2011 - 2018 Explorer Power Steering Issue

[FordService]

This morning, in a 2011 Explorer Limited with only 13,000 mi. on it, as I was trying to back out of a parking lot, I experienced the warning light on the dashboard and then the complete locking of the steering. Not even a body builder could have moved that wheel! It was completely rigid. I vaguely recalled reading about this problem some months ago, so I waited a bit, turned on the engine again, and found the power steering back to normal.
I hightailed it to my dealer and made an appointment for next week...

Hi emzed,

I want to get your regional customer service manager (CSM) involved so they can assist. For me to do so, I'll need a private message (PM) from you with your information: VIN, dealer, current mileage, daytime phone number, and full name. I'll get your case escalated and into the hands of your CSM.

Thanks!

Crystal

 

[emzed]

Crystal,
Thank you for your reply to my question. I will be happy to email you the info you have requested--can you provide the email address for a PM? I apologize for any lack of computer savvy, but I'm not sure where to send everything.

 

[peterk9]

Crystal,
Thank you for your reply to my question. I will be happy to email you the info you have requested--can you provide the email address for a PM? I apologize for any lack of computer savvy, but I'm not sure where to send everything.

Just go to the post by FordCustSrvc and click on that name in the left margin. It will then give you several options. Chose the one Send a Private Message to FordCustSrvc. Then you can enter and send the info that Crystal is looking for. A Private Message is also sometimes referred to as a PM on this Forum. Hope that helps.

Peter

 

[emzed]

Thanks for both of your responses, Peter! I poked around the site a bit and did find the option for sending a PM, so I hope Crystal has received it. ( I do eventually get up to speed with online procedures, but a 12 year old could no doubt do better!)

I appreciate your quick summary, and am hoping that the dealership had had enough of these power steering issues that they will know what to do; also, that the fix will be a positive one. If not, I will be thinking seriously of trading this car in for a Japanese import. They may not have had all these bells and whistles, but they were generally amazingly reliable.

 

[FordService]

Crystal,
Thank you for your reply to my question...

You're welcome! I'm always happy to help.

Just go to the post by FordCustSrvc and click on that name in the left margin. It will then give you several options. Chose the one Send a Private Message to FordCustSrvc. Then you can enter and send the info that Crystal is looking for...

Thanks for helping out, Peter!

Thanks for both of your responses, Peter! I poked around the site a bit and did find the option for sending a PM, so I hope Crystal has received it...

I received your message and replied, emzed. If you have any additional questions or concerns, you know how to reach me.

Crystal

 

[TSki]

Same Issue

I have experienced the exact same issue with our 2011 Ford Explorer. This has happened 4 times over the past 3 months. Each time it seems to happen while I am at speed on the expressway (60+ mph).

Back in January I took the Explorer to the local dealer after this happened. They kept the car for 4 days and were never able to find the fault. Their suggestion was to drive the car and the next time it happens to just drive directly to the dealership without restarting the car.

As others in this thread have noted, it is very difficult to drive this car after this issue appears.

I get a beep, then the power steering goes out. The dashboard then shows the error messages.

 

[Mireeves97]

TSki, have you done a vehicle health report on it when it does this? I would think your photos should be enough. I'd be raising some hell by now. Hopefully Crystal will do something for you on this forum. You need to report this to nhtsa also, maybe they will get a recall going.

 

[FordService]

I have experienced the exact same issue with our 2011 Ford Explorer. This has happened 4 times over the past 3 months. Each time it seems to happen while I am at speed on the expressway (60+ mph)...

Hi TSki,

I responded to your PM. Check out your inbox and let me know if you have any questions.

Crystal

 

[emzed]

I just got my Explorer back after a week in service, and I was told that the entire steering rack was replaced. Apparently, another 2011 model came in with power steering failure as well, just a day or so before mine, so the dealership had the parts on hand. So far so good, but I have to admit to a niggling fear that the power steering might fail again. I can't imagine what would happen if I were in traffic like the previous poster if the steering failed once more--I don't believe I would be able to muscle the car in any direction.

