NHTSA Complaint #11014601 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE HYBRID

. IN 2012 AND 2013, I HAD POWER STEERING FAILURES WHILE DRIVING, LUCKILY RESULTING IN NO COLLISIONS. BOTH TIMES I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO A FORD DEALER. BOTH TIMES, I WAS TOLD THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. IN 2014, FORD ISSUED A RECALL FOR A FAULTY SENSOR IN THE POWER STEERING. I IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT MY FORD TO MY DEALER FOR SERVICE. INSTEAD OF REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN, THEY CHOOSE A 2ND OPTION (CHEAPER) AND SIMPLY REPROGRAMMED/ REBOOTED THE SENSOR. ON JULY 21ST, 2017, I PARKED MY CAR AND WHEN I CAME OUT A STARTED THE CAR, I HAD NO POWER STEERING. I WAS LUCKY I WASN'T ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL SERVICE CENTER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT ACCORDING TO THE COMPUTER THE SAME PART FAILED AGAIN. THEY RE-SET THE SENSOR AND WE TOOK THE CAR INTO OUR FORD DEALER TO HAVE IT SERVICED FOR THE RECALL. BOTH THE FORD DEALER AND FORD NA TOLL FREE SERVICE CENTER (I SPOKE TO DARREN IN AUGUST 8TH) TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE FORD HAD ALREADY PERFORMED THE RECALL SERVICE THAT THEY WILL NOT HONOR THIS ISSUE AS PART OF THE RECALL. HOWEVER, SINCE THE FORD DEALER TOOK THE 'CHEAPER' OPTION AND REPROGRAMMED THE SENSOR, FORD SHOULD HONOR THE RECALL AND REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN. THIS IS THE SERVICE THAT OUR FORD DEALER STATED IS NOW REQUIRED TO FIX THE ISSUE. WE ARE FACED WITH SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OR DRIVING ESSENTIALLY AN UNSAFE VEHICLE BECAUSE FORD WAS ALLOWED TO OFFER THIS 'CHEAPER' RECALL SERVICE TO FORD OWNERS. IT'S A DISGRACE.