2011 - 2018 Explorer Power Steering Issue

[fargo1]

As mentioned in an earlier post, I experienced the exact same loss of power steering as everyone else in this thread. I took my Ex to the dealer Wednesday at 8 a.m and picked it up today (Thursday) at 4 p.m......all fixed! Hats off to my dealer (Barile Ford in Valparaiso, In).....excellent at pinpointing the problem and fixing it.

I'm hoping you're right, but given the air of mystery that surrounds this issue, how can you be sure that it has actually been resolved? I guess it's a step in the right direction that they actually found a fault code, but, after my experience, it would take a long time before I felt fully comfortable driving the vehicle again. At the very least, I'd want a very detailed explanation of the exact nature of the failure, the component(s) that were at fault, what was replaced, and (most important) what changes have been made to eliminate the potential for failure of those components again in the future. The large number of identical events suggests that this is a design flaw that needs to be addressed -- not a random failure.

 

[tropicvi]

Given the nature of the EPAS system, makes one wonder if in fact there actually is a problem with the steering rack at all... perhaps it is a computer issue, sort of like when a PC blue screens, or when a program freezes, due to inability to process data fast enough. And in order to not admit to computer issues, the steering's mechanical components are being replaced... afterall, as many have stated, key cycling does a temporary and sometimes complete cure to the issue. That smacks of electronic issues, not mechanical. That in turn brings into focus a bigger issue with the multitude of modules electronically interconnected. Maybe replacing the steering rack is only a placebo??? Maybe the basic ability of the computer system is pushed to its limit far too regularly on the vehicle and these (EPAS failures) are merely one redition of a computer freeze???

 

[fargo1]

Tropicvi: Exactly my point. Although it's possible this is a mechanical failure, the electronics in my car have been utterly unreliable since the day I bought it, and the nature of the steering problem points strongly toward another computer issue. Meanwhile, Ford has been issuing new software updates in order to address the the MyFord Touch problems. As it happens, 90% of the steering failure reports to NHTSA have occurred in the last 6 mos. Did a software update introduce a bigger problem? It would be interesting to know whether the steering failures have been predominantly associated with MFT-equipped vehicles.

 

[willied]

Tropicvi: Exactly my point. Although it's possible this is a mechanical failure, the electronics in my car have been utterly unreliable since the day I bought it, and the nature of the steering problem points strongly toward another computer issue. Meanwhile, Ford has been issuing new software updates in order to address the the MyFord Touch problems. As it happens, 90% of the steering failure reports to NHTSA have occurred in the last 6 mos. Did a software update introduce a bigger problem? It would be interesting to know whether the steering failures have been predominantly associated with MFT-equipped vehicles.

I think we can rule out the MFT update being the problem. Multiple people on here who don't have MFT (including my mom) have had the same exact problem.

 

[tropicvi]

Meanwhile, I've got an unusable car sitting in the garage and I'm at a loss what to do about it.

Likewise for the past three months, my wreck sits under a tarp in storage... and the payments still go on...

 

[zed512]

When will the NHTSA finish their investigations?

 

[SD550]

From what I understand from seeing similar concerns with earlier vehicles from all different makes with the early EPS systems, intermittent failures in the PCM or BCM from faulty solder joints can cause these things to happen. Not sure if this is the actual issue that some of you are experiencing, but I don't think I'd be opposed to looking into it.

 

[mattgator]

Scary steering issues

I had the same issues on Saturday traveling approx 60mph on a one lane country road. I restarted the car, all problems solved. The next day, as I was pulling into Ford, the power steering went out again, and all of the warnings lit up. Talked to dealership today, needs a new "rack" and that is "backordered until NOVEMBER!!!" 27000mi on the car. Thank goodness it's under warranty. I am now driving around an Enterprise rent a car (Ford Focus)...

Any thoughts or suggestions why the lengthy delay for the backorder? Do I have any rights? Was planning a big family trip in October (really needed the 3rd row).

Thanks in advance,

-m

 

[mattgator]

Scary Steering issues

I had the same issues on Saturday traveling approx 60mph on a one lane country road. I restarted the car, all problems solved. The next day, as I was pulling into Ford, the power steering went out again, and all of the warnings lit up. Talked to dealership today, needs a new "rack" and that is "backordered until NOVEMBER!!!" 27000mi on the car. Thank goodness it's under warranty. I am now driving around an Enterprise rent a car (Ford Focus)...

Any thoughts or suggestions why the lengthy delay for the backorder? Do I have any rights? Was planning a big family trip in October (really needed the 3rd row).

