NHTSA Complaint #11083932 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE

VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL STARTED SHAKING BACK AND FORTH WHILE STOPPED. THEN STARTED WHILE DRIVING AT CITY AND HIGHWAY SPEEDS. SEVERAL TIMES THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. WHEN RESEARCHING THE ISSUE I FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RECALL BUT NOT FOR MY VIN. WHEN I CALLED FORD THEY SAID THERE WAS A RECALLBUT IT HAS ALREADY BEEN PERFORMED AND IS NO LONGER COVERED EVEN THOUGH THE PART THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED WAS NOT REPLACED. DUE TO THE ISSUES THE VEHICLE CANNOT BE SAFELY DRIVEN ON THE ROAD. IT SEEMS THAT FORD IS ATTEMPTING TO SIDESTEP A SAFETY RECALL BY TELLING CUSTOMERS THAT THEY FIXED A FAULTY TORQUE SENSOR BY SIMPLY UPDATING THE SOFTWARE WHICH COSTS THEM NOTHING. THEN WHEN THE PART FAILS THEY TELL CUSTOMERS THE RECALL NO LONGER APPLIES BECAUSE THEY 'FIXED' THE PROBLEM. IM ATTEMPTING TO GET PAPERWORK FROM FORD BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER IT GOING IN FOR A RECALL IN THE FIRST PLACE. HOW DOES FORD NOT HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO REPLACE PARTS THAT THEY KNOW ARE FAULTY WHEN THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL? THE WHOLE POINT IS TO REMOVE THE PARTS FROM THE VEHICLE BEFORE THEY FAIL AFTER IT IS DETERMINED THAT THEY WILL FAIL. THE RECALL IS 14S05.