NHTSA Complaint #11133452 — 2010 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE TAKING THE KIDS TO SCHOOL, I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN ACROSS A BUSY ROAD WHEN, WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE STOPPED TURNING, MADE AN ALARM SOUND AND SEEMED TO DECREASE POWER. I WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN JUST BEFORE ONCOMING TRAFFIC ARRIVED AT THE INTERSECTION. AS THE WHEELS STRAIGHTENED OUT, THE POWER STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. AS I MADE THE NEXT RIGHT HAND TURN, IT AGAIN CUT OUT IN MID-TURN AND THE 'POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT' MESSAGE FLASHED ON THE DASH. DURING THE NEXT LEFT-HAND TURN, IT AGAIN CUT OUT MID-TURN BUT THIS TIME I WAS EXPECTING IT AND HAD NO TROUBLE FORCING THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN. THIS TIME THE FAULT MESSAGE STAYED ON AND THERE WAS NO LONGER ANY POWER ASSIST. I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO A PARTS STORE EXPECTING IT TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING PUMP OR A LOW FLUID ISSUE ONLY TO DISCOVER IN THE OWNERS MANUAL THAT THE POWER ASSIST IS ELECTRICAL, NOT HYDRAULIC. I ASKED THE PARTS STORE EMPLOYEE TO RUN A SCAN ON THE VEHICLE AND WHEN HE SAW THE VEHICLE/MESSAGE HE TOLD ME THE SCAN WOULDN'T DO ANY GOOD WITH THAT ISSUE AND IT WAS GOING TO BE A VERY EXPENSIVE TRIP TO THE MECHANIC. WHEN I TURNED THE VEHICLE BACK ON, THE 'POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT' MESSAGE STAYED ON WITHOUT ANY POWER STEERING. WHEN I ARRIVED HOME, I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE RECALLS FOR 2010 FORD ESCAPES FROM THE KANSAS CITY PLANT, BUT A CHECK OF THE FORD RECALL DATABASE SHOWS NO SUCH RECALL FOR MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE. ON A VEHICLE WITH ONLY 96,823 MILES, I WOULD NOT EXPECT A CRITICAL SAFETY COMPONENT TO UNEXPECTEDLY FAIL. THIS VEHICLE IS NORMALLY DRIVEN BY MY GIRLFRIEND (WHO ACTUALLY OWNS THE VEHICLE) AND WHILE I WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN IN THOSE CONDITIONS WITHOUT AN ACCIDENT, I AM NOT CERTAIN SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO SO.