Thanks in advance,

-m

 

[new to ford]

I had the same issues on Saturday traveling approx 60mph on a one lane country road. I restarted the car, all problems solved. The next day, as I was pulling into Ford, the power steering went out again, and all of the warnings lit up. Talked to dealership today, needs a new "rack" and that is "backordered until NOVEMBER!!!" 27000mi on the car. Thank goodness it's under warranty. I am now driving around an Enterprise rent a car (Ford Focus)...

Any thoughts or suggestions why the lengthy delay for the backorder? Do I have any rights? Was planning a big family trip in October (really needed the 3rd row).

Thanks in advance,

-m

It's hard to believe that the replacement steering racks are backordered until November, since they are building vehicles daily at Chicago assembly plant... Unless they are expecting an improved design by that timeframe...

 

[jmann]

the problem is with the actual part I believe they are still trying to figure out how to fix it.... I would call for customer service and explain to them you are paying for a suv that has a 3rd row and driving a focus. This is their problem not yours and have them upgrade you to a suv at no cost. This is what I had to do. I was with out my explorer for 2 months and they had me in a fuson for half of the time until I did this.

 

[controlfreak]

Yesterday I spent a considerable amount of time speaking with one of the NHTSA Safety Defects Engineers working this problem. He's been working EPAS problems for almost 2 yrs. Since we both work for the U.S. DOT, I'm not going to play the middle-man here, but I will provide this info.

The Preliminary Investigation began 6/19/2012. It lasts for 120 days. They have already gathered an enormous amount of data relevant to the problem, and they expect much more in the weeks to come.

There are 4 problems the NHTSA considers critical: acceleration, braking, steering, and fire, so our problem is considered critical.

(This one's for Vulnox) When old hydraulic PS systems failed, it took about 3-10 units of force to work the steering without power assist. In these Explorers it's taking 60, yes, 60 units of force to overcome the resistance of the failed EPAS. Those of you that experienced the failure know what you were up against.

So until at least the end of October, we have nothing but the rack & pinion replacement that Ford has recommended. We know from previous posts that the "fix" may or MAY NOT work. So while we await further developments, everyone please remain mindful of the potential failure, and be extra cautious when you're driving! As we say in my profession, leave yourself an out.

Zed512: Here is a re-post of my post dated July 19, 2012.

 

[peterk9]

It's hard to believe that the replacement steering racks are backordered until November, since they are building vehicles daily at Chicago assembly plant... Unless they are expecting an improved design by that timeframe...

I would guess that because of the economic times, manufacturers no longer have a huge stockpile of parts. The manufacturing of the parts is likely linked in some way to the orders that the company receives. There are 100's in the same boat waiting for 'steering racks' and these would have to be produced in addition to the everyday production requirements.
Even the dealer's parts department doesn't carry the amount of stock/parts they used to many years ago. Eventually it always comes down to $$$.

Peter

 

[nextreme]

First and foremost, fellow Canadians that have experienced the power steering failure, please file a report with Transport Canada using the following online form.

I use this vehicle as my family car. I use it to carpool my wife and I to and from work, 110km per day and drive my three kids (8, 3 and 10 months) to daycare and school. On top of that it is the vehicle we use on all trips and for towing. I DEPEND on this vehicle!

I have encountered this problem twice, of course while on vacation nowhere near home.

The first time it happened I had my wife and 3 kids in the Explorer and was driving through a hilly, twisty highway at roughly 80km/h when "bing bing bing" and no steering!!! It scared the sh*t out of me. I thought for sure I was going off the road. I got the two error messages that others here have reported "Service AdvanceTrac" and "Power Steering Assist Fault". I slowed down and crept into the next town looking for a Ford dealer or Canadian Tire. I pulled into the parking lot and turned it off and checked under the hood. After realizing that there is no longer a power steering fluid reservoir I closed the hood and restarted it. The steering came back.

The second time, the next day, I was towing my boat on a twisty gravel road. Same error messages and "bings" and I pulled over and turned off the Explorer and restarted it 10 seconds later and the steering was back.

It has not happened again since, but I have tried to avoid driving it at all costs.

I brought it to my dealer and they kept it for a week. No codes where stored on the computer. They contacted Ford in Canada and the USA and their response was simply that they cannot do anything until a code has been recorded or they can duplicate the fault. So, I now have my Explorer back, with no fix. The dealer tried everything they could but they cannot just start changing parts under suspicion and pay for it out of their own pocket.

