Problems · by component
2012 Ford Escape steering problems
140 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Escape cite steering, 23% of all 604 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
140
23% of all complaints
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the steering
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“[XXX]. We were pulling away from the gas pump with our children and the steering wheel suddenly stiffened on my husband and we almost hit another car! There was absolutely no warning and it was a scary experience. This should be fixed and it known issue.”
“The power steering failed unexpectedly. I am not sure what the problem is but there is fluid all over the wheel well. I see that the was a recal on the power steering. How can I find out why my car was not included?”
“I started the truck and began to back out of my parking spot but the steering was so stiff I couldn't turn so I shut it off. After about 3 minutes I stated it up and the steering was fine. The. It happened the next day while I was driving and that was terrifying!!! It became extremely difficult to steer so I found the strength to turn and park. After turning the truck off and on it was fine.. Now the truck is in my driveway and the steering so stiff that I'll have to leave it.”
“Vehicle: 2012 Ford Escape Issue: Loss of steering assist while driving While operating my vehicle, the power steering assist suddenly fails, making the steering wheel extremely difficult to turn. This creates a dangerous driving condition and significantly increases the risk of an accident. This issue appears to match known problems with the electric power steering system in this vehicle, which has been the subject of recalls for similar model years. However, my VIN is not currently included. The failure has occurred while driving and has now made the vehicle unsafe to operate. I am requesting investigation into this issue and expansion of the recall to include additional affected vehicles, as this is a serious safety hazard.”
“I was driving approximately 35mph and the steering got extremely difficult. I had to use all my strength to try to turn the wheel. I pulled into a gas station parking lot, turned the car off, restarted the car and steering was back to normal. Has happened 2 times since. I had a mechanic friend look at it and he couldn't find a reason why it would do that.”
“The contact owns a 2012 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the steering wheel locked. The contact used force to turn the steering wheel while driving to the residence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who inspected the vehicle and retrieved DTC: B2278. The independent mechanic determined that the power steering control module and sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The sensor was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.”
Showing 6 of 140 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.