As soon asa I was having trouble with the steering wheel shaking, I researched the topic and discovered there was a recall. I called Ford and asked is the torque sensor was replaced in 2014. She said no, just the computer update to the module. I said this recall should still be valid as this is a safety hazard. She replied the computer update was one of the fixes to prevent the failure of the sensor and only one year warranty. I would be responsible for the cost of the repairs which is between $1700-$1900 !!

I see Ford is really concerned about their money in their pockets rather then the safety of their loyal customers !!

Won't be buying another Ford in my lifetime.

Just like the others. While getting coolant pump for hybrid motor fixed(recall item), dealer offered to upgrade software for power steering. I said go ahead, not realizing when the hardware failed a year later Ford would not honor their responsibility and fix the steering problem. Using a software upgrade to get out of a major hardware problem, how does that even make sense? A disc in the computer will never help when the hard drive is fried. 700000 of these 2008 Hybrids had steering faults and were recalled, and Ford tricked all of us into a $35.00 software update, knowing the cost of the eventual module repair would be $1500. Do the math. Whatever regulatory agency controls this, please force Ford to do the right thing before the law of averages rears its ugly head. They knew the assisted computer steering was a major cost to fix, and used an unethical and dangerous and ineffective software trick to get themselves off the hook.for the actual cost to fix the power steering. Don't let them get away with this.

They bragged and complained about the bail out for the other manufacturers, and this tactic explains why they didn't need it. 700000 times $1500 equals what they have saved at the possible risk of us. I just want my car to execute a 3 point turn around in less than 15 points, without needing Popeye arms. A class action would maybe destroy Ford, so convince them to suck it up and fix all of our cars. Before someone or many of us get hurt or worse. See this for what it is and force Ford to renew power steering as standard equipment.

Driving to the office this morning, I almost ran over a police office as when I tried to make a right turn a low speed my steering was not responding and couldn't make the rounded 90 degree turn but drifted to the far left lane. I thought at first that my engine had turned off or that there was a problem linked to being on electric mode. I then continued made the route without incident but when I turned in to the parking lot again making a right turn I was heading straight for the street curb instead of the entrance. Then when I continued on pulling on the steering wheel I heard a loud pop and the car turned. Since I took it to a garage where they think I am completly nuts as when they tried it that had no issue what so ever........ If anyone has any idea of this is about? I called my ford delaer and they said they had no recells for 2008 Escape/steering. I am beside myself!

I received the recall letter in the mail for 14S05 - Electric Power Steering. The first notification I got said that dealerships had limited parts available to fix and to go in for sure if you were experiencing problems with power steering. I then got a second letter that said parts were available and to take it in.

I took my car to the dealer (Landmark Ford/Lincoln in Tigard, OR) in December 2015 to have the recall fixed. They said no diagnostic codes were present and they replaced the software. Then, in January 2016 I started having issues with my steering wheel vibrating, but didn't have the money to take it in.

Then in April 2016 my power steering went out. I brought it to the dealer thinking this was an issue that would be covered by that recall. The service manager of the team I was working with told me that the power steering was indeed out (DUH!) and that it was going to cost around 675 dollars to fix. I asked him at that time if there was any connection to the recall, and he said no it was a separate sensor that was causing the power steering to go out. So, I gave permission for the work to be completed.

Then, I started researching and found this has been happening to MANY people. I had my boyfriend call back as he knows more about cars than I do and he was told again that a sensor was causing it to go out that was unrelated to the recall. We go to pick up the car and pay for it and when we are going over our paperwork in the car we find that the work they did was replace the TORQUE SENSOR which IS part of the recall.

I called the overall service manager and spoke to him. I asked him if I wouldn't have brought it in December when I was experiencing NO ISSUES and would have waited until April when my power steering went out would the code (P2278) be covered under the recall and he said YES, that I would NOT HAVE TO PAY for the work. That code would cause them to replace the torque sensor free of charge. So I asked him if he was suggesting that people wait until they are driving down the road and the power steering goes out so that the work will actually be covered? He said no of course not, but what other option is there? You take it in when there are no issues, and then when you start having issues you are going to have to pay. What option are people going to take? Obviously, they are not going to want to pay a 675 dollar repair bill on something that should have been covered by a recall.

The letter also states "The vehicle owner is responsible for having this service action performed. Ford Motor Company reserves the right to deny coverage for any vehicle damage that may result from failure to have this recall performed on a timely basis. Therefore, please have this recall performed as soon as possible."

So they are saying to get it done as soon as possible, but if you get it done before your power steering actually goes out you're just going to have to end up paying for it later when they hold you responsible since 'they already fixed the recall.' But, if you wait and your power steering does go out you cause damage to your vehicle Ford isn't going to pay for it because you didn't get it fixed in a timely manner. Literally consumers cannot win in this situation. Needless to say, I will NEVER buy Ford again.

This issue is subject to a recall. Ford recall number 14S05. Ford handled this recall in one of two ways.

For those owners whose steering was already failing or failed, they replaced the part (usually the entire steering assembly). For owners who brought the car in before the part failed, Ford performed a software update. The update did not prevent the part from failing. The update added a visual and sound (tone) alert when the part was failing.

If the part later fails (they apparently often begin to fail around 100k miles) after the software update, Ford says they have already closed the recall on the car and refuses to pay for the repair. The repair is usually somewhere in the $1,000 to $1,500 range.

In our case, the software update did not appear to even provide much/any warning. The first time the power steering failed, we were driving at low speeds and it failed for only a second or two. We did not notice a warning light (perhaps we missed it) and we definitely did not hear a warning tone. A couple of days later the power steering completely failed and the car was towed to the dealer.

Ford does not appear to be honoring the spirit of this recall. There is an open investigation of this issue at the NHTSA site (here: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResults;jsessionid=T9XGWBpdRc146LH5pvyyKdkNqY4LTx1Hh6kP2yQYnQLVvwsx4Ln4!-576590835?prodType=V&searchType=PROD&targetCategory=A&searchCriteria.model=ESCAPE+HYBRID&stats=662613%2C0%2C2%2C272%2C4%2CESCAPE+HYBRID&makeStats=&jsonBaseURL=%2Fdownloads%2Ffolders%2F&searchCriteria.model_yr=2008&searchCriteria.make=FORD&searchCriteria.prod_ids=662613)

Owners with this issue should file a complaint with the NHTSA, the FTC, and with their state Attorney General's office. The FTC and AG will only take action if they see a pattern of complaints. It is also a good idea to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Ford's software update does not appear to provide any real safety advantage and it does not prevent the steering from failing later. In our case the steering failed while driving - fortunately while driving at low speeds.

The power steering on the car doesn't work. As soon as I turn car on, I get a warning msg "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE" and the car doesn't have any power steering. It's impossible to drive the car without power steering so it's just sitting in my driveway until I get it fixed. Previously I have had the same warning msg come up but it would disappear as soon as I would restart the car. I had taken it to the mechanic who fixed some mechanical issues with the power steering and told me that if the problem persists, it might be the power steering electronics. Persists is one thing, now the problem is far worse.

Never had problems with the power steering.

Took it to the dealer for the required recall work on the power steering. Analysis revealed no issues, no codes. Service detail indicates that "the PCSM and IC module were reprogrammed to later update."

A few weeks later, the Power Steering Assist Failure light came on, and the power steering promptly stopped working. Took it back to the dealer (Seekins Ford in Fairbanks, Alaska) and they told me mine was the THIRD similar case since the recall, and it required a new steering column assembly.

The cost to repair was $1200, which I paid because I saw no other choice, based on reading the experience of other drivers.