NHTSA Complaint #10896927 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

IN AUGUST 2014 WITH 99K MILES VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY STEERING PROBLEMS HOWEVER, DURING MAINTENANCE DEALERSHIP INSTALLED SOFTWARE UPDATES TO PSCM AND IC MODULES PER NHTSA RECALL 14-V284000. WITHIN A FEW MONTHS THE VEHICLE BEGAN INTERMITTENTLY LOSING THE POWER STEERING DURING LOWER SPEED TURNING, THE EXACT THING THE RECALL WAS SUPPOSED TO FIX. IN AUGUST 2015 AT THE NEXT REGULAR SERVICE APPT I INFORMED DEALERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM AND COPIES OF ON-LINE RESEARCH THAT SHOWED IT AS AN ONGOING PROBLEM RELATED TO THE RECALL. I WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD DONE THE RECALL "FIXES" AND COULD NOT SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM BUT IF I WANTED THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED THEY WOULD DO IT, FOR SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS, OF WHICH I DECLINED. I HAVE HAD MANY CLOSE CALLS WHEN WITHOUT WARNING THE STEERING BECOMES ALMOST LOCKED UP BUT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SO FAR MUSCLE IT AROUND THE TURNS.