NHTSA Complaint #10822313 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID. WELL MAINTAINED, ALWAYS TAKEN IN FOR ANY AND ALL REPAIRS/MAINT/RECALLS. RECALL # 14S05 WAS ATTENDED TO IN 2015 , BY WAY OF REPROGRAMMING. AFTER THIS "REPAIR", WE COMPLAINED OF LOSS OF STEERING RADIUS, WAS TOLD THAT WAS NOT POSSIBLE AND THAT IT WAS FINE. FAST FORWARD TO JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, WRENCH LIGHT COMES ON, NO POWER STEERING AT ALL. OUR DEALERSHIP SAYS IT IS THE SAME ITEM AS RECALL AND SHOULD BE FIXED BY FORD CORP. FORD CORP SAID NO, SINCE ITS 7 YEARS OLD. THE LAW SAYS 10 YEARS FROM RECALL OR PURCHASE.. BECAUSE THEY REPROGRAMMED IT, THEY MAY NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY THING ELSE THAT GOES WRONG, EVEN IF IT IS THE SAME ISSUE. A KNOWN ISSUE. VERY UNSAFE, AND NOT SOMETHING THE CONSUMER CAN DAMAGE ON THEIR OWN. THIS WILL COST US BETWEEN 500 TO 2,500 DOLLARS TO REPAIR. SEEMS THAT A KNOWN PROBLEM SHOULD BE COVERED FOR MORE THAN A YEAR OUT FROM THE RECALL. IT FAILED SIX MONTHS AFTER THE RECALL WAS CLOSED, WHICH WAS ONLY OPEN FOR A YEAR. THE LOSS OF ABILITY TO STEER WAS TREMENDOUS . ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE. NOT SAFE TO DRIVE, AS THE EFFORT REQUIRED STEER WOULD PREVENT THE ABILITY TO AVOID A SITUATION COMPLETELY. MY VEHICLE IS USELESS AT THIS TIME. THE OPEN INVESTIGATION DP15001, SHOWS WHAT A TRUE PROBLEM THIS IS . VERY DANGEROUS. MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS FAILURE WHILE ACTIVELY DRIVING. IT WOULD APPEAR THAT FORD NEEDS TO RE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. MY VEHICLE REPAIR LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AFTER I HAD PARKED AND TURNED IT OFF. ONCE I RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, I HAD LOST ALL POWER STEERING . I WAS 60 MILES FROM HOME, SO I WAS FORCED TO DRIVE IT IN THAT CONDITION.