NHTSA Complaint #10552999 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE

JUST STARTING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN FROM A STOP SIGN. STEERING SEEMED TO BE LOCKED UP, VERY HARD TO MOVE WHEEL. CAR ALMOST WENT OFF ROAD AS IT WAS A T INTERSECTION. SPEED ON CROSS ROAD IS 40 MPH AND LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO BACK UP PRIOR TO BEING HIT. ONCE THE CAR WAS BACK BEHIND STOP SIGN THE ENGINE WAS RESTARTED AND STEERING STARTED FUNCTIONING AGAIN. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE STEERING WENT OUT. THE FIRST TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS AGO, SPEED APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH AND WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN INTO SCHOOL PARKING LOT TO DROP OFF CHILDREN. I WAS ABLE TO GET CAR TO CURB AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. THERE WAS NO WARNING OR IDIOT LIGHT PRIOR TO STEERING GOING OUT ON EITHER TIME. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR AND MAKE. I AM SURPRISED NO ONE HAS BEEN KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. THERE ARE QUITE A LARGE NUMBER OF INCIDENTS RECORDED ONLINE OF THIS VERY PROBLEM. NOT MUCH WORD FROM FORD THOUGH... *TR