NHTSA Complaint #11445886 — 2009 FORD ESCAPE

December 2021, while driving, the steering wheels suddenly locked up on my car, and it was perfectly fine the previous day. The car couldn’t move, so, I kept trying and let the car warm up a bit while kept turning the key, so it started up and I drove off, but it kept losing power of steering whenever I stopped on a red light!. I also noticed that turning to the right or left was really hard because the wheel was very stiff and kept locking up. So, on my way back, the wheel could not move and I struggled I was able to move it and then it just kept stiffening up while I was driving which was scary, the car almost lost control and I almost hit other vehicles. It’s very unsafe, I called and asked Ford if they had a recall on it but they said no. I took it to a Ford in Kirkland and they said they’d charge me $2,500 to reprogram the steering and fix the power of steering, and that I’ll pay less if they get used parts. This is not right, there’s no reason why any vehicle steering wheels should lock up and suddenly stiffen up by itself, on a well maintained vehicle which appears to be in perfect condition, while a driver is driving, and sharing the road with other drivers. This is very unsafe, its a safety issue that Ford needs to look into and fix, it’s the right thing to do. I strongly believe that this is a manufacturing issue and a vehicle programming issue, and as a driver and a customer, I do not need to be charged by Ford, for them to fix their error and manufacturing mistake that causes their steering to lock up causing my car’s steering wheel to suddenly stiffen up and lock up while I’m driving, and causing the vehicle not to move as freely as it should!. This issue puts my life and other drivers life’s at risk. After this power of steering issue, I do not feel totally comfortable or safe driving this car as it is right now, and would like to request that it be recalled and checked by the manufacturer, if it wasn’t already recalled. Thank you.