My wife was backing her 2016 ford explorer limited out of the garage when warnings regarding power steering assist failure, terrain management system fault, service advance trac appeared on the instrument cluster and she lost the ability to steer the vehicle. Luckily she was basically stationary at the time. This was the first incident of this type, and unlike other reports I have read, restarting the vehicle did nothing to restore the power steering. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where we were told that the epas electronic steering system had failed and the entire rack and pinion assembly would need to be replaced because this is an integrated system. When I told them that I thought a catastrophic failure of this type on a major system was unusual in a 21/2 year old vehicle I was told that this was something they had seen before and not that unusual. This is a major and very costly repair, and even more important than the repair cost is the safety concern. Reading other reports of people loosing control on the highway when this system fails makes me wonder if I should let my wife continue driving the vehicle after the repair. The service persons at the dealership echoed my concerns and gave me a number to contact ford. It appears there is no update to the epas system and the replacement is the same as the old faulty assembly. We have owned 3 ford/mercury vehicles of this type and in the past have been very pleased. It appears from reports that ford is well aware of this problem because other vehicles from other model years have been recalled for epas issues and failure. Unless there is a recall and an update to the steering system I must consider replacing this vehicle because of the safety concern.
2016 Ford Explorer steering complaints
Page 18 of 19: complaints 491 to 520 of 532, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While driving 70 MPH, the steering fault service, service advance track, and hillside indicators illuminated. Also, the electrical power steering failed. The contact was able to steer the vehicle to a circular ramp off the highway and parked the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle an hour later and the power steering returned to normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (varsity ford, 3480 jackson rd, ann arbor, mi 48106, (734) 996-2300) where it was diagnosed that the steering gear had an internal failure and the rack and pinion needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 46,000.
Second steering failure incident. Ref cpmplaint 11111323 inching up to stop sign when wheel froze. Dash error as follows: "steering fault service now(this was in red) "service advance trak" (this was in yellow) put car in park.turned engine off and restarted then regained power steering.
My 17 year old son was driving this vehicle when the steering wheel "froze" I would describe it as the old manual steering systems. He was driving on a state route going straight ahead into a curve when it happened. Fortunately, there was a large gravel lot ahead for him to steer straight into. I don,t buy fords' claim that the steering functions and only difficult. Tell that to a frightened young driver or an elderly person. The error displayed below is what was displayed on dash and what is found numerous times from other vehicle owners. The continued history of this issue is not acceptable! While I have not found an fatal incident related to the issue, I do not my family to be the first. Please review this occurrence nationally and I implore you to issue a recall. I am old enough to remember the pinto fuel tank, the firestone 50 tires and of course the air bag fiasco. Please contact me if you need more information. Thank you [xxx] 1. Terrain management system fault 2. Service advance trak 3. Hill assist error information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
I took my truck to the shop on wednesday and dropped it off due to numerous lights coming on when driving. The light would read "steering fault service now, service advance trac and hill start assist not avalable". I took pictures of the lights when they would come on and have documentation of that. When the lights come on, I also lose power steering and am unable to drive my truck. This has almost caused me to have an accident! Waldorf ford just called me to tell me I need a new steering gear and that my epas system has gone bad and this is going to cost me $2100.00 to fix. My truck is only 2 years old, I have maintained all service as needed since owning, it only has 49,000 miles on it and this has happened. I have looked online at the forums and see this is an ongoing problem with many explorers and not just mine. These vehicles need to be recalled before someone is killed!!!!! This is extremely dangerous and a very expensive fix that to many people are having to pay for when it is occurring so often. Please, please check into this and put out a recall on not only the 2016 ford explorer but the other fords who are experiencing the same issue as myself.
Steering gear failed causing the car to be very difficult to steer at low speeds, especially when turning right.
