2010 Ford Escape Owner Complaints

1. I purchased a 2010 Ford Escape that had a preexisting rusted frame defect. That is shown by the Ford vehicle history report and related service documentation, which support that the problem existed before I took possession of the vehicle. The vehicle was determined as unsafe to drive and later broke down after the sale. Apple Ford Apple Valley documented that the vehicle was “not safe to drive due to rusted frame,” and after break down, Carlson Automotive also inspected the vehicle and confirmed serious issues. The vehicle and related records can be made available for inspection upon request. 2.My safety and the safety of others were put at risk because the structural defect caused loss of control, steering problems, and ultimately a breakdown while driving. This created a danger to me, my passengers, and other drivers on the road. 3.The problem was confirmed by a dealer ( prior to the sale to me) and an independent service center ( after it broke down ). I am not aware of any police or insurance inspection of the vehicle. The seller is not cooperating. Ford bought the vehicle through a trade in and then held it for resale, top gear obtains the vehicle which then sells it on kbids to me. 4. There were warning signs before the failure THAT WERE NOT DISCLOSED AND FORD ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO LEAVE ITS LOT INSTEAD OF JUNKING IT. The Ford history report and service records showed the rusted frame condition before the vehicle failed, and Apple Ford Apple Valley documented that the vehicle was not safe to drive. The car fax report did not show detailed service notes. I was not able to find out more detail until I was listed as the owner at FORD. The vehicle was video recorded on top gear you tube page as drivable and operational WITHOUT restrictions.

NHTSA ID

11750831

Incident

Mar 27, 2026

I own a 2010 Ford Escape, VIN [XXX]. Last year in 2025, my power steering went out. I found out it was from a safety recall. I took it to the Ford dealership in Sandusky, MI. They told me it wasn't a safety recall and they would not cover it. I have been searching online for a YEAR, and I finally found where that certain safety recall was only repaired by computer update, NOT by checking the actual steering column, via the previous owners. I want the steering column looked at and for free. We could have died if it had failed in a turn. The escape is sitting in my garage with NO POWERSTEERING AT ALL and no one can drive it. This is a safety risk because without power-steering I cannot turn or drive my vehicle at all. I want this repaired as soon as possible, for free. There were no messages or failures, it just stopped working. Ford is telling me that they won't fix it because it has already been repaired and it is not in their computer system. I know this is BS because if it was fixed, why is it failed now? I also learned that they did a "system update" to prevent failure of the steering column and I guess mine didn't get one. I am not a happy customer and I will NEVER buy a ford again if this is not repaired. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11748036

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

Front subframe on the right side prematurely rusts, causing the vehicle to loose steering and pull to the right.

NHTSA ID

11742103

Incident

May 22, 2026

My car is a limited version which equipped a Microsoft SYNC system which providing backup camera and vehicle system setting and information such as hybrid status, driven mode, battery charging status, GPS navigation, etc. Just because this 'Upgrade', the clock and date setting is different with regular escape hybrid cars which comes from the satellite only. Driver could adjust the hour and minute, but the day, month, and year would be reset to a certain day of 2006 if battery changing. After that, the date could be updated by GPS signal automatically. It was working well until one year ago. Now, my car is showing Oct, 2006 and running day after day. I did some research on internet and found a lot of drivers with same issue. A engineer revealed the root cause that Ford used a ten digits week counting method based on a starting date in 2006 to display the current date which could only working within 1023 weeks (17.5 years). Without changing the hardware, software might not correct this issue. I'm not sure and went to Ford dealer shop last week, they denied this issue and refused to recall even repair this car. I hope Ford could recall the fix this obvious defective product soon.

NHTSA ID

11741950

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

I went out to start my car and the power steering assist fault came on and wouldn't let me turn the wheel easily. When I looked up the problem the code came back to one of the recalls Ford has on those escape. But now my car is not in the recall but it was made with in the years and the plant the they recalled for

NHTSA ID

11741168

Incident

May 24, 2026

AFTERMARKET SEAT COVER AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIRBAG COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY. I can't electricly move my seats when I try and air bag warning comes in my dash board

NHTSA ID

11728377

Incident

Mar 31, 2026

The complaint is regarding a 2010 Ford Escape, original owner and maintained mostly at dealer shop. Vehicle only has 79k miles on it, and has been garage stored. It has rust in the rear wheel wells and a crack in the rear right subframe due to rust.

