Problems with 2008 Ford Escape STEERING

I had been having an issue with my vehicle starting and the steering wheel not unlocking. had to turn it extremely hard or put the key in and out a few times turning to unlock. upon starting the prior 2 weeks it would hesitate- like it had to think about starting. i had it checked out by my mechanic and he said everything looked good - no issues with starter, alternator or anything. on 11/27 vehicle wouldn't start - ended up with a new battery. now two weeks after battery install i have a very loud clunk in my steering wheel column and my steering wheel is loose. makes me very nervous. of course the extended warranty just was up. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. the engine was turned off and upon restarting, the steering wheel began to operate normally. the vehicle was neither diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 58,000. the vin was unavailable.

While attempting to back out of my driveway, the steering wheel locked and the car wouldn't move. i registered the complaint with aboutautombile,.com on that very same day. the # is 10489579. the car was taken in last year and no one could find a problem as it is intermittent. 3 days ago, my 16 year old son was driving to school and as he was turning right at a corner (20mpg), the wheel locked. since i was not with him, we said we would keep an eye on it. today, again he was turning (this time left at 20 mpg) the wheel locked again. he was able to get it across the road and park it in a plaza. i picked him up and drove him to school. i have been waiting on service to call me to get the vehicle looked at. at this point, even though his school is lose to home there is no was i want my son to drive this ford product. i work at henry ford hospital and i am bewildered as to why this has not been recalled as it is an obvious safety issue. looking on-line, there have been a large number of customers with the same complaint. *tr

While attempting to leave work this morning i started my vehicle and when i went to back out of the driveway i was unable to steer the vehicle. if this would of happened while driving on the road the outcome would not be good. *tr

My husband and three young children were driving on the interstate from atlanta to miami when the steering instantly became close to impossible to control. with my husbands assistance in pulling the wheel with me we were able to pull to the shoulder. i immediately assumed that there was a leak/or low power steering fluid. after searching the internet on my phone, on the shoulder of the interstate, i learned soon enough that the vehicle actually had power assisted steering and that many people had run into this issue. i was able to restart the car and the steering was fixed, for the moment. approximately every hour or so the wheel would lock again and while going 70 mph i would have to recrank the car while in neutral to gain back control. the repair cost me $1251.17 and had me unable to return home for 5 extra days longer than i planned. this could have killed my family had the traffic been heavy or had i needed to drive defensively. *tr

Driving down the road, turned down a busy street, wheel locked up. completely frozen, took an incredible amount of strength to turn into a parking lot to safety. restarted car and it was fixed. happened again later that day going down the highway, steering wheel locked. (it's like i have no power steering at all, but it is all electric). the wheel has continued to lock at random times, with no warning what so ever for 20 (twenty!) more times, i have documented them all. nothing provokes this happening, like turning, going up or down hill, slow speeds, nothing, it just happens out of no where. this is extremely dangerous, numerous times i have been in very heavy traffic with no outlet available for me to turn into. it has happened waiting at a stoplight in a turn only lane, but i can't turn the wheel. it has happened again while in the middle lane of a busy highway and i've had to very forcefully angle the wheel so i could get on the shoulder. the wheel unlocks after you restart the car. my stability control light turns on every time the wheel locks. i have done research this is a known problem, hundreds of complaints and ford is doing nothing about it. from what i have read, you have to replace the entire steering column (a $1,300 fix) due to a faulty switch. this is extremely dangerous and i could very easily wreck if it happens in a bad time or bad location. i have had numerous very close calls already and i am afraid to continue driving every day. ford needs to recall this immediately. *tr

While driving my car out of a parking lot the power steering failed to work. it was very difficult to turn the car and the issue remained while driving at higher speeds. upon turning the car off and restarting it, the power steering worked briefly but the steering wheel will shake back and forth while making a loud noise when the car is stopped but running. *tr

