2004 Ford Escape Steering Problems

after experiencing steering issues with this vehicle I had it inspected by a mechanic and was told the sub frame was rusted out. my research indicated repairs may be covered under a recall for this issue but found no recalls for this vin. the problem is exactly as described on the Ford web site yet this vehicle is not covered. was curious as to whether there is something that could be done.

in an attempt t improve the safety and drivability of m 2004 ford escape I went to have my shocks, struts, control arms, sway bar end links and ball joints and steering arms replaced. upon the installation I was informed that the rust on the sub frame is at a critical level and in danger of catastrophic failure. I did some research and found that the recall on the sub frame existed. however my local dealership denied that this recall existed for my vehicle. I was able to get the majority of the parts installed but there is issues with the threads inside the subframe that the hardware attaching the suspension components to the vehicle. I am reading that the "fix" for this recall is installing a support brace but do not fee that is an acceptable repair as the wheels may literally fall off of the car taking the front suspension with them as they go.

JUST BOUGHT MY 2004 FORD ESCAPE K FRAME FRONT PASSENGER LOWER CONTROL ARM MOUNT RUSTED OUT EXACTLY THE WAY IT IS DESCRIBED IN RECALL CODE 14S02 AND MY CAR VIN IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST FOR LOWER CONTROL ARM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS DIFFICULT TO TURN. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED BOMMARITO FORD (675 DUNN RD, HAZELWOOD, MO 63042, (314) 895-0600) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL FAILED DUE TO SEVERE RUST AND CORROSION OF THE SUBFRAME. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE THE CONTROL ARMS AND NOTICED THAT A HUGE CHUNK ON THE SUBFRAME WAS ROTTED AND CORRODED WITH A LARGE HOLE NEAR THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE SUBFRAME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS APPROXIMATELY 40 DEGREES OFF BALANCE. IN ADDITION, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS ADJUSTED WHILE TURNING LEFT OR RIGHT TO PREVENT INDEPENDENTLY INTRUSIVE STEERING DUE TO THE STEERING IMBALANCE. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO MAKE REPAIRS TO THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOUNT OF THE SUBFRAME THAT HAD PARTIALLY DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CONCLUDED THAT ANY REPLACEMENT MEASURES IN RELATION TO THE FAILURE WOULD BE FAULTY. CHAMPION FORD VOLVO (2502 WEST 26TH STREET, ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA 16506, (814) 878-2500) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED IN 2014 PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V165000 (STRUCTURE), IN WHICH THE CROSSBRACE WAS APPLIED TO THE VEHICLE FOR PREVENTATIVE SUBFAME DAMAGE IN JULY OF 2014. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 128,000.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND I LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE I HAD NO STEERING TRUCK WAS SHIMMYING ALL OVER THE ROAD. WAS ABLE TO GET IT SLOWED DOWN AND UNDER CONTROL OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT SLOWLY OFF OF THE HIGHWAY WAS ABOUT 1 MILE FROM MY HOUSE. IT HAS NO STEERING WAS LOOKING UNDERNEATH OF TRUCK AND THE FRAME IS ROTTED ALL AROUND WHERE THE RECALL PART WAS PUT IN.

NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 14V16500. LOWER CONTROL ARM ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE LOSE, RESULTING IN LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL AND INCREASED RISK OF ACCIDENT WHEN DRIVING. IT MAY BE DUE TO RUST AND CORROSION FOR THE LOSE BOLT THAT HOLDS THE UNDERNEATH BRACKET.

MY VEHICLE WAS SERVICED FOR RECALL THAT WAS ISSUED. THE RECALL WAS FOR THE SUBFRAME RUSTING THROUGH WHERE IT MEETS THE CONTROL ARM RESULTING IN STEERING FAILURE. MY VEHICLE HAD THIS PROBLEM UNDER WAY AND WAS RUSTED THROUGH TO THE POINT OF SEPARATION. THE DEALERSHIP PERFORMED THE RECALL AND INSTALLED A "BRACE" ON THE SUBFRAME BUT ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF THE SEPARATION, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT THE RECALL IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT. THE DEALER STATED THAT SINCE THE FAILURE/SEPARATION HAD ALREADY BEGUN THEY COULD NOT REPAIR IT AND GAVE ME THE VEHICLE BACK IN A CONDITION WHICH IS "UNSAFE TO DRIVE", ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE DEALERSHIP. MY CONCERN IS THAT MY VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING THE SAFETY ISSUE FOR WHICH THE RECALL WAS ISSUED AND THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT RESOLVE THE RECALL ISSUE.

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT FOURTY FIVE MILES PER HOUR I PUSHED THE GAS TO GO UP A HILL AND LOST ALL POWER TO THE ENGINE. I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE ENGINE AND IT PICKED UP ENOUGH SPEED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER BEING TOWED HOME IT WOULD CRANK BUT IF YOU MOVED SHIFTER KNOB OR PRESSED GAS IT WOUKD DIE OUT.

