The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, the vehicle was restarted; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and an independent mechanic arrived to diagnose the vehicle. The contact was informed that the steering wheel had seized due to the electric power steering failure. The contact was informed that the electric power steering and ABS module needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 110,000.
2012 Ford Explorer: steering wheel locks up
62 of the 831 complaints about the 2012 Ford Explorer describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 62
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 120,776
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for this area of the car. See below
Steering wheel locks up by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The failed power steering warning light illuminated. In addition, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, however the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall which had a similar failure description, however the contact's VIN was not associated. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,063.
My car gave a “power steering fault” message on the dash while my son was driving on I-95 on April 12. The steering wheel locked up making turning impossible and could have been fatal. He had pull over and have the vehicle towed home.
Unknown my Steering wheel locked up while driving
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to make a turn, the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver, and the steering wheel failed to return to center after making a turn. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, with the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 206,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, with the power steering and traction control warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.
My 2012 Ford Explorer Limited had a safety recall 14S06 performed in 2014. In 2020 the same problem happened. The steering wheel locked up while driving and the power steering stopped working. It was fixed again. Now it’s 2024 and it has happened yet again. This time I was on the highway with my children in the car and suddenly my dash lights up and my steering wheel basically locked. No power steering yet again. We are lucky we didn’t lose our lives yesterday. I was driving 70 mph on the highway when this happened.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with a failure with the power steering gear and the electrical components. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
It happened a year ago when I was parked I turned the car on and the steering wheel locked, giving me the power steer assist fault error on the dash. I had to turn off the car and turn it back on. This happened about 2 or 3 time that year. Yesterday while driving out of my driveway I got the error again. This time it was different I wasn't parked, the car locked while in motion. Thankfully I wasn't on the street driving with the wheel locked in a turning position. I called Ford and they said that they just extended the satisfaction for the warranty on power steer to 10 years or 150,000 miles. This isn't a warranty issue. No car should have its steering locked, it's a 2012 car not even that old to be posing a safety issue like this. This need to be made a recall not extended warranty.
While driving in my driveway, the steering froze up, I could not turn the wheel at all. I had it towed to the dealer.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the steering wheel seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was due to the steering however, the parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who reprogrammed the computer. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Risk
- If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist it will require extra steering effort at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- 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. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑800‑392‑3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S06.
Recall number 14V286000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2012 Ford Explorer steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 2012 Ford Explorer?
62 of 831 owner complaints about the 2012 Ford Explorer (7%) mention steering wheel locks up. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Ford Explorer?
There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2012 Ford Explorer
Power steering loss 179Loss of power 60Fuel smell 46Engine failure 34Stalling 26Airbag light 24Check engine light 22Water leak 18Backup camera 16Grinding brakes 15ABS 8Fire or smoke 8Harsh shifting 8Screen failure 6Overheating 6Seat belt 6Jerking 5Shudder 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2012 Ford Explorer?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history