I was driving down the 5 freeway. i had been driving for about 45 minuets. i changed lanes to the right and the steering got extremely hard to move. i pulled of the freeway at the next off ramp. the entire time the wheel was very hard to maneuver. i came to a stop turned off the car, checked all my fluids, and googled the issue on my phone. all results lead to electrical power steering. i turned the car back on and all function returned. *tr

Power steering was interrupted, leaving me to rely on manual steering. power steering returned after the car ignition was shut off and the car restarted. i took the car to the dealer on monday 12/17, and was told that a "code" said that a sensor in the steering column had failed, and that the entire steering column had to be replaced, at a cost of about $1400. dealer service rep told me the steering might "lock-up" while i was driving if i didn't have this fix. i understand from an internet search that many ford escapes have this power steering problem, and that replacing the steering column does not fix the problem. it seems to me a recall is in order. *tr

I was driving my kids to school when the steering wheel began to shutter rapidly. the shuttering made the vehicle difficult to control. i shut the vehicle off and the problem went away until the next time i went to drive the vehicle. later that week the power steering went completely out while i was driving in a parking lot. i almost hit another vehicle as i was manuevering through the parking lot. after stopping and restarting the vehicle the power steering returned. *tr

The car involved was a 2008 ford escape. i was driving at about 45 and i lost complete control of my power steering. i was unable to turn steering wheel. i used all my force to get to the side of the road. i then turned the car off and turned it back on my steering was then fine. i got back on the road and i lost all of my power steering again. this steering problem is very dangerous and recall must be enforced!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact was driving approximately 35 mph when the power steering assist suddenly failed. the contact indicated that the vehicle was previously diagnosed by an independent mechanic, who determined that the power steering sensor had malfunctioned. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 80,000.

For the last 6 weeks, my steering column would shake when car was idling. i attempted to back out of a parking space pn 12-4-12 and the power steering did not work. i restarted the engine and it began working. since then, this has happened at least once a day. on 1-4-13, the power steering became no longer functional. the only place that could repair this problem is at the local ford dealership in my town. it is well known dealerships charge more for repairs than private garages. the cost will be $1300 and it will take 2 to 3 days to complete the repair. technician stated the sensor in the steering column was unable to be replaced, so the entire steering column would have to be replaced. i do routine maintenance on my vehicle and am curious why this problem wasn't involved in a recall. it is a definite safety issue!! while searching online, i found many others who experienced the same problem. while my car was under an extended warranty, another steering problem occurred, but the warranty covered the repair expense. fortunately, i have enough in savings to cover this repair, but am not pleased about it. my car is only 5 years old and i have never had this problem with any other vehicle i have owned. *tr

Power steering is failing in the middle of turns causing the vehicle become very difficult to steer. the vehicle must be shut off and restarted to regain power steering function. failure is intermittent. based on web research this failure is very common. i feel that this could cause a accident given the right situation. *tr

Was driving out of the garage from the dealership after the scheduled oil change, the steering wheel was not moving. i stopped the car and walked back to let them know, one of the tech's said the engine had been cleaned and therefore i had to wait for some wires to dry. have had steering problems since then. when starting engine, i need to turn off and on 2 or 3 times for steering wheel to release and when stopped (but idling) steering shakes and makes crackling sounds. it all started at the shamaley dealership, in el paso, texas. car has been there since yesterday. never had problems before until i took for an oil change on 11/27/12. *tr

First thing this morning i drove vehicle approx. 1/4 mile to intersection. steering was fine. waited for traffic to clear and then attempted to turn. power steering had completely failed. i was able to return home but turning the vehicle around and steering was very difficult. i shut off the engine and let the car set for a minute and then restarted. the power steering had returned. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the steering wheel seized as the power steering assist failed without warning. the contact mentioned that she shut off and restarted the vehicle, and it resumed normal function. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the electric steering and the torque sensor were defective and needed to be replaced. however, they referred the contact to the dealer to verify the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 150,000 and the current mileage was 168,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated the steering wheel became hard to turn while driving in traffic. the steering wheel returned to its normal position when the vehicle was turned off and restarted. the failure was experienced several times. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 84,000. updated 3/20/13 *cn the consumer stated there was a complete loss of power steering when accelerating forward from an idle position. updated 04/17/13

