2008 Ford Escape Steering Problems
- 936
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 936 stored complaint records:
- 22 indicate a crash
- 14 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- Column · 3 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 373 |
| 60–100k mi | 254 |
| 150–400k mi | 142 |
| 30–60k mi | 55 |
| 1–30k mi | 18 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
Was making a lft hand turn out of my church parking lot and steering became impossible. It took both hands turning with all my strength to make the turn. When arriving home i had to get a male person to get the car into my parking spot as i could not. He turned the car off and it sat for 10 min or so and then worked just fine. I am scared to death this will happen again during heavier traffic times. *tr
ODI 10565348
Steering
I purchased a 2008 ford escape on september of 2013 everything was running properly until the month of february 2 ,2014 my power steering began to get difficult to turn when i turned off the ignition and back on again it would resume to its normal procedures. Also the steering column shakes when i start the vehicle it now it occurs more than before my concern is driving and it would lock up causing an accident .i…
ODI 10565270
Electrical System · Steering
Steering wheel initially started to pulsate at stop light.. Next incident i started the vehicle and there was no power steering, turned vehicle off and restarted and had steering back...next incident steering wheel pulsates while driving and loses power steering while at speed.. Pull vehicle to roadside and restart and regain steering.. Not having this vehicle recalled to fix this issue is the most insane thing i…
ODI 10563522
Steering
The power steering goes out without any warning, making the car impossible to control. This is a problem many many people have reported, i can only hope enough people report it so that you perform a recall. The power steering can come on and go off again intermittently, but this only gives the driver a false sense of security and allows the problem to go unchecked a little longer! *tr
ODI 10569382
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that the driver was backing the vehicle out of the garage when the power steering suddenly malfunctioned causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn. When the vehicle was restarted the steering wheel functioned normally. The failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The…
ODI 10562879
Steering
I was driving in the neighbor hood and my electronic steering failed. I was able to drive it to the nearest car shop and they took a look at it. They informed me the electronic steering chip was going bad. So it will work at times and then it will fail again. This is a major safety concern. I am a bigger guy so i can handle not having steering assist. However if this happens when not expecting it, it could easily…
ODI 10562498
Steering
I was driving on the interstate and lost steering! By the grace of god i was not killed by a tractor trailer that was next to me. My husband grabbed the wheel as it was locked and we barely made it to the side of the road. Had it towed to ford. They said there was a tsb and they thought it had a bad sensor. That wasn't the problem. After two weeks of having the car, they replaced the steering column. I paid the…
ODI 10583161
Steering
Went to turn on the vehicle and had no power steering. The car had been sitting, in the cold, a couple days. I contacted the dealership and they suggested turning the car off and back on but this didn't work. I was not close to home so i drove the car, with no power steering to the closest auto shop. At this time i found out that it was an electric power steering unit. When the vehicle was turned back on at the…
ODI 10564999
Steering
Clicking noise followed by loss of power steering assist. Restarting the engine allows for restoration of power to steering. Hundreds of reports of other electric assist units failing. Ours has not recurred, but we drive two lane roads to and from work. If this happens again at some points it could lead to bad crash. Ford knows of the issue, and it only a matter of time until someone is killed. *tr
ODI 10562494
Steering
Power steering sporadically fails. This can happen at startup or while driving. It can cause a serious accident resulting in injury or fatality. There are hundreds of complaints logged online, even on the ford website. Every dealership/auto body states that this should be a manufacturer recall. *tr
ODI 10562651
Steering
As many other customer complaints have stated, my power assist has gone out, and it is very difficult to steer the car. During the prior two-three days i have noticed that when the car is stopped, i could occasionally feel a pulling shake in the steering wheel. My family went out to dinner (fortunately just minutes from home!) and when we came out, the problem began. Obviously with more than 200 people noting the…
ODI 10561936
Steering
