NHTSA Complaint #10784950 — 2009 FORD ESCAPE

VEHICLE WAS SUBJECT TO FORD RECALL #14S05 WHICH DEALT WITH A TORQUE SENSOR IN THE STEERING COLUMN. AT THE TIME WE TOOK IT IN THERE WERE NO CODES REPORTED SO THE DEALER PERFORMED THE RECOMMENDED SERVICE AND REPROGRAMMED THE SOFTWARE. APPROXIMATELY A MONTH LATER MY WIFE EXPERIENCED A POWER STEERING FAILURE ON THE WAY TO WORK. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO FOUND THE CODE FOR THE TORQUE SENSOR AND REPLACED IT BUT THIS DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. AFTER CONSULTING FORD IT WAS RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN. I WAS ADVISED BY MY DEALER THAT THE INITIAL RECALL WORK DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE AND THIS WAS THE NEEDED REPAIR BUT THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED SINCE THEY HAD PERFORMED THE INITIAL RECOMMENDED REPAIR(REPROGRAMMING OF THE SOFTWARE). AT THIS POINT EVEN MY DEALER AGREES THAT THE INITIAL FIX IS INADEQUATE AND IT SHOULD BE A COMPLETE REPLACEMENT OF THE STEERING COLUMN BUT FORD WILL NO LONGER HONOR THE RECALL SINCE IT WAS "FIXED" ONCE.