YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BILL. WHAT OPTION ARE PEOPLE GOING TO TAKE? OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO PAY A 675 DOLLAR REPAIR BILL ON SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY A RECALL SO THEY WILL DRIVE UNTIL POWER STEERING GOES OUT WHICH IS NOT SAFE.

THE RECALL ISSUED IN MAY, 2014 FOR THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE SENSOR FAILED AGAIN, AND THE REMEDY BY FORD LITERATURE TO THE DEALERSHIP WAS ERRONEOUS AND OVERLY COSTLY TO ME. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETECTED A FAULT CODE, B2278, AND THE REMEDY LISTED THREE REPAIRS IN SEQUENCE TO FIX. THE FIRST WAS THE SOFTWARE UPDATE PROSCRIBED IN THE RECALL BULLETIN. THAT PROCEDURE HAD BEEN COMPLETED BY A DEALER PREVIOUSLY. THE SECOND IN THE SEQUENCE WAS TO REPLACE THE SENSOR. DEALER FOLLOWED THIS AND THE FIX FAILED, CAUSING REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING COLUMN, COSTING AN ADDITIONAL $1200 ON TOP OF THE $500+ FOR THE FIRST FAILED FIX. ATTACHED RECEIPT FOR ENTIRE REPAIR OF A RECALL THAT DIDN'T GET FIXED THE FIRST TIME.