HAD A RECALL FROM FORD SHORTLY AFTER BUYINY CAR IN 2014 ABOUT SUBFRAME RUST.FORD SAID THEY FIXED PROBLEM.ABOUT A YEAR LATER THE SUBFRAME BROKE COMPLEXLY MAKING FRONE WHEEL WOBBLE AND PULL TO RIGHT I WENT OFF THE ROAD INTO SOME BRUSH BEFORE I GOT CONTROL OF CAR!!I MADE IT HOME AND SAW THE (FIX)A PIECE OF FLAT STEEL HOLDING LEFT FRAME TO RIGHT NOT A REPAIR AT NEED TO REPLACE COMPLETE SUB FRAME.FORD BLAMED IT ON DEALER.DEALER WILL NOT SPEAK TO ME ABOUT IT.I ALSO HAD PROMLEM WITH RIGHT REAR SHOCK COMING UP THROUGH FLOOR NO RECALL ON THAT.LUCKY NO INJURY OR DEATH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SUBFRAME FOR THE STEERING WAS DETERIORATING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V165000 (STRUCTURE); HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 101,000.

ENGINE CRADLE, PART OF THE FRAME IS UNDER RECALL,IS BROKE. DEALER APPLIED "BAND-AID" MANUFACTURER DECLINES TO REPLACE BROKEN CROSS-MEMBER, EVEN THOUGH IT IS UNDER RECALL. RECALL #14V165000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE MANUAL STEERING WOULD ACTIVATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TO BE TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED IN ORDER TO ACTIVATE THE POWER STEERING. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL AND NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

FORD'S 14S02 RECALL WAS TO DEAL WITH EXCESSIVE RUST ON A SUBFRAME UNIT. IF THE RECALL INSPECTION OF THE SUBFRAME DID NOT RESULT IN CHARACTERISTICS WARRANTING REPLACEMENT, FORD INSTRUCTED DEALERS TO INSTALL A CROSS BRACE. APPROXIMATELY 13 MONTHS AFTER OUR 2004 FORD ESCAPE HAD THE CROSS BRACE INSTALLED THE SUBFRAME UNIT FAILED WHILE WE WERE DRIVING. THE CAR VIOLENTLY JERKED TO THE SIDE AND IF THERE HAD BEEN ANOTHER CAR OR ANY OBSTACLE ON THAT SIDE OF OUR VEHICLE WE WOULD HAVE HIT IT. I CONTACTED FORD SEVERAL TIMES AND ON EACH OCCASION WAS TOLD FORD WOULD NOT COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THEY HAD ALREADY INSTALLED THE CROSS BRACE - WHICH WAS NOT THE PART THAT FAILED AND WAS NOT THE PART FOR WHICH THE RECALL WAS INITIATED. THE REPAIR COST OVER $800. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THE ESCAPE HAD FEWER THAN 60,000 MILES. DURING EACH ON MY CALLS TO FORD, AND AFTER BEING TOLD FORD WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR COSTS, I ASKED TO SPEAK WITH A SUPERVISOR. EACH TIME I WAS TOLD THEY COULD HAVE A SUPERVISOR CALL ME 1 BUSINESS DAY LATER, BUT THEY WOULD NOT GIVE ME A TIME WHEN I COULD EXPECT THE CALL SO I HAD TO BE AVAILABLE AT ANY TIME THROUGHOUT THE DAY. TO SUMMARIZE, THE BAND-AID FORD PUT ON TO DEAL WITH THE SUBFRAME PROBLEM (THE CROSS BRACE) DID NOT FAIL. THE PART FOR WHICH THE RECALL WAS INITIATED DID FAIL EVEN WITH THE CROSS BRACE. FORD IS DENYING COVERAGE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS.

I AM SHOCKED AT HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE THAT I AM HAVING WITH MY ESCAPE IN REGARDS TO THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WELL RUSTING OUT AROUND THE SHOCK MOUNT. I INITIALLY NOTICED THE ISSUE WHEN I HEARD A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE IN THE RIGHT REAR OF THE CAR. I THOUGHT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE REAR SHOCKS SO I TOOK IT TO A NEIGHBORHOOD MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A FRAME ISSUE AND I NEEDED TO TAKE IT TO A BODY SHOP. HE ALSO STATED THAT IT WOULD PROBABLY COST HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX AND SOME BODY SHOPS WOULD NOT BE WILLING TO FIX IT. HE ALSO STATED THAT I SHOULD DRIVE SLOW BECAUSE THE SHOCK MOUNT IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. AT THIS POINT, I AM FURIOUS! I WENT TO A BODY SHOP TODAY ON MY LUNCH BREAK AND THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD COST UPWARDS OF $2,000 TO REPAIR. THE GUY AT THE BODY SHOP ALSO TOLD ME THAT HE HAS SEEN THIS ISSUE ON SEVERAL 2004-2006 FORD ESCAPES AND WAS WELL AWARE THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. I AM SO FRUSTRATED AND AGITATED BECAUSE I HAVE TAKEN VERY GOOD I AM SO FED UP WITH HOW IRRESPONSIBLE THESE HUGE MILLION/BILLION DOLLAR COMPANIES ARE. FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN JUST IN MY LITTLE RESEARCH THAT I HAVE DONE TODAY, FORD IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, YET THEY REFUSE TO ESTABLISH A RECALL.

