Problems with 2009 Ford Escape STEERING

Tl* the contact owns 2009 ford escape. the contact stated the power steering assist would fail when the vehicle was started. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the dealer stated there was a service bulletin for the power steering control module; however, it would need to be replaced at the owner's expense. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, declined to provide further assistance. the failure mileage was 59,071.

My power steering went out on friday. it came back after work after the car was restarted. then it went out again on saturday. it sometimes works sometimes doesn't it hasn't flipped on and off while in operation. but i am afraid that it might. *tr

While at an idle my steering wheel would shake. then while driving down the road going around a corner my power steering stopped working and caused me to go off to the side of the road. i was able to get back on and keep going but was very difficult to steer. *tr

When i start my vehicle, the power steering fails, does not matter the temperature outside. restarting the vehicle restores the power steering. steering jerks and makes sounds like a gear mechanism is catching constantly while driving. while it has not failed while driving yet, it feels like it is always on the verge of failing. *tr

for a few days my power steering would grind and the wheel would twitch while idling. then while on the highway all the power steering shut off as i was moving in lanes. if i had been making a sharp turn into oncoming traffic i could have died. i'm a personal trainer and it took alot to turn that wheel. *tr

Loss of power steering. turned car off it returned now it twitches shakes and goes off once and while. need to replace steering column epas shot. cost$$$ major safety issue this system needs to be looked at the car is dangerous to drive. *tr

The power steering has become very erratic. when i turn the vehicle on, about half the time when i try to turn the steering wheel it is very hard to turn. i have to shut off the vehicle and restart it, until the wheel moves so i can drive the vehicle. and then, the steering wheel shakes when the engine is idling, and it seems very free moving. i went to my mechanic and he stated the part to fix it was over $900 plus the labor to put it in. needless to say, am very nervous about operating the vehicle, plus am pretty disappointed in ford that they haven't recalled and fixed this very expensive, dangerous, and prevalent problem. *tr

Power steering cuts out of its own accord. however when the steering works the steering wheel shakes and twitches, pulling the steering while it moves a little each time. i have to use both hands to steady the wheel as i drive on the highway everyday. i also noticed that the power steering will cut out mid turn, resulting in many pothole strikes, i am surprised this hasn't been recalled due to the fact that i would never be able to swerve around another car in time or heaven forbid a person or animal and that is a major safety issue. *tr

Started vehicle this morning and drove about 1 mile to local store. the steering was very difficult indicating a lack of power steering. after shopping at store, i drove about .25 miles to a bank. again there was no power steering. after the bank, i drove 25 miles to work (with power steering) and then another 25 miles home in the evening. when i started the drive home, i had no power steering. after talking to my ford dealer earlier in the day and after reading customer complaints on the web of the exact same symptom, i turned the car off and restarted it. this time i had power steering. apparently there is a switch in the steering column that activates the electrical (?) power steering pump. this switch can become intermittent causing the power steering to fail. reported repair cost is $1400 because of difficult access to said switch. obviously this is a very disconcerting problem with huge safety implications. web reports tell of losing power steering while driving at highway speeds. the vehicle can still be steered but only with great effort. seems like a design flaw. it is hardly fail-safe. *tr

Wheel locks up and doesn't move, power steering does not work either. have to turn car on and off continually until normal steering functions return. dropped car off at the dealership immediately! after some research i see this is a very common problem with no recall? very unsafe not only for drivers but surrounding cars on the road as well!! *tr

At first steering wheel would vibrate on its own when car was started. i called ford customer care and they said they had never received a complaint about this. i made an appt. to take car to len stoler dealership in owings mills, md. today 3/2/15. when i started the car to take it in my message panel read " power steering assist fault" and the power steering was completely gone! the dealership says the steering angle sensor needs to be replaced and that it requires replacing the entire steering column! i went online and there are many, many complaints regarding this from other ford escape owners. the ford dealerships charged from $1200- almost $1900 to fix this. in may 2014 there was a recall of some ford escapes regarding the power steering issue. i was told my car was not included. there should be some additional recalls for this issue..if you check the internet you will find i am not alone! there are so many complaints i would think that ford would honor a recall and fix this problem before someone is seriously hurt. i was lucky enough to have my husband drive my car to the dealership because i could not navigate turning the steering wheel to get there. thank you. *tr

