10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 2 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 21,579 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
I was driving to work this am and a sensor light came on:steering:electric power assist system. Seconds after the light came on, I felt my steering wheel lose power and when I had to turn I came close to steering into the other lane while turning right at the stoplight on a city street. I had to turn two more times to get to my destination. When I parked the car I turned the engine off and restarted the vehicle. The power was back on on the steering wheel. I have not tried driving the vehicle as I am at work. Very frightening experience. I am not able to see a mechanic at the Ford dealership until Monday and am nervous to drive the car until then.
- Galesville, WI, USA
The steering wheel gets stiff (no possible to move) when practicing parking for a while. I can heard that fan speed goes up, so I am assuming the engines bay is getting hot. After moved it a little bit the wheel can go all the way to the right/left. According to the dealership the steering module is disabling because temp (too hot). Hope this never happens on a highway
- Clawson, MI, USA
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the brake pedal was applied, but felt hard and failed to stop the vehicle. In addition, there was an abnormal squealing noise emerging from the steering wheel. When the brake pedal was pumped, the vehicle drove as designed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to allan vigil Ford (6790 mt zion blvd, morrow, ga 30260, (678) 364-3673) where it was diagnosed that there was rust on the brakes. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was not contacted. The failure mileage was 15,000.
- Rex, GA, USA
Power assisted steering failed while driving around a corner. I started to veer into the on-coming traffic lane and almost collided with an on-coming vehicle. The warning appeared on the dash screen at the same time the power steering stopped working. There was no prior warning.
- Cottage Grove, MN, USA
Issue revolves around exposed steering column near pedals. Column will move as you turn the wheel. My floor mat got tangled in the column simply by shifting causing me to lose steering. This is an extreme hazard, as anything that falls in the pedal well has the potential to cut the steering (including shoe laces, etc). A shroud or cover should be placed as it is on other vehicles including older Escapes. The attached image is directly behind the pedals. This metal shaft will rotate with the steering wheel.
- Apollo, PA, USA
While driving on highway at 75 mph ( the speed limit is 75) I wanted to pass a truck when the steering got really tight, at that speed their is no time for plan B. I clipped the back left of the truck with my right front, which put me in a spin and the car rolled a couple times. Which resulted in a total loss. I was rushed to the emergency room and had all kinds of tests and released the next day. My insurance co does not believe me but that's what happened. I read many articles about Ford having problems with prior years of there electronic steering. But on the other hand if it was not for Ford seatbelt and airbag system I would not be here to write this article.
- Tucson, AZ, USA
Steering wheel locked up while driving, twice!! first time my 18 year old daughter was driving on a local road and the wheel just locked up and she couldn't steer the car. My son who was with her told her to put her hazards on and shut the car down and restart the car, that worked but had it towed to dealer as none of us were taking a chance it would happen again. The dealer said something cracked in the steering column and they fixed it. This second time, I had the car, thank god, and while trying to pull out of a parking spot, the wheel was completely frozen, again!!! this is completely unacceptable and I put myself and my daughter at risk every time we get behind the wheel!!!
- Cliffside Park, NJ, USA
My car was running, but placed in park, and I was running to grab something from my home. After I exited the car, I noticed my car was rolling down my slanted driveway, and I ran to stop it. Unfortunately, the car hit me and ran me over resulting in a broken ankle. I believe the car slipped out of gear while it was running, and reversed down the driveway.
- West Hollywood, CA, USA

- Killeen, TX, USA