NHTSA Complaint #10992927 — 2009 FORD ESCAPE

VEHICLE HAS INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER STEERING EITHER WHEN FIRST STARTED OR DRIVING . WHEN POWER STEERING IS LOST , STEERING WHEEL IS VERY HARD TO TURN , ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE IF VEHICLE IS SITTING STILL. AN ACCIDENT ALMOST OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. MADE A RIGHT HAD TURN , POWER STEERING WENT OUT UNEXPECTEDLY , AND HAD TO FORCE THE STEERING WHEEL OVER TO THE LEFT SO AS NOT TO HIT A CURB AND LIGHT POLE. TOOK VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER FOR THIS PROBLEM.VIN NUMBER WAS RAN IN FORD'S SYSTEM , AND CAME BACK AS NO OPEN RECALLS ON THIS VEHICLE. WAS THEN SCANNED FOR TROUBLE CODES ( AT A COST OF $89.95 ) , AND CODES WERE FOUND FOR ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING SYSTEM LOSS OF STEERING ASSIST RELATED TO THE TORQUE SENSOR IN THE STEERING COLUMN . AT THIS POINT I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER SERVICE REP THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $895.00 FOR THE PART PLUS LABOR TO INSTALL. I COMPLAINED THAT THIS WAS A RECALL , BUT WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO OPEN RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE WHEN THE VIN NUMBER WAS RAN THROUGH FORD'S SYSTEM , THEN I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS . I THEN STATED THAT THE IF THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS AFTER THE RECALL WAS DONE , THEN THE RECALL AND ASSOCIATED PARTS WERE NO GOOD , AND THIS REPAIR SHOULD BE AT FORD'S EXPENSE , NOT MYSELF AS A CUSTOMER. REP THEN TOLD ME TO CALL THE FORD CUSTOMER CARE LINE , THEY COULD DO NOTHING ELSE. CALLED THE CUSTOMER CARE LINE , EXPLAINED THE SITUATION , AND WAS GIVEN THE SAME ANSWERS AND RUN AROUND AS BY THE DEALER. DID RECEIVE A CASE NUMBER WHICH IS CAS-12427226-T6B5S5 . VEHICLE TO ME IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE , AND FORD SHOULD CORRECT THIS PROBLEM 100 %