2000 Ford Escape — Known Issues & Recalls

While driving slowly at 6 mph, your power steering suddenly stopped working and the steering wheel wouldn't turn the vehicle in the direction you were trying to go. You had to reverse the vehicle and use a lot of force to steer it safely into a parking lot. No warning lights came on before this happened. The dealership and Ford were notified but neither provided a solution, and the vehicle was never diagnosed or repaired.

When you turn on the climate control fan, your car suddenly shuts off at whatever speed you're going, causing you to lose power steering and brakes. The Ford dealership confirmed this is a known issue with your model. The repair will likely involve replacing or repairing electrical components in the climate control system that are causing the engine to stall.

While driving at 30-40 mph, you heard a loud grinding noise from the transmission. When you tried to shift into Park at a repair shop, the vehicle went into Reverse instead and continued moving. The repair shop diagnosed a failed intermediate shaft in your transmission, which is a component that helps transfer power from the engine to the wheels.

Your vehicle was hit from behind at 30 mph and then struck another car, but your airbags did not deploy during the crash. You sustained a neck injury and both bumpers were damaged. The airbags may need to be inspected and repaired by a qualified technician to determine why they failed to activate during the collision.

Your rear door won't open once it's closed — the latch mechanism isn't working at all. This is concerning because you wouldn't be able to exit the vehicle in an emergency like a fire. The door latch needs to be inspected and likely replaced to restore proper opening function.