Originally I had a light coming on when driving down the road saying "steering fault service now" it would come on and go off or occasionally I would have to pull over and restart my truck to reset. After about a week I started having multiple lines come on at one time flashing at me while driving saying "service advance trac, hill start assist not available, service advance trac and steering fault service now". When these lights come on I lose all power steering in my vehicle and I'm unable to steer at all. This has happened multiple times and it has become extremely unsafe to drive. It has always been while driving, but other than that I see no rhyme or reason or other factors that are the same when the lights have came on. I took my truck to my mechanic to look at and he found online that this is an issue many people are blogging about and complaining about. He hooked my truck up to the computer but could not get any type of error code to come back and suggested I follow up with ford to have them look at it but also suggested that I contact someone to see if this has some type of recall because in his words "this is going to kill someone". I have checked but no recalls have been made as of now but did see there was a very similar problem in the 2011-2013 explorers and a recall was made. I have an appointment this week for my truck to go to the ford dealership to be looked at but feel strongly that this is something that needs to be recalled now on the 2016 ford explorer. I have 2 young drivers that occasionally drive my vehicle, if one of them were to drive it when the steering went out, I don't want to think what could have happened. This is to serious to ignore and I see to many complaints from other people online so I know this is not something that only I am going through. Please recall these vehicles and have this checked.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, an abnormal noise was heard. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to haldeman ford (2443 lehigh st, allentown, pa) where it was diagnosed that the steering rack failed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 31,910. The VIN was not available.
2016 ford explorer started making a noise when turning the steering wheel. Was driving on the interstate at about 60 MPH and the steering became jerky and didn't want to steer. This was at somewhere around 38000 miles. I took it to the ford dealership when I got home and was told it needed a right tie rod end. The tie rod end was replaced at a cost of $200+. The ford explorer continued making a noise at a low speed and wife stated that the steering was jerky when she drove it. Took it back to ford dealership and was told that a nut had came off in the steering box and the steering rack needed to be replaced. The car was dangerous to drive as it was so authorized the repair. The repair was done at 40634 miles. So far this appears to have fixed the problem.
My 2016 limited ford explorer with about 38000 miles began making a noise when turning the steering wheel. I was driving on the interstate and the steering was jerky and would hang. Took it to the ford dealership when I returned home and they replace the right tie rod end at a cost of $200+. The explorer continued to make a noise at low speeds. Wife said that the steering was jerky when she drove it. Took it back to ford dealership and was told that a nut had come off in the steering box and it needed a complete steering rack. Dangerous to drive as it was so authorized the replacement. Cost this time was $1685.67. The explorer had 40634miles on it when this was done. Got on the internet and found the steering is a rather common problem on ford explorers.
The steering column went out at 38,000 miles. The motor is dead and entire thing needs to be replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While driving 5 MPH, the steering wheel made an abnormal noise without warning. The vehicle was taken to jps ford (224 gap farms rd, arcadia, la 71001, (318) 263-2084) where it was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly needed replacement, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,000.
Steering is making grinding noise and is very difficult to turn, at times when entering curves or driving. The steering wheel gets stuck when you have to firmly grasp it and it then jerks you either direction. It's a safety issue, it's losing steering control. Going to jerk me into oncoming traffic or pull me off the road. I have children and this is our primary car to drive and we are afraid of the steering. It happens also just backing in and out . Very stiff to control. Safety issue in all ways. I've taken to ford dealership and they diagnosed it as a internal fault in the electric rack and pinion steering assembly. Estimated cost $2100, this should not have failed, if anything they get play in steering not failed or break, maybe if car was old and had 200k miles. Ford has had issues with steering assembly on explorers since 2011 -2015 and clearly have not fixed there problems. Problem with steering is stationary, in motion and on highways and turning. Hazardous to drive. Never knowing when it may decide to stop working and lock up on me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, a grinding noise was heard coming from the steering wheel. The steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked when attempting to change lanes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (fairway ford of evans, 4333 washington rd, evans, ga 30809, (706) 854-9200) where it was diagnosed that the internal fault electric rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was 56,442.
The eletric power steering failed. And would fail and then be ok after restarts but would fail while driving the car and make it very difficult to steer at all speeds, often locking itself during a turn and requiring significant effort to correct. Often dangerously hard to steer at highway speeds. I noticed this was a previous issue with ford vehicles...
