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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
86,288 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Ford Escape steering problems

steering problem

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2011 Ford Escape Owner Comments (Page 6 of 18)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #257

Jan 142022

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The power steering in my 2011 Ford Escape is producing a grinding noise along with vibrations strong enough to make the steering wheel rock back and forth while in park. In driving the vehicle you have to actually fight the wheel to maintain your position in the lane. The car will be inspected by a certified service center by Thursday, 1/19 if not sooner. I will be able to provide more information once it is inspected. In having to fight with the steering you had to be aware of cars and objects nearby as it had a tendency to jerk the wheel off course. The car did not display and warning messages or symptoms prior to this current event.

- Spartanburg , SC, USA

problem #256

Jan 082022

Escape

  • miles
I was driving my vehicle home from work on the highway when the power steering went out on my 2011 ford escape, I was unable to turn my steering wheel without having to use both hands and struggled to do so without hitting another vehicle or curb when turning. The power steering assist fault displayed on my dashboard. I was able to make it home safely.

- Dearborn Heights, MI, USA

problem #255

Dec 132021

Escape

  • 216,600 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact had to use excessive force to steer the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed to take the vehicle in to be repaired however, the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense. The contact stated that upon doing her own research she noticed that there was a recall on a similar vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred her to NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 216,600.

- Mcneal, AZ, USA

problem #254

Dec 202021

Escape

  • 140,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, the stability control warning light illuminated on the vehicle and the power steering assist went out which caused no automatically steering. The contact manually veered the vehicle over to the side of road waited a few minutes before restarting the vehicle where the power steering assist was working again, however the failure intermittent. The contact who works on vehicles connected the a diagnostic machine and received a message for steering angle sensor was the caused of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Lakeview, NY, USA

problem #253

Dec 202021

Escape

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to park on the side of the road for a short time and was able to drive to the contact-??s residence. The contact had also experienced the failure on 12/21/2021. The contact drove to the dealer in another vehicle and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Wayne, PA, USA

problem #252

Dec 182021

Escape

  • 139,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while attempting to turn left, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. In addition, when attempting to turn right as well, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn without warning. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

- Sauk Village, IL, USA

problem #251

Dec 092021

Escape

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

That's not normal that's recall rust necessary

- Easton, PA, USA

problem #250

Nov 152021

Escape 6-cyl

  • 144,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15 MPH, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle operated normally after a restart. The dealer was contacted but no diagnostic test was performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000. Power steering failed twice in November 2021. Diagnostic test in January 2022 by McGovern Ford dealer states: "replace steering column due to internal failure, " same failure as covered by Ford recall which does not include my vehicle but should! Recall was for Ford 2011 Escapes built in Kansas City up to Sept. 11, 2010; my car was built in KC in Dec. 2010.

- Framingham, MA, USA

problem #249

Nov 052021

Escape

  • miles
While driving at slow speeds, my Escape has lost power steering. This has happened mostly in parking lots. Today it happened when I pulled out of the parking lot and I almost got hit. I looked up the problem and read about the recall. I entered my VIN and it showed that I have 0 unfixed recalls. If this was not one on the recall list, shame on FORD because it needs to be fixed. If it was on the recall list and was"fixed, " the solution was incorrect and needs to be fixed.

- Ashland, OH, USA

problem #248

Oct 312021

Escape

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the power steering failed, and the steering wheel was stiff while steering the vehicle. The contact had to manually steer the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with electric power steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

