NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Ford Escape. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the sunroof inadvertently exploded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated when the vehicle was parked the key was inserted into the ignition approximately five times before the vehicle started. Additionally, the contact stated on three occasions while driving at various speeds the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted. The vehicle was taken to a independent dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition cylinder switch and torque sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000. .
Loss of brake assist. Pedal hard and unresponsive.
Power steering fails intermittently with no warning. Causes loss of steering control momentarily, then returns to normal after restarting. It has affected this vehicle sporatically since 152K miles. Odometer reads 156K on 7-10-23. It has not been inspected by any mechanic, dealer, or insurance professional. This is a serious safety risk.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist, causing the steering wheel to become firm. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the brake pads needed to be replaced. The brake pads were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The brake rotors and calipers were replaced but the failure persisted. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the flex brake line needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The flex brake lines were replaced by the contact's husband. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
The torque sensor failed while turning left at a stoplight and the power steering didn't work. It was extremely difficult to keep the steering wheel rotated in order to complete the turn. I came very close to hitting the car on the opposite direction at the stoplight and to hitting the curb. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer service center. The Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC)was B2278. To my knowledge the manufacturer has not inspected the torque sensor. The dealer did say the sensor had a yellow paint or chalk line it and when they received the replacement sensor, the literature called for the entire steering column assembly to be replaced if the yellow paint line was present on the failed sensor. There were no warning lights, checking engine lights, or any other symptoms of the problem prior to the sensor failure. The failure just occurred without warning in the middle of a left hand turn.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the subframe on the passenger’s side front had detached due to extreme corrosion, causing the front axle to become detached. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V165000 (Structure). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 178,596. The VIN was not available.
Subframe rusted only on passenger side front where the weld is to hold/ support the passenger front wheel. It snapped and wheel was completely free/ had no control over it and causing the front axle to snap.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the steering column before 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 and 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 200,000.
The power steering keeps going out and the car becomes almost impossible to control. I have to turn the car off and on several times for it to work again. I am scared to drive it because I do not want to wreck. No warnings it just goes out. This has happened on numerous occasions. I noticed recalls on this for the same reason on the same vehicle. Why does my car not have the same recall?
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the rear windshield wiper motor failed to deactivate, causing the battery to drain. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear windshield wiper motor needed to be replaced; however, the dealer confirmed that the warranty had expired. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the rear windshield wiper motor; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the front driver side wheel seized and would not release. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a fractured wheel dimension as a result the dimensions needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,899.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a routine maintenance inspection, and he was informed by the mechanic that the front subframe engine cradle displayed rusted holes and corrosion located near the control bracket and the contact was concerned for his safety. The contact also stated that the rear wheel rails had started to rust. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that a fee would be charged for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that on three separate occasions, while driving at low speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact was able to turn off and restart the vehicle on each occasion. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and produced code: B1342. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
Discovered my car has electric power steering not seeing a reservoir did some research and seen that there were a lot of 2011 Ford Escapes with safety recalls three being the main problems I've had with my car since I began financing it almost 4 years ago my last payment is in 2 weeks. Went to leave a driveway and within a few seconds my steering wheel locked up and I thought it was strange that's when I found out I have electric power steering and that there has been recalls turned the car off turn to back on and it was just fine. Found out that is a common thing although it may not be considered a safety recall just yet but I would believe it is a major problem because anytime in my life if I was to believe my power steering was failing me I would still have control over the wheel but this thing locks up as if I ain't going nowhere. I seen that there has been recalls for fuel systems front wheel bearings and electric power steering. My engine light has been on for a very long time and people say it's because of the O2 sensor causing a misfire to appear random. My front wheels kind of knock making me think it could be between the rack axle and bearing. Other than that my radio face button stopped working one day as if they were possessed until they completely shut off and I have no access to it besides the steering wheel components. Rear wiper stuck in the up position one day was causing a tick I could hear with no power and no key in the ignition that caused my battery to die several times 2 years in a row. Realized unplugging my rear wiper made it quit but I can't use my front washer fluid without it being unplugged. And my AC Open Air Max AC and heating cooling climate control buttons work but the blower only works on high making me think yet another electrical issue being the blower speed regulator is bad. I would say these are safety issues package together. This website says I have 0unrepaired recalls. Might try fix it with a torque sensor/calling dealership.
I have lost the ability to steer my car while driving several different times, able to pull over and turn car off. When car is restarted the steering electric power assist system kick in and I am able to continue driving. The recall was from vehicles from 20006 thru 2010/ My vehicle is a 2011 apparently there are still problems.