NHTSA ID

11727713

Incident

Dec 5, 2025

Power steering assist failure on the message board. Making it hard to turn come on and off at different times. Changed rack and pion and steering wheel sensor. Started in Dec 2025 continuing to present

NHTSA ID

11726833

Incident

Dec 17, 2025

I took my car into the dealership they had my car for over a month now they sent that I got to pay for a recall of the steering wheel or wait

NHTSA ID

11724117

Incident

Mar 13, 2026

Electric power steering failure. Complete loss of steering. Module in steering column failure. Cost me $4000.00 for repairs

NHTSA ID

11722654

Incident

Mar 17, 2022

I recently bought this vehicle, I think about three months ago, used obviously. I will be going down the road, and for no apparent reason the vehicle will lose power steering. Not often but about once a month. Also, the majority of the time I can smell fuel from outside the vehicle. It most definitely has a fuel leak. Today, I got down and looked behind the tire at the fuel intake and it seems to be leaking at a yellow ring on the outside of the fuel tank. While researching this issue online seems to be a common issue, however, I have pulled up my VIN many times on the recall list and it has not shown up. It seems like not only an accident hazard with steering, but a fire hazard with the fuel. The fuel issue seems to make it very “jumpy” when idling at red lights, but maybe that’s a separate issue.

NHTSA ID

11722382

Incident

Mar 5, 2026

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the steering wheel seized and failed to respond as designed. The vehicle was restarted several times before the steering wheel unlocked. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 166,320.

NHTSA ID

11720426

Incident

Oct 25, 2025

Mileage

166,320 mi

The steering angle sensor failed. My mechanic replaced it. I do not know if the part is still available for inspection. The safety of those in the vehicle as well as any around it were in jeopardy when the incident occurred. Thankfully no one was injured nor was there any collision for further vehicle damage. While the vehicle was running, suddenly the steering wheel whipped to the left. The vehicle was in motion when this occurred, causing the vehicle to turn further than intended, and requiring substantial strength to re-direct the vehicle under the driver's (and passenger's) guidance. As long as the vehicle was running, the power steering pulled the wheel to the most extreme left. The mechanic confirmed that the steering angle sensor was the issue and replaced it. I was able to reproduce the steering moving itself (the steering wheel, and front tire) left, when the engine was engaged. With the vehicle off, I was able to maneuver the tires left and right. But when I turned on the vehicle, the wheel would turn itself left. The mechanic assessed the vehicle, replaced the part, and reprogrammed, I presume the part, for this issue. Police officers did block traffic, in order to add safety while we pushed the vehicle out of the roadway. However they did not personally assess the vehicle, or file a traffic report that I am aware of. A friend of my daughter's did come by and feel the stiffness with steering wheel tension, also I believe they saw it turn itself left when the engine was re-engaged. After we purchased the vehicle, we found a post from a previous owner of the vehicle mentioning an issue with the steering. The cause, degree, etc. was vague in the ad's post. I do not recollect if the dealer mentioned the issue to me. Also, we did not see any related dash lights prior to the moment, nor did we notice any symptoms of this, prior to the incident suddenly occurring. I did contact a dealership, and the manufacturer with regards to this.

NHTSA ID

11713781

Incident

Jan 9, 2026

Ford 2010 escape Power assist steering fault- torque sensor needs replacement at only 92,000 miles. My steering wheel became loose and shaking aggressively while driving and at idle causing serious safety and control concerns. The steering wheel has also become very hard to turn. Ford dealer ran a diagnostic and confirmed the issue. This is the exact same issue that has been recalled on other 2010 Ford escapes.

