NHTSA Complaint #10681298 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE

I SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT ON FEBRUARY 2, 2015 IN REFERENCE TO THE STEERING COLUMN LOCKING UP WHILE DRIVING MY CAR TO WORK. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE REPAIR SHOP AND THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN INFORMED ME THAT THE CODES WERE CLEARED AND THE CAR WAS TESTED AND WAS DRIVABLE. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN AT THE COST OF $2,600. IT WAS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR WAS MADE BACK IN AUGUST 2014, THAT THERE SHOULD BE NO OTHER ISSUES PERTAINING TO THE ELECTRONIC STEERING ASSIST OR TORQUE SENSOR MODULE. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH AND READING A LETTER DATED JULY 1, 2014 PERTAINING TO SAFETY RECALL 14S05 FROM THE OFFICE OF [XXX], DIRECTOR OF SERVICE ENGINEERING OPERATIONS, THIS LETTER INSTRUCTED DEALERSHIPS TO "REPROGRAM THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE IF NO CODE WAS PRESENT, REPLACE THE TORQUE SENSOR IF CODE B2278 WAS PRESENT OR REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY IF CODE B1342 OR B2277 IS PRESENT". WHAT THE REPROGRAMMING OF THE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE ACTUALLY DID WAS TO PROGRAM THE STEERING COLUMN SENSOR TO ILLUMINATE THE WRENCH ICON ON THE DASHBOARD TO LET THE DRIVER KNOW THAT THE POWER STEERING ASSIST WAS ABOUT TO BE DISABLED ON THE VEHICLE. THIS IS STILL A SAFETY ISSUE! THIS IS NOT A FIX! WHEN THE VAST MAJORITY OF DRIVERS TAKE THEIR VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO BE REPAIRED, THAT IS WHAT THEY EXPECT. THE SICK PART OF THIS REPROGRAMMING THE MODULE IS THAT ONCE THIS NOTIFICATION IS MADE, THE CAR IS INOPERABLE AND FORD WANTS YOU TO BRING THE TRUCK BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THAT SAME STEERING ISSUE REPAIRED AT YOUR COST FOR $2,600. IT IS STILL A SAFETY ISSUE THAT FORD SHOULD HAVE FIXED, NOT REPROGRAMMED YOUR CAR TO NOTIFY YOU THAT YOUR POWER STEERING IS ABOUT TO DISABLE. A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMNS ON ALL 2008 FORD ESCAPES THAT EXPERIENCE THIS ISSUE. THAT WAS A QUICK FIX INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR