NHTSA Complaint #10865552 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE

LAST YEAR IT BEGAN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED THE POWER STEERING WOULD NOT WORK. YOU COULD SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTART IT AND IT WOULD WORK. AS TIME WENT BY IT HAPPENED MORE FREQUENTLY AND I CALLED THE FORD DEALER ABOUT A RECALL SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME ABOUT AND WAS TOLD THAT OUR ESCAPE WAS NOT INCLUDED AND THAT I SHOULD FILE A COMPLAINT WITH YOU. I DID THAT LAST YEAR AND HAVE GOTTEN NO RESPONSE. IT HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. IT HAS BEEN SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED SO MANY TIMES THAT IT KILLED THE BATTERY. IT STILL HAD VOLTS BUT NO LONGER HAD ENOUGH COLD CRANKING AMPS TO START THE ENGINE. NOW IT HAS HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES WHILE I WAS DRIVING. WHEN IT STOPS IT ALMOST SNATCHES THE STEERING WHEEL OUT OF YOUR HANDS. THERE IS NEVER ANY WARNING AND NO WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. SOMETIMES WHEN IT IS QUIET IN THE CAR I CAN HEAR A CLICK COME FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AND IT EITHER QUITS WORKING OR IF IT WAS NOT WORKING IT START BACK. THREE DAYS AGO IT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN AT AN INTERSECTION THAT HAS TWO TURN LANES AND I ALMOST HIT THE CAR NEXT TO ME. IF IT HAD HAPPENED WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING SHE PROBABLY WOULD HAVE HIT THEM. THERE IS A GOOD POSSIBILITY OF THIS AS IT IS HER VEHICLE. I AM DRIVING IT THIS WEEK BECAUSE I AM A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH HER DRIVING IT. I LIVE IN MARYLAND AND WORK ALL WEEK IN NEW JERSEY. I HOPE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHILE I AM ON THE NJ TURNPIKE AS PEOPLE ON THERE LIKE TO STAY CLOSE AND GOES FAST. I REALLY HAVE NO CHOICE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO GO TO WORK AND CANNOT AFFORD TO HAVE IT FIXED. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL POSSIBILITIES THAT GO FROM SOFTWARE PROGRAMING, SENSOR REPLACEMENT OR STEERING COLUMN REPLACEMENT. IT IS OBVIOUS FROM THE SYMPTOMS THAT IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL BUT HAS NOT BEEN.