We were driving our 2016 ford explorer limited (34,731 miles) through town at approx. 25mph, slowed down, and attempted to make a right hand turn onto a town road, but our vehicle would not turn. At the time we had no idea what was happening except that the vehicle wasn't steering. After we came to a stop in the middle of the road we realized that we could still turn the vehicle if we manhandled the steering wheel. A steering code flashed on the dashboard. At that point we realized we had no power steering. We called the dealership right away and carefully drove it over to them to fix. They verified the power steering was inoperable, ran diagnostic testing, and replaced steering gear assembly r&I front sub frame. See attached service record. After researching, we found that other people have experienced this same issue. I can't imagine what this would have been like had we been on a highway. This is a serious failure that could have hurt or killed people. How is this not a recall?
My wife and I were traveling in our 2016 ford explorer on saturday when the steering wheel started "sticking" while going around curves. I was driving at 60-65 MPH on a four lane highway, going around a curve to the left when the steering wheel stuck and had to be forcefully pulled back to straighten up. I slowed the vehicle to about 45 MPH and was preparing to pull over to the shoulder when messages started appearing on the information center. The messages stated "steering fault stop now" and "service advance trac". Thankfully, as I was pulling off the next exit, there was a ford dealership. At this point, the I as still able to steer the vehicle with some force. After pulling into the dealership parking lot, I turned the ignition off. When I restarted the vehicle, the messages still appeared and the steering wheel wouldn't turn at all, even with force. The dealership called today and said that the steering gear rack needed replaced and that the warranty was expired and the issue isn't covered under recall. He stated that the total repair would be $1842. I feel that being a safety issue is this magnitude, ford should step up correct the problem before someone is hurt.
Tl* the contact owned a 2016 ford explorer. While driving approximately 70 MPH, an abnormal noise was heard from the front of the vehicle. After the noise was heard, the vehicle lost steering and brake functionality. As a result, the contact was involved in a side impact collision with the median wall and the vehicle overturned. The side air bags deployed prior to the crash. The failure occurred without warning. The contact and her daughter suffered moderate bruising that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the insurance company's lot and deemed destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 58,064.
Steering/rack: problem began with an intermittent noise (clunk) in the front end of vehicle. Took to dealership while under full warranty. They failed to document my concern. Noise became more frequent and turned into more of a grinding sound while steering while the vehicle is stopped or moving slowly. Had problem looked at by mechanic doing oil change who sent me back to dealership stating I needed a new rack (steering part). At this point, my vehicle had surpassed the 36,000 mile warranty. During this time while debating with dealership if part should be covered under warranty due to their failure to document my initial visit, the steering while driving at slow and highway speeds has become "darty" or "jerky" and does feel safe to drive. My vehicle has been well maintained and has under 50,000 miles. Vehicle is unsafe and to date both ford and dealership has failed to take care of this issue. Cost quoted for repair is $2100. Service dept at local dealership is incompetent, failed to admit fault in lack of documentation, and failed to back up the product, address safety concerns.
2016 for explorer sport - purchased brand new. Vehicle has 15k miles now and I am hearing a loud popping / creaking sound that occurs when turning the steering wheel either left or right when the car is in motion. It's most noticeable at a slower rate of speed when turning into a parking space or turning from a complete stop. Today, on 3 separate occasions, when turning left the steering locked up and I had to jerk the steering wheel to the right in order to get the vehicle to go straight again. Each time this has happened there is another loud pop sound that can be heard. This is a major complaint across the board with 2014 - 2016 explorers along with the wheel bearing, suspension and loss of power complaints.
I was driving my pregnant wife (31 weeks) and my 22 month old daughter to church this past sunday (1/14/18), when we entered a sharp left hand curve. We got to the halfway point in the turn when the steering wheel completely locked up and sent us into a ditch and bank. Thank god nobody was coming in the opposite direction or we could have been seriously injured or worse! There was absolutely no warning; no light, no sensor, nothing. The wheel simply locked tight in the turned position at roughly 30 MPH. I later learned ford has been using electronic controlled power steering and this is a common occurrence across various ford models with no known recalls. How many people have been killed that can't tell their story? There is no way we'll be keeping this vehicle and ford should be made to redesign their steering or return it back to the original, belt-driven design.
