My 33,000 miles 2012 Lincoln MKT EcoBoost previously received a software-only update for Federal Safety Recall 15S18 (the federal safety agency Campaign 15V340). The Power Steering Assist Fault dash light has shown up on a trip out of town making it now completely unable to drive safely on the street. We took it to an independent mechanic who determined various codes of U3000, and UO428. The software update failed to protect the vehicle's electronic power steering system. The steering gear has now suffered a total internal electronic failure at only 33,000 miles, completely disabling the power steering. The vehicle is actively throwing hard internal fault codes U3000 and U0428 congruent to the recall. Ford's safety recall remedy was completely ineffective, creating a severe, immediate low-speed crash hazard.
Lincoln MKT power steering loss problems
41 of the 299 owner complaints about the Lincoln MKT describe loss of power steering, most of them for the 2013 model year.
- owner complaints
- 41
- worst model year
- 2013
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,000
- typical mileage
- 115,000
By model year
Often reported together
Trouble codes mentioned
U3000 1U0428 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed, the Service Advancetrac warning light was illuminated, and the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where it was diagnosed with steering rack and pinion failure. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the repair would be covered under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000(Steering); however, the contact was later informed that the recall had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer scheduled an appointment with the dealer on the contact's behalf; however, the dealer declined to perform the repair. The contact was informed that the repair was at the dealer's discretion because the recall had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
I purchased a used vehicle and had an open safety recall for the rear tow link replacement do to the fact that it could lose steering control and crash if not replaced so I scheduled an appointment with my local dealership to have them replaced I took it in on a Friday they called me to come pick it up asked me to return the following Friday for an alignment so I did after the following Friday's alignment my steering wheel was sideways when it was going forward it was a bad alignment so I call them back up and explain the situation and that they needed to fix it to which they called back and left a message saying that it was not part of the recall and that I would have to pay for it out of pocket which is completely incorrect as I have also confirmed with another dealership that it is part of the recall after discussing that with them they took it back in they said they'd look at it according to the paperwork they gave me when I picked it up yet again it said that he had clocked in for 2 minutes so I obviously was concerned with the alignment so I called another dealership and asked if I could take it into them. Long story shorts the safety recall had never been performed at all!
The car had a recall, and they worked on it. A few years later the power steering went out while driving and almost had an accident. They did not replace the steering gear they only worked on the steering module. If they had replaced the steering gear, it may have solved the whole problem. They know there was a problem and did not do their best to solve it. There may be thousands of vehicles waiting for the time when there could be a serious accident due to Ford's negligence. I was moving slow when the steering quit and may have saved my life or others in over vehicles. I was told it is over $4,000 to repair. I cannot afford the repair. I am without a vehicle to drive. I need it for doctors' appointments.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the steering wheel was seized. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact researched online and discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.
I was driving and the power steering went out while driving. The power steering warning light came on as the steering went out. It was extremely difficult to steer the car. I was fortunate to keep my car under control and stop. Upon investigating how to fix the issue, I discovered the power steering in this vehicle is "electric power steering" thus no way for me to fix it by adding fluid, etc. I was away from home and found an independent garage which told me this seems to be a common problem in this year vehicle and that I had to take it to a Ford Dealership for repair. Upon investigating there are many complaints of this occurring in Lincoln MKT cars. I called Ford Motor Company and there has been no action by the company to alert owners of this and to fix it. This could have had serious consequences because it occurred while the car was in motion.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the power steering assist and traction control warning lights illuminated. The contact immediately felt the vehicle lose power steering assist, and the contact and pulled over. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle to reset the power steering functionality. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering assist and rack and pinion and steering gear needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic referred the contact to a dealer; however, vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been 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 207,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that while her husband was attempting to drive out of a parking space, the power steering fault message was displayed on the instrument panel. The steering became difficult to operate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the power steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
I was driving home from work thru a construction area and all of a sudden my power steering/collision warning came on and the signal with the slippery tire car symbol. My power steering went out i almost hit a concrete wall but was able to steer car in development off main road Power steering out and will not operate. Says no recalls on 2010 but online same issue with 2012 and has recall im lucky i was seriously hurt or killed. Shooken up in Florida
The contact's grandmother owned a 2012 Lincoln MKT. The contact stated that when his grandmother was starting the vehicle, she experienced a loss of power steering assist. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The contact was made aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The contact's grandmother was then offered and agreed to a trade-in. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
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 Lincoln MKT power steering loss
Which Lincoln MKT years have loss of power steering problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2013 (14 complaints), 2010 (11 complaints) and 2012 (11 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix loss of power steering on the Lincoln MKT?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,000 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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