Power steering/steering column replacement. 250 miles into my trip i was at a stop light and when the light turned green i accelerated and without warning i had no power steering. i managed to pull into a parking lot to get off the busy street. hoping for a simple answer i checked the "four wheel drive, electric power steering module (epas) , park aid module" fuse and it was fine. it was late evening - the dealership was closed, no rental cars available. the police ended up taking me, my dogs, my luggage, etc. to a motel. in the morning arranged for a tow truck and rental car. dealership mechanic was a jerk because i had pulled the fuse and reset the error code. told him when you're in a strange area with no help to be found, you're desperate and will try whatever you can. was not in the mood to put up with his attitude. got on the road in the rental car and hours later received a call from the dealership telling me the steering column needs to be replaced for $1,300+ and that the extended warranty i had purchased had expired 1/21/2014. i have seen so many posts regarding this matter. when is ford going to realize this is not a random problem? i have had so many problems with this vehicle. in addition to the current issue i have also had to have the transmission replaced (at about 31k); front wheel bearings replaced; the left, front speaker that was replaced has gone bad again. i am not a bad driver (have never had a ticket or been in an accident where i was behind the wheel), i am careful with my routine maintenance. next time it breaks down i'll be tempted to walk away from the thing and not look back. *tr

I have experienced intermittent issues with the steering of my vehicle. the steering tightens and i'm unable to turn the steering wheel. i am extremely concerned with this issue since this is a safety issue as it happens frequently as i am driving my vehicle. *tr

While driving around a curve, my steering tightened up and i realized my power steering had malfunctioned. i was able to make the curve safely but steering was extremely difficult. it is my understanding that the electronic power assist steering had malfunctioned and it is not an uncommon problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the steering wheel was unable to turn left. the contact stated that power steering assist fault was displayed across the message board. the failure occurred on several occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 85,000.

Went to drive my vehicle and sped up to 45 mph and lost all the assistance in power steering. felt like i could not turn the wheels at all. i slowed down and barely pulled into a parking lot. told my kids everything will be ok. started up the vehicle again and it was fine until 10 min later...same issue. almost wrecked twice with the kids with me. *tr

I have a 2009 ford escape and i almost got in a accident with my children in the car. as i was turning my power steering locked up and it is extremely hard to maneuver. as i did my research i have found that this is a fairly common problem with the ford escape. there have not been any recalls but this should be recalled as it is as it is a safety concern that almost caused me to have an accident. i have contacted ford motor company but all they did was apologize and nothing more. the cost to get my car repaired is about 1500.00 which my car is currently sitting in the drive way undriveable since i can not afford to repair it at this time. *tr

Power steering failure (electronic). took to ford dealership and replaced ($878.00) and it failed within the day. was replaced again. now it is still failing and am having to take it into the dealership to re-examine again tomorrow. *tr a recall was issued for the problem. however, the consumers vin was not included in the recall. updated 10/01/14.

I was driving down a side road about 5 min after leaving my house when i lost power steering and had to pull over. i shut the car off and restarted it and the steering worked but the steering wheel shakes when it is in the center position. now everytime i start the car i have no power steering. i tried turning the car off and letting the electrical system to reset. but that does nothing. when i took the car to the dealership they said i would need to replace the steering culumn and they would charge about $1300. now as i am starting the car if i pull the steering wheel to the left i have power steering but the steering wheel still shakes if it is in the center positing. if i just start the car like normal the power steering never works. this has only happened once while going down the road but could be very dangerous for any driver and the cars around them. many other ford escape owners seem to be having the same problem.

