NHTSA Complaint #10450218 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE ENTERING INTO TRAFFIC ONTO A BUSY STREET THE STEERING FAILED. WAS ABLE (WITH GREAT EFFORT) TO STRAIGHTEN THE VEHICLE IN THE LANE AND THEN SAFELY PULL TO SIDE(FORTUNATELY, MY WIFE WAS NOT DRIVING AS SHE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE STRENGTH TO CARRY THIS OUT AND PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CRASHED). TURNED IGNITION OFF AND LOOKED UNDER HOOD TO SEE IF BELT HAD BROKEN, ETC. COULD NOT FIND TRADITIONAL POWER STEERING PUMP. TURNED IGNITION ON AND STEERING WORKED! AND HAS WORKED SINCE. DISCOVERED THIS VEHICLE HAS AN ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PUMP. AND THEY ARE FREQUENTLY FAILING. CALLED DEALER-ROUGHLY 3 WEEK BACKLOG FOR PART-WHICH IS THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN-PUMP NOT ABLE TO BE REPLACE SEPARATELY. HOW COULD A CAR DESIGNER OR THE GOVERNMENT ALLOW THIS TYPE OF STEERING PUMP TO BE PUT ON A VEHICLE(PROBABLY JUST TO SQUEEZE OUT AN EXTRA MPG)? IT IS NOT ONLY PLAIN DANGEROUS, BUT IMPRACTICAL. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THIS WAS HOW THE STEERING WAS ON THIS CAR I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT IT! THE NHTSA SHOULD REQUIRE (FORD AT LEAST) TO ISSUE A RECALL AND STOP THIS TYPE OF POWER STEERING BEING OFFERED ON NEW VEHICLES. I HAVE HAD PUMPS AND BELT SNAP ON VEHICLE IN THE PAST WHILE DRIVING, BUT NEVER WITH THIS AMOUNT OF STEERING LOSS. *TR