2011 - 2018 Explorer Power Steering Issue

[FordService]

Hi Todd,

I sent two messages this morning. They were addressed to Tricia, but I imagine you'll have access to it as well.

Thank you!

Hey there AgentWorm,

You're welcome! I do have access to them.

Todd

 

[michael_jp]

I got my 14S06 power steering recall fixed last Oct (2014) thru re-programming by the dealer. But, last month and this month I experienced a warning signal "Power Steering Failure, contact your dealer", I just cancelled the warning signal and had no issue with my steering.

Could this be an early warning that my Power steering has an issue and was not fixed by the re-programming? But, last week when I got my regular maintenance I mentioned this issue and the dealer told me that they already fixed this problem.

 

[peterk9]

I got my 14S06 power steering recall fixed last Oct (2014) thru re-programming by the dealer. But, last month and this month I experienced a warning signal "Power Steering Failure, contact your dealer", I just cancelled the warning signal and had no issue with my steering.

Could this be an early warning that my Power steering has an issue and was not fixed by the re-programming? But, last week when I got my regular maintenance I mentioned this issue and the dealer told me that they already fixed this problem.

As mentioned here in several posts, the software programming is not a fix for the steering issue. The only corrective method is to replace the steering rack. Unfortunately for those that had 14S06 done, Ford considers the matter closed and the cost to replace the rack falls upon the owner. You can try and send a PM to FordService to see if they can help.

Peter

 

[michael_jp]

As mentioned here in several posts, the software programming is not a fix for the steering issue. The only corrective method is to replace the steering rack. Unfortunately for those that had 14S06 done, Ford considers the matter closed and the cost to replace the rack falls upon the owner. You can try and send a PM to FordService to see if they can help.

Peter

Thank you Peter. I'll PM FordService.
But, I was surprised with my dealer because they knew that I have premium care until 75,000 miles and they didn't check the steering issue even I told them about the alarm. Moreover, this is about safety they should have quote me about the fix.
I'm very thankful for this forum!

 

[blwnsmoke]

As mentioned here in several posts, the software programming is not a fix for the steering issue. The only corrective method is to replace the steering rack. Unfortunately for those that had 14S06 done, Ford considers the matter closed and the cost to replace the rack falls upon the owner. You can try and send a PM to FordService to see if they can help.

Peter

Not the case anymore Peter now that Ford extended the warranty on it for 10yr/150,000 miles. Even with the 14S06 done, everyone is under warranty now.

 

[peterk9]

Not the case anymore Peter now that Ford extended the warranty on it for 10yr/150,000 miles. Even with the 14S06 done, everyone is under warranty now.

Was not aware of that change. I wonder if that extension was voluntary or not. In any case it was the right thing to do given the circumstances. Thanks again for the information.

Peter

 

[blwnsmoke]

Was not aware of that change. I wonder if that extension was voluntary or not. In any case it was the right thing to do given the circumstances. Thanks again for the information.

Peter

I'd recommend you using the "search" function on this forum. It comes in very useful when trying to find out information before posting. lol j/k

Page 50 in this thread, post 989 has a link to the extended warranty published through NHTSA. Not sure how it converts to those silly KMs you Northerners use..

 

[peterk9]

I'd recommend you using the "search" function on this forum. It comes in very useful when trying to find out information before posting. lol j/k

Page 50 in this thread, post 989 has a link to the extended warranty published through NHTSA. Not sure how it converts to those silly KMs you Northerners use..

Thanks for that. It was posted a day after I had to go 'offline' for several weeks.

Peter

 

[Zach7]

I just joined this "club" today with my X. Heading to the dealer in the morning. Luckily it was just after driving out of a parking lot and was able to reset with a power cycle. Great info in here!!

 

[Zach7]

Dealership confirmed it needs the new updated power steering rack. Recall warranty is covering the repairs and rental. Thankful they are backing the fix for this problem!

 

[gulihhdster]

I had mine replaced in July, however it happens again in August and my car has only 12000 miles on it. I was very upset about this situation. Now I am getting it fixed again! I guess it will happen the third time and it will be considered a lemon car if still under certain miles.

Looks good to me now. Steering gear replaced at no charge to me. Explorer is doing fine now. Restored my confidence in Ford. I hope everyone else fairs as well. As for codes, just in case, I used my phone to take a picture of my dash display to prove I had a steering issue. Codes weren't questioned, so I suppose the right ones were there. Good luck everyone.

 

[tbradshaw]

A Little Venting While I Wait

I just wanted to vent a little while the dealer has my Explorer. I had the software fix done back in Jan. We've since had the power steering failure warning pop up 4 or 5 times. The dealership told me to bring it in last week to have it inspected. They redid the software update and told me that it didn't show the code for the failure. According to them, a further inspection would need to be done by their front end guy who was out that day. I got a little cranky with the dealer's service rep when he told me I would have to bring it back again AND face the possibility that they can't detect the problem which would keep them from making the repair. He offered up a loaner for the next visit.

I brought it back today. He just called and said they did not see the failure code in the computer. His story is that they need to see the code to verify the issue before proceeding with the repair. He also said the codes are wiped after what he called a "drive cycle" which he defined as 4 or 5 starts of the engine. I explained that I've only had the warning upon startup of the car and that it could be a month in between incidents. And 4 or 5 starts can be one day for me. The chances of being able to get it to the dealer right after it happens are slim for me. He's going to drive it around today and home tonight to see if will happen for him.

