What 2,743 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Escape Gas

Without warning, power steering assistant stopped working. Almost wrecked my car!!

NHTSA ODI 11542959

We have problems with the power steering not working

NHTSA ODI 11540797

Have a Ford 2013 Escape SEL with 79,337 miles. The vehicle has been a lemon from the time I purchased it in 2014. Have replaced the water pump, a sensor, the turbocharger, the engine shield and now the rack and pinion steering. Stopped at a gas station and when started the car again to back out, received the 'Steering assist fault Service required' alert and lost all powering steering. Had to drive the car home. Mechanic charging $1860 + tax and a Ford dealership quoted $2593 + tax. Sent emails to the Executive Team at Ford and did receive a call back. Was told that unfortunately there are no recalls for my VIN/year. How is Ford allowed to get away with manufacturing faulty vehicles which can cause accidents, injuries or worse!! HOLD FORD ACCOUNTABLE!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11540479

I recieved a Power Steering Assist Failure notification and then my power steering went out in my car as I was driving it making the car extremly hard to control. This happened multiple time without warning as I was driving my car. At the time my car has around 39,000 miles on it. I took my car to a Ford dealership to have the problem fixed and the repair was extemly costly, around $2,900, to replace the entire rack and pinion. From a online search this is a very common problem with this year of the Escape and a safety recall for the same issue was issued for earlier models of the Escape and other Ford models. When I spoke to the dealership, the technician confirmed that this is a common problem with Ford Escapes. I believe that later models of the Escape should be included in the recall and I'd like to be reimbursed for the work done.

NHTSA ODI 11540018

Steering assist fault goes on and off in vehicle. Speedometer and odometer stop working.

NHTSA ODI 11539928

All of a sudden my power steering failed while backing out of a parking space. I almost hit the car next to me because it was sudden and froze. Thank God I wasn’t on the road! Would have crashed for sure! My vehicle is only at 111000 miles!!! Insane!!! DANGEROUS

NHTSA ODI 11539599

I was driving down the road an hour away from home with 3 other passengers, when the power steering stopped working. The car was extremely hard to handle and we almost wrecked 3 Times.

NHTSA ODI 11539050

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering assist fault warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became firm. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 103,000.

NHTSA ODI 11539167

“Steering Assist Fault - Service Required” Two weeks of intermittent loss of power steering, regained by turning the car on and off again, to complete power steering loss. Very difficult to steer and park the vehicle. Many online forum with ‘13 Escape owners experiencing similar issue with no resolution.

NHTSA ODI 11537855

Steering wheel locks up at highway speeds. Read a lot of complaints on ford escape problem. It is in the millions. Losing steering assistance while driving making the wheel impossible to turn

NHTSA ODI 11536684

electric power steering assist stopped working.

NHTSA ODI 11535571

Electric power assist steering failed. Upon restart it worked fine for a time and then failed again at 65MPH.

NHTSA ODI 11535367

December of 2022 - Took car to shop due to engine overheat light and oil smell inside vehicle as well as other "codes coming up. Vehicle was repaired. May 2023 had to take car back to shop due to cranking and it immediately saying engine overheating, low coolant, and various other codes as well as brakes not properly functioning. Repair shop said it was low on coolant and added fluid, stated no leaks and returned vehicle. But repair shop shows it pulled 15 codes, including loss of communication with ABS control module A as well as 3 other "lost communication with" codes and the engine overheating. The NEXT day we had the same issues and had to put it back in the shop. They flushed system and replaced motor because a bad head gasket caused oil to mix with the water (again). Got the vehicle back July 10th and the traction control and braking felt off as it had before in Dec 2022 but then was fine. Noticed on 7/11 that there appeared to be something in the fluid tank that shouldn't be there (like black chunks) and called the repair shop to see about scheduling another diagnostic. On 7/13 my son was driving from work and the engine suddenly stalled saying overheating when it wasn't showing overheating. Pulled over, started to crank it back up and it was fine. On 7/14 on his was to work, he pulled to the edge of the roadway to miss multiple deer in the road and was unable to steer the vehicle back onto the roadway. The traction control kicked in and he could not steer the car back onto the road, brakes did not work and ended up causing him to crash. I have driven the car a few times when traction control would kick in when it really shouldn't and it would not allow me to steer, accelerate, or really do anything until it shut back off.

NHTSA ODI 11532521

The contact's wife owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his wife was starting the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel was significantly difficult to steer. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was related to an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA ODI 11532025

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message was displayed, and the steering wheel became firm. The dealer was contacted and confirmed knowledge of the failure but confirmed that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11530499

On more than one occasion, on vehicle start up. I have no power assist steering. If I wait 5 to 10 seconds it starts working.

NHTSA ODI 11529704

My steering is suddenly bad. Rack and pinions.

NHTSA ODI 11529459

On 6/15,2023, upon starting my car after being parked, a warning message appeared briefly about a "steering fault." The message quickly disappeared. Upon driving the car, I noticed I had lost power steering. I was forced to drive my car home without power steering. Fortunately, the distance was only a few miles, and with caution I was able to get home safely. This problem has been reported by other 2013 Ford Escape drivers, some of whom have lost power steering while driving, which is a significant safety concern. I will be making a service appointment at my local Ford dealer today. Other 2013 Ford Escape drivers have reported online that this repair may cost $1500-3000.

NHTSA ODI 11527320

Electric Power Steering system has had multiple issues including failing twice while driving in traffic. These vehicles are unsafe to drive.

NHTSA ODI 11527433

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 25 MPH and making a right turn into the residence, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact’s husband took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11527148

Yesterday, while driving my Ford Escape, all of a sudden, my steering wheel became near impossible to steer - very difficult to be able to control enough to contain the vehicle and pull to a stop. It was so scary. I was just arriving home, but if this had happened on the Interstate or the State Highway I had just traveled, I am not certain I could have safely gotten my Escape off of the Highway without an accident. * Without prior warning, the steering wheel was so very hard to turn. * Trying to see what was happening, I looked at the Message which had popped up, ( There was not a message noted prior to the near inability to physically force the steering wheel to turn.) * The message said: Steering Assist Fault - Service Required (That is the 1st time that message had been

NHTSA ODI 11525747

After making a turn on multiple occasions, an error code appeared that said ‘power steering assist’ had failed, and immediately my steering wheel locked and I was unable to steer to get to the side of the road. It caused danger to myself and other drivers on the road, having many near misses when these incidents occurred.

NHTSA ODI 11525057

We had several instances where the Steering Assist Fault Service Required warning message would come on when the vehicle was started, and this resulted in a loss of power steering. When the vehicle was turned off and restarted, the power steering would come back on. We took the car to the Ford dealership and they confirmed that there was a Control Module internal electrical failure (PSCM) and they recommended the power steering system be replaced at our expense. The repair bill was $2550.16. The loss of power steering in a vehicle is a critical safety issue, as it could result in an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11519660

Steering assist fault in motor. Ability to steer vehicle went out while driving. This occured without warning while driving on the road in traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11518058

When turning right my steering locked up randomly. It felt like resistance when turning but then would suddenly break free and turn. It didn’t do it again so far. If there was a car there I would have hit them.

NHTSA ODI 11518137