This is the second complaint for my 2011 Ford Explorer for the same issue: steering rack. I replaced my seering rack at a cost of 3K. Drove it a day and had a failure again. New Motorcraft part as I was told from the dealer. The NHTSB had Ford issue a recall some metal A-Frame issue but not one for a more serious issue of a steering rack failure! No right.

- Risingsun, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact had received a recall notification two years ago for the power steering. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that because there were no codes displayed, to bring the vehicle back when the code displayed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering was inoperable. The contact stated that the steering malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 128,037.

- Saint Peters, MO, USA

My car show me warning Power steering assist fail Now my car not drive because cant turn right or left is too hard Engine and transmission is ok Power steering recall was in past Now I try get help from dealer they say not recall for steering is weird Epas 15N01 recall Still original parts on my car Please what I need to do Thanks

- College Point, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon start of the vehicle, the power steering assist warning light appeared on the instrument panel. Despite the failure, the contact drove the vehicle to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective power steering module and power steering assembly. The contact was informed that the part needed to repair the vehicle was initially under warranty; however, the warranty expired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was a 111,300.

- West Chester, PA, USA

While driving my 2011 Ford Explorer at 60 mph I received a indicator stating service steering system soon. My concern was making sure I was able to still steer the vehicle to a safe location. I was still able to steer the vehicle and headed to the nearest parking lot to hopefully reset the system by restarting the vehicle. After parking I turned off the car and restarted it. After doing this the error came of service steering system now! Trying to steer the vehicle was extremely difficult. I proceeded home which is 30 min away and parked the vehicle until I could get it into a dealer. I did not call a tow truck as they are expensive and I know the repair was going to cost me a lot of money. The dealer verified the steering system was faulty and needed replaced. The steering system is electronically controlled and the failure of the system puts the occupants of the vehicle as risk of injury in the event the system failed and you need to move out of the way in an emergency or if I was not able to control the vehicle. The steering rack will be returned as part of the core charge for the replacement of the unit. Ford customer care told me this was a safety notice but is not a recall and it expired 10 yr after the warranty and vehicle over 150,000 miles. This should not be a notice but a recall as it seems there are a lot of failures. I should not have to pay money for something that is a known issue by the manufacture. The NHTSA needs to force Ford to recall these parts and replace them at their cost since it is a known issue!

- Risingsun, OH, USA

Husband started vehicle, and, as he started backing out of garage, warning chime sounded, and "Electronic Power Steering Assist Fault" message displayed on dash. Steering locked up; he was unable to turn steering wheel. He turned car off and restarted, thinking possible computer error. No further display. Ran errands. Did some research, and found that Ford had issued a prior recall on certain 2011-2013 Explorers in 2014. Safety Recall 14S06 was issued. This vehicle was checked at that time for any DTCs. When none were found, the computer was reprogrammed and power steering coverage was extended to 10 years, or 150,000 miles, from date of manufacture. In these affected vehicles, if a DTC was present, it moved on to the availability of Safety Recall 15N01, which involved one-time replacement of steering gear. After seeing this, we phoned dealer, whose rep (actually 2 separate reps, in 2 separate calls) verified recall on this issue and assured us this would be covered. Upon taking vehicle to dealer on 1/15/2024 for first available appointment, we were told Safety Recall 15N01 had expired and was no longer covered. Repair was estimated to be between $500 and $2,500, depending on DTC results. DTCs present were: C1B00-86, U3000-49 and U3000-72. We were told the steering gear needed to be replaced, at a cost of $1,372.73 for parts, $680 labor, as well as $169.95 for subsequent alignment, for a total of $2,222.68, plus state sales tax. We feel the one-time replacement of the steering gear should still be a covered option if it was already previously deemed a potential safety risk, regardless of the vehicle now being over 10 years old, and still just as potentially hazardous. Loss of steering ability is a serious safety issue, putting countless lives at risk. Vehicle has only just over 70,000 miles on it, is garage-kept, original owner, in very good condition, and has always been kept up-to-date on recall repairs.

