NHTSA Complaint #10764148 — 2006 FORD ESCAPE

ON JULY 24, 2015 MY WIFE AND 2 KIDS, 6 AND 2 YEARS OLD WERE ALMOST KILLED WHEN THE POWERED STEERING SYSTEM FAILED, THE CAR WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL AND HIT THE CURVE GOING OVER THE SIDEWALK. MY 6 YEAR OLD GOT A BRUISE ON HIS HEAD FROM HITTING THE WINDOW AND A WALKING PEDESTRIAN ALMOST GOT KILLED. IF MY WIFE WAS GOING A LITTLE FASTER, WE WOULD BE DEALING WITH A MURDER BY NEGLIGENCE CASE. THE POWER STEERING IN THIS MODEL IS ELECTRICAL, NOT HYDRAULIC; I HAVE ATTACHED PICTURES OF THESE PARTS. IVE NEVER SEEN THIS SYSTEM BEFORE; AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER I KNOW THIS SYSTEM IS UNRELIABLE FOR ANY OF THE CRITICAL SAFETY SYSTEMS IN A VEHICLE, SUCH AS STEERING OR BRAKES. THE MOTOR COULD SHORT OR THE BRUSHES MAY WEAR, MOTOR DRIVES MAY BURN, AND EVEN A LOW BATTERY COULD TURN THESE STEERING ASSISTANCE INTO A LOAD, MAKING MANEUVERS EVEN MORE DIFFICULT. ALSO A COMPUTER CODE COULD CREATE PROBLEMS THAT CAN CAUSE FATALITIES MAKING SHARP TURNS AT HIGH VELOCITIES. A HYDRAULIC SYSTEM MAY GO LOW ON FLUID AND MAKE SOUNDS; IT MAY GET A LITTLE HARDER TO TURN BUT NEVER WILL GET TOTALLY STUCK. THIS SYSTEM IS NOT SAFE FOR SOMETHING AS CRITICAL AS THE STEERING TRAIN!