Upon start-up the steering lacked assist. It drove fine, but took additional effort to turn at slow speeds. At highway speeds steering was fine but it was still apparent that assist was gone. During drive home, i stopped once and restarted car at which point the power assist returned. *tr
ODI 10561608
Steering
As i was yielding the right away from oncoming highway traffic, i turned into the turning lane and felt something didn't feel right. As i straighten out my wheel to proceed to go forward the power steering was out. At this time i was heading out town and thankful i was not that far from home. I began to head back home and grab another vehicle so i was able to meet my appointment. After researching this problem i…
ODI 10562049
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while sitting at a red light, the power steering assist failed to operate without warning. The contact shut off and restarted the vehicle to allow the system to reset. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed for the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate…
ODI 10561342
Steering
My wife was driving her escape down the freeway and the power steering stopped working. She was able to get it to the emergency shoulder and call me. When i got there i shut the car off and could not find anything that would tell me a major failure had happened. I started the escape and the power steering started to work again. I called the dealership where we bought the car and they told me that some of the escapes…
ODI 10561339
Steering
Vehicle started with a jerking motion in steering wheel. Then progressed into sporadic loss of power steering. No warning lights. Turning the engine off then back on released the steering wheel. If so many people are complaining about this ford needs to recall it. It is not about regular vehicle maintenance this is a product of failure. *tr
ODI 10562302
Steering
Despite performing ford's safety recall 14s05, my vehicle's power steering continues to fail, ceasing to operate for hours or days, along with loss of traction control. The unpredictable failures seem to be associated with torque sensor (wheel angle) faults at low outdoor temperatures (<10f). The last failure occurred with a guest at the wheel (in the driveway, thank goodness) resulting in her backing into a snow…
Crash reported
ODI 10672849
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the power steering assist failed to operate without warning. The contact shut off and restarted the vehicle to allow the system to reset. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electronic power steering module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The…
ODI 10562407
Steering
My 2008 ford escape has a bad steering sensor that caused issues with steering and had pulling to the left. Ford informs me that they have to replace entire steering column to fix failed sensor and are quoting $1675. After searching online i see hundreds of similar complaints about ford escapes 2008-2010. This is a safety issue that must be addressed by ford. *tr
ODI 10561080
Steering
Noticed a vibration in steering on the way home yesterday on the highway. Made a left turn onto street and steering wheel got extremely tight and hard to staighten. This morning started the 2008 escape and had no power steering. I am a fairly large male and it is tough for me to steer it without power steering and really do not know how a female could. It was lucky i was driving it when the steering went out or else…
ODI 10560785
Steering
My wife was backing out of the driveway and started driving down the street, when she got to the stop sign the power steering cut out and stopped working all together. I went out there and turned off the car and restarted it and it was working again. I'm very glad it did not happen on the freeway. She would have crashed. This needs to be recalled with how many incidents that have beed reported. *tr
ODI 10560617
Steering
On 1-18-2014 my 2008 ford escape experienced shaking and pulling on the steering wheel when i was sitting idle in my driveway, then it just stopped. Drove about 1/2 block and started pulling; took it to the mechanic and it is the electronic power steering $1200-1500 to repair and according to my mechanic when he talked to the local ford parts house they told him this part# has been changed 17 times because they keep…
ODI 10561209
Steering
Without warning, the power steering on my 2008 ford escape simply went out. I had no issues or indication that the steering was about to fail and suddenly, the power steering simply stopped working. Fortunately, this loss of power steering didn't result in a crash in my case. I quickly scheduled an inspection at the ford dealership and they confirmed that the power steering had in fact failed requiring replacement…
ODI 10572589
Electrical System · Steering
After making a left turn and braking at a stop sign, i experienced a sudden loss of power steering. *tr
ODI 10560323
Steering
Tl-the contact owns a 2008 ford escape. The contact stated when he turned the vehicle ignition switch on. The power steering failed without any warning. The vehicle had not been taken to an dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.lj
ODI 10563751