I understand their reluctance to spend the money for the fix. But their standard of proof (and he's saying this series of hoops is imposed on them by Ford) is ridiculous for something as significant as a steering issue. I'll see what he says tomorrow. If they won't do it I'll check in with the Ford reps here on how to proceed.

Edit: Had a chance to go back through the proceeding pages here and see that my experience with the need to detect certain codes is nearly identical to that of several others. I have a feeling I'll be involved in a very "interesting" conversation with the service rep from the dealer tomorrow.

 

[dco43054]

The steering on my 2011 Ex is now intermittently locked up on start up. Haven't had the recall done yet, and looks like it was a good thing to wait a while.

It's headed into the dealership soon.

Had the steering looked at last summer under the recall. I don't know what action they took, but afterward, the steering still intermittently was locking up on start. The problem would clear up after rolling a few feet.

Yesterday morning I had a complete failure on startup and finally got the "Power Steering Failure" error message. I shut off the vehicle and restarted and the fault cleared and power steering worked.

I called a nearby dealer last night, gave him my VIN, he searched and told me it sounded like the controller needed to be replaced. So, it goes in on the 10th of November to have this hopefully fixed for good.

Ford says this is a failure of the power assist, and the vehicle could require much more effort to steer. I've driven vehicles that had hydraulic power steering that failed. When it does, it is tough to turn the steering wheel, but you can turn it. There was little way I could turn the steering wheel with the electric assist unit's failure.

The first report of a power steering unit failure I remember reading on this site was the guy from St. Croix whose wife had an accident when the unit likely failed, and she couldn't negotiate a curve. I can definitely see how that would happen. The steering wheel became almost impossible to turn, even with both hands and a lot of effort, and I'm a fairly big guy. For a smaller person, you'd be screwed.

 

[peterk9]

Had the steering looked at last summer under the recall. I don't know what action they took, but afterward, the steering still intermittently was locking up on start. The problem would clear up after rolling a few feet.

Yesterday morning I had a complete failure on startup and finally got the "Power Steering Failure" error message. I shut off the vehicle and restarted and the fault cleared and power steering worked.

I called a nearby dealer last night, gave him my VIN, he searched and told me it sounded like the controller needed to be replaced. So, it goes in on the 10th of November to have this hopefully fixed for good.

Ford says this is a failure of the power assist, and the vehicle could require much more effort to steer. I've driven vehicles that had hydraulic power steering that failed. When it does, it is tough to turn the steering wheel, but you can turn it. There was little way I could turn the steering wheel with the electric assist unit's failure.

The first report of a power steering unit failure I remember reading on this site was the guy from St. Croix whose wife had an accident when the unit likely failed, and she couldn't negotiate a curve. I can definitely see how that would happen. The steering wheel became almost impossible to turn, even with both hands and a lot of effort, and I'm a fairly big guy. For a smaller person, you'd be screwed.

Not sure exactly what the "controller' is but what need top be replaced is the entire steering rack as has been mentioned here several times. They likely just did the software update initially which has been proven to not fix the issue.
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM481732/RCMN-14V286-6751.pdf

Peter

 

[calcam]

After taking my 2013 Explorer in to the dealer due to a severe and loud grinding noise from the steering. The steering actually stuck a couple times while driving. We are told the 2013 Explorer needs a brand new steering gear. And being that we are 4,000 miles out of warranty, we need to come up with nearly $2,000 for the replacement steering gear. Mom and pops cannot do this repair, it must be done by Ford. So I read the 51 page thread on steering recalls on this forum , we decided to contact [MENTION=157968]FordService[/MENTION] through this forum. Well, they were very responsive at first so I took the vehicle back to the dealer as they requested. I gave them the dealer information and they said they would get someone involved. Well, that was one week ago today. No communication with the dealer or me. I send an email once a day and still no response. We've been loyal Ford customers for decades. That will most likely come to end here.

 

[blwnsmoke]

I'm not so sure the recall would cover this. The recall covers an electronic failure that creates specific CEL codes. If these codes are not present, the recall will not cover the part. Being you are having an actual noise coming from it (there is no power steering pump) it would lead me to believe that it is a mechanical failure with it and not the electrical that people have experienced. If so, it would be a customer pay repair if out of warranty.

I believe this is the 1st I've read of these symptoms you describe.

 

[calcam]

Yes, we are trying to figure that out right now. I'm willing to bet they are related. Either way, a steering gear that goes out at 40k miles?!?!?

 

[blwnsmoke]

Yes, we are trying to figure that out right now. I'm willing to bet they are related. Either way, a steering gear that goes out at 40k miles?!?!?

Being a neutral person, you could say that about any part that fails on a vehicle whether major or minor. That is why people have the option to buy an ESP. It is a crap shoot on whether one would make out (I always have) but in the instance, you would have made your momey back and still be covered for several more years.

Keep us posted on the final outcome.

 

[calcam]

Being a neutral person, you could say that about any part that fails on a vehicle whether major or minor. That is why people have the option to buy an ESP. It is a crap shoot on whether one would make out (I always have) but in the instance, you would have made your momey back and still be covered for several more years.

Keep us posted on the final outcome.

I hear you but I've never bought an esp before and frankly never will. Maybe I've been lucky but I've never had a $2k bill for a repair on any car I've owned in over 30 years. And this was my first car bought brand spanning new!

 

[peterk9]

I hear you but I've never bought an esp before and frankly never will. Maybe I've been lucky but I've never had a $2k bill for a repair on any car I've owned in over 30 years. And this was my first car bought brand spanning new!

No previous car likely had all the electronic features either that the Explorer has.

Peter