On 4/14/19 we left for vacation and drove1,100 miles from arlington, va to key largo, fl and when we got to fl, the steering started making a clunking noise and got stuck when we were making a U-turn. After some research, I could tell it was the steering, could give out when driving and was a serious repair that could not wait until returning home in a week to get it repaired. We drove to lorenzo Ford in homestead, fl. On 4/16/19. Lorenzo Ford knew right away that the problem was the steering. Our Explorer had 41,339 miles on it and the mechanic said it was not unusual for the steering to give out. He actually said it was a problem but not a recall. The repair totaled $2,335.91. I thought we were driving a dependable and safe car on our vacation, but we got to spend a lot of time getting our car repaired on our vacation. I've had numerous Ford, and have always called myself a Ford person. Sadly, I don't like the direction Ford is going and this may be my last one. Thanks Ford for not making quality job #1 and wrecking my vacation. You need to recall this before someone gets hurt.

- Arlington, VA, USA

My wife was driving down the road when the power steering suddenly went out almost causing her to wreck. Shortly after a "steering assist fault service required" message popped up. After searching through forums and goggle it seems this is a common issue that Ford refuses to recognize.

- Alabaster, AL, USA

The power steering froze while driving on three separate occasions over the last two days. The first was while pulling into a parking space, the second time was while turning to merge onto a busy two lane highway and the third time was while driving 55 mph merging onto the freeway. The car was in motion in all three cases and had to be put in park and turned off before steering came back. My wife was unable to turn the car when it happened to her because she wasn't strong enough to overcome the force.

- Lakeland, TN, USA

Power steering stops working suddenly; due to factory mistake or faulty parts or manufacturing. Possibly causing loss control and crash occurrences. Unless you have upper body extreme strength you can't control the steering wheel due to this defect. There have been previous recalls but not for this year or my VIN number despite the issue being the same. Ford refuses to pay to repair it. Also, this once repaired can happen again.

- Stroudsburg, PA, USA

The vehicle has approx 42,000 miles and has started exhibiting the clunking noise and difficult turning at low speed, specifically in turning right, as reported in many other complaints. Looking at a $2K fix at such a low mileage with with so many other similar complaints is disturbing and amazing why Ford is not fixing this.

- Arvada, CO, USA

Slow speed grinding noise when turning. In motion and stationary on all services

- Flatonia, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the service steering warning indicator flashed intermittently and then the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an authorized dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,100.

- Boerne, TX, USA

Power steering failed as I was pulling away from a gas pump after refueling. Power assist warning light came on and I was not able to turn the steering wheel unless I used a great amount of force. Luckily I was still in the gas station parking lot when the failure occurred. The car had to be towed to a dealer.

- Burke, VA, USA

I was driving my vehicle down the road I went to make a turn and my vehicle made a terrible noise on the right side. The steering wheel acted like it did not want to turn. I was informed that my rack and pinnion was bad. I only have 57,000 miles on the vehicle. I researched this problem and I am clearly not the only one with this complaint. It's very strange that all models are covered except mine.if my child would have been hurt because of a faulty vehicle where numerous people have this problem I would have been devastated.

- Maiden, NC, USA

2015 Ford Explorer XLT, electronic power steering failed during driving. A "steering assist fault service required" message illuminates on the dash instrument panel. This has occurred 4 times in the last week. Each time the failure has occurred after starting the engine and beginning to drive the vehicle. The mileage on the vehicle at first occurrence was 98,734. Appointment made at local Ford dealer for service.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

The electric system went on the fritz when it was significantly hot outside. This caused the power steering to falter and the car to be essentially inoperable. This happened 4 times throughout the summer, and it seemed to happen on extremely hot days. It would always occur while driving and caused significant danger to not only myself, but other motorists as well. At high speeds when the steering went out the car was hard to control, and got even worse as momentum was lost.

- Madison, WI, USA

Driving 55mph on I-94 last night in a steady rain and check battery message came up in the left ip display. Within a few seconds I lost the power steering, then the center console entertainment/info screen, then the instrument cluster went black with the headlights and windshield wipers which were on highest setting slowed but continued to operate only while in the highest setting. This scenario continued off and on for the next 30 miles with intermittent electronic steering failure, internal ip and console screen failure and exterior lighting failures. We pulled over each time and within a varied amount of time from a few seconds to a few minutes, a sound similar to a squealing belt would be heard and the system would "reboot" and all functioning would be restored for a limited time. We limped the vehicle home over the course of the next hour and a half for 35 miles as I was not leaving the car on the side of the freeway or in detroit if I could safely avoid it. This morning (Sunday) I tested the battery and had the battery and alternator tested under load at an auto parts store and both were within normal parameters. Belt looked good with visual inspection and 1 hour of idle and drive time close to home in damp puddling roads could not get any adverse symptoms to reappear. It will go to the Ford service department at our local dealer tomorrow for a thorough inspection. This is my wife's daily driver and if no issue can be found we will be replacing the car as she would have been in extreme danger without steering, lights and ip, especially on a Saturday night driving through the city of detroit's I-94 expressway.

