Q: Power steering issues
For the past couple weeks (immediately following a tire rotation at Discount Tire) my 09 escape's steering wheel started shaking. This happened most noticeably at idle and was not affected by putting the car in neutral, reverse or park (the shake continued regardless of what gear it was in). This continued for a few days and I was thinking it was related to the tire rotation or possibly bad spark plugs. Today the power steering went out altogether. It worked most of the day (with the shake still there) and then after stopping for a few minutes when I returned to my car and turned it back on the power steering was completely gone. As far as I can tell my car has the electronic power assist system and not a hydraulic system.
My car has 160000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hello. Thank you for writing in. The owner’owner’s manual should have more information on the power steering system, although you are correct. It should be electric. With that said, major faults with the system will set diagnostic troubleshooting codes. These codes can be pulled when scanning the vehicle. If the vehicle was shaking and vibrating at idle (which is often felt in the steering wheel), then the engine was misfiring, or having a nothing similar issue. With that said, you may be dealing with more than one problem at a time. You will want to start by resolving the power steering problem, then evaluate any other issues from there. For more diagnostic help, contact our service department to schedule an appointment.
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