Steering assist went out and had to turn manually.... could not imagine what may have happened had my daughter been driving at the time. about 4 months before this the tailgate would not open either....apparently the actuator went out. you know sometimes you can over engineer something and make it so much worse. i will not own another escape ever and probably not any other ford. *tr

Power assist to steering failed. resulted in very difficult to turn/steer vehicle. very fortunate this happened at low speed. *tr

First time happened after starting vehicle, i noticed there was a loss of power steering when backing out of a parking spot. this was resolved after i restarted the vehicle. the next time was 2 days later when i in the middle of turning my steering wheel to get off the highway. power steering cut out completely, thankfully i was the only one around because it took a second to grab the wheel tighter and turn. i have read many accounts of the same thing happening, why hasn't there been a recall? i drive on the highway everyday and it is essential to safety that i am able to steer. i have to live with this for now because i cannot afford a $1200-$1800 repair when i just put money into this car. also i now notice that my wheel has a lot more "wiggle room" with steering as well as a grinding noise that never was there before. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, she heard a loud noise followed by a sudden loss of power steering. the steering wheel had become extremely difficult to maneuver in a vibrating motion. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph there was a sudden loss of power steering which caused the vehicle to travel out of its lane unexpectedly. the contact was able to regain control and continue driving with difficulty in maneuvering the steering wheel. there was no warning indicator illuminated. the failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

Power steering goes out without any warnings. can be out if you turn the car on. if you turn the car off and you start it again the power steering may come back on. most of the time you have to disconnect the battery and reconnect this usually will fix the problem for a day than you have to disconnect the battery again. the power steering has also gone out during driving as well. i feel that this is a huge safety hazard is may cause accidents. *tr

While i was driving my vehicle steering would lock. i was not able to turn my vehicle steering column unless i turned my vehicle off and on again, at which time it would work for approximately 200 feet then once again the steering column would lock. according to the ford dealer, the whole steering column needed to be replaced and now i find that there is a recall on a sensor in the steering column, and not the replacement of the steering column. replacement of the steering column aren't covered under the recall ford has issued. there are other complaints out there with the same issue. *tr

While slowing down to make a turn, luckily with no traffic present, the steering wheel locked up and became almost impossible to maneuver. as i was making my turn into my work's parking lot the steering failed, mid turn, and i was unfortunate enough to slam into a snow bank that was piled up on the edge of the corner. this was hardly a crash, but a crash none the less. little cosmetic or body damage was incurred but the fact that my vehicle, which touts strong safety ratings, was in an instant unsafe for the road due to a design flaw in the eps system makes this reviewing hundreds of posts about this same issue, nationwide, it seems that i am not alone in my frustrations that ford should do something to make this right. steering is undeniably an essential function of operating a vehicle and being in possession of such a vehicle, that i still am making payments on while struggling through school makes the neglect from ford highly offensive. it seems that a nationwide back order for a part that is so essential to a vehicle's operation would be appropriate for some sort of recall / compensation for the part needed. something needs to be done. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph off an exit ramp, the power steering assist failed and caused the steering wheel to become extremely difficult to turn. the contact shut off the engine and once restarted, the power steering assist had independently reset. the failure was an intermittent recurrence. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed to determine the cause of the failure. the manufacturer was not notified of the defect. the failure mileage was 105,000. *tr

Over the past couple of months or so, upon turning key, my steering wheel would not engage, staying locked - at first was a rare occurrence, but lately have had to restart vehicle 2-3 times to get the power steering. my 2009 ford escape is also losing steering in the middle of driving - on one instance, january 3, 2014, i was turning left in an intersection, and my steering wheel froze mid-turn, with traffic coming right at me! i was able to speed up and force turn, barely clearing a vehicle parked on the side. i pulled over and shut off the vehicle - upon restarting the engine, it steered just fine. i assumed it was a minor glitch in steering, but the incidents became more frequent, finding myself unable to steer to turn into/out of driveway, parking lot and even traffic. yesterday, 2-26-2014, topped it. i was driving around town at max.30 mph, i lost steering, 5 times in 15 minutes, no warning of any kind on my dashboard. i had to fight the steering to pull over out of traffic - that is end of school day, parents and children walking/running around all over! this steering problem is a huge safety issue. this morning i set up an appointment with the local ford dealership - and i better not have to pay what i'm seeing other people had to pay for exactly the same steering problem. this needs to be taken care of/recalled by ford, as it appears to be a failure in their electronic power steering, and there are way too many people affected by it, risking crashes and loss of lives. *tr

We driving at highway speed when all electric components went out. we could not steer. fortunately it was a straight road and no nearby traffic. we stopped the car and restarted and it worked. we were petrified! a later incident the wipers would only work on high speed. they returned to normal after restarting the car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated that while traveling various speeds, the power steering assist suddenly failed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 90,000. the vin was not available.

