2009 Ford Escape
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Steering is the leading concern among 1,693 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 26 Escape model years with reports.
Of the 2009 reports, 34 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 17 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Suspension, front, wheel bearingJun 3, 2015
The Timken Company (Timken) is recalling certain aftermarket front wheel bearings, part number 510072, sold from January 22, 2015, to May 21, 2015, to be used as service parts on 2001-2012 Ford Escape, 2001-2011 Mazda Tribute, and 2005-2011 Mercury Mariner vehicles. The affected wheel bearings have incorrect dimensions of a 42mm bore, 76mm outer dimension, and 39mm width, instead of a 42mm bore, 78mm outer dimension and a 45mm width.
Use of an incorrectly sized wheel bearing can adversely affect the braking and steering of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Timken has begun notifying distributors who will offer purchasers replacement wheel bearings, free of charge. The recall began on May 21, 2015. Owners may contact Timken customer service at 1-866-984-6536.
Campaign 15E045000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, electric power assist systemMay 29, 2014
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 14V284000 on NHTSA.gov
EquipmentSep 3, 2010
MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SEATS CONTAINING SIDE AIRBAGS. THE HEAVIER SEAT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH FULL DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIRBAG COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY.
MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
Campaign 10E043000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: steering
828 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Electrical system, Jan 30, 2025
As many other Ford escapes have been recalled due to power steering issues. Mine has been going out while driving and causing a very dangerous safety issue. Ive contacted my local ford dealership and noticed my 2009 ford escape is not on the recall list. Im requesting a change to this as my vehicle is a real safety issue for not just myself but for others. No warning lights appear whenever it goes out either.
Steering, Jan 15, 2025
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the steering wheel failed to turn to the right or the left. The contact stated that the power steering assist was inoperable. The contact called the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called the manufacturer, who confirmed that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 137,000. The VIN was not available.
Steering, Structure, Dec 25, 2024
Steering torque sensor failed Can not be driven . Subframe rusted out. Unsafe to drive.
Steering, Dec 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (STEERING) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available
Steering, Dec 14, 2024
The power steering has gone out we see recalls for this make, year and model. But when we called the dealer they informed us our VIN is not included in this recall problem. But it is in the year 2009 clearly included in the recall for power steering. Why can our Escape not be included in this recall?
Steering, Dec 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Edge. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and inspected; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was then taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
Steering, Dec 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon his wife starting the vehicle, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed on the instrument panel and the steering wheel failed to operate as needed. The contact was called to the scene of the failure and inspected the vehicle. The contact discovered that there was no mechanical failure with the vehicle. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective steering column. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact notified the manufacturer of the failure and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 77,000.
Steering, Nov 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel seized with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was stiff while attempting to start the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 223,000.
Steering, Nov 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the steering wheel was seized, and the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed. The check engine and air bag warning lights were also illuminated. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was made aware of DTC code: B-1936 and NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 249,000.
Steering, Oct 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while his son was operating the vehicle, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (STEERING). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 62,000.
Steering, Oct 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Steering, Oct 14, 2024
Yesterday, [XXX], the power steering first temporarily went out on a curve and came back on and I was able to continue driving with power steering. After I stopped the vehicle for roughly 1.5 hours (planned stop), it no longer worked. I was a short distance from home and returned home and parked the vehicle. I was not going a high rate of speed when the temporary loss occurred; however, there is a great accident risk for this issue, especially in a heavy traffic and/or higher speed area. I started it twice today to see if it worked and it is not working. The system message says “power steering assist fault” on the dash. This was displaying yesterday and is also today. My vehicle was manufactured in Kansas City, MO and I am requesting the VIN be reviewed and included as part of the recall, 14S05A. Please assist as soon as possible so this can be resolved. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Steering, Oct 2, 2024
no powersteering went out while driving they reprogramed steering module nowit went out totally its bs on fords part
Steering, Other or unspecified, Aug 24, 2024
I was driving down the road then all the sudden halfway through making a turn the power steering went completely out almost causing me to wreck. I looked up the issue and it is on the recall list but for some reason this individual vehicle doesn't have the recall. It falls into all there peramiters for being recalled. The Ford dealership gave me the same runaround. So now it is sitting with the power steering still not working. There were absolutely no warnings that this was going to happen. Not a light or anything.
