The Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system failed completely and permanently while driving. This is the exact hardware defect described in Ford Safety Recall 15S18 (the federal safety agency Campaign 15V340000), specifically relating to the internal Motor Position Sensor inside the steering gear assembly. The vehicle and the faulty component are fully available for inspection upon request in Sweden. The power steering assist failed suddenly and without warning while the vehicle was in motion. This caused an immediate, massive increase in steering effort, making the vehicle extremely heavy and difficult to control. A sudden loss of steering assist at driving speeds poses a catastrophic risk of a crash, potentially causing severe injury or death to myself, my family, and other road users. We were very close to crash in to a couple of parked cars. The permanent failure is active and consistently reproducible every time the vehicle is started. However, local authorized Ford dealers in Sweden (such as Hedin Automotive) refuse to officially scan, log, or confirm the repair under the recall protocol solely because the vehicle is a North American import, while Ford US refuses to authorize them to do so. The vehicle is currently grounded and unsafe to drive to a facility. Furthermore, the manufacturer (Ford) has actively avoided inspecting or handling the vehicle due to geographic boundaries, ignoring formal executive escalations regarding this safety defect. The failure happened instantly while driving, at which point the instrument cluster immediately displayed the "Power Steering Assist Fault" warning message and power assistance was permanently lost.
2012 Ford Flex: loss of power steering
17 of the 66 complaints about the 2012 Ford Flex describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 17
- of this car's complaints
- 26%
- typical mileage
- 85,868
- recalls
- 1
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
Ford said the recall was fixed 10 years ago, however it went out on me last night. It's been towed to the Folsom Ford dealership in California, they quoted me $3,000 to fix my power steering assistant failure that had a Safety recall and it was a 'safety recall'. I couldn't steer my car. Very scary! please investigate this and make sure that it was fixed right the first time. it should not have gone out. I hardly drive my car. thank you
vehicle power steering stops working. Manual steering is extremely difficult to operate.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Flex. The contact stated while his granddaughter was driving 10 MPH and attempting to leave a parking lot, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. After the failure occurred, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed. The vehicle was parked, and then the contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic. The contact was awaiting a diagnostic test from the independent mechanic but was informed that the rack and pinion might need to be replaced and the power train control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact researched online and became aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel stiffened while attempting to steer the vehicle to the left. The power steering failure message was displayed. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway where the vehicle remained. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The contact was referred to the manufacturer who then referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Vehicle power steering will stop working while driving and notification of (power steering assist failure) will appear. Vehicle becomes extremely unsafe to operate as the steering wheel is very difficult to move. I reached out to Ford and was advised that the recall for this was already repaired and a second recall was opened for vehicles that still had the issue. They advised that the recall only extended the warranty to 10 years and my vehicle is a few months past the 10 year mark with exceptions only made for mileage. My vehicle only has 48,000 miles.
Complete loss of power steering and steering effectiveness. Warning message on display said “power steering assist fault”.
I went to my local dealership on request of the campaign recall for my associated vin The vehicle has a EPAS STEERING EFFORTS Details Description EPAS STEERING EFFORTS Campaign# 15N01 I was driving and lost control because the power steering went out brought it to my local Ford grieco fort Lauderdale and they diagnosed it as a bad power steering rack pinion which was included in the vin report recall however they stated it's 5 months over expiration which it should of never expired since it's a really bad safety issue. I called Ford directly they told me to contact you in regards to adding a valid recall back onto my vin
I am writing you in regards to the federal safety agency # 20V‑072, Ford Recall # 20S04. I own a 2012 Ford Flex. It was not included in this recall. The recall included Ford Flex years 2013 through 2018. Though my SUV wasn’t included in the recall for the defective toe links, my SUV’s toe links were found to be defective on June 1, 2015 at Taylor Ford in Michigan. At that time my vehicle had 56,071 miles on it and was still under warranty. My toe links were replaced with part 5A972 which is the same part that is now the cause of Ford Recall 20S04. On 11-6-21 we took my SUV, with 96,930 miles, into Belle Tire for brake work and tire rotation. At that time we were told that the toe links were defective and needed to be replaced and that my tires were bad and needed replacement too. The tires and toe links had been replaced at Ford 40,859 miles prior! At this point we investigated and found the recall for the toe links. We had never been notified by Ford even though part 5A972 which was later found to be defective, had been put on our SUV in 2015. A Ford Part Employee has confirmed that this part is defective. The defective part is a welded part and the part Ford is using to replace this part is a forged part. Defective toe links are very dangerous. The defect can cause loss of steering/control of SUV. I have contacted multiple levels of Ford Customer Care with no response and no assistance offered. My SUV is currently at a Ford Service Center waiting for Ford to respond so that my SUV can be repaired. I'm unable to drive while waiting because this is very dangerous. It is also very expensive to repair.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford flex. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to disengage and drive. The contact stated she continued to experience the failure. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to local dealer penske ford located at 8970 la mesa blvd, la mesa, ca 91942, (619) 464-7777, where it was diagnosed with needing steering gear to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 116,062.
I've had problems with power steering faulting. I've called dealer and they said they didn't know anything about it. I would turn off car and it would work again but now it won't. There is no power steering. This happened at home when I first turn on car
Power steering assist fails; driving and the power steering stops working, sometimes unexpectedly. Very dangerous! It is sporadic--sometimes it works and other times it does not work. Usually happens when stationary, and turning it on--power steering will not engage for several seconds. Once it happened when driving and I was lucky to pull over car. Turned it off and back on and it started working.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.
- Risk
- If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Ford will notify owners, and dealers will check the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC). If dealers find any loss of steering assist DTCs, the steering gear will be replaced, free of charge. If, no codes are found during the PSCM inspection, the PSCM software will be updated, free of charge. The recall began on July 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1‑866‑436‑7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S18.
Recall number 15V340000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2012 Ford Flex power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2012 Ford Flex?
17 of 66 owner complaints about the 2012 Ford Flex (26%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Ford Flex?
There is 1 recall and 1 service bulletin for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
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