2016 Ford Escape Steering

2016 FORD ESCAPE WITH 5770 MILES. STARTED CAR AND HAD STEERING ASSIST FAULT. NO POWER STEERING. HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. THEY REPLACED THE STEERING UNIT DUE TO A STEERING CONTROL UNIT FAILURE. IF IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AS IT WAS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. REPAIR COVERED BY WARRANTY. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AT THE TIME OF FAILURE.

POWER STEERING GEAR FAILED CAUSING CAR TO LOOSE POWER STEERING. CAR WAS BEING BACKED OUT OF A PARKING SPACE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. PULLED THE CAR OVER. TURNED THE CAR OFF AND WAITED 2 MINUTES. TURNED CAR BACK ON AND POWER STEERING WAS BACK ON. DROVE TO DEALER WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ISSUE. THEY REPLACED STEERING GEAR.

VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A FULL STOP ON PAVED HIGHWAY. VEHICLE ALSO PULLS TO RIGHT DURING LOWER GEAR SHIFTS UNDER MODERATE ACCELERATION ON PAVED HIGHWAY.

THE 2016 FORD ESCAPE DID NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT IT, I CHECKED FOR IT. IT NOW HAS APPROXIMATELY 15,000 MILES HAS DEVELOPED WHAT I WOULD CALL TORQUE STEER. IT PULLS TO THE RIGHT UPON FAIRLY HARD OR SUDDEN ACCELERATION FROM A STOPPED POSITION. MY AUTHORIZED FORD DEALER SAYS IT IS NORMAL FOR THE VEHICLE TO DO THIS AND CLAIM THERE IS NO PROBLEM AND NO REPAIRS NEEDED.

STEERING ASSIST FAILURE. NO WARNING SIGNS OR ANYTHING. COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING WITH ONLY 1186 MILES ON THE CAR. OWNED IT LESS THAN 2 MONTHS.

IN FOLLOW UP TO MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT NUMBER 10885168, STEERING ASSIST MALFUNCTION WHILE OPERATING ON THE MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE, WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING, THE DEALERSHIP CONFIRMED THE VEHICLE NEEDS A NEW STEERING RACK AT 2500 MILES.

DRIVING MY FAMILY HOME FROM A VACATION, I LOST MY POWER STEERING ON THE MASSACHUSETTS TURNPIKE. THE VEHICLE HAS 2557 MILES ON IT. THE DASHBOARD INDICATED, "STEERING ASSIST OFF - SERVICE REQUIRED - I WAS TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN THIS OCCURRED AND FEARED FOR MY SAFETY, THE SAFETY OF MY FAMILY AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS ON THE TURNPIKE. I CALLED MY DEALER WHO REFERRED ME TO FORD ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS FLAT BEDDED IN TO MY FORD DEALERSHIP. I CHECKED THE NHTSA WEBSITE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY KNOWN ISSUES RELATED TO STEERING WITH MY YEAR AND MODEL FORD. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS NONE FOR THE 2016 AT THIS TIME, THERE WAS A HUGE RECALL WITH THE 2014 FORD ESCAPE FOR THIS SAME STEERING ASSIST ISSUE. HOPEFULLY, NOBODY WILL GO THROUGH WHAT I DID. THIS ISSUE COULD HAVE EASILY CALLED A MAJOR ACCIDENT.