Rust is happening at an increasing rate on the rear wheel wells and rear lift gate.
When starting the car the steering wheel shakes and it is hard to turn. Shutting the car off and restarting would sometimes fix it. But now it happens every time. Installed a new power steering torque sensor. That stopped the shaking, but it is still hard to steer. Taken it to a Ford Dealer but they just sit on the car and never get around to looking at it. THis happened at 155,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the power steering functionality failed to remain operational. The steering wheel failed to turn with the wheels. The steering wheel was shaking. The steering wheel failed to turn. There was an unknown sound detected outside the vehicle. The tire warning light was illuminated. The navigation system was dimmed and not responding. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact about a recall. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.
STEERING MALFUNCTIONED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. MY SAFETY WAS AT RISK BECAUSE I WAS DRIVING IT. NO DEALER HAS NOT SEEN CAR YET HAD TO MAKE AN APPT FOR LATER DATE DUE TO AVAILABILITY. WHEN POWER STEERING FAILED LED MESSAGE CAME UP AT THE SAME TIME SO THERE WAS NO PRIOR WARNING.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality with the steering wheel shaking abnormally. The contact was able to pull over. The vehicle was taken to independent mechanic and the mechanic stated that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Escape was parked in driveway when I opened hatchback/lift to retrieve items. Suddenly the windshield shattered. No one was inside the vehicle at the time. There has been no reproduction/confirmation by a dealer. As new owner of the vehicle purchased from dealer, it has been inspected in both VA and in MD on 01/13/2023. There was no warning.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while her husband was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle shuddered significantly and made abnormal knocking sounds. Additionally, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact's husband veered to the side road and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the power steering became operable. The contact's husband was able to drive to the residence; however, the failure reoccurred intermittently while driving. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under the recall due to the manufacture date. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
electric power steering failed without warning while driving.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and transferred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 220,000.
Electric power steering fails while driving. Car is available for inspection. Power steering failure while driving is an extreme safety risk. Problem has been confirmed by an independent mechanic. Car goes to the Ford dealer in two weeks (earliest appointment). Vehicle has not yet been fully inspected. No warning lights or error codes were shown. It appears that this vehicle SHOULD HAVE been recalled by Ford but was not.
Power steering goes on and off without warning, you will just hear a click sound. It appears that there is a short circuit somewhere as it also affects my temp control, radio and dash gauges. We almost had an accident as a family of 4 driving in i88.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Fusion. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat belt failed to operate properly, and the retractor malfunctioned. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel became stiff and the vehicle momentarily lost power steering assist; the vehicle immediately regained power steering assist functionality. On another occasion, while driving 15 MPH and making a right turn, the failure recurred, and the steering wheel became stiff with an audible beeping sound and the steering assist failure warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The independent mechanic reset the power steering assist fault code. The dealer was contacted but offered no assistance because the vehicle had a Salvage Title. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 100,000.
I have lost power steering x 2 on the freeway, 70 mph. I had it in for repair at a Ford dealership, they said it was the alternator and repaired with new alternator. Started to loose power steering again, same situation. Now I read that there are hundreds of other people with similar problems, Ford has done a limited recall but has left the rest of us with no recourse. How can all of us get this information in mass before someone does get killed. There have been accidents and some injuries to those recalled, but nothing for the rest of us. Are we just to keep driving these unsafe cars? This is reportedly the EPS system. Ford says there should be a warning light, but mine has had no such warning lamps.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while exiting a parking lot, the vehicle lost power steering functionality without any waring. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the power steering control module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 115,000.
Power steering gave out while driving down highway. Checked out by mechanic and no cause found. This vehicle has a recall involving the steering torque sensor, specifically to vehicles manufactured in the Kansas plant....BUT only a specific group that were assembled during a specific time frame ending September 11, 2010. My vehicle was assembled in the Kansas plant in January 2011....4 months after the affected vehicles. I believe my vehicle is affected by this and my torque sensor is faulty
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH from a stop light, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and stopped the vehicle. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the power steering functionality returned. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering assist needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
The power steering keeps locking up while driving on the highway and taking turns. Driving this car when this happens is very stressful and frighting, since you have to turn the car off and move the steering wheel to loosen it up before you can drive again. This has almost cause me to have several accidents. And there is no warning when this is going to happen, it just locks up. Ford has done a recall for the power steering issue for the Ford Escape and for the same year. They are telling me that my car is not listed for this recall. Took the car to Ford Auto Nation in July of 2023 and paid over 3000.00 to have fixed. Not even a week later the steering was locking up more. Took the car back and they have had it ever since. It has been 9 months waiting for this to be fixed. I would like this car to be included in the recall so I can get a refund and have my car fixed by a different dealership. I did a case number [XXX] with Ford for them to just tell me my vin number isn't included in the recall. I would appreciate any assistance you can provide. This issue started back in November of 2022, but since I am in the Coast Guard and would spend 3 to 6 months out at sea it sat on base for most of the time. Had the car shipped from California to Florida in June of 2023 and took to repair shop who said it would be covered over the recall which as I explained I am being informed it isn't. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power steering will randomly stop working while driving. Appears to the same problem that is covered in NHTSA 14V284000 recall over a defective steering torque sensor, however my Escape appears be outside the date range for the recall that effected other 2011 Escapes.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not properly accelerate. Additionally, while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle was shaking abnormally, with an abnormal burning metallic odor outside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the ignition coil for cylinder #2 had melted and a computer failure also occurred. No further information was available. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 85,000.
