NHTSA Complaint #11111201 — 2012 FORD ESCAPE

THE FIRST TIME MY POWER STEERING FAILED WAS ON JANUARY 27TH 2018 WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY (696) GOING 75 MPH. I CALLED MY FORD SERVICE CENTER THE FOLLOWING BUSINESS DAY AND WAS TOLD MY CAR HAD ELECTRIC POWER STEERING AND THAT "GLITCHES HAPPEN". IN 128 DAYS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED 30 TIMES (I STOPPED KEEPING TRACK AFTER JUNE 4TH BUT IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE THEN). EVERY TIME IT FAILED, IF I RESTARTED MY CAR, THE POWER STEERING WORKED AGAIN. 10 OF THE 30 TIMES OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING, THE REST OCCURRED AT THE START OF THE ENGINE. THE TIMES IT HAPPENED AT THE START OF THE ENGINE, 5 OF THE TIMES IT FAILED TWO TIMES IN A ROW. SOME TIMES AT LIGHTS OR STOP SIGNS AND SOME TIMES IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. SOMETIMES THE WEATHER WAS COLD (10 BELOW), SOME TIMES HOT (90 DEGREES). SOME DAYS THERE WAS PRECIPITATION AND OTHER TIMES IT WAS DRY. TRY AVOIDING POTHOLES ON MICHIGAN SURFACE STREETS WHEN YOUR POWER STEERING GOES OUT! SOME TIMES I WAS 10 MINUTES INTO THE DRIVE AND OTHER TIMES IT HAPPENED AFTER DRIVING 2 HOURS. (I HAVE VERY SPECIFIC DOCUMENTATION ON ALL 30 OCCASIONS BUT DIDN'T HAVE THE CHARACTERS). WHEN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM, I FOUND THAT THIS WAS THE EXACT POWER STEERING FAILURE THAT ALL OF THE FORD ESCAPE MODELS HAD PRIOR TO 2012. THEY HAVE BEEN RECALLED. MY CAR, A 2012, WAS FABRICATED IN JUNE OF 2011 AND HAS THE SAME POWER STEERING FAILURES AS THE PREVIOUS YEARS. I ONLY AM CURIOUS AS TO HOW MY 2012 COULD BE ANY DIFFERENT THAN A YEAR THAT WAS RECALLED. I HAVE SINCE CONTACTED 3 DIFFERENT EMPLOYEES OF FORD AND NOT ONE OF THEM WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUT AN SPECIFIC INFORMATION OF THE RECALL FOR THE OTHER MODEL YEARS.