The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, with the power steering fault warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure reoccurred, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack and steering angle and torque sensors had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and several cases were filed. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
2013 Ford Flex: steering wheel locks up
16 of the 581 complaints about the 2013 Ford Flex describe steering wheel locks up.
- owner complaints
- 16
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 108,000
- 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
- 20151
- 20143
- 201316
- 20121
- 20117
- 20103
- 20091
What owners say
Power steering. While I was driving in my neighborhood the power steering went out and I could not make a turn. It locked up while driving. I could have got into a head on collision/accident becasue the road turns. Yes, I reported it to Ford and they told me my flex did not have a recall despite the ford website stating that some 2013 ford flex are affected. The description of 15s18 sterring recall matches my same issue and it poses a serious safety hazard. Yes, i took it to a mechanic at an auto shop and her is telling me that he can't fix recalls. At the time of the accident, i got No pre warning just the message that states: "Steering Lock Malfunction Service Now: The steering lock system has detected a condition that requires service." This happened on or around 11/23/25. I am requesting that Ford pay for my power steering to be fixed.
The contact's client owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while her and her client were driving at approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff, and the vehicle failed to steer as intended. The vehicle was taken to a parking lot and turned off. The vehicle was restarted after a while and a “Service Power Steering Now” message displayed, and the steering wheel seized and would not turn as needed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering locked up lower control arm snapped at the ball joint where it's connected to cv axel. Sent my car into the rails and nearly.killed me and my passenger.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Failure" was displayed, and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the failure was linked to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was shuddering. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the front ball joints, front control arms, and front struts were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving to the dealer, the steering wheel seized inadvertently and would not turn to the right. The steering could be turned to the left, almost causing a crash. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and was able to continue driving; however, the failure recurred the same day. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion and the electronic gear box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). A case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.
The power steering assist stopped working while I was driving. It caused me to get into an accident. If other cars were around me I could have killed someone. I was driving just fine and then “POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT” showed up on my cluster and the steering wheel locked up. It now won’t work. This came without warning.
On 10/17/21 I was driving near my home and during a turn, the steering locked up and the dash read "power steering assist failure". I pulled over, called a tow truck. When they got there, they started it and the steering was working fine. They said to check the power steering fluid. I drove it home, and found it does not have power steering fluid. Ford told me it is not under any recall. It is now operating just fine. Not sure what happened.
While driving, warning notice came on saying steering assist fault, that very moment the steering locked on me and was unable to turn.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford flex. While driving 10 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel seized without warning. The driver powered off the engine while in traffic. Once restarted, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was later taken to banner ford (1943 n causeway blvd, mandeville, la 70471, (985) 234-5678) where it was diagnosed that the electric assist steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford flex. While driving various speeds, a grinding noise was present coming from the front end of the vehicle. Later, while driving, the 'power steering fault' message displayed before the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the contact's home. The vehicle was taken to autonation ford burleson (850 n burleson blvd, burleson, tx 76028), but the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 162,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford flex. While driving out of the driveway, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact called stevens ford of milford (located at 717 bridgeport ave, milford, ct 06460, (203) 876-6464) and scheduled a diagnostic appointment. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 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 2013 Ford Flex steering lock-up
Is steering wheel locks up a common problem on the 2013 Ford Flex?
16 of 581 owner complaints about the 2013 Ford Flex (3%) 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 2013 Ford Flex?
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 2013 Ford Flex
Door locks 96Power steering loss 77Fuel pump 44Stalling 28Won't start 26Battery drain 24Loss of power 21Backup camera 17Engine failure 16Fuel smell 11Check engine light 10Overheating 10Grinding brakes 8Jerking 6Fuel leak 5Seat belt 5Wipers 5
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