NHTSA Complaint #11375915 — 2011 FORD ESCAPE

WHILE DRIVING, MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT TO WHERE I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO TURN A CORNER WHICH ALMOST LEAD TO ME AND MY HUSBAND GETTING HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK. THE CAR HAD BEEN RUNNING AND TURNING JUST FINE UP TO STOPPING AT THE STOP SIGN. ONCE I WENT TO TURN RIGHT, I COULDN'T TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND WENT STRAIGHT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION INSTEAD WHICH IS WHEN I WAS ALMOST HIT BY A SEMI TRUCK THAT WAS HEADED IN THE OTHER DIRECTION BECAUSE I COULDN'T TURN RIGHT, MY CAR WENT STRAIGHT THE THE INTERSECTION. HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF SIT FOR A FEW MINUTES, TURN IT BACK ON AND THEN IT WORKED. TOOK IT TO THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP 3 DAYS LATER AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN TO THEM. THE POWER STEERING JUST STOPS WORKING WHILE THE CAR IS ALREADY DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WHICH IS NOT SAFE AT ALL. THANKFULLY I WAS NOT IN THE HIGHWAY YET. THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL FOR THIS POWER STEERING TORQUE ISSUE AND IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT THE WHOLE POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE BE REPLACED. WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT THIS IS VIN SPECIFIC. HOWEVER, MY 2011 WAS MANUFACTURED IN KANSAS CITY AND CAME OFF THE MANUFACTURING LINE ON 9/27/2010. RECALL STATES THAT THIS AFFECTED 2011 FORD ESCAPES FROM THE KANSAS CITY PLANT THROUGH 9/16/2010. FORD WOULD NOT TELL ME WHEN THE STEERING COLUMN PORTION OF MY CAR WAS ACTUALLY CONSTRUCTED BEFORE COMING OFF THE LINE ON 9/27/2010 AND COULD NOT VERIFY PARTS THAT WERE USED IN THE STEERING COLUMN MODULE YET THE ISSUE THIS CAR IS HAVING MATCHES EXACTLY WHAT THAT RECALL WAS FOR. I DO THINK THIS RECALL NEEDS TO BE FURTHER EVALUATED AS IT HAS OBVIOUSLY EFFECTED MORE VEHICLES THAN FORD IS WILLING TO ADMIT OR LOOK INTO ESPECIALLY SINCE MY CAR'S MANUFACTURING DATE WAS ONLY 16 DAYS AFTER THE RECALL DATE FROM THE SAME MANUFACTURING PLANT OF KANSAS CITY.