Lost power steering. turned car off and on again power returned. few weeks later while in parking lot same problem. when looked up problem discovered this was a problem with a lot of 2008 escapes. this was the year ford changed to electronic steering. i could not take the chance of this happening while driving on the highway or at a higher speed. i transport my grand children a lot so i had to have it repaired. the bill was $1500.00 i reported to ford but they had already decided this was not a safety issue!!! *tr

Power steering failed. same issue as almost all these posts. basically it comes and goes, the big problem is it happens randomly. i have been able to control it however im worried about being lax on the wheel around a freeway turn going 60. this is definitely a safety hazard! im going to take it in but from what i have read on the posts i don't have 1000 to drop. i honestly just dropped 3000 on a new transmission on this vehicle just over 3000 miles over the extended warranty. ford of course refused to help in any way. *tr

As i was backing up, i lost power steering. i was unable to turn the wheel without great force, and backed into the porch. after turning the car off and turning it back on, this resolved. it happened again the next day going forward at 40 mph. i could hear something in the steering column click and then lost power steering. now the power steering has completely gone out. when i start the car, i can turn the steering wheel all the way one direction and "trick" it into having power steering for a moment before it clicks off again. i have sustained a neck and shoulder injury from having to use my entire body to turn the wheel, and slamming into the porch when the wheel got "stuck" in a turned position and i was unable to turn it back. it is unbelievable that no one has died as a result of ford's defect. will the nhtsa wait until then to force ford into a recall? *tr

My daughter was entering an interstate from a cloverleaf when the steering failed and locked which forced the vehicle across to lanes of traffic. luckily there was not an accident and she was able to get it to the berm and turn off the motor.. after the initial shock of almost being killed she restarted the car and the steering worked. this is the second time the steering has failed. i contacted the dealer and they said they have never heard of this before, even though i contacted them when it happened the first time! this is dangerous and ford should be made to replace all of the steering columns on the 2008 escapes since this is the year they were first introduced on this vehicle and by the amount of complaints and reports i have discovered. the nhtsa has issued recalls on vehicles with far less dangerous problems in the past. *tr

Beginning in the month of october 2012 my steering wheel began shaking. the power steering went completely out just as i was taking a turn on the freeway. i just barely managed avoid hitting someone head on. *tr

Issue happened four times in last couple months--two times with my wife-two with me-was once on highways with each of us -and once in just going into a parking lot while turning at 5 mph or less-have a witness on last occasion a couple days back at work lot. have also experience a battery dead-took to advance auto of hammonton, nj and advised on sunday passed that battery tested fine. the ignition has been loose-and is getting worse -the key wiggles -and on just a normal input the engine does not turn over --have to put in 2nd or 3rd time -pushing in hard to get contact. feel , but do not know , that this issue effects both the battery and the loss of power steering on the four occasions--in any case it is a real safety issue-will not let my wife drive the car-she uses now the 2000 sel ford van we have for second car. we love the escape-but this is a serious safety issue. i have all my records on my home page ford for years-and all service records-99 per cent from dealership where bought this and many others. they have in past been great. contacted ford.com -received a reply to my e-mail in a day from a [xxx] of ford -they are doing a very intensive study and are also saying there are no current recalls or financial assistance on what our dealership said could cost around $400 to pull down and repair.[xxx] of ford.com promised a reply and hope for solution with and in co-operation with my dealership and ford. ford in the past has always stood up to their responsibilities for us , as has our dealership service department at lilliston ford , vineland, nj . thanks for allowing to share this with other folks -will follow up on a conclusion in the next weeks. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* the contact 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that when driving at various speeds or in the park position he would notice excessive play in the steering wheel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnose that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted and they advised him that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 119,500 and the current mileage was approximately 120,000. ..updated 11/28/12 *bf updated 11/29/12

