Driving my daughters home from cheer practice and there was all of a sudden a lot of alerting from the vehicle. My steering the vehicle became very hard, even just managing around corners I was having a hard time not going into the oncoming traffic lane. At a stop sign, I needed to turn towards home, I could barely turn the steering wheel and ended up driving on someone's property before I could complete the turn. I made a hard five point turn in the middle of traffic after turning on my emergency flashers. I did this also turning into my road and driveway. It was nerve racking as I felt, not only my life, but my children's were at risk. It was out of the blue because the vehicle was handling great, and when the "Service power steering now" and "Service AdvanceTrac" indicators came on most steering control was all of a sudden lost. A dealer or Service has not looked at the vehicle yet. We have an appointment with a Ford dealer in three weeks, it is not driveable.
2012 Ford Explorer steering complaints
Page 4 of 13: complaints 71 to 100 of 361, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My power steering has locked up now for the 3rd time. It is crazy dangerous and puts my life and others in danger. I had it repaired at ford and it happened again. So it was towed back to ford and fixed again. Both visits at this ford location were awful experiences. And I refuse to go back. And now my car is having the same issue yet again. And I dont want to be told again that I have to pay for a diagnostic test or anything like that. Ridiculous! It's the same thing again. Exact same thing. I'm not an idiot. And I dont want to end up dead driving an unsafe vehicle. What's wrong with ford that they are ignoring so many people having the same issue with the same car? Why? I don't understand it? My family has always been loyal ford owners. However this has us very concerned.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel seized and failed to turn as intended. The power steering warning light illuminated. The contact veered over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 143,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the power steering suddenly failed, and the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was later driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the Electronic Power Steering Module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
My power steering assists quit working, and My stabilizer control. and my traction control, and my TPMS light came on, but all of my tires are at the recommended air pressure. Ford tells me that my ford is not covered in the recall for this problem. I lost control of my vehicle and almost crashed into the ditch.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel was firm, making it difficult to maneuver the vehicle. The contact stated that the power steering assist failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.
My wife is driving to work when the dash beep twice saying power steering fault then she lost power steering and nearly crashed the vehicle , this is a known problem from Ford that was not repaired by them and now they're telling me that they won't repair it This was what I found online by just doing a quick search after my wife nearly crashed! By Matt Schmitz May 29, 2014 Vehicles Affected: About 177,500 model-year 2011-13 Ford Explorer SUVs share © The Problem: A potential electrical issue in the steering gear may result in the loss of electric power steering assist while driving. This could cause the steering system to default to manual mode, making the vehicle more difficult to steer, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash. According to the Detroit News, Ford said drivers will hear a chime and see a message in the instrument cluster if electric power steering assist is lost. The Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will either update software for the power steering control module or replace the steering gear for free. What Owners Should Do: Ford has not yet issued an owner notification schedule. Owners can call Ford at 800‑392‑3673 for more info. Need to Find a Dealer for Service? Go to Cars.com Service & Repair to find your local dealer.
Power Steering and Advancetrac
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized. Additionally, the power steering warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic arrived at the residence to diagnose the vehicle. The contact was informed that the electric power steering had failed. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Steering wheel locked up, while driving.
Power steering fails while in motion with no warning until it happens making it very difficult to get control of the vehicle. When it happens a power steering failing light comes on but there is no warning before the steering locks up on you. Dealer has not been contacted as every time I call they don't answer. Was inspected by an independent garage who states it is the rack.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. The contact stated that the "Check Power Steering" message was displayed with an unknown red warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. Additionally, the contact was informed that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 159,658.
Steering locks
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal sound, and the steering column was inoperable, and the vehicle was immovable. The contact stated that he was able to shift into reverse and safely drove the vehicle into a parking lot. The contact stated that when he inspected the vehicle, he noticed that the tie rod was fractured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had recently been serviced for two safety recalls and a front-end alignment prior to the tie rod failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,137.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 20-30 MPH, the steering wheel became significantly difficult to steer. The contact was able to continue driving by using his physical strength to steer the steering wheel. There was no further information provided. The contact stated that as he arrived to the residence, the steering wheel locked. The vehicle was towed to the used car dealer it was purchased from, and it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The Ford dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be covered under Ford Campaign Number: 15N01, as the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V435000 (Suspension). The manufacturer were contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 183,000.
