2018 Ford F-150 steering problems

Filed May 18, 2026 · Steering · NC

I was driving on a highway going around 75 mph on a curve, when all of a sudden I lost power steering and wheel jerked the opposite way to where I was steering. I had my wife and two boys with me and if I hadn't held the wheel so tight I probably would have went off road . There were no signs prior to that. No dashboard lights at all and no check engine light. Problem is persistent and can be replicated every drive. Truck is at 147000 miles. Seems like a big problem, and hopefully there are no injuries related to this Ford Steering gear issue. Ford dealership has was quoted me $3500 to fix it. Will have to keep driving truck as it's the only car I have

Filed Nov 11, 2025 · Steering · MI

Started vehicle could not move the wheel to turn towed it to a repair shop said it was not reading any codes it eventually let the wheel move again called ford service centers and they told me not to bring it in and if it doesn’t read codes and the vechicle steering does not lock up for them nothing they can do. I see this vehicle has had recalls on the steering issues but not my vin number was told don’t drive it or take your chances . The truck has low mileage and steering should have never locked up so hard that I am strong could not turn the wheel kept trying for hours till it would move shakes when driving jumps all over the road sloppy steering and I’m told no code can diagnose what the issue is with steering ?

Filed Aug 15, 2025 · Airbags, Steering · 68,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the seat belt warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the clockspring. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V847000 (Steering, Air Bags); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 68,000.

Filed Aug 1, 2025 · Steering, Transmission · AR

the federal safety agency Safety Complaint Draft Vehicle Information: Make: Ford Model: F-150 Year: 2018 VIN: [XXX] Incident Summary: While driving my 2018 Ford F-150, the vehicle suddenly displayed a warning on the dashboard: “Steering Assist Fault – Service Required.” Within moments of this warning, I lost all power steering assist and was unable to control the vehicle, resulting in the truck veering off the road and into a ditch. This was a sudden and dangerous failure of the Electric Power Steering (EPS) system. I was fortunate not to have been injured, and no other vehicles were involved. However, this type of failure represents a major safety risk to me and to others on the road. I contacted Ford Motor Company and was assigned Case Number: [XXX]. Despite reporting the issue and explaining that the vehicle ran off the road, Ford refused to offer any assistance or goodwill repair. I was told the vehicle is outside of recall 24S45, even though it displays the exact same failure symptoms as recalled vehicles from later years. This failure could have resulted in serious injury or death. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate this steering system failure and expand any related recall coverage to include affected 2018 F-150 models like mine. Incident Date: [XXX] Mileage at Time of Incident: 157,000 Location: Pine Bluff, AR Complainant Information: Name: [XXX] Address: [XXX] Phone: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 1, 2025 · Airbags, Steering · SC · crash

The contact owned a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the contact's son was driving at 20 MPH, the contact's son noticed an unusual sound. The steering wheel did not turn in the intended direction. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the steering wheel was detached and loose. The vehicle crashed into a nearby tree. The contact's son did not sustain any injuries. In addition, the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the insurance company for inspection. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. A police report was filed; however, the information was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised that the vehicle needed to be inspected by the investigator. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed May 1, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · MN

The button on the steering wheel get hot then fail to work this has happened several times i have complained to ford. The cruise control quits working and all the buttons for the dash menu quit working. I will be driving down the road with the cruise control on and all of a sudden it will quit working. Then it will just come back on like you never shut it off and when you least expect it. when this happens you can not shut the thing off its gonna cause an accident.

Filed Mar 31, 2025 · Steering · 135,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at various speeds, the steering wheel was pulling to the left or to the right, forcing the contact to keep and maintain a strong grip on the steering wheel while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact referenced Equipment Recall: 24S45 (Electronic Power Steering Assist Steering Gear); as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

Filed Mar 18, 2025 · Steering · 90,000 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the steering wheel seized as if the vehicle was in park(P) with the vehicle turned off. The contact stated that the vehicle was still running. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who advised the contact to have the vehicle towed to a local dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Filed Mar 11, 2025 · Acceleration, Engine · AZ

I own a 2018 Ford F-150 with 56,000 miles, and I have been experiencing serious and unpredictable transmission issues. These problems first started around 48,000 miles, but at the time, I assumed it was normal behavior. However, the issues have progressively worsened, and by 55,000 miles, a wrench warning light started appearing intermittently. Symptoms: •While driving at highway speeds, the transmission unexpectedly drops from 10th gear to 1st gear, causing a sudden and severe deceleration. •The gear shifts are jerky, unpredictable, and rough, making it difficult to maintain control of the vehicle. •The wrench warning light appears occasionally but disappears quickly, making diagnosis difficult. •No diagnostic trouble codes (D DTCs) are stored or retrieved when scanned at multiple repair shops. •The issue happens intermittently, making it challenging to replicate on demand. •Started noticing issues at 48k miles, but they became significantly worse around 50k miles when the wrench light began appearing. •I called Ford to reset the radio/computer software, after hearing it might help, but it did not resolve the issue. •The unpredictable transmission behavior causes severe anxiety while driving, as I never know when it will happen again. Attempts to Fix: •I have taken my truck to multiple repair shops and Ford dealerships, but since no codes are present, they have been unable to diagnose or fix the issue. •Mechanics have checked for transmission recalls or software updates, but no clear solution has been provided. •I contacted Ford for a radio/computer software reset, hoping it might help, but this did not fix the problem. Safety Concerns: •The abrupt downshifting poses a serious safety hazard to myself and other drivers on the road, especially at high speeds. •There is an increased risk of accidents due to sudden deceleration and loss of control. •The problem occurs without warning, making it difficult to predict or prevent.

Filed Feb 27, 2025 · Fuel system, Steering · WI

This has now happened 8+ times. While traveling on the highway towing either a boat or trailer, my engine shuts down. This has happened at 75 mph. The error code :Auto StartStop Shift to P, then Restart Engine" displays on the instrument panel. Power steering does not work, steering becomes quite difficult. I have found several other instances of this same issue in Ford forums. So... at 75mph, on a highway, I lost all power 3-5 times in one trip. Each time I coasted to the safety strip, put the truck in park, and restarted. Several times the vehicle would not restart immediately. I pulled off the highway and did some research and disables the Auto Start/Stop feature, which seemed to alleviate the issue. Unfortunately I cannot permanently disable the feature. I did stop at a Ford dealership and showed them a picture of the error code. The dealership did not have a fix, and stated it was not a known issue. The last instance was in November, I have not towed since then. Today another mechanic flashed the PM module that controls Auto Start/Stop for another issue, an emissions recall, but did not know if that update would also clear up the towing issue. I have found at least 5 other instances of the the same issue with other Ford F150s in online forums.