While driving my 2008 Escape the other day the power steering went out while driving down the the highway. The power steering assist fail light came on after I parked and shut my car off and turned it back on. After doing some research I found the recall 14S05, however when looking my VIN up, it shows no active recall. But the incident matches exactly what I have read from 100's of other owners. It would be available for inspection, I have not taken it into a Ford dealership yet. When I called the local one, they told me they couldn't help, as it didn't show up having active recall. The incident occurred 3/25/23 and I have since parked the vehicle until I can figure out what I am going to do with it.

- Scottville, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became very firm. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to her residence and turned the vehicle off and on. The power steering functionality did not return. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the electric power steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

Power steering went out and the steering wheel is very hard to turn. Yes the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. While driving my steering wheel became hard to turn so I almost got into an accident. I have taken the car to a service dealer and they stated that the power steering column needed to be replaced codes that they got were b2277 and b2278. A warning came across the dashboard saying "power steering assist fault".

- Burlington, NC, USA

While driving in a city at about 30mph, my power steering froze and I could not easily make a turn. As a result, I had to stop on the side of the road and inspect what went on. A 'wrench' and a warning control light came on stating 'power steering assist failure'. I was able to drive slowly to my mechanic, with a very limited steering, to diagnose the issue. The error code that appeared on the diagnostic interface was B2278 - Steering Shaft Torque Sensor Malfunction. I was very lucky to drive on a slow road because driving it on a freeway could have been disastrous, maybe fatal in a worst case for myself and others on a freeway. There were no prior signs to the failure. I loved driving the car because it was very reliable. I drive my kids to and from school in this car. I contacted the manufacturer and a few dealerships about this. It turns out that there was a safety recall for 2008 - 2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles (14S05). However, my car, for some reason, was never on a recall list. My car's power steering torque sensor failure clearly satisfies the safety recall requirements. Is there a way that I could take this back to a FORD dealership and get it fixed under the safety recall? I am currently residing and driving this car in Poland.

- Wheaton, IL, USA

The contact's niece owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while stopped, the steering wheel started shaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic retrieved code: B2278 (Steering Shaft Torque Sensor Malfunction). The vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to TSB: (Power Steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 169,000.

- Winston Salem, NC, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her father was driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had driven the vehicle, with no power steering, to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact and the independent mechanic researched online and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 189,000.

- Cassopolis, MI, USA

On Tuesday a light came on that said -??power steering assist fault-?? but it was still driving fine. Then the next morning when I was pull out of the parking spot I could barely turn the wheel. It was super hard to turn. I could hardly get back into the parking spot, it was super hard just to steer it back to the parking spot. If I would-??ve been driving it would have definitely caused an accident. I had the car towed to a dealership, I was told that it was probably the power sterling pump but there is a recall on this car for that and my car (vin number) is not listed. But it-??s the same problem. Maybe my vin number was miase? Please help.

- Kentwood , MI, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist with the power steering assist fault message displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

- Modesto, CA, USA

Steering wheel turns automaticlly to the right when staring vehicle. I took the vehicle to horne Ford of nogales they followed service procedure as per workshop manual found and determined electric steering column (failed) they recommended repairs: Electric steering column assembly. I have a repair estimate a cost of 2,827.00

- Nogales, AZ, USA

Having issues with periodic loss of power steering while driving.making it very difficult to drive. Also I'm having an issue with the battery continuing to die..when the vehicle is off even.i park it n the evening and Over night it goes dead.

- Lexington , KY, USA

The contact's mother-in-law owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced by an independent mechanic, the power steering assists failed as the power assist fault warning light appeared on the instrument panel. The mechanic informed the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact was given a case number by the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

- Lewis Center, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with torque sensor failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown. The contact took the vehicle for repair in July/August of 2022. The repair was completed at no cost to the contact due to the open recall and was told that if the issue were to persist, the cost would be covered under warranty. However, that repair did not last and the power steering would still go out intermittently. The contact was told by the dealer that the issue essentially needed to be constant rather than only intermittent in order to get the proper codes to then repair the vehicle. The torque sensor still needs to be repaired.

- Euless, TX, USA

The power steering torque sensor failed while driving today. As a result the vehicle lost all power steering and became difficult to steer and posed a serious risk to my safety while driving a distance over an hour from home on back country roads in Kentucky which were winding and made making curves and staying on the road very difficult to manage. There was no warning, no engine check light to come on. About 5 minutes before the power steering failed to function, the steering wheel began to have a very slight movement while at a stop light. This was not a sufficient warning to give me enough time to determine that my vehicle was about to become unsafe and there was no noise coming from the car or affected components. As a result of the malfunction/ equipment failure, I had to make wide turns that made the vehicle leave the roadway slightly at times with the tires going off the side of the road before the wide turn was completed. Steering became very difficult and the vehicle did not respond to my steering attempts. I could not make sharp turns and had a long distance to suffer through the hazard this caused. When I finally arrived home I had to drive through my yard to park because I could not get the vehicle to turn sharp enough to make it into the driveway. While driving there wasn't any shake or noticeable issue with the steering wheel itself other than the loss of power steering that felt as if the entire steering column was locked up. I have contacted the nearest Ford dealership to inquire about getting the recall repair completed tomorrow. I will have it inspected at that time. As of now, the failed component is available for inspection upon request. I am sure the problem will be reproduced as it has not regained steering function hours later and is in need of repair. I never received any notice prior to the equipment failure that there in fact was a safety recall on my vehicle. I would like to know how I was missed on being notified.

- Cecilia, KY, USA

Electric power steering system not working causing the vehicle to default to manual steering which makes the vehicle extremely hard to drive. My safety is at risk because I do not have sufficient control of the steering of the vehicle. The car has been inspected by the dealership. There were no signs or lamps prior to the problem starting.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH, the power steering assist failed temporarily. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle was not drivable. The message "Power Steering Assist Failure" was displayed. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

- Seymour, IN, USA

The seatbelt shoulder strap will lock and will not unlock unless you release the buckle. We came out one morning and had no power steering it is equipped with electronic power assist The dealer said that there were no recalls for this particular condition. I found out from a shop that I used to work for that there were. My wife cannot drive the vehicle in this condition via surgurey. Thanks for listenig.

- Indianapolis. Indiana, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Edge. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel locked up and became difficult to turn. After restarting the vehicle, the steering operated as designed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure and referred her to another dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no additional assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,054.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the steering wheel jerked and turned independently towards the left, almost causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she steered the steering wheel all the way to the right and then steered back to the center. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft torque sensor kit and steering angle sensor calibration had failed and needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 225,000.

- Pleasant Hill, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel locked inadvertently and became significantly difficult to steer. A message indicating a power steering assist failure was displayed. The contact stated while attempting to veer to the side of the road, he lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle struck a road construction barrier. The hood of the vehicle flew open and struck the windshield. The contact did not sustain an injury. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that he was informed by the local Pep Boys that his vehicle had an electric power steering; therefore, he could not add power steering fluid. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

Similar to the steering issues that others are experiencing, my Escape is pulling significantly to the right. I have had the suspension practically rebuilt, new tires put on and everything re-aligned, and the vehicle continues to pull to the right significantly. The mechanic checked with a local dealership who recognized that there are steering recalls with this make and model year, however my VIN does not appear to be included in the recall. This is a very dangerous situation, because if a situation arose to where I had to correct my steering wheel to the right to avoid a collision or animal, I would likely easily lose control. There are no warning messages on my dash associated with this.

- Elsie, MI, USA