We recently purchased this vehicle and after getting is home and researching the vehicle, we discovered that there is an open recall involving the rear toe link with the potential to diminish steering control and potentially increasing the risk of a crash. Our local Ford dealer does not see the seriousness of this recall and refuses to look at the vehicle in a timely manner.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at slow speeds, the steering wheel was firm while turning. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01 (EPAS Steering Efforts) had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Power steering failure as laid out in the federal safety agency CAMPAIGN ID: 14V286000. The car does not qualify for recall and we would like Ford to be notified and have our VIN qualify for recall.
Our Power Steering Assist went out and the truck couldn't steer then this code came up and we looked up the Recalls and found this very problem. 2012 FORD EXPLORER RECALL the federal safety agency 14V286000 SPONSORED Release Date: May 29, 2014 Applicable Country: USA the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company Component(s): •STEERING oELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured May 17, 2010, through February 28, 2012. The affected vehicles may experience an intermittent connection in the electric power steering gear, which can cause a loss of the motor position sensor signal resulting in a shut down of the power steering assist. Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of motor position sensor signal when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, its steering rack assembly will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2014.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 25 MPH, his wife attempted to make a turn however, the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality. The contact then stated that he pushed the vehicle into his driveway. The contact’s son retrieved the error codes: U300049-48, U300072-48 and U300096-C8 for the power steering module. The son's friend, an independent mechanic, determined that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01 (EPAS Steering Efforts) had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 86,974.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the steering wheel was seized. Additionally, the service advancetrac warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 168,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 97,563.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the service power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated he parked the vehicle and while restarting the vehicle, the service power steering now, the anti-lock braking system (ABS), the traction control, and the Advancetrac warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer; Lebanon Ford (425 Miracle Mile, West Lebanon, NH 03784: (603) 448-3363), where it was diagnosed with needing the power steering rack unit to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the previous owner of the vehicle had the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) repaired at the local dealer: Portsmouth Ford (400 Spaulding Turnpike, NH-16, Portsmouth, NH 03801: (603) 433-1221). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,422.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel seized. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred several times, and upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel responded as needed. The contact stated that the failure persisted after restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software update was previously completed under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
While driving my daughter to school, the steering wheel locked up and was very difficult to turn. Warning light for power steering assist and traction control were illuminated. This could cause an accident. Research on the internet shows that this is a known safety problem. I called ford and was told that the car would not be covered due to the mileage and age. I never received any notification about this safety issue from ford. Safer bulletin is only good for 10 years, 150,000 miles. Ford needs to be held accountable for this safety issue
My vehicle experienced sudden intermittent connection to the electric power steering gear, which caused a loss of the motor position sensor signal resulting in a shut down of the power steering assist. I struggled to safely steer the vehicle to the side of the road to avoid an accident and running over several people. Luckily I was able to stop in time and avoid any serious injury. There is a known recall for this issue #14S06 for the same year, make, and model of my vehicle but my VIN is not part of the recall. I contacted Ford Customer Care to discuss my incident and they refused to help. My vehicle is currently at a local dealership awaiting repair and I was quoted $3,500 for the cost. This is half the value of the vehicle.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering. The "Service Power Steering Now" and "Shift to Park" warning messages were illuminated. The vehicle was inoperable and was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 191,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that the EPS module was updated but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again and the dealer stated that no failure was found. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the warranty had expired. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 11,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving out a gas station, the steering wheel became firm, with an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 165,000.
While I was driving the service advance trac light came on as well I stopped the car turned the key off went to leave and another light popped up in red saying service power steering now. There was a csp called the epas efforts on my vehicle and Ford dealer said it had been fixed in 2014 but I didn’t own the car so I’m not sure if it was
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