NHTSA Complaint #10557187 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE BACKING FROM A DRIVE THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AND I LOST POWER/ELECTRONIC STEERING. I HAVE DRIVEN OLDER VEHICLES WITHOUT POWER STEERING BUT THIS WAS TWICE AS HARD TO TURN. I HAD TO DRIVE HOME AND HAD TO MAKE SURE TRAFFIC WAS CLEAR AT INTERSECTIONS TO AVOID OTHER TRAFFIC WHEN TURNING SINCE I COULD NOT AVOID GOING INTO OPPOSING LANES. RESET ITSELF LATER BUT WENT BACK OUT A WEEK LATER WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MUCH AND HIT A SMALL AMOUNT OF SLUSH. LIMPED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. HAD MY WIFE BEEN DRIVING SHE PROBABLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL IT. REVIEWS ONLINE SHOW THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE AT LEAST 2008 THAT I CAN SEE. ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT RESULT IN A CRASH THE POSSIBILITY DOES INCREASE IF THIS HAPPENED AT HIGHER SPEEDS. *TR