Problems with 2008 Ford Escape STEERING

When i was driving and then going to make a turn the car gas and steering shut down and the car would not move any longer. the steering wheel also got stuck in the process of turning and. the gas peddle also have been getting stuck before this incident it has been going on for at least 3yrs 2011 until 2014 the present we have gone to check it put no diagnosis was done to let us know the steering column system was out until this year when the car went out completely. this is not an acceptable problem and i should not have to pay to get it repaired. *tr

Steering wheel stopped working, no power steering at all. now when you sit still the steering wheel jitters and a klicking sound from where steering goes thru firewall. power steering working again but still nervous about it. car is now setting at auto mechanic. *tr

While in motion, the steering wheel was a like a dead weight dropped on it and was very hard to steer and drive the vehicle. making it very unsafe to operate. i researched my issue and found other complains regarding the same model and year. *tr

The steering on the subject vehicle "failed" intermittently. in essence, the power steering became non-power steering without any warning on 3 or 4 occasions. the vehicle was much more difficult to steer than a car that had standard steering. if the car was re-started, on occasion it would recover the power steering. i needed to have the entire steering column replaced, which was a repair that cost $970.60. more importantly, this is a serious safety issue. *tr

The power steering on my 2008 ford escape just went out, before it went out the steering wheel moved left to right on its own at a idle. soon after that there was no power steering at all. i called the dealership and they said they where not aware of any problems and that i should bring it in and have it looked at. after searching for this problem i found out there are very many complaints with the same year make and model as the one i own even the same mileage at the point of break down. this is very dangerous it works when it wants to, the repair is close to 2,000.00 and i'm wondering why there is no recall on this issue considering lives could be lost very easily if it decides to go out during a sharp turn or at faster highway speeds. *tr

I was driving in town and all of a sudden my power steering locked up and would not release. usually if you put the car in park, shut it off, let it sit fore awhile then start it back up it well eventually release. however, it happens regularly and is a dangerous thing to have happen suddenly. *tr

My wife was driving my 9 year old daughter to her karate class when there was suddenly a lot of vibration in the wheel.the steering wheel suddenly locked up causing my wife to lose power steering on a small turn. my wife was able to get our car off the road as there was a dirt pulloff to the side. we took it to a garage and they said this is a common problem. after doing research i found other car manufacturers will honor a recall for this same problem. ford is not honoring any recalls and is making money off of this dangerous defect. it is sad to see a car manufacturer who is willing to put families lives at risk to make extra cash. after talking around my mother also had the same problem with her escape of the same year. i had always been a fan of ford products, however i will never buy another ford product again. *tr

While driving my steering wheel will lock up which makes it very hard to turn corners. *tr

While driving, the steering wheel would shimmy as if a wheel was out of alignment. the steering wheel locked up and was extremely difficult to turn. i pull off into a service road and turned the car off. i started the car back up after about 5 minutes and i was able to steer again. it happens repeatedly when after the car has been parked and i start the car up, the steering freezes. i'll restart the car 3 or 4 times before the steering unfreezes. *tr

Suddenly i began hearing a clicking noise in the dash of my 2008 escape with 96,800 miles. next i began hearing a raspy noise in the steering column. while in idle my steering wheel jerks to the left and right on it's own. both the jerking and the noises come and go with out any prior warning. this seems to be a major issue in many of the 2008 escapes, and someone is going to get seriously injured or killed. i contacted ford and they acted like they new nothing of the issue. until this point i have been pretty pleased with my vehicle, but the fact that ford has not had a recall after so many incidents, makes me not want to buy a ford ever again. my mechanic has suggested i replace the electronic steering column. the cost will be around $1300.00 with parts and labor. *tr

Started vehicle in parking lot. as i went to back out, i realized i had no power steering. turned vehicle of, then back on and power steering came back. however, now the steering chatters at idle. after having read the numerous complaints on the nhtsa sight, i decided to add mine to the list. over 1/3 of all the complaints received for this model are for the same issue. when is there going to be a recall? *tr

At first it was hard to start unless i pushed the key in while starting then the power steering just went out totally. the steering wheel also vibrated when sitting and idling prior to the steering going out. *tr

I was attempting to leave a gas station when the power steering failed. turned the vehicle off for about 10 seconds, then on again. still no power steering. with great difficulty and with no power steering, backed away from the gas pump to an out-of-the-way area. turned the vehicle off then on again. power steering returned. i checked online to find that other ford/escape owners have experienced the same thing. it also happened again two weeks later at another location. *tr