Driving home from dropping my kids off at school, the power steering went out in the vehicle. i was forced to shut the vehicle off and start it again to get power steering to work again. i was almost hit by 3 cars trying to avoid me as i was struggling to get the vehicle to a safe stopping point. my vehicle is a 2008 ford escape limited v6 automatic. *tr

Power steering failed as a u-turn was being attempted...at rush hour. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph the power steering failed. as a result, she was unable to maneuver the vehicle. the contact attempted to inspect the vehicle but was unable to find where the power steering fluid was located. the vehicle was restarted and the steering was operating normally. the vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the failure and current mileages was 127,000.

Steering was very loose causing vehicle to weave back and forth on roadway..took vehicle to repair shop and lower steering arm was replaced correcting problem. *tr

The power steering faltered going around a corner and i had to manually steer the car. the power steering came back without intervention but it was quite difficult to control the vehicle manually in the turn. i brought the car to the dealer right away. i am still awaiting the dealers diagnosis. *tr

Power steering failed intermittently while driving on i40 in tennessee. car vibrated and steering shook whenever car was steered straight. driver had to weave the car within the lane to minimize driving in the straight position. power steering failed completely when car was started the next morning, making it difficult to steer manually while driving a mile to the dealership. ford dealer service (crossroads ford, cary, nc) found that the electric steering components required replacement, including the steering column, at a cost of $1400. i have requested that the dealer provide me with the old parts after the repair. this same problem is reported on the internet for the 2008 escape and other ford vehicles with electric steering, although ford reportedly denies that it is serious issue. for example, see http://www.carproblemzoo.com/ford/escape/steering-problems.php. this is a serious safety problem and a consumer ripoff, and i ask that the nhtsa investigate. ford should perform root cause analysis and recall for correction, instead of denying problem. high-speed steering failure in a vehicle with only 75,000 miles shows poor design or manufacture. my wife and daughter only avoided death or injury through luck. had driving conditions been different, they could have died. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while driving 45 mph, the engine revved and the wrench warning light illuminated. the failure recurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000. the consumer stated the vehicle lost power steering while driving. she was able to pull over, and re-start the vehicle. the power steering failure occurred between may and november 2012. the consumer then received a recall letter in the mail, regarding an issue with the power steering. the dealer informed the consumer, she needed to get prior approval from ford. updated 12/15/14*bf updated 01/12/15

On several occasions my power steering has failed. on each occasion the anti-skid warning light has come on at the same time. the vehicle is still able to be steered as long as you have enough strength. the power steering will reset as soon as you shut the car off and restart. 3 times this happened in the exact same spot while driving on the 408 at about 60 mph in orlando, fl. the 408 is a toll road equipped with electronic recording of toll usage (e pass). this happened while passing one of the electronic recorders. on other occasions it tends to happen on warm afternoons, and then shutting the vehicle off and restarting will only reset it for a short time before it happens again. this is a very dangerous situation and from researching the problem although not wide spread, is certainly not unique with ford escapes of that year, yet ford claims to have little or no knowledge of the problem. no mechanic, ford or otherwise has a clue as to what to do with this. i don't have the money to take this in to the ford garage for them to blindly replace parts and pieces at hundreds or thousands of dollars per visit. i sincerely hope someone can help before people begin dying on our roads due to this problem. to: ford motor, please remember toyota's experience of the past years before blindly dismissing this problem. *js *tr

My daughter was on her way to school when entering a curve in the road her steering locked up she then went off the road an struck a culvert went airborne and when coming down started rolling she was thrown out of the car even though she had her seatbelt on as the police report stated she spent 5 days in the icu with her back broken in 3 places she just turned 17 she has aleast 2 months before maybe she will be back to normal we will have to home school her for the rest of the year. i will be contacting a lawyer and ford motor company and as i have read ford is at fault whether they admit it or not. *tr

