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
1,693 reports, newest first.
Steering, Apr 30, 2023
Car steering is very stiff as if the steering is locked, and the car is hard to steer at the start of the car or when driven at low speeds below 30mph.
Steering, Apr 28, 2023
Steering wheel is hard and instrument cluster problem
Steering, Apr 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH with two children in the rear seats, and making a turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway by using physical force to steer the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times and had increased in occurrence significantly. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality for several seconds after starting. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the contact stated that the power steering control module (PSCM) was the only repair that was completed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance; however, the dealer declined to assist. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Apr 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel started shaking with the power steering assist fault message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle due to the failure. The contact called a dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that there was a recall on similar vehicles. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.
Steering, Apr 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel became firm without warning. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and turn off the vehicle. When the vehicle was restarted, the power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) and advised to contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 170,000.
Steering, Apr 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH, the steering wheel became firm with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 165,600.
Steering, Apr 12, 2023
My vehicles steering wheel is having problems turning. Its stuck and if I drive it it will definitely cause a crash bc it wont turn. Its very tight and hardly moves.
Steering, Apr 9, 2023
I was driving my 2009 Escape and the steering wheel started shaking back and forth. Then the power assist went out and I is very hard to steer. I took it to a dealer and they said either the sensor was bad ( $1000 ) to replace or the steering column was bad ($2200) to replace, but they could not get the part. They charged me $130 to diagnosis the problem which took 10 minutes and they knew the steering assist light being on that was the problem. then they told me they could not get the steering column, on mega back order so they won't know when they would get the part. On top of that, they charged a $15 shop FEE. For what? FORD suck and I will never own one again and I will tell anyone who listens that FORD SUCKS.
Service brakes, Apr 3, 2023
The incident took place on 12/12/22 while driving at about 40-45 mph a truck pulled out Infront of me causing me to unexpectedly break. There were no indicator warning lights on the dash prior to or after the failure. The break went all the way to the floor, luckily we were able to avoid an accident, and myself and my son were just jerked around and held back by the seat belt. The independent garage we use was right around the corner. The vehicle was diagnosed and needed a new master cylinder and abs hydraulic control unit. The part was out of stock and took three months to come in. The vehicle was repaired and received on 3/23/23.
Steering, Mar 29, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times while driving, and the vehicle responded as needed after being restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was repaired for power steering failure under an unknown recall; however, the failure reoccurred a year later. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Steering, Mar 29, 2023, crash
In later part of 2021my vehicle's power steering began disengaging and reengaging. It is now parked in my driveway for I am afraid of driving it. Apparently the was a safety recall issued several years ago recognizing this problem and authorizing a software upgrade, new torque sensor or steering column replacement. I took my vehicle to the Ford dealer in 2014 under Safety Recall 14S05 and they did a software reprogramming. Obviously, they missed something. Now they tell me ambiguously that the recall is expired or that by reprogramming the software, they are released from further recall liability and that I would have to pay ($2200) for steering column replacement. No
Steering, Mar 28, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) in 2014. The contact stated that several years later while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as a malfunctioning power steering control module that was needing replacement. The contact stated that the independent mechanic reprogrammed the power steering module which temporarily repaired the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure returned, and the vehicle was taken to another independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as a malfunctioning power steering control module. The part was still not replaced as the independent mechanic informed the contact that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was then taken to a Ford dealer where the contact was informed that the part was no longer being manufactured. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and stated that the part was on backorder; however, they would contact the dealer to order the part under a special case. The contact stated that the dealer informed him that the part was a stop sale as the manufacturer was no longer producing the power steering control module. The approximate failure mileage was 87,000. The contact has yet to receive a replacement part of their vehicle and no recall has been issued.
Steering, Mar 24, 2023
The electric power steering system (EPAS) on my 2009 Ford Escape failed. Without the power steering the vehicle is unsafe to drive. It is currently sitting in my driveway undriven since July of 2022. The dealer has ordered new parts, but there is a long wait list because of the number of these failures. I believe there had been a recall issued for this problem but apparently my vehicle and many others were not included. I was told by the dealer’s parts department that there are at least 900 outstanding orders for this part and Ford has issues with their being manufactured. I had to pay the dealer in advance for the parts before he would order them.
Steering, Mar 22, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-70 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Steering, Mar 17, 2023
Oh yes my power steering went out without warning without notice took it to the shop put it on a diagnostic machine they said it was the power power steering I called my the dealer here in Owensboro they said that the problem was fixed in 2014 the same exact problem that I'm having now so obviously there is a history of this safety matter so it's going to be so is there going to be another recall on it or how we going to solve this problem you.
Steering, Mar 14, 2023
The contact's aunt owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his aunt was driving 35-40 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality inadvertently. The message "Steering Torque Sensor Failure" was displayed. The contact's aunt was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the nearby dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque sensor needed to be replaced and that the failure was related to the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall as the VIN was not included. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 168,054.
Steering, Mar 3, 2023
While making a turn the power steering stopped working, the steering wheel jolted straight, giving me the only option to drive straight versus making the turn. From that point the power steering randomly works.
Steering, Other or unspecified, Feb 27, 2023
The power steering goes in and out. The car is very hard to start when the key is turned and sometimes it would take several tries to get it started. Now it won't start at all I changed the Ignition switch and it still doesn't start.
Steering, Feb 15, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist became disabled. A clicking noise was coming from the steering column. The check battery warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage 200,000.
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Feb 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle was slow to respond. The contact stated that the brake pedal depressed to the floorboard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Steering, Feb 10, 2023
While driving, the power steering kicked off and made it extremely difficult to turn, which was very dangerous. This has happened intermittently 6-9 times over the past several days, it appears the fault is getting worse and happening more frequently.
Steering, Feb 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced intermittent power steering failure. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was required to steer the vehicle during the failure. The contact called a dealer and was informed that the VIN was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Steering, Feb 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot at 20-25 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact was turned off and restarted the vehicle several times; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive the vehicle at low speed by using physical force to steer the vehicle. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Steering, Feb 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2009 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced intermittent power steering failure, without warning. The contact also stated that excessive force was required to steer the vehicle during the failure. The contract called a dealer and he has scheduled an appointment for a diagnostic test. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) which he linked to the failure; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that his vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Steering, Electrical system, Feb 2, 2023
The electronic steering on our 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid stopped working. We responded to the 14S05 recall. Our dealer reprogrammed the system and that seemed to work, however the problem is not with the program, the issue as shared with us by the Ford dealer is with The torque sensor or the electronic steering switches that are affixed to the steering column. The repair per the dealer is to replace the steering column. The software was not the issue, the Ford components are the issue. The recall letter states that "...the dealer may need to replace the torque sensor or the steering column. This service will be performed free of charge (parts and labor). But now Ford will not authorize the repair since the it was 'fixed' previously with software. A correction that ultimately failed. Ford's customer service is unwilling to acknowledge this reoccurring issue as shown by the complaints here. From Ford's perspective they believe the dealer is at fault for not undertakign the proper correction, when the dealer was first advised to address the problem with software. I.e. the cheaper solution. Ford has a know component failure issue that it is refusing to address.