Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1010–25K
16725–50K
28050–75K
24175–100K
408100–150K
219150K+
1,416 reports with mileage · 276 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
Steering. Review the 827 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 301 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 279 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
34 crash reports2 fire reports8 injury reports
What owners actually said
1,692 reports
Mileage unknown · Oct 11, 2022
Service Brakes
We are having the same problems with this vehicle as others are having under Ford recall 19S54 NHTSA identifier 19V904. Three times after applying the brakes hard the brake system required servicing because the pedal would slowly go to the floor while sitting at a traffic light. Other symptoms would be sluggish or spongy braking…
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We are having the same problems with this vehicle as others are having under Ford recall 19S54 NHTSA identifier 19V904. Three times after applying the brakes hard the brake system required servicing because the pedal would slowly go to the floor while sitting at a traffic light. Other symptoms would be sluggish or spongy braking. The last service was at a Goodyear where the service tech commented - left front inlet abs valve sticking, activated it three times with scanner before it started to work. He informed us that there was a recall for this problem that may be applicable to out Escape. I called Ford to report it, Case number [XXX]. Will use this Goodyear appt date to answer following questions. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
NHTSA ODI #11488769
Mileage unknown · Oct 10, 2022
Steering
I was driving the vehicle the power steering went out. They told me it’s electric power steering. They did a computer flash in 2014.I showed it was a summary print out for a safety recall they never change the parts they just did a computer flash, and now the part is completely out and he told me you’re not gonna fix it.
NHTSA ODI #11488603
63,000 miles · Oct 3, 2022
Steering
The contact's father owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the conta…
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The contact's father owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
NHTSA ODI #11487600
191,000 miles · Sep 27, 2022
Steering
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the left or the right. The contact stated that the steering wheel had started to jerk to the left. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle and shif…
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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the left or the right. The contact stated that the steering wheel had started to jerk to the left. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle and shifted to park and turned off and restarted the vehicle several times however, the power steering failed to return to full functionality. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but eventually the power steering had completely failed. The contact had driven the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering column needed to be replaced, additionally code B1342-2F PSCM internal fault had been displayed on the dealer diagnostic code reader. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and felt that his vehicle should have been included in the recall. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 191,000.
NHTSA ODI #11486781
Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2022
Service Brakes
ABS Module failure. This is a major issue with these cars and it is extremely dangerous and should be recalled. It causes brake pedal to go to the floor. There’s thousands of cases and parts are unobtainable from manufacturing because they used a one year only part because they were testing it out. There’s been recalls on other …
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ABS Module failure. This is a major issue with these cars and it is extremely dangerous and should be recalled. It causes brake pedal to go to the floor. There’s thousands of cases and parts are unobtainable from manufacturing because they used a one year only part because they were testing it out. There’s been recalls on other models using similar Modules but not on this model.
NHTSA ODI #11484976
180,000 miles · Sep 16, 2022
Steering
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independen…
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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to her residence by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced and the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The independent mechanic referred the contact to the dealer. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall in March of 2015. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
NHTSA ODI #11484839
140,000 miles · Sep 13, 2022
Engine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact replaced the camshaft sensor himself; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and i…
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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact replaced the camshaft sensor himself; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the camshaft sensor and another unknown sensor had been previously replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
NHTSA ODI #11484260
166,000 miles · Aug 26, 2022
Steering
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offer…
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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 166,000.
NHTSA ODI #11481416
115,000 miles · Aug 25, 2022
Steering
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the electrical power steering became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact…
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The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the electrical power steering became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000. The consumer stated the entire steering system would need to be replaced and the cost would be as much as $3500 to $5000+.