Ford basically says that the vehicle is perfectly safe to drive. They say that it is just like driving an older car without power steering. When the power steering goes in this Explorer, it is NOT like driving an old car that was made without power steering, no matter what any Ford tech tries to tell you. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 250lbs. I could barely wrestle the vehicle around a couple of turns without power steering.

Is Ford truly this dense? Do I have to have an accident where one of my children get killed before they do something? I'll say this right here and now, if I get into an accident due to this defect and myself or one of my family members are in any way hurt, Ford will never forget me!

I am a software developer and I understand how logic systems work, and this truly speaks of an error in design and logic. The computer detected some fault with either the traction control or power steering and decided on its own to shut off the power steering, while driving at highway speeds. This is just as dangerous as shutting off the brakes because a fault was reported by the ABS module. And on top of it, the computer that makes this decision doesn't record anything to do with the incident? That is a major programming glitch. I am not saying that the root cause may not be a hardware problem but unless it is a complete hardware failure, the computer should simply log the error code and let the driver know. DON'T SHUT OFF THE F'ING POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING!!! At least if it was a complete hardware failure the dealer would have no problem identifying the problem.

A temporary/quick fix would be for Ford to create an updated firmware that DOESN'T shutoff the power steering whenever the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message is generated AND ensures that the errors codes are recorded. Get everyone who reports this issue to go to the dealer and have their firmware updated and then wait for the error codes to start coming in. At least this would show that Ford is doing something to fix the problem.

I have reported this to the Defect Complaint Center at Transport Canada, the Canadian version of the NHSTA. After speaking with the people there they said they are currently handling an ongoing investigation for these exact complaints, and Ford is not the only manufacturer exhibiting these problems. They asked that I inform any fellow Canadians who have had this happen to them to report it to them using the following online form. The more complaints they get, the larger the investigation and the more pressure put on the manufacturers to invest time and money into finding a solution. They forward the complaints to the manufacturers.

Funny, I was just speaking to my wife about what Ford we should replace our 2006 Mazda 3 with. If this is how Ford deals with these issues, this will be the last Ford I ever purchase in my life. All vehicles can have defects but at least do something to fix them. Ford should 'own' the issue and find a solution. Don't send your customers out on false hopes thinking that the vehicle they are driving is perfectly safe. The way they handled me is simply irresponsible

 

[new to ford]

First and foremost, fellow Canadians that have experienced the power steering failure, please file a report with Transport Canada using the following online form.

I use this vehicle as my family car. I use it to carpool my wife and I to and from work, 110km per day and drive my three kids (8, 3 and 10 months) to daycare and school. On top of that it is the vehicle we use on all trips and for towing. I DEPEND on this vehicle!

I have encountered this problem twice, of course while on vacation nowhere near home.

The first time it happened I had my wife and 3 kids in the Explorer and was driving through a hilly, twisty highway at roughly 80km/h when "bing bing bing" and no steering!!! It scared the sh*t out of me. I thought for sure I was going off the road. I got the two error messages that others here have reported "Service AdvanceTrac" and "Power Steering Assist Fault". I slowed down and crept into the next town looking for a Ford dealer or Canadian Tire. I pulled into the parking lot and turned it off and checked under the hood. After realizing that there is no longer a power steering fluid reservoir I closed the hood and restarted it. The steering came back.

The second time, the next day, I was towing my boat on a twisty gravel road. Same error messages and "bings" and I pulled over and turned off the Explorer and restarted it 10 seconds later and the steering was back.

It has not happened again since, but I have tried to avoid driving it at all costs.

I brought it to my dealer and they kept it for a week. No codes where stored on the computer. They contacted Ford in Canada and the USA and their response was simply that they cannot do anything until a code has been recorded or they can duplicate the fault. So, I now have my Explorer back, with no fix. The dealer tried everything they could but they cannot just start changing parts under suspicion and pay for it out of their own pocket.

Ford basically says that the vehicle is perfectly safe to drive. They say that it is just like driving an older car without power steering. When the power steering goes in this Explorer, it is NOT like driving an old car that was made without power steering, no matter what any Ford tech tries to tell you. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 250lbs. I could barely wrestle the vehicle around a couple of turns without power steering.

Is Ford truly this dense? Do I have to have an accident where one of my children get killed before they do something? I'll say this right here and now, if I get into an accident due to this defect and myself or one of my family members are in any way hurt, Ford will never forget me!

