Hello,

I have a 2002 escape XLT 3.0 V6 with about 190'000 Km on it. There are a bunch of issues cropping up at this point but right now my most concerning one has been that when I am in a long turn, an on/off ramp for example, my escape will dip to the outside and jerk in that direction. Not violently but enough that if you aren't prepared for it is scares the crap out of you and probably looks like you have been drinking

The suspension is kinda of flakey in that if am driving somewhere offroad-ish I can hear the spring bounce back into place after being compressed and I am looking into replacing my struts myself already. Could old/worn-out struts be the cause of this "dip and pull" or is my steering slipping?

I do get the Power steering whine and I know I have a leak there, as well I have read elsewhere that it may be a bad Rack & Pinion causing steering issues.

Anyone else have this experience and had success fixing it?

Thanks very much.

 

You might have a worn CV joint. After enough miles, the ***** inside the joint can get 'stuck' in the wear spot in the grooves. As they pass back and forth inside during a turn, they'll be forced to travel over the wear spot, and may want to hang there. Only solution I know of is a re-man or new CV axle.
You should check that all your suspension parts are still bolted in place if you live in a rust-prone zone. The 'subframe' can rust as can the attaching bolts, allowing the subframe to move when loaded in particular directions. If it is loose, make sure your insurance policy is paid-up if you don't take the time to fix it ...
tom

 

Worn-out struts can cause all kinds of grief... yours are 13 yo with ~120,000 miles on them, it's a good bet they're past their prime. I would deal with those first, might inspect the rest of the suspension while you're in there...

 

I would look at struts/shocks and sway bar links.
Tomw mentioned cv joints and I would not rule them out.

 

Ford Escape older models from 96-05 are known for issues with the passenger cradle rotting out have the cradle checked and struts would cause your front end to drop along with a ton of other things I would suggest having the cradle looked at and have your lower ball joints and upper ball joints checked could be rack and pinion
If your having the issue I wouldn’t suggest driving excessively
to the *** hat who comment FTW grow up and if someone isn’t aware of the date it’s not needed for a sarcastic *** remark keep ur two cents not needed here

 

Tiff FTW on a 5.5 year old thread!!!