NHTSA ID

11713471

Incident

Jan 12, 2026

Took the car into a mechanic for shaking in the steering wheel while driving and shaking/ grinding noise coming from steering wheel while car is idle. Mechanics confirmed it is a power steering assist fault. This causes a safety concern when driving due to a possible loss of steering and harder to control.

NHTSA ID

11711473

Incident

Jan 12, 2026

The power system assist fault light came on and steering is very difficult

NHTSA ID

11705748

Incident

Nov 25, 2025

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the contact attempted to turn the steering wheel to the right to exit the highway, the contact was unable to turn the steering wheel. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stopped the vehicle and turned off the vehicle and restarted the vehicle to reset the power steering. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact advised the dealer that there was a recall for the year, make and model. The contact was advised by the dealer that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11698913

Incident

Sep 26, 2025

Electric Power Steering system failure related to the torque sensor. An unexpected loss of steering while driving. I was driving on the I95 on my way to work when all of a sudden I lost the ability to steer the car. It took all the strength I had to pull over to the shoulder before the car behind me swerved in the nick of time to avoid a collision. It was very scary. I turned the engine off gathered myself and turned the engine back on and the power steering returned. I exited the highway as soon as possible and drove to the mechanic. He ran a test on the car and the code came up for the recall for the electric power steering system failure which is a recall.

NHTSA ID

11696468

Incident

Sep 22, 2025

Bout the vehicle from a used car dealership in Victorville and in 22 days the truck valve body gave out in the middle of me driving almost causing a car accident on freeway. The solenoid D is stuck in off and the transmission on this model is known to do this I need help or some answers

NHTSA ID

11695708

Incident

Oct 5, 2025

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel violently drifted to the left, and the contact lost control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle. Prior to the failure, the independent mechanic informed the contact that the same failure had occurred after the tie rod ends were replaced. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic, who then had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a defective steering column. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the recall was not related to the steering column failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 125,365

NHTSA ID

11694993

Incident

Oct 8, 2025

Mileage

125,365 mi

There is oil leak that cannot be found. I have taken that truck to 3 different mechanics, conducted 3 different diagnostics using the dye and everything and the source of this leak cannot be found and is causing me problems.

NHTSA ID

11694380

Incident

Sep 22, 2025

concerns regarding my 2010 Ford Escape. Within thirty (30) days of purchase, the transmission completely failed, rendering the vehicle inoperable. Additionally, upon further inspection, it was discovered that the entire underbody of the vehicle is severely rusted and corroded. This corrosion appears extensive enough to compromise the structural integrity of the frame and essential safety components. While operating the vehicle prior to transmission failure, I also experienced significant shaking and vibration during both driving and braking. These issues raise major safety concerns, as they could indicate underlying brake, suspension, or frame instability. Given the combination of a failed transmission, extensive underbody rust, and unsafe driving behavior, I believe this vehicle may present a serious risk to myself and others on the road. These types of defects and corrosion levels are unusual for a vehicle of this make and model and could point to a broader safety or manufacturing issue. I am requesting that Ford review this matter urgently and provide direction on possible inspection, repair, or compensation options. I am more than willing to provide documentation, photos, or mechanic reports to assist in your evaluation. Thank you for your attention to this serious matter. I look forward to your prompt response regarding next steps.

NHTSA ID

11692025

Incident

Oct 5, 2025

The contact owns a 2010 Ford Escape. While the contact’s wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering assist and was driven with manual steering. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and contacted the dealer, and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000

NHTSA ID

11686232

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

Mileage

170,000 mi

The power steering assist fault warning light came up and my steering wheel became hard to steer.

NHTSA ID

11682833

Incident

May 26, 2025

Transmission axle was leaking 2020 and it was repaired two times that I paid for. It started leaking again a few months ago we took it in and discovered that it's a bearing or bushing which was a known issue for Ford escape and their suggesting rebuild or replace. That the leaking that we had the seal replaced couldn't stop the internal damage that it would still leak because the transmission is faulty and has a known issue with either bearings or bushings.

NHTSA ID

11675677

Incident

Jul 19, 2025