NHTSA Complaint #10393736 — 2009 FORD ESCAPE

ON SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2011 I NOTICED THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKING AS MY 2009 FORD ESCAPE IDLED. THIS 'SHAKING' IS RANDOM; IT DOESN'T OCCUR ALL THE TIME. SINCE AROUND THE BEGINNING OF MARCH, THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES THAT, WHEN I START THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING FREEZES. TO RECTIFY IT, I SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE, WAITED A FEW MOMENTS, RE-STARTED IT AND POWER STEERING WAS RESTORED. ONE TIME HOWEVER, THE 'FREEZING' OCCURRED WHEN I TURNED A CORNER. ON MARCH 29 THE POWER STEERING 'FROZE' AGAIN. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN A COUPLE OF TIMES TO RESTORE POWER STEERING BUT IT WAS STILL ABSENT. I DROVE ABOUT 60 MILES WITH NO POWER STEERING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP MARCH 30 AND WAS TOLD I NEED A NEW STEERING COLUMN, AT A COST OF $1200 FOR PARTS ALONE. I WAS ALSO TOLD IN THE INTERIM, BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN IT IS REPAIRED IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE. MY 2009 FORD ESCAPE HAS BEEN WELL-DRIVEN FOR THE TWO AND A HALF YEARS I'VE HAD IT, WITH NO COLLISIONS, ETC. THAT MAY HAVE COMPROMISED IT'S QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE. *TR