- Casco, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the power steering failed to function and the steering wheel seized more than once. In addition, the electric power steering, low battery mode, and other unknown warning indicators flashed. The vehicle was coasted off the road, shut off, and restarted; however, the failure recurred. Bruce walters Ford (302 S mayo trail, pikeville, ky 41501, (606) 444-2200) was notified of the failure and a diagnostic appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was not available.

- Virgie, KY, USA

We have owned many Ford in the past but after owning a 2015 Ford Explorer Sport it may be the last. My Explorer has only been out of warranty for less than a year. As soon as it went out of warranty there was a problem with the link so they said. Maybe it was't a link after all. There was a loud clunking noise under my car when the steering wheel was turned. Now less than a year later the clunking noise is horrible and the power steering even went out temporarily. That's scary. I took it to the Ford place today and they want $3000 to fix the steering gear. This is a safety issue. Are you going to wait until someone is seriously injured or killed before you issue a recall on this problem with the steering gear"???" I see there are already 94 complaints about the steering issue. You need to issue a recall on this problem with the steering gear. This is serious. And $3000 is ridiculous. I want some kind of discount and this isn't the last you will hear from me on this matter if I don't get one.

- Durham, NC, USA

While driving the vehicle it lost power steering. Warning lights came on stating power steering assist fault service advance trac terrain management system fault this is not new to Ford Explorer apparently there was a recall 2011-2014. My vehicle is a 2015. It is a shame that Ford or natsa would allow this risk to continue. I encourage you to recall any vehicles in all years to prevent accidents. My vehicle has been in the shop for a week already and when they told me three other Ford Explorer were fixed last week for the same problem I gasped that this is not part of a recall.

- Albany, MN, USA

Over a period of a few days, I noticed that the power steering was becoming increasingly tight as I merged into other lanes or made turns on both the local roads and highway. There were no warning lights to indicate that there was a problem. I stopped driving the vehicle until I could have it evaluated by the Ford dealer. The dealership mechanic identified a problem with the steering shaft assembly and said that it needed to be replaced.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

While I was driving my vehicle on icy road conditions, my vehicle's steering failed without notice. Thankfully I was driving slower due to road conditions. I was unable to steer my vehicle down the road. This was the steering gear that went causing the issue. When I contacted Ford, I was told it's not under warranty. Not our problem. The vehicle is only a 2015.

- Greenwood Twp, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While turning the steering wheel in either direction, a clunking and grinding noise was heard coming from the steering column. On two separate occasions, the steering wheel became stuck momentarily while turning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the cause of the failure. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,000. The VIN was invalid.

- Rocky Hill, CT, USA

I pulled into a coffee drive through and got my coffee order. Upon driving away after a short stop in drive gear while at the drive through window, my power steering was not working. I drove out of the parking lot while fighting the wheel to steer. I pulled over and parked and turned the engine off. After restarting, the problem was gone. I just purchased this SUV with 72000 miles on it from a dealer.

- Waldport, OR, USA

A knocking/popping noise could be heard when turning the steering wheel. It first started when turning the wheel to the right in reverse when the SUV was in motion. I brought it to my mechanic and he couldn't find the cause of the noise (no damage was visible). The noise became progressively worse over the next few months. The knocking/popping noise happened whenever the steering wheel was turned (left or right, forward or reverse, stationary or in motion). Then the power steering seized. This happened while driving 25 miles an hour on a secondary road. I was turning around a bend to the right and lost the power steering. There was no warning at all. Luckily, the power steering returned after a few seconds. I returned home and immediately scheduled service at my local Ford dealer. It took them five weeks to diagnose and fix the problem.the steering gear needed to be replaced. Since my 2015 Explorer XLT only had 29,000 miles on it, the mechanic tried to get Ford to cover the entire cost (bumper to bumper warranty expired, and this was not covered under powertrain warranty). Ford agreed to cover half, which tells me that they admit that the steering gear is defective, and shouldn't fail at 29,000 miles. This is a serious defect and Ford needs to issue a recall before someone is seriously injured or killed!

- Norwalk, CT, USA