Twice this morning, while at a stop light, the steering wheel has begun to move on its own. the movements are small, rapid adjustments to the left and right. while investigating the cause, i found this to be a growing problem reported with this 1st year model ford escape with "electric power steering", and has been cited, by many, to result in numerous, no-warning, losses of power steering. the problem reported is a malfunctioning steering torque sensor, and the repair is the replacement of the entire steering column, part #3c529 ($908.00) plus labor. i believe this to be a serious safety issue and that a recall should be issued. *tr

I don't know who to contact but my 2008 ford escape has experienced power steering loss. there are several issues. the power steering randomly goes out while driving making controlling the escape impossible. you have to turn car off and restart to get power steering to come back. if this would happen while moving at a fast speed it would be a very dangerous situation. i will be taking my car to a dealership tomorrow but there has been hundreds if not thousands of complaints concerning this situation (http://www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2008/ford/escape/steering). ford estimated repair price is $1700. *tr

At idle speeds vehicle wheel shakes on its own when driving, power steering sensors force wheel to fluctuate, and motor inside steering column makes noise. vehicle taken to dealer, was told standard fix is for steering column to be replaced, but cannot yet verify that is needed yet. was told the condition will get worse, and for now to wait on repair, which would cost $1,600 to replace steering column. *tr

As i was driving to work this morning, my power steering suddenly went out, without warning. i was able to gain control of the vehicle, but would most likely have crashed if this had happened on a busier road, or at greater speeds. i planned on taking the vehicle to my mechanic, but my first internet search uncovered the breadth of this issue, which seems to affect most escape owners at or near the five year mark of the vehicle. this internet search also made ford's crass response to this widespread issue, to stay silent and increase their profit margin due to shoddy products. in light of this, i am strongly considering trading the vehicle in for a more reliable make. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated the power steering failed. the vehicle was not taken for inspection or repairs. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 109000.

My wife complained one day the steering column was shaking. then a few days later she said the power steering was not working. to get it to work, she turned the ignition on and off until it worked. i drove it a few days later and found the column shaking violently. the next morning, the battery was dead. apparently the sensor in the column did not tell the ignition to turn off and it drained the battery. tow truck started the battery, i drove it to the dealer and they tell me it will be $1000. ridiculous. i have never heard nor have my friends heard of this type of issue in a car with less than 200,000 miles. dealer says this is infrequent but from my reading on this site i am doubting their word. ford should be more helpful with this. share the cost or repair for free. this is a severe safety issue. other than fires, or brakes can you imagine a more serious issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the power steering failed without warning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for a diagnostic. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure approximate failure mileage was 87,000 and the current mileage was 87,500. the vin was not available.

While stopped at red light, i noticed a "twitch" in the steering wheel. steering appeared to be normal as i was driving. later, again while setting still, i again noticed steering wheel actually "twitch" on it's own, my hands were off of the steering wheel. this vehicle has electronic steering assist. vehicle is currently at dealership being evaluated. they are telling me that ford currently doesn't have a recall on this. this definitely a safety issue! i have found online other reports of losing steering assist. this could lead to crashes in certain driving conditions and situations. the steering system of any vehicle is one of the most basic and fundamental safety systems, and being so, should be far more reliable and proven through testing and being g backed up by the manufacturer. i am being told that this could cost $1000-$1500 to repair, as they may have to replace the entire steering column. that in my estimation is unacceptable. *tr

I was on the highway with my 2 children and the power steering went out making it difficult to steer and change lanes even with the assist that the vehicle gives. if it was my wife in the care i don't think she would've been able to control it. so i pulled off the highway and read the manual and waited for about 20 minutes. when i tried it again the power steering came back. it thankfully which is not good went out again but i was close to home so i was able to get it home and park it. i looked up the problem online and found that it is a current problem ford is having and quite common. i checked for recalls but there was none. i hope this doesn't turn into a problem like gm where it costs people their lives. i hope nhtsa can help and get this defect recalled. i was told from the dealer i brought it to (fox ford) that it was a sensor in the column but they couldn't just change the sensor it had to be the whole column so needless to say $2300 later it was fixed which the money doesn't compare to my kids safety. again hope you can help! *tr

I was pulling my 2008 ford escape out of the driveway when the power steering failed. the ignition was turned off and then turned back on and problem seemed to resolve. however, that was 2 weeks ago and it has been happening every day since. also, the steering wheel now vibrates from side to side all the time. the vehicle only has 56,000 miles on it! i'm concerned that it might go out while i'm driving. it's a costly repair that our family can't afford. i've seen thousands of complaints on multiple websites. how can ford not issue a recall? this is a huge safety issue!! *tr

I was driving down the highway slowing down to make a left hand turn and was unable to turn wheel. after researching it found out if you have the heat on it will cause the sensor to over heat. this is unacceptable. *tr