That being said, I want to commend Crystal and Bart (the Ford regional service manager) for staying on top of this and liaising with my dealership. They really smoothed things out for me, and made the process as painless as possible. I am very hopeful that this problem will be a thing of the past.

 

[peterk9]

TSki, have you done a vehicle health report on it when it does this? I would think your photos should be enough. I'd be raising some hell by now. Hopefully Crystal will do something for you on this forum. You need to report this to nhtsa also, maybe they will get a recall going.

I agree it should be reported. The link is on this page. However, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a recall. We have already gone this route and Ford has responded that they do not consider this a safety issue since you can still steer the vehicle, although it will require much more effort to do so.
I would bet that those who have experienced this failure while driving would argue Ford's conclusion that it isn't a safety issue.

Peter

 

[FordService]

...I want to commend Crystal and Bart (the Ford regional service manager) for staying on top of this and liaising with my dealership. They really smoothed things out for me, and made the process as painless as possible. I am very hopeful that this problem will be a thing of the past.

I'm glad that I could help, emzed. If you need me to step in for a future concern, just let me know.

Crystal

 

[Tiz8]

2012 Explorer loss of steering

I found this site because I lost pwr steering three times. I bought mine in January 2012, and had no problems for several months. Recently, when starting the vehicle the "Power Steering Assist Fault" warning started coming on. After turning off the ignition and re-starting the engine, the warning went away and I regained power steering. 5 days ago, I was driving and the same "Power Steering Assist Fault" warning stayed on - even after recycling the engine. The "Service Advance Trac" warning also stayed on. This is unbelievable, the dealer said that they had to replace the "Power-steering gear box", and the part is two days away. I saw someone posted that Ford doesn't consider this a safety issue because you can still steer it. If I have trouble steering it, I hate to think what my wife or daughters would experience. This vehicle isn't like a regular full size car or truck, I am 6'2" and weigh about 270, and when the pwr steering failed, I could NOT steer it to park the thing in reverse. It was VERY difficult to steer at any speed under 5mph.

This is obviously not a minor fix on a new car. Looking at the posts, Ford needs to address this issue ASAP. I asked the dealer what this repair would cost if it weren't under warranty. I was told a couple of thousand dollars. If he is correct, that is ridicules on a 18 month vehicle. I didn't buy this to be a money pit.

 

[peterk9]

I found this site because I lost pwr steering three times. I bought mine in January 2012, and had no problems for several months. Recently, when starting the vehicle the "Power Steering Assist Fault" warning started coming on. After turning off the ignition and re-starting the engine, the warning went away and I regained power steering. 5 days ago, I was driving and the same "Power Steering Assist Fault" warning stayed on - even after recycling the engine. The "Service Advance Trac" warning also stayed on. This is unbelievable, the dealer said that they had to replace the "Power-steering gear box", and the part is two days away. I saw someone posted that Ford doesn't consider this a safety issue because you can still steer it. If I have trouble steering it, I hate to think what my wife or daughters would experience. This vehicle isn't like a regular full size car or truck, I am 6'2" and weigh about 270, and when the pwr steering failed, I could NOT steer it to park the thing in reverse. It was VERY difficult to steer at any speed under 5mph.

This is obviously not a minor fix on a new car. Looking at the posts, Ford needs to address this issue ASAP. I asked the dealer what this repair would cost if it weren't under warranty. I was told a couple of thousand dollars. If he is correct, that is ridicules on a 18 month vehicle. I didn't buy this to be a money pit.

Welcome to the Forum Tiz8.:wavey:
Ford made some changes to their assembly line to address this issue but it doesn't seem to have cured the problem. As far as Ford is concerned, this is NOT a safety issue as they state that the vehicle can still be steered. Obviously they haven't tried it since there have been many posts like yours with problems trying to control it without the power steering.
I would strongly suggest that you file a report with the NHTSA if you are in the U.S.
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...oq/index.cfm&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13691791502568

Peter

 

[FordService]

I found this site because I lost pwr steering three times. I bought mine in January 2012, and had no problems for several months. Recently, when starting the vehicle the "Power Steering Assist Fault" warning started coming on. After turning off the ignition and re-starting the engine, the warning went away and I regained power steering. 5 days ago, I was driving and the same "Power Steering Assist Fault" warning stayed on - even after recycling the engine. The "Service Advance Trac" warning also stayed on. This is unbelievable, the dealer said that they had to replace the "Power-steering gear box", and the part is two days away...

