NHTSA Complaint #10854037 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

I HAD RECALL FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING COMPLETED IN DECEMBER 2015, AND THEN IN JANUARY 2016 MY STEERING WHEEL STARTED VIBRATING/LOCKING. IN APRIL POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETELY OUT. I TOOK VEHICLE IN AND ASKED IF POWER STEERING WAS RELATED TO THE RECALL AND HE SAID NO IT WAS A SEPARATE SENSOR THAT WAS CAUSING THE POWER STEERING TO GO OUT. SO, I GAVE PERMISSION FOR THE WORK TO BE COMPLETED. THEN, I STARTED RESEARCHING AND FOUND THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO MANY PEOPLE. I HAD MY BOYFRIEND CALL BACK AS HE KNOWS MORE ABOUT CARS THAN I DO AND HE WAS TOLD AGAIN THAT A SENSOR NOT RELATED TO RECALL THAT WAS PERFORMED WAS CAUSING P.S TO GO OUT THAT WAS UNRELATED TO THE RECALL. WE GO TO PICK UP THE CAR AND PAY FOR IT AND WHEN WE ARE GOING OVER OUR PAPERWORK IN THE CAR WE FIND THAT THE WORK THEY DID WAS REPLACE THE TORQUE SENSOR WHICH IS PART OF THE RECALL. I CALLED THE OVERALL SERVICE MANAGER AND SPOKE TO HIM. I ASKED HIM IF I WOULDN'T HAVE BROUGHT IT IN DECEMBER WHEN I WAS EXPERIENCING NO ISSUES AND WOULD HAVE WAITED UNTIL APRIL WHEN MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT WOULD THE CODE (P2278) BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL AND HE SAID YES, THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE WORK. THAT CODE WOULD CAUSE THEM TO REPLACE THE TORQUE SENSOR FREE OF CHARGE. SO I ASKED HIM IF HE WAS SUGGESTING THAT PEOPLE WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT SO THAT THE WORK WILL ACTUALLY BE COVERED? HE SAID NO OF COURSE NOT, BUT WHAT OTHER OPTION IS THERE? YOU TAKE IT IN WHEN THERE ARE NO ISSUES THEY UPDATE SOFTWARE, AND THEN WHEN YOU START HAVING ISSUES WITH TORQUE SENSOR OR STEERING COLUMN YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BILL. WHAT OPTION ARE PEOPLE GOING TO TAKE? OBVIOUSLY, THEY ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO PAY A 675 DOLLAR REPAIR BILL ON SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY A RECALL SO THEY WILL DRIVE UNTIL POWER STEERING GOES OUT WHICH IS NOT SAFE.