NHTSA Complaint #10680391 — 2002 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT, I NOTICED THE VEHICLE'S STEERING SEEMED LOOSE & THERE WAS A CREAKING NOISE FROM THE FRONT END. VEHICLE CONTINUED TO PULL TO THE RIGHT AS I DROVE DOWN THE ROAD, AND CREAKING NOISE INCREASED. I DROVE DIRECTLY TO DEALER WHERE I'D HAD THE WORK FOR RECALL 14V165000 COMPLETED ONLY 4 WEEKS PRIOR (26 DEC 2014), AND THEIR ASSESSMENT WAS A CRACKED SUBFRAME. SERVICE WRITER INFORMED ME THAT THE CAR WAS DANGEROUS TO DRIVE, AND THE COST TO REPAIR WOULD BE A MINIMUM OF $2000 IN PARTS AND LABOR, PLUS THE LIKELIHOOD OF ADDITIONAL REPAIRS NEEDED ONCE THEY FOUND OTHER CORRODED PARTS IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT. I DECLINED THE REPAIR AND PURCHASED A NEW CAR (NOT A FORD) INSTEAD. *TR