Teenage daughter driving to school when electric power steering failed without warning. obviously it is the power portion only that fails, but sudden loss of power assist in a vehicle the size of a ford escape for a young driver is rather traumatic. had it been at highway speed on a corner (like 5 minutes earlier) instead of a parking lot the results could have been horrible. researching the nhtsa website i see this is an extremely common complaint for such a relatively new vehicle. *tr

Power steering on my escape went out without warning, if i would have been going faster or making a turn, i could have lost control of my car and crashed. the number of complaints online is astounding, this is a huge issue and something needs to be done to make sure no one gets seriously injured. *tr

Lost power steering when turning from a stop. pulled over stopped and restarted the car and the steering came back. happened again 2 weeks later. when the steering goes out it is nearly impossible to steer the car. the second time it happened was at 30 mph and was lucky enough to be near a shopping center where i could pull in, stop and restart the car. there is no warning when this happens it just goes! *tr

I was driving down the street and my power steering stopped working for the third time in a month causing me to run off the road because i couldn't make the next turn. if i pull over, turn off the car, and restart then it works fine. if i was going any faster, this could have been fatal. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the power steering assist failed. the vehicle was shut off and restarted however, the failure was sporadic. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Power steering all of sudden went out while i was driving. *tr

On feb 4 2014 our daughter called very upset stating while making left hand turn steering froze up stopped car no oncoming traffic forced steering back came clear later that afternoon steering froze 2 more times on my wife had to turn engine off and restart steering wheel also had a slight vibration ford has to know they have a problem echlon ford stratford nj knows and had no problem handing me a bill for 1431.06 im just glad there were no injuries or accidents or much worse my wife and i have owned 5 ford vehicles over the yrs will now buy a gmc terrain if ford does not address this problem. *tr

My daughter was making a left turn from a full stop after turning had to force steering back lucky there was no on coming traffic later that day while turning into gas station steering locked up on my wife lucky she was going slow called dealer where we bought vehicle took in for service 2/5/2014 done on 2/6/2014 replaced steering column $1431.06 can ford even replace a little finger for that amount i don't think so will not buy another ford. *tr

Power steering failure while driving. power steering goes out. *tr

My power steering keeps going out and on and out and on at any rate of speed. i can't afford the 1500.00 to replace it since i just had my transmission replaced at 4,000.00 it is a big safety issue and i've seen 1000 other complaints online. ford needs to do a recall. this is ridiculous. gm just did a recall and it is the same part. can someone help with this matter please? *tr

Steering wheel initially started to pulsate at stop light.. next incident i started the vehicle and there was no power steering, turned vehicle off and restarted and had steering back...next incident steering wheel pulsates while driving and loses power steering while at speed.. pull vehicle to roadside and restart and regain steering.. not having this vehicle recalled to fix this issue is the most insane thing i have ever heard of.. if a frail person or elderly has this happen to them, people will die.. its not a matter of if this happens but when it will.. if it hasn't already.. anybody reading this i hope you or your children or family or friends or anybody for that matter does not die as a result of this matter going unresolved... it is mindboggling that ford turns its back on this issue..im not alone in this, there are complaints all over the internet.. can you imagine a loss or multiple losses of lives after so many complaints being registered? please help *tr

Was making a lft hand turn out of my church parking lot and steering became impossible. it took both hands turning with all my strength to make the turn. when arriving home i had to get a male person to get the car into my parking spot as i could not. he turned the car off and it sat for 10 min or so and then worked just fine. i am scared to death this will happen again during heavier traffic times. *tr

I purchased a 2008 ford escape on september of 2013 everything was running properly until the month of february 2 ,2014 my power steering began to get difficult to turn when i turned off the ignition and back on again it would resume to its normal procedures. also the steering column shakes when i start the vehicle it now it occurs more than before my concern is driving and it would lock up causing an accident .i have taken my vehicle for an estimate which will be around 1400 to 1500 being that i am barely purchasing i am unable to fix this problem.. this however is a great concern for other persons with problem this definitely should be a recall alert!!! *tr

I was driving in the neighbor hood and my electronic steering failed. i was able to drive it to the nearest car shop and they took a look at it. they informed me the electronic steering chip was going bad. so it will work at times and then it will fail again. this is a major safety concern. i am a bigger guy so i can handle not having steering assist. however if this happens when not expecting it, it could easily cause an accident. there is a growing list of complaints online with people having the same problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that the driver was backing the vehicle out of the garage when the power steering suddenly malfunctioned causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn. when the vehicle was restarted the steering wheel functioned normally. the failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. the manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 68,000.

