When traveling long distances, usually over an hour, the warning for power steering and service advance trac comes on. The power steering will lock up and will be difficult to drive after vehicle has been parked and once its started back up again.
2013 Ford Explorer steering complaints
Page 19 of 29: complaints 521 to 550 of 837, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Driving the car saturday the 20th of july, running regular errands, the car was fine. Woke up sunday morning to go to church and the steering started grinding when I turn the wheel. Took it to the mechanic and he said it was the steering gear and only ford can fix that, but who has 1600.00.
While traveling in a forward direction on a city street, an alert for power steering malfunction appeared. A few seconds later, the power steering system completely failed and the steering locked up. I was unable to turn the steering wheel left or right. A quick research of the ford explorer power steering resulted with a large forum of people with same problem. The dealer my vehicle was taken to stated I was the second one in a week. A recall was done for this specific item was done, but for all wheel/4 wheel drive only. I feel this particular product is unsafe, especially since the vehicle was in motion.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. Shortly after the contact purchased the vehicle, the eps warning indicator flashed, indicating a power steering failure. Wilson ford lincoln (328 main st, logan, ut 84321) scheduled a diagnostic appointment for august 5, 2019. The vehicle was excluded from the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v286000 (steering); however, the vehicle exhibited the same failure as the recall campaign. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency action number: pe12017 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.
While operating 2013 ford explorer on highway at approximately 30 MPH the right wheel suddenly turned 45 degrees right causing the vehicle to unexpectedly veer to right towards curb and pedestrian walkway. A visual inspection showed the outer tie rod disconnected from outer tie rod connector without warning. Mechanic determined the male thread on outer tie rod "worked" it's way out of the female outer tie rod connector. The metal threads on the end of the tie rod were stripped allowing outer tie rod and tie rod connector to sliding in and out freely without any rotation(loosening/tightening) of tie rod end. Fortunately no personal injury was sustained by anyone involved. At time of the incident the vehicle had approximately 40,000 miles and was in excellent condition receiving regular service. I believe the oem equipment on the vehicle is defective and runs the risk of serious injury or death if it were to fail at highway speed. I contacted ford customer service to explain incident and they simply stated the vehicle was out of warranty. They did not seem to be interested in the details of mechanical failure as they did not connect me with a technician. Customer service representative told me if they would mark it as a simple tie rod failure and if enough people "complain" they would contact me. Out of abundance of caution I replaced both left and right tie rods and tie rod ends to prevent further failure. Repairs cost including labor exceeded $750 photos of failed parts attached please contact me for further information/questions.
The steering became so bad it was not safe to drive and could easily have caused a bad accident. I did not let my wife drive it. Local auto repair shop said it is an electrical issue in the steering so I drove it unsafely to ford dealer who told us it is an issue with the steering gear. This should not happen in a 2013 vehicle with a little over 100k miles
My 2013 explorer losses power steering due to mechanical malfunctioning while driving the car. It was discovered the electronic power steering system had failed due to overheating. According to the dealer, my vehicle was excluded from the recall 14v286000 which was noted may 29, 2014. I repaired the car at the cost $2,600.00. I continue to have issues with the power steering.
Power steering fault twice when making sharp turn
Malfunction regarding "steering assist fault" keeps showing up. Loss of power steering all of the sudden that almost resulted in a crash. I see recalls about steering assist fault but mine is not listed. It has happened in motion and when first starting up the vehicle.
Driving down the expressway going 75mph when we got a power steering fault error. We lost all power steering and traction control. Very scary with our 3 small children in the car in the middle of the expressway. Called ford and was told that while there was a recall for this issue, our VIN was not included. Doesn't make any sense since it is the exact same issue that models under the recall are experiencing. Ford needs to address this asap. We pulled over, turned off and restarted the vehicle and the fault went away and we regained power steering. Thankfully there was not much traffic otherwise we could have been seriously injured in an accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that the power steering assist malfunctioned, which nearly caused a crash. Paradise ford (1360 w king st, cocoa, fl 32922, (888) 379-8533) stated that there was no recall on the vehicle and suggested that the power steering assist was faulty. An independent mechanic provided a second opinion and reached the same diagnosis. The manufacturer also stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall or extended warranty. The failure mileage was 92,000.
When I turn the wheel in my vehicle it makes a loud clunk noise and also when I apply my brakes. I looked up all ford explorer recalls and noticed one in 2014 that has to do with the electric power assist system. How can I know if my vehicle was on the recall list being so long ago and can this be covered under that recall? I see alot of complaints involving this same issue. I bought the car used in 2017.
Sometimes the steering locks up even when moving have to shut down engine wait a minute and restart to get some power steering re-activated
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving on the highway and making a right turn, the steering wheel seized and the power steering warning indicator illuminated. The contact was able to coast over to the side of the road and power off the engine. The contact waited ten minutes and restarted the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The following day, the vehicle was towed to metro ford (located at 9000 nw 7th ave, miami, fl 33150, (305) 751-9711) where it was diagnosed that the power steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact called metro ford and was informed that the part was not available for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to call pines ford (located at 8655 pines blvd, pembroke pines, fl 33024, (954) 443-7000) to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was taken to pines ford, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.