Driving down the road, i was trying to det over when all of a sudden the steering acted like it was locked up and very difficult to turn. i pulled over to the side of the road and turned the car off and then turned it back on. the problem quit. this is the 4th time that this has happened and is very scary. *tr

I was driving down the freeway from albuquerque to las cruces when my steering became almost impossible to turn the wheel. i quickly pulled off the freeway and called my boyfriend to ask him what to do. he said restart your car see if that resets it. it did work. then later i parked and the steering wheel just started shaking vigorously. this has happened six more times since then ranging from speeds of 20 to 75 miles and hour. i have read online about this problem and it seems to me to be a very unsafe thing to have happen while driving at high speeds on the freeway. very scary when all of a sudden you can't steer or its very hard to steer. i also don't understand why ford would replace the whole steering column versus just the sensor. if i would have been in a big turn and it had stopped working it could have been a horrible wreck. if there is anyway possible that this could be a recall to replace the sensor or column it would make everyone driving feel that much more safer on the roads. thank you for help with this matter. *tr

i purchased a 2009 escape new. the vehicle now has 142,00 miles and is having an issue. my wife called me on december 24 2013 and said that the car was hard to steer. she said that earlier in the day she was turning into an entrance to a gas station and misjudged where the ramp was and the curb and hoped the curb with drivers side front tire. she said she heard a loud noise and continued to drive into the station to get gas. i told her the noise was most likely the strut bottoming out. i asked her how was the steering after that she said it was fine. this took place in the am. she called me around 5 pm. and said the car was hard to steer again i told her to turn the car off take out the key and open the door and then close the door and restart the car as this would rest all the electronics. she did this and everything was fine. i told her i would look at it when i came home. she called me again around 6 pm and said the same thing happened. i told her to turn it off and restart it again. this cleared up the problem. after getting off work i came home and crawled under the vehicle to see if there was any damage. i found no damage. december 26, 27 she called me and said it was having the same problem.on dec 27 we where going to take the family out to eat and the steering became hard for me to steer. i turned the car off and reset, issue cleared up. as i was driving i could feel the steering wheel pulsating. i went to dealership, pulled into the service lane and noticed that while in park with the vehicle running the steering wheel pulsated back and forth by it self. the mechanic said that sometimes low battery voltage can cause the problem. i said i was aware of that and did a load test on battery and it is fine as well as the charging system. i went out today dec 28 and stared the vehicle and there is no power steering. i tried it twice both times the same result. *tr

Safety issue: my 2009 ford escape's steering wheel began to shudder/vibrate at idle. in addition, when the vehicle is started, the steering wheel cannot be moved left or right. it locks up. i have to shut the vehicle off and re-start it in order to get the steering wheel to move. today, i was driving down the road at approximately 45 mph and the steering wheel completely locked up. i could hardly control the vehicle, but was fortunate enough to get it to the side of the road. this could have been disastrous. i had to shut the vehicle off again and turn it back on in order to proceed. this vehicle only has 57,000 miles on it. it has had the regularly scheduled maintenance on it since i purchased it new in jan 2009. i am extremely concerned about this being a safety issue. i have researched online and have read other complaints on this issue, and would like nhtsa to investigate this based on safety issues. the situation that i experienced today could have resulted in serious injury or fatalities. the consumer had to pay for a new steering column, at 56,000 miles. updated 02/24/14

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated that the steering wheel became hard to turn without warning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic re repairs performed. the failure and current mileage was 130,000.

Our 2009 ford escape has lost it's power steering, while i was driving, twice this week. it was nearly impossible to control the vehicle, yet it was still running. it is electric power steering so there is nothing that can be done to prevent it (i initially thought my power steering fluid must be low). the first time it happened, on friday, i had it towed to my mechanic. nothing showed up on the dashboard at the time and nothing showed up on his scanners. when the truck was started again the steering worked fine. we decided it must be a fluke. we only have 85,505 miles on the vehicle. it just happened to me again, while i was driving. my husband was supposed to drive to our friend's house north of boston (we are south of boston). he cancelled. it terrifies me to think of what might have happened to him at high speed on those highways. we got on the internet and discovered this is a very common problem in 2008 & 2009 ford escapes. it turns out the entire steering column needs to be replaced to fix the problem, average cost is $1500. ford is aware of this dangerous life safety problem yet has not issued a recall. do people really need to die first? *tr