While entering into traffic onto a busy street the steering failed. was able (with great effort) to straighten the vehicle in the lane and then safely pull to side(fortunately, my wife was not driving as she would not have had the strength to carry this out and probably would have crashed). turned ignition off and looked under hood to see if belt had broken, etc. could not find traditional power steering pump. turned ignition on and steering worked! and has worked since. discovered this vehicle has an electric power steering pump. and they are frequently failing. called dealer-roughly 3 week backlog for part-which is the entire steering column-pump not able to be replace separately. how could a car designer or the government allow this type of steering pump to be put on a vehicle(probably just to squeeze out an extra mpg)? it is not only plain dangerous, but impractical. if i had known that this was how the steering was on this car i would not have bought it! the nhtsa should require (ford at least) to issue a recall and stop this type of power steering being offered on new vehicles. i have had pumps and belt snap on vehicle in the past while driving, but never with this amount of steering loss. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. while driving approximately 45 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the contact stopped the vehicle on the side of the road and shut off the engine. after restarting the vehicle, the steering resumed normal function. the failure recurred twice. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. the approximate failure mileage was 55,000.

While driving my 2008 ford escape going about 40 miles an hour, the steering column completely lock up making is impossible to steer. i was able to navigate the vehicle to the side of the road. we brought it in to have it looked at and were told it is an electronic censor that is imbalanced vs. having power steering fluid it runs electronically. the way it is built, you have to replace the entire drive shaft vs. just the censor. hundreds of complaints online about this very issue with this make, year and model. it is a definitely safety concern. we called both the dealership and ford motor company and neither is willing to take ownership or assist. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact was driving 40 mph when the electronic power steering assist failed and caused the steering wheel to seize. the contact was unable to control the vehicle and crashed into a tree. the airbags did not deploy and the contact sustained neck and lower back injuries. the police were contacted and a police report was filed of the incident. the contact's insurance company inspected the vehicle and deemed the vehicle as destroyed. the manufacturer was contacted and did not acknowledge the failure to the power steering component. the failure and the current mileage was 113,000.

Like many others the eps (electronic power steering) system gave out on my 2008 escape (106,000 mi.). it started with the steering wheel occasionally clunking and shaking both when driving and when the car was idle (as long as it was started). as soon as the wheel was turned to the left or right the power steering would engage and it would be fine. the problem quickly got worse to the point where the clunking/shaking was happening at all times until the power steering just flat out failed while driving. luckily i was in a position to react and manually steer without incident but i was definitely worried as it could have been much worse. with the electronic power steering there is no fix without swapping out the entire steering column. $1250 parts+labor+tax. i called ford directly and they just tossed me around saying that they will look into it and see if they can fix it as manufacturer defect. after finding this website i realized that there are several others experiencing the exact same problem. also, the part is on back order everywhere in the country which leads me to believe that the problem is much bigger than indicated on this forum. i am frustrated in trying to hold ford accountable. ford explained that recalls are justified by crash data and there is no way to get one started prior. this is crazy, so not only is someone going to need to crash, but several people are going to need to crash in order for anything to get done. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the electronic power steering failed. the failure occurred when the vehicle was operated for more than ten minutes. the dealer was notified and stated that there were no recalls or warranties addressing the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and also stated that the failure was not covered by warranty or recall. no furhter assistance was offered. the failure mileage was 85,000.