My steering wheel suddenly became difficult to turn while in motion while turning off the highway resulting in a near collision. I received no interior warning lights or signals alerting me to an issue with the steering.
I experienced a total loss of power steering. It began as a little play in the steering wheel near the end of an 8 hour drive. The service power steering now light came on at that point. After parking the vehicle and restarting the vehicle there was no power steering at all.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving 30 MPH, the power steering and traction control warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact was able to park the vehicle on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to d-patrick boonville ford (located at 3100 in-62, boonville, in 47601, (812) 897-5838) where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The dealer associated the failure with the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel suddenly became very difficult to turn in either direction. The failure occurred on multiple occasions and the fuse was reinserted in order to repair the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Also, while driving, the passenger side of the vehicle wobbled and vibrated. The vehicle was taken to bill flick ford (737 north freeway service rd, huntsville, tx) where it was diagnosed that the suspension was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. Furthermore, while operating the vehicle, the door ajar warning message erroneously displayed, the interior dome light remained illuminated, and the doors would not lock. The cause of the failures was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 800.
14v286000 the explorer experiences a loss of power steering assist at low speeds and one time at 55 miles on the freeway.
Two issues the power assist failed multiple times when drive at low speeds. The second is the front suspension failed in 2013 multiple complaints ignored by ford and the federal safety agency. Dealer refused to fixed under warranty. This type of vehicle has recalls for these two issues all but the base models and ford refused to repair my vehicle both issues cost over $1000 to repair.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving approximately 5 MPH, a grinding noise was heard and the steering wheel seized. In addition, the "power steering service now" and advancetrac warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the steering rack failed and needed replacement. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000. The consumer stated the vehicle experienced the same failures as described in recall 14v2846000 but, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was repaired. *js
The vehicle felt as if the alignment was bad. It was very difficult to steer. Turning was particular;y difficult. It sounds very similar to exactly what the recall on the toe links stated. The dealership said the knuckles were bad and needed replaced and that it happens to every 2013 ford explorer for some reason.
Vehicle has 74,200 miles on it. Power steering is failing intermittently. I have been noticing that under minor steering movements (lane changes or minor curvature in road) I understeer due to intermittent loss of power steering assist for approximately 1 second. When power steering comes back oversteer and end up swerving vigorously due to assist returning. It has created a dangerous situation many times in the past couple weeks can easily create complete loss of control of vehicle at speed.
Power steering failure
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While the contact's spouse was driving 55 MPH, the steering lost power and the traction control and steering warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact was called to the scene drove the vehicle, using manual steering, to rowe ford westbrook (800‑872‑7693, located at 91 main st, westbrook, me 04092). The dealer stated that the failure was a known, but uncommon, issue. The technician replaced the steering gear box. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The failure mileage was 105,000.
Cranked up explorer and received power steering assist fault about a year and a half ago. Called dealership to check on recall or see what this was about. We were told that there was no recall and by turning the explorer off and on again usually fixes the problem this did at that time. Then it happened again a couple months later and did what they said because they told us it was not communicating correctly. It has not happened again for a while until today when trying to do that five times it did not communicate but this time it gave the same power steering assist fault and a service advancetrac message. Lucky this happened in a parking lot and my wife and kids were not in the car. Had to haul the vehicle out of parking lot to my house for the time being until I can get an answer on what needs to be done. I did see that there was a recall on this same issue a while back after doing some research. Lucky for me and my family every time these issues have popped up the car has been stationary.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the steering wheel was difficult to turn left and right. In addition, the power steering and service advancetrac warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to allan vigil ford of fayetteville (275 glynn st n, fayetteville, ga 30214, (770) 461-1151) where it was diagnosed that the electronic steering gear needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). The approximate failure mileage was 91,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that the steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn in either direction and the eps warning indicator randomly illuminated. Scott ford (17812 veterans memorial hwy, kingwood, wv 26537, (304) 329-3673) was urgently notified, but failed to provide an appointment. The contact ordered a steering rack and had an independent mechanic replace the part, but the failure recurred. The dealer was notified and provided an update to the control module. Within two business days, the eps indicator flashed again and the steering wheel seized, which increased the risk of a crash. The vehicle was unable to be safely driven. Astorg ford lincoln of parkersburg (2028 7th st, parkersburg, wv 26101, 304‑485‑8585) was notified of the failure for further diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failures numerous times, but had not yet provided a remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.
Our power steering went out on our 2013 ford explorer while my husband was driving. Luckily he didn't crash the car when it happened because it immediately made it difficult for him to use his steering. The steering is completely out and needs to be fixed. I checked if there was a recall and his car is just outside the manufacture date for the recall that was done in 2014 on 2011-2013 ford explorers. We are now out of pocket over $2000 because we have to replace the rack and pinion. Also, when I called ford regarding this problem I was told if there is a recall on the part in the future I would not be reimbursed and should wait to have it fixed until there is a recall.
While driving down the highway my power steering assist failed making my car very unsafe to drive.
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