- Crown Point, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and making a left turn into the parking lot, the steering wheel became difficult to turn with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence and then to a local mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired yet. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 198,000.

- Bridgeport, CT, USA

I am the owner of a 2011 Ford Explorer Limited that recently developed a power steering issue. We have only owned the vehicle 6 months and there's under 95,000 miles on it. The (2) recall notices that went out in 2014 were unknown to us at the time, because we just bought the SUV in 2023. Since it a safety issue, there should not be a 10-year recall expiration date associated with either recall, as we are being told by Ford customer service. And since we didn't own the vehicle before the recall notices went out in 2024, why will Ford not stand behind the recall and honor the time period to include our vehicle? Ford Motor Company is stating that our VIN is not covered, even though it the vehicle falls within the production recall period. Additionally, Ford issued a customer satisfaction program warranty, but Ford regards this as a survey and will not take corrective measures to assist in getting our vehicle repaired under any forego mentioned recall notices. Therefore, I feel Ford should honor any recall regarding the poor design or faulty engineering of their electronic steering components regardless of the expiration date since it is a safety concern. Ford is reluctant to financially assist me even though the SUV has less than 95,000 miles on it and the recall press release dates were not issued until 2014. Instead, Ford is going by the vehicle production date and not the recall issue dates. Therefore, my SUV recall dates have since expired, and Ford will no longer honor any of its warranties on this vehicle, even though lack of power steering is a clear safety issue, which to my knowledge, do not have expiration dates. Ford customer service has acknowledged the power steering fault assist issues under the following recall campaigns: NHTSA - 14e001000 & 14v286000 and CSP 15N01. I also have a case number with the Ford Motor Company (Case #47111783) associated with this issue.

- Williamsport, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was inoperable and difficult to steer. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to the residence unrepaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 114,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Expedition. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering was inoperable. The contact stated that an unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

- Hueytown, AL, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V746000 (Suspension). The contact stated that on two occasions while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the vehicle began jerking to the right. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 205,000.

- Canal Winchester, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the Electric Power Steering Assist message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

- Savannah, MO, USA

Started vehicle & "Power steering assist default" warning light came on. All steering ability was lost, vehicle was rendered unsafe to operate.

- Blaine, MN, USA

Power Steering Assist Fault light came on signaling loss of power steering when starting the vehicle last week. It is not being driven due to no power steering. Fortunately it was not being driven at the time but could have resulted in inability to steer in traffic. The vehicle has not been inspected since the EPSA light came on as it is difficult to drive. The fault light came on once about 2 months ago but it went off after restarting the car. The vehicle now continues to show the fault light every time the car is turned on.

- San Marcos, TX, USA

While driving the vehicle on a busy street, proceeded to steer car to turn at an intersection and the steering started failing and was extremely hard to steer. The message appeared electronically, saying service power steering now and car then shut down. We immediately got car to independent mechanic. Was not aware of any vehicle recall, but seems to be repaired. Happened very recently. Early Nov. 2023.

- Sheridan, WY, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that electronic power steering intermittently failed to operate as needed. The power steering malfunction warning light was illuminated. After shifting into gear, the message disappeared. While driving, the power steering was operating sluggishly. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who stated there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 206,000.

- Newport News, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel became inoperable. The contact stated that the power steering system fault and traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

- Winfield, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to make a left turn at a traffic light, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and drove straight towards oncoming traffic. The message "Service Power Steering Now" was displayed. The contact was unable to turn the steering wheel and depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, preventing a crash into another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall due to the manufacture date of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 195,600.

- Parker, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Default" was displayed, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle several times until the power steering became functional. The contact stated that the failure had been occurring intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was informed that the failure could not be duplicated since the message was no longer displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving at an undisclosed speed. The contact was able to drive to a second dealer, Pruitt Ford (912 Sheppard Rd, Burkburnett, TX 76354) and was informed that the failure could not be duplicated because the message was no longer displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the power steering was no longer operable. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), which was previously performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.

- Burkburnett, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became difficult to steer. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was no further information provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number:?14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 158,000. The VIN was not available.

- Chicago, IL, USA