NHTSA Complaint #10681503 — 2008 MERCURY MARINER

3 MONTHS AGO I TOOK MY 2008 MERCURY MARINER INTO FORD FOR THE POWER STEERING RECALL. THEY WERE TO DO ONE OF THREE THINGS: UPDATE THE SOFTWARE FOR THE POWER STEERING, REPLACE THE TORQUE SENSOR OR REPLACE THE POWER STEERING COLUMN. THEY ONLY UPDATES THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM SOFTWARE. DAY 1 AFTER IT BEING FIXED, I WAS EXPERIENCE AN EXTREMELY SHAKY STEERING WHEEL AND A "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT" INDICATOR THAT WOULD RANDOMLY SHOW UP NOW AND THEN. FORD SAID THEY COULD LOOK AT IT BUT THAT IT WOULD NOT FALL UNDER THE RECALL. FEBRUARY 4, 9:00AM, MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT PULLING INTO WORK. I TOOK MY CAR INTO FORD TODAY AND THEY EXCLAIMED THAT MY POWER STEERING MOTOR AND COLUMN NEED REPLACED BUT AGAIN THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE RECALL. I EXPERIENCED NO PROBLEMS WITH MY POWER STEERING PRIOR TO THE SOFTWARE UPDATE. AFTER READING SEVERAL (A COUPLE HUNDRED) REVIEWS BY OTHER CUSTOMERS, THEY EXPERIENCED THE SAME EXACT INCIDENTS A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE UPDATE, BUT FORD SAID THEY HAD TO PAY THE FULL $1,200 TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN. IT IS SICKENING TO KNOW THAT THIS "UPDATE" IS ACTUALLY CAUSING POWER STEERING TO MALFUNCTION AND PUTTING PEOPLE'S LIVES IN DANGER. ON TOP OF IT, FORD SAYS ONCE THE UPDATE IS RAN, THERE IS NOTHING MORE THEY CAN DO UNDER THE RECALL, WHEN THEY KNOW FULL WELL KNOW WHAT THE UPDATE IS DOING AND PUTTING MONEY IN THEIR POCKETS. SOMEONE PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. LIVES CAN BE LOST DUE TO THIS MALFUNCTION THAT SHOULD NOT BE SWEPT UNDER THE RUG. *TR