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.
rack & pinion, and power steering assist fault. I am writing to bring to your attention a critical safety issue I recently encountered with my 2015 Ford Escape. I am deeply concerned about the lack of response and accountability from Ford regarding this matter, and I kindly request your assistance in addressing this potentially life-threatening problem. During a recent incident, my vehicle's power steering suddenly failed, rendering the car extremely difficult to maneuver. The lack of power steering made it nearly impossible for me to maintain a straight line, let alone perform any evasive maneuvers to avoid potential hazards on the road. Fortunately, this incident occurred in a drive-thru, and my children were not present in the vehicle at the time. I dread to think of the consequences if this failure had happened while driving at higher speeds or in a more critical situation. Upon taking my car to the Ford dealership for inspection and repair, I was shocked to learn that the power steering issue is not covered under my warranty. The dealership informed me that because my vehicle has exceeded 60,000 miles and is now over four years old, it falls outside the warranty coverage. I find it deeply troubling that Ford refuses to acknowledge the obvious flaw in the design of the car's power steering system, especially when comparable Ford models such as the 2011-2013 Fusion have been recalled for the exact same issue. As a loyal Ford customer, I implore you to thoroughly investigate and address this widespread problem, not only for my own sake but also for the safety and well-being of countless other Ford owners who may be facing similar risks. This dangerous design flaw poses a significant threat to drivers and their passengers, and it is utterly irresponsible for Ford to shirk responsibility and shift the financial burden onto the customers.
driving 2015 Ford Escape slowly in parking lot Steering Assist Fault- service needed' message appeared on screen, and steering seemed to become unpowered. I maneuvered it to park, turned ignition to off. Turned back on and all seems fine on day 2 - (This vehicle does not have replaceable power steering fluid.) Auto Parts store helper tested battery, alternator and starter all fine.
The contact's wife owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became firm. The contact observed a communication power assist failure message on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,600.
Steering rack needs to be replaced. It-??s growling when I turn, and now that it-??s below freezing in Maine, it-??s locking up. It tries to lock up while I-??m driving. It-??s very dangerous, but the job is a 2-3K job. I-??ve researched the issue, and this has happened with MANY Ford vehicles. See other links below: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] These are just a few of hundreds of articles reporting the same problem. This is clearly an issue with Ford-??s steering racks and should be investigated as it-??s extremely dangerous and shouldn-??t be happening to so many people. I still owe 10K on this car and have already put thousands into it for repair. Something has got to give with this company making poorly made vehicles that are not built to last. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Steering randomly locks up and jerks to one side. I've had it checked twice and both places reported not finding any issues. Not showing any codes to repair
- Zanesville, OH, USA
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I am writing to bring to your attention a critical safety issue I recently encountered with my 2015 Ford Escape. I am deeply concerned about the lack of response and accountability from Ford regarding this matter, and I kindly request your assistance in addressing this potentially life-threatening problem. During a recent incident, my vehicle's power steering suddenly failed, rendering the car extremely difficult to maneuver. The lack of power steering made it nearly impossible for me to maintain a straight line, let alone perform any evasive maneuvers to avoid potential hazards on the road. Fortunately, this incident occurred in a drive-thru, and my children were not present in the vehicle at the time. I dread to think of the consequences if this failure had happened while driving at higher speeds or in a more critical situation. Upon taking my car to the Ford dealership for inspection and repair, I was shocked to learn that the power steering issue is not covered under my warranty. The dealership informed me that because my vehicle has exceeded 60,000 miles and is now over four years old, it falls outside the warranty coverage. I find it deeply troubling that Ford refuses to acknowledge the obvious flaw in the design of the car's power steering system, especially when comparable Ford models such as the 2011-2013 Fusion have been recalled for the exact same issue. As a loyal Ford customer, I implore you to thoroughly investigate and address this widespread problem, not only for my own sake but also for the safety and well-being of countless other Ford owners who may be facing similar risks. This dangerous design flaw poses a significant threat to drivers and their passengers, and it is utterly irresponsible for Ford to shirk responsibility and shift the financial burden onto the customers.
Electric power steering intermittently loses communication with module. It's very dangerous. Just driving straight down the road or making a turn it cuts out and it's like a ghost grabs the wheels and jerks you off the road or into oncoming traffic. I've hit guardrails and many curbs, luckily no oncoming traffic. This should be a serious recall if I've ever seen one. One of the most dangerous malfunctions I've ever experienced and I'm a technician.
-??steering assist fault". The steering wheel basically locks up and is more difficult than typical power steering loss. My pregnant wife was driving on the road around 55 mph and got the -??steering assist fault-?? in the middle of a busy highway. She couldn-??t pull over immediately due to steering being hard to use. Issue happened randomly about 6 months ago and happened again twice in 3 weeks. Car is schedule to get assessed by dealership. No warning signs before or after. Issue gets temporarily resolved by turning off the vehicle and turning it back
while driving car sh*t off and displayed message -??transmission not in park-?? once coasted to a stop car unable to turn back on with steering wheel, gear shift, and brakes locked. inside lights and screens, brake lights, and fog lights will turn on, but car will not turn over or attempt to start
Steering assist fault Service required [XXX] I am writing to bring to your attention a critical safety issue I recently encountered with my 2015 Ford Escape. I am deeply concerned about the lack of response and accountability from Ford regarding this matter, and I kindly request your assistance in addressing this potentially life-threatening problem. During a recent incident, my vehicle's power steering suddenly failed, rendering the car extremely difficult to maneuver. The lack of power steering made it nearly impossible for me to maintain a straight line, let alone perform any evasive maneuvers to avoid potential hazards on the road. Fortunately, this incident occurred in a drive-thru, and my children were not present in the vehicle at the time. I dread to think of the consequences if this failure had happened while driving at higher speeds or in a more critical situation. Upon taking my car to the Ford dealership for inspection and repair, I was shocked to learn that the power steering issue is not covered under my warranty. The dealership informed me that because my vehicle has exceeded 60,000 miles and is now over four years old, it falls outside the warranty coverage. I find it deeply troubling that Ford refuses to acknowledge the obvious flaw in the design of the car's power steering system, especially when comparable Ford models such as the 2011-2013 Fusion have been recalled for the exact same issue. As a loyal Ford customer, I implore you to thoroughly investigate and address this widespread problem, not only for my own sake but also for the safety and well-being of countless other Ford owners who may be facing similar risks. This dangerous design flaw poses a significant threat to drivers and their passengers, and it is utterly irresponsible for Ford to shirk responsibility and shift the financial burden onto the customers. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 57 MPH, an abnormal sound was heard, and the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that that the transmission failed, and the service message was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle was hauled to the residence while in neutral. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired with a refurbished transmission. The contact stated that the following day after picking up the vehicle, upon starting the vehicle, the steering assist fault message was displayed before the vehicle erroneously turned off. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer who stated that the steering assist needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown steering recall however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, the contact was unaware if a case was opened. The contact was transferred to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
Rack and pinion went out at 66,000 miles. I have send reviews on this make and model that this is a problem. I have talked to multiple mechanics who have adv this is an electric problem in these cars and with different years.
The car has on multiple occasions suddenly reported a "steering assist fault". When this happens you lose power steering. The steering wheel basically locks up and is more difficult than typical power steering loss. This is not the same as a typical power steering loss where you need more strength to turn the wheel, in this case you lose all control. This has happened while driving, which could result in a serious accident and injury to me and my children. It is only resolved by turning the car off and back on. The problem has not yet been checked or inspected by dealer or service center, we are in process of having it checked out after finding no safety recall despite the 2011 Ford Escape having a recall for the same issue and numerous online complaints for 2015 (and other years) having the same issue with electrical steering assist. This has happened multiple times, both when starting the vehicle and while driving.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist with the Steering Assist Fault message displayed. The contact's daughter pulled over and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering assist was faulty and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Ford Escape had a history of transmission issues prior to the 2015 vehicle I purchased used in Feb 2018. I was told the rough shifting and vehicle skipping (which started gradually the winter of 2021/2022) can be a hardware, software, shutter or torque problem. Even though there are class actions suits to resolve the software and hardware problems, Ford has not provided any assistance, instead expecting me to replace the transmission at my expense quoting the highest repair price despite not having an actual diagnostic which they also expect me to pay $169 for.
My vehicle gave me a notice of -??steering fault service now-??. I then stopped at an advanced auto and that-??s when steering failed completely with the notice on the dash of -??steering failure stop safely-??. What if this happened while going highway speed? Where I live highways have many curves. This is a dangerous and unacceptable situation. I can no longer steer and I drive for work. This is an enormous safety concern as this could-??ve happened at any time, and I could have been injured or hit someone else due to this failure.
2015 Ford Escape. Electronic automatic power steering failed in traffic taking 90year old to the doctor. Had it towed. After restarting car the steering worked. Been happening randomly but last week 3times in one afternoon. Ford dealer replaced defective parts. Said there is a recall for older models. Why not 2015? It was a moving safety hazard that Ford should have rectified before we were put at risk. The repair cost us $3100. Been reading other 2015 Escape owners have had similar incidents.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Escape. The contact stated while reversing in the driveway, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle worked as designed. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear needed to be replaced. The part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 37,179.
On several occasions i've lost the power steering when the car is in DRIVE making it almost impossible to steer. Thankfully i was going so slow i was able to get the car to a safe spot but this could be extremely dangerous if it happens at highway speeds. According to the Ford Escape forums this is a known issue but it has still failed to become a recall. There were no warnings prior to losing the power steering, only a warning that i was "at fault" once it failed. It is available for inspection. It has not been inspected by anyone yet.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Victorville, CA, USA