Hi Tiz8,

I want to jump in here and see what I can do to help. Send me your information in a PM and I'll check out some options. Be sure to include your VIN, mileage, dealership, full name, and daytime phone number.

Crystal

 

[marlamac22]

The Same Thing Happened to Me

Well, well... my wife had the power steering go out on her on our 2011. One difference, she WAS DRIVING IT WHEN IT DID IT!!! 2 weeks ago she heard a "BING" and a warning in the left dash screen showed a "POWER STEERING FAILURE" as she was driving. It also gave her a icon or symbol similar to a roll-over warning (an SUV on 2 wheels???). She tried to move the steering and it was locked as she was going 40+ MPH on a interstate road. Lucky thing, there was traffic and she had to drive slow, so she was only doing 40 and not 60 or more. She had a curve coming up and rode it to the emergency lane where she stopped. With common sense, she turned the truck off and then back on and it was all back to normal. She drove the rest of the 5 miles home with no problems.

We took the truck to the Ford dealer where we bought it a few months back and as you might know by now, NOTHING. Tests and checks and so called e-mails and calls to Detriot, but no answer to what it might be. All we got was a "If it happens again, leave the truck on and call us". All they did is reset the warnings and the keys since I kept getting a warning when I drove it and not when my wife had her key in it.

Now we are waiting for either a Ford recall or for it to happen to us again. Love the truck, but we are a little worried when we need to drive it. I don't feel too safe to think anytime soon the steering wheel will lock as we are driving and won't be able to turn left or right. I hope it happens in a straight road so we wont run off the road.

I am sorry to hear this happened to your wife..its very unsettling when it does as its happened to me multiple times and it seems that it always happens when I'm turning. It's never happened on the highway but today on my way home I was turning left in a busy intersection and the power steering and service advance trac lights came on as the steering locked up and the car shut off. This has happened before so I put the car in park and restarted it. I was able to drive the rest of the way home...but what a scary incident. When the car stopped like that I was almost rear ended. This is a company car for me and I am turning it in as FORD has not been able to find the problem. This is the fourth time its happened to me.

 

[Foxriv]

Stuck in Vegas

I bought a 2013 Explorer Limited Edition in November. It has just over 8500 miles on it. I love it and have had no problems with it until tonight...

My wife and I were driving in the middle of nowhere, (40 miles outside of Vegas) on our way from Utah to Phoenix when my power steering went out. The power steering assist fault alert came on, followed by the service advance trac and the terrain management system fault alerts. It became very difficult to steer, but I managed to drive 5 more miles to the nearest exit without dying. I immediately googled the problem and found this forum. Resetting the car by turning it on and off did not fix the issue.

After reading that I could drive without damaging the vehicle; I changed my hotel reservation from Phoenix to Las Vegas, and we proceeded to drive the most nerve racking 35 miles of our lives. It became more difficult to steer, the farther we drove. I managed to make it to our hotel, but I was trembling with fear and had lost all circulation in my hands from gripping the steering wheel so tight, when we arrived. Apparently Ford has not fixed the issue in the 2013 Explorers.

Now I am sitting in my hotel room, typing this and trying to decide which dealership to take it to in the morning. It sounds like it may not be fixed for weeks. Great, this was supposed to be a weekend trip.

I guess I won't be going to Phoenix tomorrow...

 

[GWA1]

I bought a 2013 Explorer Limited Edition in November. It has just over 8500 miles on it. I love it and have had no problems with it until tonight...

