2010 Ford Escape Steering Problems
Owners have filed 423 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 2010 Ford Escape, 20% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 114,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “steering assist” (30% of reports).
- 423steering complaints
- 114,000median miles at failure
- 8mention a crash
- 3mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $1,950typical repair cost reported by owners
- 29%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Steering assist: mentioned in 125 of 423 complaints (30%)
- Torque sensor: mentioned in 47 of 423 complaints (11%)
- Difficult turn: mentioned in 45 of 423 complaints (11%)
- Wheel became: mentioned in 29 of 423 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical steering repair on the 2010 Ford Escape at $1,950, and half of them between $1,300 and $2,400.
Based on 37 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2012–2026), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 319 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 423 complaints, 8 mention a crash, 3 an injury.
Ford Escape steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Escape | 2 | 8% | — |
| 2022 Escape | 6 | 3% | — |
| 2021 Escape | 4 | 1% | 14,000 |
| 2020 Escape | 18 | 1% | 12,450 |
| 2019 Escape | 16 | 3% | 35,600 |
| 2018 Escape | 32 | 2% | 28,000 |
| 2017 Escape | 49 | 2% | 45,500 |
| 2016 Escape | 73 | 6% | 41,900 |
| 2015 Escape | 81 | 7% | 46,149 |
| 2014 Escape | 151 | 7% | 63,370 |
| 2013 Escape | 302 | 11% | 81,280 |
| 2012 Escape | 139 | 23% | 100,000 |
| 2011 Escape | 410 | 31% | 110,000 |
| 2010 Escape | 423 | 20% | 114,000 |
| 2009 Escape | 828 | 49% | 121,000 |
| 2008 Escape | 1,127 | 57% | 116,000 |
| 2007 Escape | 15 | 6% | 45,500 |
| 2006 Escape | 20 | 4% | 78,816 |
| 2005 Escape | 49 | 4% | 114,500 |
| 2004 Escape | 26 | 5% | 101,000 |
| 2003 Escape | 44 | 8% | 103,204 |
| 2002 Escape | 70 | 7% | 87,986 |
| 2001 Escape | 58 | 6% | 77,700 |
| 2000 Escape | 1 | 20% | 123,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Loss of Electric Power Steering Assist Power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds. Steering locks up while driving. This has happened 3 times within the last 6 months. Before this, the last few years it has been difficult starting the…
Front subframe on the right side prematurely rusts, causing the vehicle to loose steering and pull to the right.
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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2010 Ford Escapes have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 423 owner complaints about steering for the 2010 Ford Escape (20% of the 2,070 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2010 Ford Escape steering?
Yes: 1 safety recall list steering. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 114,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix steering problems on the 2010 Ford Escape?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,950 (half paid between $1,300 and $2,400), from 37 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 2010 Ford Escape?
The most frequent phrase is “steering assist”, in 125 of 423 complaints, followed by “torque sensor” (47).
Other 2010 Ford Escape problems
See all 2010 Ford Escape problems or steering problems across all Escape years.