Q: Why would my steering wheel lock up and my engine stop accelerating in my 2003 Ford Escape
A few months ago my steering wheel would lock up completely it wouldn't budge and I couldn't accelerate. It would start up again-sometimes right away sometimes not. Took it to the shop my family's been going to for years that we trust they "fixed" it bur a week or so later did it again. They fixed it again this time saying fuel pump. (I forget what they said the first time I know nothing about cars) that was in late October and it's been fine ever since until today when it did it again. I've never had issues with the car until this happened. The music/speakers stopped working a few years ago but no issues other than that. What would cause it to do this especially when they thought they fixed the problem? Thank you
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hello. The cause really depends on the order in which the issue is occurring. Most of the time what occurs is that the engine begins to stall or does stall. When this occurs the power steering pump stops spinning which makes the steering hard which will feel like a lock up. If it is occurring like this then the issue can be caused by a failure in the fuel system such as the fuel pump relay or it can be cause by an issue with the computer or the ignition switch. If the steering locks up and the engine is still running then the pump itself may be locking up or there may be another accessory that is locking up. I would typically need to check these things to come up with the right diagnosis. If you are going to have this repaired, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to you to [diagnose why the power steering is not working] https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/brakes-steering-and-suspension-inspection
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