Steering, Aug 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the electronic power steering control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, May 28, 2024
Complete power steering assist loss with no warning. should have been fixed by dealer before we purchased the vehicle used with less the 4,000 miles on it. reference recall 14S05. While driving at 45 mph to turn onto the highway experienced complete power steering assist loss.
Steering, May 21, 2024
This year and model is under a Ford Motor company recall number 14S05 which is the steering torque sensor. this device when failing will cause the power steering to go out and make it almost impossible to steer. Which obviously can cause a major accident. I have called Ford Motor company as well as the local dealerships and they both stated that this is a specific VIN number eligibility recall. The issue is whether or not my 2009 Ford escape made the list is irrelevant because that is exactly what the vehicle is doing and should be serviced at Ford motor company's expense. Please advise how I can get this resolved.
Steering, May 2, 2024
The steering went out on my daughters car. When calling the dealership to find out about a possible recall as I see it's a known issue, we were told there is no recall for this car. (...same car, same year has recalled many of these for this issue, why not this one?) When taking to a mechanic were quoted that a new steering column was needed, although it would have to be a salvaged part which is not safe to put another defective refurbished steering assembly especially at the quoted cost of 3k.
Steering, Apr 30, 2024
When my daughter was driving, she experienced complete loss of steering assist when trying to make a turn. It is still happened with no warnings at all. reference recall # 14S05 we purchased this vehicle used with only 3,322 miles on it just a few years ago and thought that it had No recall issues, but after further research it looks like the vehicle was taken to Apple Ford around 04/12/21 or 04/27/21. Looks like they cleared the recall from records, but did not address the issue. it only had about 3,322 miles on it when it was reviewed in year 2021. After the complete loss of steering assist. I took the vehicle to Lexington Park Ford on 02/09/2024, they told me it had no recalls, after further research they told me the recall was closed back on 04/2021, they wanted to charge us to fix the same thing that the recall is for and it was never properly address. we did not have it fixed, the steering assist fails at random times and makes this vehicle very unsafe to drive.
Steering, Air bags, Service brakes, Apr 16, 2024
My power steering just went out a sensor, a recall i have read.My ABS just went to the floor for no reason, a part that was not made, also a recall I have read. My ignition is faulty, put another in but it isn't fixed. I have a button to start it. Mechanic fixed this contraception up. Air bags faulty passenger side.The car tells me to check it. All of these are recalls on the 2009 Ford Escape xlt, but they say no recalls. I wanted to get this all fixed. But it looks like this may be my death car. I am not of very much income fixed income so I can't afford to take to dealership to fix. But I have had certified mechanic look at it. I think it's terrible Ford doesn't acknowledge this and send me to a dealership it 80 miles from me. But they would tag this a "Lemon" and it is dangerous for my safety and others on the roads if everything goes out completely. I will be dead. I have 74,000 original miles on this Ford Escape. Not many miles for the troubles I have and am experiencing. Thanks for letting me share my opinion and maybe something can be done about this.
Steering, Apr 1, 2024
The car started moving the steering wheel back and forth on its own and then completely lost power steering.
Steering, Mar 31, 2024
Back in 2018 I had another incident which was when I was driving down the highway and had to make a turn I had no power steering and almost hit a police car. My car should be included with a recall I read about. That repair cost me $700. Since 2023 when I start my car I won't have any power steering. The Ford dealership is telling me it is another censor and will cost me $2,500. This is a dangerous thing.
Steering, Air bags, Service brakes, Mar 26, 2024, crash
Unknown. Steering and brakes locked so i lost all control of the vehicle doing about 60 mph down the highway. Which resulted in being drove off the side of the highway through a fence hitting 2 trees before rolling twice. The airbags never deployed and both my passenger and i were taken to the hospital by ambulance. They sustained deep bruising and i suffered a closed wedge compression fracture of the L2 Vertebrae and some lacerations
Power train, Steering, Mar 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the power train warning light illuminated randomly but disappeared. Additionally, the contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the steering wheel became stiff and was difficult to turn. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
Steering, Electrical system, Mar 18, 2024
I was driving to work when all the sudden out of nowhere with no warning I lost all power steering control luckily I just got off the highway and wasn’t going too terribly fast though it scared the crap outta me and this could have ended very badly! I was unable to turn my wheel at all!!! On my dashboard it says POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT after researching this I came across a recall for 2008-2014 Ford Escapes for what exactly happened to me on my