My power steering did not work when i backed out of a parking space. if i turned the car off, and then started it again, the power steering would work. this started happening daily, then many times a day and now, sometimes i have no power steering at all, and sometime it will work for a short time, but it goes out while i'm driving which is very dangerous. the repairs will be about $1200, we are waiting for the parts to arrive to get this fixed. *tr

My steering wheel keeps shaking while driving for the last week. it freeze upon initial start-up and i have to turn the car off and turn it on again for the steering function to be restored. the freezing occurred sporadically over the past few months but now it happens every time i start my car. haven't taken my car into the dealership yet but will do so soon before this problem progresses any further and causes an accident because after reading the complaints with the exact problem i fear that is what to come. who has to die for the ford company to conduct a recall? i submitted this information to my local news station and maybe they will be able to shed some light on the matter. *tr

I was driving with two family members when power steering failed on a freeway off ramp. steering failed whereas i narrowly avoided a major collision. vehicle extremely difficult to turn with electric steering failure. *tr

I was driving at about 65mph on our freeway and i lost complete control of my power steering. i almost got hit by 3 other vehicles as i was unable to turn steering wheel. i then put my caution lights on and used all my force to get to the side of the road. i then power the car off and waited a few minutes and turned it back on my steering was then fine. i got back on the freeway and within 3 minutes i lost all of my power steering again. so i then did the same thing multiple times just to make it home. i no longer feel safe driving my ford escape. *tr

My steering wheel locked i have to pull over, turn off the car once i turned it back on it was really hard to steer, very dangerous and now i have to pay 1100.00 to get this replaced which is too much for a 2008, they should recall this since so many people have the same problem. *tr

Like many others the eps (electronic power steering) system gave out on my 2008 escape (75,000 mi.). it started with the steering wheel occasionally clunking and shaking both when driving and when the car was idle (as long as it was started). as soon as the wheel was turned to the left or right the power steering would engage and it would be fine. the problem quickly got worse to the point where the clunking/shaking was happening at all times until the power steering just flat out failed while driving. luckily i was in a position to react and manually steer without incident but i was definitely worried as it could have been much worse. the place i bought it won't honor my warranty as this isn't covered under the power train(understandable, but still very frustrating) and with the electronic power steering there is no fix without swapping out the entire steering column. $1250 parts+labor+tax. i called ford directly and they just tossed me around saying that they will look into it and see if they can fix it as manufacturer defect. they said i could expect a call back in a few days, 1 week tops. 3 weeks later and no phone call. after finding this website i realized that there are several others experiencing the exact same problem. also, the part is on back order everywhere in the country which leads me to believe that the problem is much bigger than indicated on this forum. i am frustrated in trying to hold ford accountable. the lady at ford explained that recalls are justified by crash data and there is no way to get one started prior. this is crazy, so not only is someone going to need to crash, but several people are going to need to crash in order for anything to get done. *tr

Power steering would go out without notice. at first it would resume after turning off the vehicle and restarting, however it then began jerking the steering wheel during operation of the vehicle. we live in an area with extreme winter road conditions so this was a very dangerous problem. finally we had it repaired at an authorized ford dealer at a cost of $1500.00. this dealer seemed to think that the failure is common. afterwards, looking online, we find that many have experienced this occurrence. this is an extreme safety issue and should have resulted in a recall of this product. this model has electric power steering which clearly wasn't perfected before being put into production. *tr

The steering wheel started occasionally jittering while the vehicle was stopped. then when i went to leave a parking lot the power steering was completely non functioning. it has since been spotty. *tr

As i was getting onto the highway from an entrance, my steering failed. i could not turn the steering wheel to control the car. thank god i was going slow and was able to pull over. i shut the engine off, turned it back on, and was able to drive. i have researched this complaint and there are many ford escapes, with this same complaint. i hope that something will be done before a death occurs. i plan on pursuing this further even up to involving media and legal action. *tr

I was merging onto a highway from an entrance. as i was getting onto the highway, i was about to pull on, when my steering locked up. i was able to pull over, shut the engine off, i started the car and the steering was fine. i researched this problem and found that there were many of the same complaints. i could not find any recalls for this problem. will there have to be a death before something is done. i will pursue this further, thru the media, social media, and legally. *tr