I am a software developer and I understand how logic systems work, and this truly speaks of an error in design and logic. The computer detected some fault with either the traction control or power steering and decided on its own to shut off the power steering, while driving at highway speeds. This is just as dangerous as shutting off the brakes because a fault was reported by the ABS module. And on top of it, the computer that makes this decision doesn't record anything to do with the incident? That is a major programming glitch. I am not saying that the root cause may not be a hardware problem but unless it is a complete hardware failure, the computer should simply log the error code and let the driver know. DON'T SHUT OFF THE F'ING POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING!!! At least if it was a complete hardware failure the dealer would have no problem identifying the problem.

A temporary/quick fix would be for Ford to create an updated firmware that DOESN'T shutoff the power steering whenever the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message is generated AND ensures that the errors codes are recorded. Get everyone who reports this issue to go to the dealer and have their firmware updated and then wait for the error codes to start coming in. At least this would show that Ford is doing something to fix the problem.

I have reported this to the Defect Complaint Center at Transport Canada, the Canadian version of the NHSTA. After speaking with the people there they said they are currently handling an ongoing investigation for these exact complaints, and Ford is not the only manufacturer exhibiting these problems. They asked that I inform any fellow Canadians who have had this happen to them to report it to them using the following online form. The more complaints they get, the larger the investigation and the more pressure put on the manufacturers to invest time and money into finding a solution. They forward the complaints to the manufacturers.

Funny, I was just speaking to my wife about what Ford we should replace our 2006 Mazda 3 with. If this is how Ford deals with these issues, this will be the last Ford I ever purchase in my life. All vehicles can have defects but at least do something to fix them. Ford should 'own' the issue and find a solution. Don't send your customers out on false hopes thinking that the vehicle they are driving is perfectly safe. The way they handled me is simply irresponsible

If this was to happen to me and I was treated the way you were, this would be my first and last Ford.
100% agree with your comments regarding computer/software, good luck.

 

[fargo1]

I understand how Ford can crunch the numbers and determine that it will cost less to settle a few fatality and permanent injury lawsuits than to recall the vehicles. It may be immoral, but their motives are clear. What I can't understand is why NHTSA hasn't put its foot on Ford's neck and made them act. It seems to me that the purpose of such an agency is to ensure that automobile companies don't make such calculations. Isn't that why we pay taxes? What's the point of a huge government bureaucracy that doesn't protect the public? As I've said, anyone can look at the NHTSA data online and see that there's a serious problem. My prediction is that, if there's enough negative feedback, the natural bureaucratic reaction will be to cut off public access to the data.

 

[nextreme]

We need to start posting videos to YouTube of the dash all lit up with errors and showing how difficult it is to steer. It seems that mass public infiltration of negative experiences with particular products, especially when life is at risk, is the only thing that really gets a manufacturer to take notice.

I know that through my experience I have already "infected" roughly 10 people who are currently or will shortly be in the market for a new vehicle. They are now starting to look at other brands, as am I.

 

[rsscully]

you tube video of error messages

We need to start posting videos to YouTube of the dash all lit up with errors and showing how difficult it is to steer. It seems that mass public infiltration of negative experiences with particular products, especially when life is at risk, is the only thing that really gets a manufacturer to take notice.

I know that through my experience I have already "infected" roughly 10 people who are currently or will shortly be in the market for a new vehicle. They are now starting to look at other brands, as am I.

I started my Explorer up on 6/23/12 and had multiple system warnings (see video)

http://youtu.be/4l-BT4EBwS4

I had to drive to the dealership today 06/25/12 with no power steering. If you start your vehicle and receive any of these warnings run a vehicle health report while the warnings appear and print it out as the report will be replaced every time you run a new one.

Spoke with the service manager who told me that the ESP unit needs to be totally replaced and they are back-ordered until 07/30/12. Now the dealer I drove it to (closest to me) and the dealer I bought the vehicle from (approx. 20 miles away) are trying to figure out who is on the hook for a loaner vehicle for the next month. Will keep you updated.

 

[nextreme]

Rsscully: good job on the video. At least your errors are easily reproduced. Hopefully it won't be too long before its fixed.

We in Canada cannot use the vehicle health report. 90% of the MS Sync features that where advertised to us, and my salesman bragged about, don't work in Canada. I would never have paid the extra ~$1200 for Sync if I had of known that. I am very disappointed in Ford Canada.

 

[new to ford]

And I'm pretty sure it was made in Canada.

Do you mean your explorer? It was made in Chicago assembly plant...