Ford Taurus steering lock-up problems

Filed Jun 5, 2025 · Steering · 63,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts, and the battery was replaced by an independent mechanic. The contact stated that soon after the battery replacement, while attempting to make a U-turn, the steering wheel seized with the “Power Steering Assist" message displayed on the instrument panel. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle into a parking lot. The contact stated that a Mobile mechanic arrived at the scene and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be reset after the battery was replaced. The contact stated that five days after the vehicle was reset, the failure recurred. The contact called the same Mobile mechanic who had performed the reset and was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

Filed Feb 16, 2025 · Brakes, Steering · MN

Driving 65mph and the steering wheel locked up and the brakes weren’t working as they should. Check engine light came on. Was able to pull off the road. Shut off vehicle for awhile. Then it worked as it should. No repairs at this time but sounds like it will continue to happen.

Filed Sep 19, 2024 · Steering · 150,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering functionality returned. The contact drove to the residence, where the steering wheel seized. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle at the residence. The mechanic determined that the electric power steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

Filed Aug 21, 2024 · Steering · ME

I was driving down the road about 50 mph when all of sudden my steering wheel locked up was nearly impossible to turn I had to try to keep it on the road and slow down as quickly as I could it took all my force to turn the wheel and it was not turning like it normally did it would like skip a beat and not really turn the wheel this is a common problem with 2013 ford taurus some are recalled mine However was not but after searching the web many other people have the same issue but not covered under the recall but exactly the same issue now ford turned a recall into a customer satisfaction program However I am the 2nd owner of this car was never notified by ford or the original owner of the customer satisfaction program so apparently they turned a recall into a csp and if it's past 10 years or 150 thousand miles ford will no longer fix it as I said before I was never notified by ford or the original owner this has caused 16 accidents all together almost caused me to crash I have seen many post of people doing 60 plus mph around a corner and lose steering causing a an accident these cars are not safe on the road with these steering racks it's a dangerous recall ford should have to cover it wether it's been 10 years or 150 thousand miles I'm the 2nd owner never notified I can't afford 3 grand just for the rack I can't get to work now because I live in the middle of no where and ford refuses to fix the problem this easily could have caused a head on accident killing me and the other people involved in the collision with iver 16 accident and 4 of them having injuries and not being notified of this issue I feel as it should be fixed by ford and a recall can't be turned into a csp with a restriction on how many miles or years u can have or they don't have to fix there own recall now im without a car without a job and ford refuses to fix the problem they know they created this is super dangerous and could lead to many more accidents please look into this

Filed Aug 2, 2024 · Steering · 92,000 miles · MO

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while in reverse(R) and reversing down a driveway at approximately 2 MPH, the power steering module fault warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized, and the contact was unable to turn the steering wheel to the left or right. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Filed Jul 26, 2024 · Steering · 162,892 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving 20-25 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 162,892.

Filed Dec 21, 2023 · Steering · 233,114 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated that while reversing out of the driveway, the steering wheel seized. The message "Power Steering Adjustment Fault" was displayed. The contact used physical force to steer the vehicle while driving to her destination. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering functional returned. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving 40-45 MPH with her niece and nephew in the rear seats. The contact stated that she pulled to the side of the roadway. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering became functional. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The contact stated that the failure persisted after turning off and restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the steering gear box had failed, and the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 233,114.

Filed Dec 4, 2023 · Steering · 90,000 miles · KY

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while attempting to pull out of a parking space, the steering wheel seized. The traction control warning light was illuminated, and the message "Steering Rack Assembly" was displayed. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the steering wheel operated as needed. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while attempting to drive or reverse from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included. The manufacturer referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Filed Nov 29, 2023 · Steering · WI

My car steering locked up. The warning read power steering assist fault check. I called local garage and they stated this was a recall. Only dealers can fix. Called Dorsh Ford in Green Bay and they stated no recall was issued. I need to get this straightened out so I can safely drive my car without it locking up.

Filed Jul 13, 2023 · Steering · AZ

This '2013 Ford Taurus was purchased brand new Feb. '2013. Up until 3 months ago the car has been perfect. Since then I have had issues with the power steering locking up when first starting, but then after a minute or so it's fine. A week ago it locked up and would not release. A warning showed on my dash screen related to the issue. It was towed to a local repair shop who explained it has Electronic Steering and that it is probably a failing rack/motor/control module which are part of the rack & pinion assembly. Ford's two safety issues dated May 27, 2015 state: requires either a software update for the power steering control module or to replace the steering gear. When I contacted Ford locally they claim my vin # shows the car was assembled in Chicago and a recall does not appy. A recall # showing many steering complaints is: 15V340000. A case file has been created at Ford corporate C/S Support related to a recall concern. How can Ford use this "assembly" issue, Feb. '2013, as an excuse for not providing a recall for a "VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE-STEERING", stating the recall did not cover my car due to the assembly location. What happens if I am driving down the road and the steering locks up? Someone could get seriously injured or worse. There have been many, many complaints about this steering issue and it SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE REGARDLESS OF WHERE IT WAS ASSEMBLED!! It is as though Ford is trying to avoid the cost of a defective part/system issue that has to be repaired or replaced. I am not a mechanic but in my opinion this is NOT AN ASSEMBLY issue but defective part(s).