My wife and I were driving in the middle of nowhere, (40 miles outside of Vegas) on our way from Utah to Phoenix when my power steering went out. The power steering assist fault alert came on, followed by the service advance trac and the terrain management system fault alerts. It became very difficult to steer, but I managed to drive 5 more miles to the nearest exit without dying. I immediately googled the problem and found this forum. Resetting the car by turning it on and off did not fix the issue.

After reading that I could drive without damaging the vehicle; I changed my hotel reservation from Phoenix to Las Vegas, and we proceeded to drive the most nerve racking 35 miles of our lives. It became more difficult to steer, the farther we drove. I managed to make it to our hotel, but I was trembling with fear and had lost all circulation in my hands from gripping the steering wheel so tight, when we arrived. Apparently Ford has not fixed the issue in the 2013 Explorers.

Now I am sitting in my hotel room, typing this and trying to decide which dealership to take it to in the morning. It sounds like it may not be fixed for weeks. Great, this was supposed to be a weekend trip.

I guess I won't be going to Phoenix tomorrow...

Just happened to me 2 weeks ago 2011 Ex. Dropped off at dealer on a Wednesday about noon. Got it back Thursday night.

Try cycling the ignition on and off a few more times. You might get it to reset. It worked for me. Good luck.

 

[peterk9]

I bought a 2013 Explorer Limited Edition in November. It has just over 8500 miles on it. I love it and have had no problems with it until tonight...

My wife and I were driving in the middle of nowhere, (40 miles outside of Vegas) on our way from Utah to Phoenix when my power steering went out. The power steering assist fault alert came on, followed by the service advance trac and the terrain management system fault alerts. It became very difficult to steer, but I managed to drive 5 more miles to the nearest exit without dying. I immediately googled the problem and found this forum. Resetting the car by turning it on and off did not fix the issue.

After reading that I could drive without damaging the vehicle; I changed my hotel reservation from Phoenix to Las Vegas, and we proceeded to drive the most nerve racking 35 miles of our lives. It became more difficult to steer, the farther we drove. I managed to make it to our hotel, but I was trembling with fear and had lost all circulation in my hands from gripping the steering wheel so tight, when we arrived. Apparently Ford has not fixed the issue in the 2013 Explorers.

Now I am sitting in my hotel room, typing this and trying to decide which dealership to take it to in the morning. It sounds like it may not be fixed for weeks. Great, this was supposed to be a weekend trip.

I guess I won't be going to Phoenix tomorrow...

Welcome to the Forum Foxriv.:wavey:
It is really unfortunate that you had to have this steering failure issue in order to log your first post. I appears that the waiting time for parts may have decreased based on the reply by GWA1. In any case I urge you to file a complaint with the NHTSA using the link in my previous post 534 above. Good luck.

Peter

 

[willied]

It's just such a shame to me that Ford won't recall this. I want to think they're a good company, but clearly profits come before the safety and satisfaction of their customers.

 

[GWA1]

How about an update. Hope everything worked out for you.

I bought a 2013 Explorer Limited Edition in November. It has just over 8500 miles on it. I love it and have had no problems with it until tonight...

My wife and I were driving in the middle of nowhere, (40 miles outside of Vegas) on our way from Utah to Phoenix when my power steering went out. The power steering assist fault alert came on, followed by the service advance trac and the terrain management system fault alerts. It became very difficult to steer, but I managed to drive 5 more miles to the nearest exit without dying. I immediately googled the problem and found this forum. Resetting the car by turning it on and off did not fix the issue.

After reading that I could drive without damaging the vehicle; I changed my hotel reservation from Phoenix to Las Vegas, and we proceeded to drive the most nerve racking 35 miles of our lives. It became more difficult to steer, the farther we drove. I managed to make it to our hotel, but I was trembling with fear and had lost all circulation in my hands from gripping the steering wheel so tight, when we arrived. Apparently Ford has not fixed the issue in the 2013 Explorers.

Now I am sitting in my hotel room, typing this and trying to decide which dealership to take it to in the morning. It sounds like it may not be fixed for weeks. Great, this was supposed to be a weekend trip.

I guess I won't be going to Phoenix tomorrow...