- Burlington, NC, USA

problem #247

Oct 302021

Escape 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My power steering went out as I was driving at a slow rate. I managed to get it back home. I looked up the recalls for my vehicle and it stated any 2011 Ford Escapes made in Kansas City was issued a recall. My vehicle was made in that city during that time. I contacted Ford and they stated my vehicle doesn't apply to that recall. I was not aware of the recall because I did not own the vehicle when it was issued. The affected Escapes that were built from August 18, 2006 through September 11, 2010 at the Kansas City Assembly Plant. [XXX] made_inUnited Statesmade_in_cityKANSAS CITY https://vincheck.info/check/recalls-defects.php INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- San Antonio , TX, USA

problem #246

Sep 222021

Escape

  • miles
When I entered elementary street in Lousville CO, to pick up my three grandchildren, the steering got so hard that I couldn't maneuver between so many cars, I couldn't turn, I was very scared if children started to come out, I got to the parking and parking badly, I called for help, to pick up children, and a man said turn it on again, it will work, my brother took the car to my house, and according to him it worked, I was so scared, that I will not drive it anymore, until I fix it, mechanic said the electric power steering should be changed, in the Ford, they gave a budget for a spare part, I am inquiring about "Recalls" and it says my car has zero, but there is one on # 14S05 and I want to know why this does not apply to me car, can you please help me?

- Dacono, CO, USA

problem #245

Sep 102021

Escape

  • 159,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle drove over a bump in the roadway and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and restarted the vehicle and the power steering functionality returned, however, the failure returned intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.

- Sahuarita, AZ, USA

problem #244

Aug 042021

Escape

  • miles
Vehicle lost power steering several times almost caused an accident. When car is restarted it will work again. Ford recalled the power steering control module for some ford escapes of my year yet my vehicle is not included in that recall and from reading forms a lot of other ford escapes are not being covered by this recall. Its expensive to fix and obviously this has been an ongoing safety issue with Ford so what do I do" Keep driving and pray I don't get in an accident" Someone needs to sue Ford.

- North Adams, MA, USA

problem #243

Jul 152021

Escape

  • miles
We purchased this car for our youngest son as his first car, he was driving it and complained that periodically it would become very difficult to steer. I would test the car and found it to be operating normally and would check it for the next several weeks with no issues, at this time I wasn't sure what me son was describing. As time went on he described several occasions in which he nearly avoided an accident due to the steering issues. My wife and I began to worry if there was really something wrong with the car, I began to check it more frequently and found that periodically it would lose power steering in the middle of driving from point A to B, this created very difficult driving conditions. We then found through online research that FORD has several issues with the power steering on this vehicle but for some reason our VIN# is not on the recall list. (Recall #14S05) We would like our VIN# to be added to the list of recalled vehicles due to the sheer danger involved with this issue and that it makes sense with the recalled described issues. Once we had our mechanic review the diagnostic codes and report that the system has a defective torque sensor and/or steering column with an extreme parts and labor cost it was decided to move forward with this letter to explain our situation. We currently have a vehicle in which we cannot drive nor repair, we also cannot afford to get it repaired. Please help... have our vehicle added to the recall list. Thank you

- Valrico, FL, USA

problem #242

Apr 012021

Escape

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his wife was driving 4-5 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and drove off the road into the grass. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the power steering module needed to be reset. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under recall. The contact stated the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

- Orange, CT, USA

problem #241

Sep 012020

Escape

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed. The contact stated that the steering wheel turned to the right and vibrated. The contact had to turn the steering wheel with force to be able to complete the turn. The contact stated that the power steering assist light remained illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and the mechanic replaced the power steering assist module. However, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

- Bloomfield, MI, USA

problem #240

Aug 022021

Escape

  • 147,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. Additionally, the vehicle loss motive power. The vehicle was restarted and normal functionality returned. There was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

- Imperial, MO, USA

problem #239

Jun 082021

Escape 4-cyl

  • 208,587 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the electric power steering failed to operate as designed. The steering wheel started shaking and became difficult to turn. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed as a torque sensor and power steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The manufacturer then referred the contact to NHTSA to file a complaint. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The failure mileage was 208,587.

- Bad Axe, MI, USA

problem #238

Jun 152020

Escape

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering assist and the vehicle became difficult to steer. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14V284000 (steering). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Cheshire, CT, USA

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