NHTSA ODI #11481227
Mileage unknown · Aug 21, 2022
Steering
I recently bought the vehicle from my aunt... I found there is a recall for the same year model made in Kansas city just as mine is... it's a 2009 escape made in KC... but yet it is not showing for the safety recall regarding the power steering.... I have no power steering... it's has shown the fault I power assist on the dash w…
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I recently bought the vehicle from my aunt... I found there is a recall for the same year model made in Kansas city just as mine is... it's a 2009 escape made in KC... but yet it is not showing for the safety recall regarding the power steering.... I have no power steering... it's has shown the fault I power assist on the dash with the change needed warning info.... why is it that y SUV on everything I have read shows that one should have been included but is not... I also need to take it to the nearest ford center to have other repairs made too
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner vehicles manufactured August 18, 2006, through September 11, 2010. The affected vehicles have a steering torque sensor that may not be able to properly detect driver steering input. As a result, the system could remove the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the power steering control module (PSCM) and the instrument cluster module, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of the torque sensor signal or fault codes relating to the PSCM when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, the affected components will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 18, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S05.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
3
DP15001 · Loss Of Power Steering While Driving
Opened Apr 1, 2015 · Closed Jun 14, 2018
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Steering:electric Power Assist System
On May 27, 2014, amended June 2, 2014, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect that may result in a sudden loss of power steering assist while driving in approximately 746,067 model year (MY) 2008 through 2011 Ford Escape vehicles equipped with electric power assisted steering (NHTSA 14V-284, Ford 14S05). Ford's DIR described the defect condition as a poor signal to noise ratio [SNR] in the torque sensor within the Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system [which] does not allow the PSCM to determine the driver's steering input. When the system detects this fault condition, it transitions the EPAS system to the fail-safe/manual steering mode.Ford's DIR indicates that loss of power steering assist while driving would require higher steering effort at lower vehicle speeds, which may result in an increased risk of a crash.Ford's remedy instructs dealers to check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) to determine the proper repair procedure. If no DTCs are present, dealers are to update the PSCM and instrument cluster module software. The updated PSCM software changes the torque sensor fault strategy so that the SNR condition does not result in a loss of power steering assist while driving.In addition, audible and visual warnings are provided for torque sensor faults.If DTCs indicating faults in the torque sensor, PSCM or Power Steering Motor (motor) are present in the initial recall inspection, the dealer performs the following repairs: 1) replaces the torque sensor for torque sensor faults (DTC B2278); or 2) replaces the steering column for faults related to the PSCM (DTC B1342) or motor (DTC B2277).Continued in attachment pages
PE13003 · Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
Opened Feb 21, 2013 · Closed Feb 28, 2014
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
On February 21, 2013, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 to investigate allegations of electronic throttle body (ETB) failures resulting in sudden reduction of engine power in model year (MY) 2009-2013 Ford Escape, Fusion, Mariner and Milan vehicles. During this investigation, Ford identified a condition in subject vehicles equipped with 2.5L and 3.0L engines that may result in a sudden reduction of engine power.According to Ford, the ETB internal motor contacts may develop a high resistance material buildup condition on the commutator, resulting in intermittent electrical connectivity and reduced engine power. When this condition occurs, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) or Wrench light will illuminate and the vehicle may enter a limited limp home mode.Ford?s trade name for the feature is Failure Mode Effects Management (FMEM) mode.In this mode, engine power and vehicle speed are reduced, while full function of the power steering, power braking, lighting, and climate control systems are maintained.ODI?s complaint analysis indicate that the predominant failure mode involved reduced motive power associated with the limited limp home mode with engine speeds limited to approximately 900 RPM. Analysis of warranty claims provided by Ford identified 59,807 claims related to ETB replacements and approximately 50 percent of claims are associated with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2111, Throttle Body Stuck Open, and P2112, Throttle Body Stuck Closed.Ford described several factors where the ETB motor may fail resulting in DTCs P2111 or P2112 but the failure is not an existing stuck open or closed ETB valve position.According to Ford, the ETB control strategy provides the driver with three FMEM modes that allow varying degrees of vehicle mobility depending