NHTSA Complaint #11490005 — 2009 FORD ESCAPE

The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while pulling into a parking lot, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The contact was able to park the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.