NHTSA Complaint #11144430 — 2008 FORD ESCAPE

ON 10/25/2018, MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER 2008 FORD ESCAPE AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN. SHE COMPLETELY LOST POWER STEERING. THIS OCCURRED IN TRAFFIC AND SHE WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTINUE STEERING THE CAR. NO WARNINGS OR CODES APPEARED. THIS WAS A VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN HER HAVING AN ACCIDENT AND PERHAPS KILLING SOMEONE OR HERSELF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP IN BIRMINGHAM, AL (LONG-LEWIS FORD) AND DIAGNOSED WITH CODE B2278/NEEDS STEERING COLUMN ASSEMBLY. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED CONTACTING FORD AS THIS WAS CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE. AFTER TALKING WITH A SUPERVISOR, THEY INFORMED ME THAT SAFETY RECALL 14S05 WAS COMPLETED ON THE CAR ON JULY 2014, 2018 AT FORD SQUARE OF MOUNT VERNON IN MOUNT VERNON, IL SO THERE WERE NO RECALLS AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. I PROCEEDED TO CONTACT THAT DEALERSHIP AND FOUND OUT THAT THEY ONLY REPROGRAMMED THE PSCM SINCE THE CAR DIDN'T HAVE A FAULT CODE. I DID NOT OWN THE CAR DURING THIS TIME SINCE I PURCHASED IT 5 MONTHS LATER. INTERMITTENT ISSUES OCCURRED AFTER THE PURCHASE WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY BUT WERE TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT EVERYTHING WAS OK. AGAIN, NO WARNINGS OR CODES APPEARED. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY FORD MECHANICS THAT THE REPROGRAMMING OF THE PSCM REMOVED FORD FROM RESPONSIBILITY AND NOW OWNERS ARE STUCK WITH AN EXPENSIVE CAR REPAIR. SEVERAL DEALERSHIPS HAVE STATED THAT FORD WAS NEGLIGENT IN CORRECTING THE PROBLEM AND NOW MORE CARS ARE STARTING TO SEE THE PROBLEM AND CAUSING EVERYBODY ON THE ROAD TO BE AT RISK OF AN ACCIDENT, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN DEATH. THE CAR HAS 113,000 MILES ON IT AND IT WILL BE REPAIRED AT LONG-LEWIS FORD AT MY EXPENSE WHICH IS VERY COSTLY. THE CAR WAS ASSEMBLED AT THE KANSAS CITY PLANT WHICH WAS THE SUBJECT OF THE RECALL.