While driving the vehicle, alarms go off and a notice saying 'steering assist fault' is displayed. This has happened 4 different time at random. 1 time, the steering completely went out and the vehicle lost all power steering. This is a huge safety concern as this is a family vehicle transporting very young children.
Was traveling down a city surface street when another vehicle tried to beat me to getting onto the same street I was traveling on made a sudden turn before I could get to his location. Upon trying to maneuver and avoid a collision the vehicle suddenly did not respond to the maneuver and instead veered off the road and crashed into a residence. Steering failed to function as intended, ABS system also failed to function properly. This has not been the first time I got into a wreck like this with this vehicle. Making a sudden turn in this vehicle will likely suffer some sort of accident, vehicle does not respond like it should with all them electrical safety features.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While operating the vehicle, the power steering suddenly failed and made the steering wheel very difficult to turn. During the incident, the "auto steering system faulty, hill start assist not available, service advance track, and torrain management system fault" warning messages displayed. The vehicle was taken to currie ford in valperaso, in where it was diagnosed that the power steering rack malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000.
I purchased a 2016 ford explorer 5 months ago. The car had 38k miles when purchased and now has 42k miles. Lately I have had issues with the steering when in curves the steering wheel locks and gets very stiff and you have to fight it to get the wheel straightened out to keep from wrecking. I took the car to the local ford dealer who stated that the rack and pinion needs replaced costing $1900.00. Ford stated that would not be covered under my exsisting warranty. I contacted ford reference the issue and they stated they would open a case and help with cost. I recently heard back from ford and they stated that they would not help with the issue even though it is a serious safety issue. When the car is stopped it does not have this issue but once you are moving is when the steering locks. The vehicle is only 6k miles over bumper to bumper warranty and still under power train but ford says that they are not going to help fix this issue.
At highway speed my steering locks up and takes great effort to steer. Then loosens for a bit unless kept in the same position for more than say 30 seconds then locks up again. Sometimes worse than others. I almost hit a barriers at 75 today 10/5/17.turns are worse than straight. I was told that the ford electronic steering rack needs to be replaced at a min. Cost of $1800 as I have 55000 miles on my 2016. This is unsafe! Please help
Was driving on the freeway going about 70mph and an alert popped up on the dash that said terrain management system fault. Followed by another alert that said service advancetrac. Followed by another alert that said our traction control was turned off. The vehicle was still driving fine so we drove to the nearest exit to turnnoff the car and restart it. While we where pulling off the exit ramp going about 30mph the car alerted us that the hill assistance was turned off. And once we stopped at the gas station and turned the car off once we turned it back on it alerted us every single alert again and then a new warning that our steering was lost and to please pull over safely. We have tries to turn car on several times and its still not working.
Since purchasing this vehicle in december 2016 I have had seatbelt retractable mechanism in the third row replaced; I have had the navigation system replaced; I had to have the keypad on the door panel replaced; I have had to have the power steering epas replaced (most recent). Most happened while the vehicle was stationary thank goodness. The navigation system did go out while driving.
On july 26 at about 10:40 am I was driving my stock (no added equipment) 2016 ford explorer (platinum edition). I had just merged from northbound I-680 onto westbound I-580 (northern california). I was moving at a constant freeway speed (about 60 MPH) from lane #5 (rightmost lane) to lane #1. A few seconds after entering lane #1 the power steering failed. A warning appeared on the vehicle warning indicator that the power steering failed. A few minutes later I was able to safely drive off the freeway and turn off the vehicle. Power steering resumed after re-starting the vehicle.
While driving at speed the power steering failed going into a corner, at the same time the battery warning light appeared on the dash. It was a dangerous curve. I drove the car the next day and it happened a second and third time. Waiting for dealer response it is unsafe at the least or worse....
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