2004 Ford Expedition: steering wheel locks up

5 of the 297 complaints about the 2004 Ford Expedition describe steering wheel locks up.

owner complaints: 5
of this car's complaints: 2%
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 2 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Steering wheel locks up by model year

2020
1
2019
1
2007
2
2006
3
2005
1
2004
5
2003
3
2002
1
2000
1
1999
1
1998
1
1997
5

What owners say

Filed Jul 16, 2015 · Fuel system · 105,000 miles · CA

The vehicle has been shutting down randomly (highway, streets, stops, etc) and it is very much a safety situation at high speed on the freeway since the steering wheel locks up and brakes do not work. I've taken it to two different places for diagnosis including the local ford dealership and they have not been able to diagnose the problem. It is understood the vehicle is 10-11 years old but the inability for the dealership to diagnose the problem is really frustrating. From reading complaints, there are others that sound similar and appears to be associated with the vehicle's fuse relay box.

Filed Jan 20, 2013 · Electrical · 120,000 miles · SC

Was driving down the road and my expedition just shut down. All power off and steering wheel locked up. Was stuck in middle of the road. Had it towed to ford dealership who replaced the main fuse. It happened again 6 months later. Once again had to have it towed. Once again main fuse blew and my SUV lost all power. Ford dealership gave us extra fuses. Since then it has happened twice, once about a month ago and we replaced the main fuse . The last time which was thursday, january 17th, my teenage son was driving and he ran off the road into a ditch. Wheel rim bent but he thankfully was just shook up and not injured.this time it was not the fuse but the SUV just lost power and steering locked and he went off the road. Missed a tree by a few feet. When this first began to happen I called ford and wrote them multiple letters. They were polite, but stated is was not their problem since car had 120,000 miles on it.

Filed Apr 12, 2006 · Steering · 41,323 miles · CA · crash

2004 ford expedition, eddie bauer edition, while driving on hwy at 65-70 MPH,steering wheel locked, causing vehicle to enter another lane and bump another vehicle. Driver used all his might to unlock steering wheel, which then made a popping noise before releasing and car spun twice before landing in ditch. By the grace of god, there were no injuries. Now we are afraid to drive the car, because we don't know if it will happen again. Car has been driven for almost 1.5 years and has almost 42,000 miles. Steering wheel sometimes gets locked while in park, but first time this has happened while driving. Car is maintained on a regular basis and has never been in a prior accident.

Filed Nov 8, 2004 · Steering · MI

While driving 70 MPH steering wheel froze. No impact reported.

Filed Oct 20, 2004 · Steering · 1,500 miles · NY · crash

While pulling out of a parking lot the steering locked without warning. As a result the vehicle collided into a pole. No injuries reported. Please provide additional information.