on the severity of the fault detected.DTCs associated with stuck open or closed throttle valves are designated the highest failure severity resulting in engine speeds limited to high idle corresponding to the limited limp home mode.Vehicles are not likely to unexpectedly stall as a result of this condition, but drivers may characterize the reduced functionality as a stall, even though their vehicle may still has motive capability.Other FMEM limp modes may result in reduced engine performance but will maintain vehicle speed above 20mph. During this investigation, Ford and its suppliers, Delphi and Igarashi, updated the powertrain control module (PCM) software to include a throttle body motor cleaning cycle during key-on and modified the ETB internal motor components design, surface finish and material composition to improve durability. Additionally, Ford developed a remedy procedure and issued a special Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) 13N03 extending the ETB warranty coverage and instructing dealers to update the powertrain calibration to improve vehicle performance in the event that intermittent electrical connectivity of the throttle body motor contacts occurs. The program extends the coverage for up to 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, all vehicles are eligible for the program through January 31, 2015 regardless of mileage.Owners of the affected vehicles will be contacted by mail to take their vehicle to a Ford dealer who will reprogram the PCM to the latest calibration. The bulletin was sent to dealers on January 17, 2014 and the owner letter mailing began on January 27, 2014. See the investigative file for copies of Ford's bulletin and owner letter. This preliminary evaluation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding that
DP12006 · Electronic Throttle Body Malfunction
Opened Oct 2, 2012 · Closed Feb 21, 2013
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
In a letter dated August 30, 2012, The North Carolina Consumers Council (NCCC) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged electronic throttle body failures resulting in engine stall or surge while driving in model year (MY) 2005 through 2012 Ford Escape vehicles. On October 2, 2012 the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Defect Petition DP12-006 to evaluate whether to grant or deny the petition. The petition is hereby granted on certain model years. The NCCC letter cites two complaints of stall while driving in MY 2009 Ford Escape vehicles that were diagnosed as failed throttle bodies with diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) P2111, Throttle Body Stuck Open, and P2112, Throttle Body Stuck Closed. The petitioner indicates that the owners of both vehicles reported experiencing repeated incidents of stalling and engine surging. According to Ford, Escape non-hybrid vehicles are equipped with Electronic Throttle Body (ETB) assemblies beginning with MY 2009. Vehicles manufactured between June 22, 2009 and October 15, 2009 may contain contaminated printed circuit boards (PCB) with plating variations. Plating variations could lead to a lack of continuity in the throttle position sensor circuit where P2111 and/or other DTCs would be generated and stored. Ford and its electronic throttle body supplier, Delphi, modified the PCB manufacturing process and issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) 09-23-5. Vehicles produced after October 15, 2009 incorporated ETBs manufactured with a PCB process that resolved this condition. ODI's analysis identified a total of 123 unique reports indicating allegations of reduced motive power or vehicle stall. Depending on the condition of throttle control system malfunction, a driver may experience varying levels of reduced engine performance associated with three limp home modes. In two limp modes, reduced engine performance may maintain vehicle speeds above 20mph while the third is a limited limp home mode with engine speeds limited to approximately 900 RPM. Allegations of stall appear to be related to the limited limp home mode. Vehicles are not likely to unexpectedly stall as a result of this condition, but drivers may characterize the reduced functionality as a stall, even though their vehicle may still has motive capability. Allegations of vehicle surge appear to be related to limp home mode operation. Complaints alleging surge are most likely related to engine RPM fluctuations at low vehicle speeds or idle as the control system engages to prevent engine stall. In limited limp mode, rough-idle conditions may exist while the control system attempts to modulate engine RPMs once the vehicle reaches a reduced speed to maintain approximately 900 RPM. Separately, ODI received 59 complaints alleging incidents of engine stall while driving in model year (MY) 2010-2011 Ford Fusion vehicles. Approximately 60 percent (36) of the incidents occurred at speeds of 40 miles per hour or more. Eighty percent of complaints (47) were received beginning March 2012 and 14 complaints reported that the throttle body was replaced or DTCs associated with limp home modes. Additionally, Ford issued TSB 10-21-6 addressing DTCs associated with idle speed drops and limited limp home mode. The petition is granted on certain model years.Preliminary Evaluation PE13-003 has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and potential safety consequences associated with the alleged defect.See full copy of the closing resume for this defect petition for list of the VOQs associated with the defect petition analysis.
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