Was driving at slow speeds on residential roads and power steering stopped without any warning and could not turn the will without hard force and it still wouldn't turn fully only turned about maybe 20 degrees left or right, very dangerous the epas is terrible turned it off and back on and it started working until my wife drove it and got stuck in the middle of the road... took it to a mechanic and they could not figure out the problem im taking it to a ford dealer today and will pay an arm and a leg to protect my wife and 8 month old son for something that shouldn't be faulty in the first place very unnerving to know ford would allow no remedy for something so dangerous. *tr

We have a 2009 escape and so far within the year and four months of having it we sadly have had non-stop problems. our steering has locked up completely.it started back in 11/13 and has continued to now 4/14. it use to be when we started the car it would lock up and shut the car off and restart and it would unlock and if it did not unlock we drove it that way. the one day i was literally sitting in a parking lot for 1 1/2 hours waiting for it to unlock. finally after 1 1.2 hours i tried again and it unlocked and i drove straight home and waited for my husband. then it started to lock up while driving down the road with my kids in the car with me and scared the crap out of me. then in jan. 2014 the steering became permanently locked and we drive it that way just because 1.)the part is too expensive and 2.)nobody will let us trade out the vehicle just because there is no value to it is what the dealerships told us. so here we are today with a vehicle that we basically (flintstone) it. we can not afford the part while making car payments on it and trying to pay bills. there should be a recall on it if there are many more complaints because it can cause severe accidents with others. imagine driving down the highway and it locks you can lose control go off the road and crash. whose fault would that be???? *tr

While making a slow right turn the power steering quit working. i got off the road, checked under the hood & found nothing. got out the manual, it says power steering is all electric and there is nothing to check. i restarted the escape and power steering was fine. after 80miles on the road a sudden power steering failure with no warning is dangerous. *tr

I was traveling on the turnpike when all at once my car jerked then lost power, i was unable to steer the car so i coasted on the median till the car allowed me to turn onto an exit ramp. my husband came and checked the truck, it started and seemed to be okay. the entire month of november the truck starts however the steering wheel is locked. i have to cut the car off and on at least 6 times while trying to turn the wheel before it unlocks and allows me to move the steering wheel. my husband called the ford dealer and was advised that the entire steering column would need to be replaced, and i would have to bear the cost. i don't feel this is fair because i researched this matter and found there are a lot of complaints about this matter. i am not able to drive the truck because i'm afraid there could be a catastrophe. i think something should be done to fix this matter. thanks *tr

Started car and wouldn't steer correctly hard to turn wheel. *tr

I am trying to park my car and steering became so hard that i could not turn the car into the parking spot. this is happening for 3 rd time and i am really scared to drive the car now. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. while driving 65 mph, the contact stated that the vehicle began to shake. the contact also stated that the steering wheel became more difficult to turn. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the incident. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 129,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned as the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact was not informed what caused the malfunction. the manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 140,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated that the steering wheel failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the steering column was replaced. the manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 56,000. the vin was unavailable.

Started engine and power steering was not working. looked up in manual and it said it will go into manual steering if power steering get hot. this has happened a few times but then the power steering would work after each occurrence. now the steering chatters and shakes the steering wheel even when in park and engine off. *tr

Electric power steering repeatedly fails; usually when first starting vehicle, but once while driving at approximately 30mph. local ford dealer was finally able to determine that the steering column assembly had to be replaced to solve the problem with the electrical power steering system; approximately a $1500 repair bill. *tr

My wife was driving in our neighbor at 25 mph when the steering went out. she was able to get home and park since she was close by. the steering was very hard to turn left or right. this morning when we started the car to take it to the dealer the steering was working. the car is currently at the dealer for testing. the temperature was 80 degrees so clearly cold was not a factor. thank goodness this did not happen on the freeway in traffic. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 ford escape. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was able to be restarted which incidentally clear the error codes. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the technician was unable to be diagnosed the failure since the power steering warning light was no longer illuminated. the contact was aware of nhtsa campaign id number: 14v284000 (steering) but was unable to confirm if the vin was included. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.