The power steering goes out without any warning, making the car impossible to control. this is a problem many many people have reported, i can only hope enough people report it so that you perform a recall. the power steering can come on and go off again intermittently, but this only gives the driver a false sense of security and allows the problem to go unchecked a little longer! *tr

I was driving on the interstate and lost steering! by the grace of god i was not killed by a tractor trailer that was next to me. my husband grabbed the wheel as it was locked and we barely made it to the side of the road. had it towed to ford. they said there was a tsb and they thought it had a bad sensor. that wasn't the problem. after two weeks of having the car, they replaced the steering column. i paid the $2,000. bill but don't think i should have to as ford should be recalling these vehicles! there are many instances of the same situation people have had that i found online. locally i complained, and the ford regional office denied my request. i wrote to ford's president and did not get a reply. if i had died and it got into the news, they would step up, but i am sure they are assessing which would have more financial impact on them. it is clear they do not care about their customers lives. instead of recalling, they are staying mum. what a shame and a refection on the company. *tt

Went to turn on the vehicle and had no power steering. the car had been sitting, in the cold, a couple days. i contacted the dealership and they suggested turning the car off and back on but this didn't work. i was not close to home so i drove the car, with no power steering to the closest auto shop. at this time i found out that it was an electric power steering unit. when the vehicle was turned back on at the repair shop the powersteering worked fine and i drove home. over the next month this was happening more and more and i started hearing a "noise" and the steering wheel would move when idling. yesterday, driving down the highway i lost all powersteering. i would have to turn the car off/on several time to get it to work and when it is working the steering wheel shakes! i was astounded when looking on line to check for a recall, the number of complaints and customers having the same issue...same model and year, and yet nothing has been done. i spoke with ford this afternoon, both my dealership at home and the main customer service center to which i was told "that they are unaware of any issues, no recall has been issued, and they recommend that i get the repair completed". of course the repair has to be done, to the toon of $1500...this is crazy. this is clearly and issue with a major part of the vehicle, a huge safety concern as well. no power steering on a 4wd vehicle is dangerous! *tr

Clicking noise followed by loss of power steering assist. restarting the engine allows for restoration of power to steering. hundreds of reports of other electric assist units failing. ours has not recurred, but we drive two lane roads to and from work. if this happens again at some points it could lead to bad crash. ford knows of the issue, and it only a matter of time until someone is killed. *tr

Power steering sporadically fails. this can happen at startup or while driving. it can cause a serious accident resulting in injury or fatality. there are hundreds of complaints logged online, even on the ford website. every dealership/auto body states that this should be a manufacturer recall. *tr

As many other customer complaints have stated, my power assist has gone out, and it is very difficult to steer the car. during the prior two-three days i have noticed that when the car is stopped, i could occasionally feel a pulling shake in the steering wheel. my family went out to dinner (fortunately just minutes from home!) and when we came out, the problem began. obviously with more than 200 people noting the same thing, ford needs to issue a recall on this electric steering system! *tr

Upon start-up the steering lacked assist. it drove fine, but took additional effort to turn at slow speeds. at highway speeds steering was fine but it was still apparent that assist was gone. during drive home, i stopped once and restarted car at which point the power assist returned. *tr

As i was yielding the right away from oncoming highway traffic, i turned into the turning lane and felt something didn't feel right. as i straighten out my wheel to proceed to go forward the power steering was out. at this time i was heading out town and thankful i was not that far from home. i began to head back home and grab another vehicle so i was able to meet my appointment. after researching this problem i noticed there were several complaints on this exact issue. it infuriates me because we just bought this vehicle for our 16 year old daughter as her first car. how many deaths will have to occur before they recall this? all i?m seeing on this vehicle for recall are seat covers, how ridiculous does that sound. they know that if you have the heat on in the vehicle that the sensor overheats that it will cause this then why are they not coming up with something to correct it. a concerned mother of a teenage daughter. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while sitting at a red light, the power steering assist failed to operate without warning. the contact shut off and restarted the vehicle to allow the system to reset. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. the vehicle was not diagnosed for the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 54,000. updated 2/26/14*cn

My wife was driving her escape down the freeway and the power steering stopped working. she was able to get it to the emergency shoulder and call me. when i got there i shut the car off and could not find anything that would tell me a major failure had happened. i started the escape and the power steering started to work again. i called the dealership where we bought the car and they told me that some of the escapes have a problem with the power steering sensor. they quoted me $1200-1400.00 to fix it. this makes this car dangerous. ford should fix this problem. *tr

Vehicle started with a jerking motion in steering wheel. then progressed into sporadic loss of power steering. no warning lights. turning the engine off then back on released the steering wheel. if so many people are complaining about this ford needs to recall it. it is not about regular vehicle maintenance this is a product of failure. *tr