The contact's son owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while his son was driving 20-25 MPH, the power steering failed inadvertently, and the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer. The contact's son was able to continue driving by using physical strength to manually steer the vehicle. The contact's son pulled into a parking a lot and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was restarted, and the power steering became operable. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) as the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.
I was driving down the road a couple months ago and my steering would go out randomly and then kick back on and some times it would kick off and I would have to pull over and turn the car off and turn it back on and it would start working again. There has been a couple times I would be driving down the highway and it goes out. Now the power steering is out completely. I see that other vehicles like my are being recalled and my car doesn’t I’m confused. It’s very dangerous, considering I will have a child soon and won’t drive this vehicle with my child
While driving the vehicle the power steering assist failed, causing the vehicle to become difficult to steer. There was no warning light or other sign of a problem before the assist failed. Driver was able to safely pull the car over (with some difficulty) without incident, but the car was not safely derivable. Car was towed to dealer, where they tried to reset the sensor. Upon test driving the steering assist worked for a short time, and then failed again. Diagnosis was a sensor failure. Dealer replaced the steering column (including a new sensor). Cost of repair $2,125.07 including parts, labor, towing and sales tax. This car is registered in my wife's name (Rebecca A Staffel)
I AM A 79 YEAR OLD DISABLED MAN WHEN I STOPPED AT TH SPOKANE VA HOSPITAL THE DRIVER'S DOOR WOULD NOT UNLOCK. I TRIED EVERYTHING I COULD AND COULD NOT UNLOCK THE DOOR.TO GET OUT.EVEN THE KEY IS ONLY AN ELECTRIC SWITCH THERE IS NO MECHANICAL WAY TO OPEN THE DOOR. IF I HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE CAR WAS ON FIRE I WOULD HAVE DIED. AS IS I HAD AN EXTREMELY DIFICULT TIME CLIMBING OUT OF THE CAR. I DROVE TO A FORD DEALER TO SEE IF THEY COULD FIX IT BUT THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD BE TWO OR MORE WEEKS BEFORE THEY COULD HELP ME. I ASKED THEM IF I HAD TO STAY IN THAT CAR FOR ALL THAT TIME.
My steering got heavy and hard to turn. Loss of power steering. I had a diagnostic done and my Torque sensor in my steering is bad. I know there is already a recall on the 2011 Ford Escape, but my Vin number wasn't on the list. Thank you
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 146,918. The VIN was unavailable.
subframe is rotted and its so common why does ford not doing anything on this
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the roadway and restarted the vehicle. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the power steering fluid needed to be added to the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V284000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
MY LUG NUTS ON MY 2011 fORD Escape swelled up and had to be replaced because the caps broke off at a cost of$139.10
My wife was driving the car when the power steering went out. She was able to drive the car home. When I started the car later and used it the power steering worked. Later we drove the car to the pharmacy and when I started it there was no power steering. I shut the car off for a minute and then started it and power steering was back working. we took the car to a mechanic and the power steering worked while they had it and they could not find a problem. We are worried about driving it now because that seems like an unsafe situation. I know there was a recall for earlier models but our car seems to have the same issue.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the power steering suddenly failed causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering shaft torque sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. 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 same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 127,609.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Escape. The contact stated that after turning off the cruise control to reduce the speed from 65 MPH to 60 MPH, the contact depressed the brake pedal to adjust the speed and then depressed the accelerator pedal to readjust the cruise control however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact then coasted to the side of the road and shifted the vehicle into park(P) then to drive(D), reverse(R) and then neutral(N) while depressing the accelerator pedal however, the failure persisted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called Roadside Assistance who was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 44,000.