WHILE DRIVING ON A ROUGH ROAD I NOTICED A RATTLING IN THE REAR COMPARTMENT THAT I HAD NEVER HEARD BEFORE. WHEN I INVESTIGATED I FOUND THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WELL HAD DISINTEGRATED FROM RUST DAMAGE AND THE SHOCK IS NOW FLOATING BASICALLY FREELY WHICH IS CAUSING THE NOISE. I AM CONCERNED FOR THE SAFETY AND HANDLING OF THE VEHICLE AT THIS POINT. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH ESCAPES AND ALWAYS THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL WELL. WHY HAS FORD NOT ISSUED A RECALL? THIS IS CLEARLY A SYSTEMATIC FAILURE. *TR

ON A TRIP TO UPPER PENINSULA, MICHIGAN THIS PAST WEEK WE EXPERIENCED A FAILURE OF THE FRONT SUBFRAME CROSSBRACE, A NEAR CATASTROPHIC EVENT AS THE PIECE BROKE. WE WERE IN GRAYLING, MICHIGAN AND WERE STOPPED NEAR AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE PROVIDER WHO SHOWED US THE DAMAGE AND ATTEMPTED TO FIND A USED PART. THE ONE HE FOUND HAD THE EXACT SAME RUST AND BREAK AS OURS AND THUS HE ORDERED A NEW ONE FROM FORD. IN THE MEANTIME WE WERE FORCED TO RENT A CAR AND CONTINUE ON TO OUR VACATION DESTINATION. AFTER WE RETURNED HOME I LEARNED THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL OF THESE VEHICLES FOR JUST SUCH A FAILURE. I TOOK THE CAR AND THE BROKEN CROSSBRACE TO MIKE CASTRUCCI FORD IN ALEXANDRIA, KY WHERE THE WARRANTY OFFICER INFORMED ME THAT OUR ESCAPE WAS NOT PART OF THE FACTORY RECALL. SHE WAS ABLE TO TELL ME WHY AND WAS VERY HELPFUL ALTHOUGH CLEAR THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THE ARGUMENT WAS PRESENTED THAT THE FAILED PART IN THE RECALL WAS MADE BY A PARTICULAR MANUFACTURER AND USED IN CERTAIN PLANTS OR VEHICLES. I GET THE POINT BUT I HAVE A CAR THAT FAILED IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST AND PRESENTED THE SAME RISK OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURE THAT WE NARROWLY AVOIDED BY LUCK. THE REPAIR REPLACEMENT COST OVER $1000 PLUS LABOR. I BELIEVE VEHICLES LIKE MINE SHOULD BE PART OF THE RECALL. OUR FRONT WHEEL COULD HAVE TOTALLY COLLAPSED WHILE WE WERE TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD ESCAPE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V165000 (STEERING) BUT THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

2004 FORD ESCAPE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO LOWER CONTROL ARM RUST RECALL NOTICE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE, HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE REAR WHEEL WELL ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. HE PULLED OVER, AND DISCOVERED THE SHOCK WAS HANGING DOWN. HE WAS UNABLE TO PULL IT OF. SO HE DROVE BACK HOME, AND UPON FURTHER EXAMINATION, HE DISCOVERED THERE WAS NO FENDER LEFT ON THE SHOCK. ALSO, THE TRUNK LID WAS RUSTING. *JB THE CONSUMER HE WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION WHILE THE GEAR WAS IN DRIVE. THE CONSUMER STATED HE PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY, SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND PLACED THE KEYS IN THE CONSOLE. HE EXITED THE VEHICLE TO REMOVE ITEMS FROM THE BACK SEAT. SOON AFTER, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO ROLL BACKWARDS. UPDATED 06/01/16.*JB

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND HIT A POTHOLE, AFTER HITTING THE POTHOLE THERE WAS A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR. AFTER INSPECTION THE ENTIRE SHOCK MOUNT HAD RUSTED AWAY FROM THE BODY AND BECAME SEPARATED. IT WAS FREE TO JOLT AROUND AND CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE. NOT SAFE TO BE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE NOW. *TR