Puting car into reverse on 2way road to turn around car wouldn't go in reverse or forwards car shut off. Had to keep brake on kept shifting back and forth till car turned on had traffic stopped both ways. Seatbelt released not working at all. If car would of gone forwards upon started would of gone over cliff. This happened about 2nd week in July. Currently car has trouble upon driving shifting into gear. Please advise. Dangerous

- Glastonbury, CT, USA

I was driving when I got a warning for steering assist fault. The car is incredibly difficult to turn now, making driving it incredibly dangerous. There were no warnings; it had been driving fine on the way to work, but no longer was when I started it to come home. I saw a mechanic who said it was a steering rack default, and he had been seeing a lot of similar defects in Ford Escapes and Ford trucks. He left after diagnosing as there was nothing he could do to fix it. We called an official Ford dealership afterwards to get a quote, when we were told even if we brought the car in, there was no guarantee they could fix the car because the parts they need are backordered across the country. He also confirmed this is a prevalent issue in Escapes.

- Azle, TX, USA

The day before the steering was just fine and had taken a long drive on the interstate. Could not control steering when car was driven out of the garage the next morning. Car was towed to a car dealership due to very stiff steering since it would have been dangerous to try to drive. Asked tech at dealership to check and advise. A steering fault message was on the dash. Tech wrote, "pulled codes for the rack and pinion. Per pinpoint test the rack has an internal failure. Replaced the rack, programmed the system and performed an alignment. Steering operated normal now." There were no symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

- Palmer Lake, CO, USA

I purchased this 2013 Escape new. It has been driven only 35, 438 miles. On July 4, 2022, started the car in my garage, got a message "steering assist failure", could not move steering wheel. On restarting car, it had reset. Called dealer, got appointment for July 7. They checked for dtcs-u3000-49-08, was told "Ford pinpoint testing leads to failed power steering gear, estimate $2300". At 35 thousand miles? I am paying and getting it repaired, of course - I could not trust this car otherwise. if you lose your steering on the highway, it could cause a major accident.

- Moundsville, WV, USA

My power control steering module is failing. A ford dealership told me the part in my car was defective and they have updated the part years ago. I was told the part alone will cost me around $1,000+ and that I have to pay out of pocket. Ford dealership said the part is on backorder until December 2022 and that I can only get the part through their manufacture. This is extremely dangerous and my steering could go at anytime!

- Erie, PA, USA

Power steering loss power and transmission failed

- Apple Valley, CA, USA

power steering suddenly stopped working while driving, I was barely able to get the vehicle to the side of the road. I am disabled and had to have my husband meet me and fight the car to get it home.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist after the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with ABS failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Nottingham, MD, USA

Date of incident, May 19th 2022. While driving home from work on highway 270, as it was raining, my power steering suddenly and without any warning stopped working & has not worked since. I called the Ford manufacturer directly and I have a case number from them on the issue. Ford is well aware of the manufacturer defect in their ford escape steering computer chips and they do not want to address the issue because it would be bad for them financially as well as hurt their publicity. The repair would cost as quoted by the dealership $2400. This is a huge safety issues for the public on any roadways. If this situation happened to a young inexperienced driver or an elderly driver there would be a high potential for a crash on highways and other roadways. Luckily I was able to control the situation and was able to avoid a terrible outcome. Furthermore, it takes physical strength to operate the car which again young and elderly drivers would not be able to drive or have extreme difficulty driving. This is a potentially deadly issue and Ford does not want the general public to know. I hope for the safety of the public Ford is made to recall the vehicle for this specific issue that they are blatantly aware of and want to ignore. Ford has forever lost my family along with myself as a longtime customer.

- Affton, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

- Canton, GA, USA

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, she was switching lanes from the right lane to the left lane, and she heard a loud pop from the front end of the vehicle. The contact lost control of the vehicle and drove across the lanes and crashed into the highway dividing wall. The contact had no memory of any warning lights being illuminated or hitting the wall. The contact said that a witness reported that the driver's side front tire came off of the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that she was told that the air bags had not been deployed. The contact stated that she was unconscious and transported to a hospital. She stated she had no cuts, bruises, or other injuries. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The police were on the scene and the contact was not aware of an incident report was written. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.

- Greenfield, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH, the steering functionality became difficult. The steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed with a steering functionality fault. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000

- Mapleton, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the power steering assist fault warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The steering wheel locked up and require excessive force to steer the vehicle off the roadway. Upon restart of the vehicle, the failure remained. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. The contact then called the dealer and was informed that the next available appointment would be in a month. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

- Bronx, NY, USA

My family and I of 4 was traveling on a family get away trip and on the highway after about 23 miles, The power steering sign comes up and the steering wheel gets stiff on the middle of the highway. Almost causing my family and I a head on collision with on coming vehicles. My vehicle has been checked about 4 months before by ford and also I have checked the ecu and there are no trouble codes. My family and I have almost ended up in the hospital or near death because this issue that just suddenly happens. This is not a safe situation to be in.

- Bronx, NY, USA

Sudden loss of power steering with an associated warning message on the dash for a steering assist fault.

- Steuben, ME, USA

Started car while in our garage and a message came on the dash 'Steering Assist Fault'. Wife could not move steering wheel. We turned car off and restarted. Steering was back to normal. No message was displayed. This was scary because what if it happened while driving?

- Florence, KY, USA

In my driveway two times so far my power assist failed giving me an error on my drivers screes automatic power assist failure. The steering became almost impossible to move and I had to shut off the car then restart it to clear the error. On the Ford Forums apparently there are lots of other people who are experiencing this same failure and it is showing up on new and older vehicles as well. Also this is a cross model problem and is a defective design from The Ford motor company and should be delt with. Thank you.

- Largo, FL, USA

There-??s record of this model and several ford models experiencing steering rack issues, getting damage to a point in witch stops the operation and locks the steering wheel.

- Bronx, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact-??s husband stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact-??s husband was able to pull over and restart the vehicle and functionality was returned. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the steering unit replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Shickshinny, PA, USA

Steering Assist Failure

- Lexington, NC, USA