10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
10 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,722 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #84

Sep 122018

Explorer

  • miles
Have noticed the popping noise when turning the steering to the right. Noticed sometimes an oil leak by this side 1 year before. This leak was notified to the dealer in every scheduled maintainance appointment. Never was corrected. Now they told me I have to change the rack and pinion and warranty is expired. I don't know if this uncoreected leak could be associated with this rack and pinion problem I have now.

- Mayaguez, PR, USA

problem #83

Sep 132018

Explorer

  • 60,980 miles
Traveling on highway at 60 mph vehicle suddenly decelerated to 5 mph within 3 seconds. Engine began running rough and stopped. Pulled to shoulder of road. Months before this incident warning light on instrument cluster would intermittently state transmission not in park when parking vehicle. Service technicians could not reproduce error. Vehicle taken in for service on 9/21/2018. Report on vehicle on 9/28/2018 stated that power transfer unit damaged beyond repair, steering column switch needed repair which meant steering unit needed replacing and interlock switch on shifter needed replacing. Total cost $5150. Traded vehicle in and purchased different vehicle. Vehicle not purchased from dealership which analyzed repair work.

- Gig Harbor, WA, USA

problem #82

Jul 242018

Explorer

  • 57,000 miles
At approximately 57,000 miles, my complete steering mechanism failed as I was driving my vehicle down a road, while out of state on a vacation. Both of my children were in the vehicle when this occurred and luckily no one was injured. The vehicle was towed to a Ford dealership where the complete rack and pinion system had to be replaced ($1,900). While waiting for a tow truck, I located a Ford recall had been completed for the previous three or four model years (2011-2014) for the exact same failure. This is a known issue and I don't understand why my model year (2015) isn't included. We were on a vacation and traveled down the interstate and glad this didn't occurred while driving 75 mph.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #81

Sep 052018

Explorer

  • 15,000 miles
This may be a duplicate complaint because I'm not sure I submitted my previous complaint form properly. Yesterday I was travelling down the freeway at 65 to 70 mph when my steering froze up. Thank god I was in the right lane and going straight because if I had been in the process of turning and there were other veh. At an intersection there would have almost certainly been an accident. Also thank god my wife was'nt driving because she would have never been able to steer the car off the freeway. I was able to Wrangler the car to a nearby Ford dealership but after turning the engine off and back on the problem went away. As I have researched this problem with Ford Explorer further I have found that this is a reoccuring problem and has been reported on numerous occasions. In my wildest imagination I cannot believe that something has not been done about this problem. This problem will absolutely result in death or serious injury to someone soon. I hope it's not me or my family.

- South Jordan, UT, USA

problem #80

Sep 052018

Explorer

  • 34,200 miles
I was driving my 2015 Ford Explorer with approximately 34,200 miles 55-60 mph on us 141 in northern wi when I suddenly lost power steering and traction control. I had an alarm triggered and a fault warning on the dash indicating a steering fault and cleared by pressing the ok on the dash, but had very heavy steering and an indication that the traction control was off. I was able to get to a Ford dealer but they were no able to look at the car for several hours. They suggested I restart the car to see what would reset. The systems did reset and I was able to continue on my trip home without incident. No codes were triggered and I now have an appointment with my dealer to check out the problem. In searching the internet on Explorer steering problems, I noticed that there was a recall on steering loss for 2011-2014 Explorer and yet there are still many complains of steering loss for model years 2015 forward. It seems that this very dangerous issue has not been resolved.

- Prospect Heights, IL, USA

problem #79

Jul 072018

Explorer

  • 35,000 miles
I was in downtown des moines and received a "service steering fault now" warning. I continued to drive to find a parking spot. While parallel parking, I recieved the warning again but this time the steering went out. I was unable to turn the wheel at all. I was on the railroad tracks as a train was coming at this point. I continued to try to move the steering wheel anyway I could to at least get off the tracks. O finally turned the car off and restarted it and was able to move the steering wheel and get off the train tracks. We then took it back to the dealer and they had it for 3 days. All they did was reset the computer system telling me it could happen again. We then contacted Ford xorp. And they also did nothing because they didnt see it as an issue. If a company doesn't care about the people buying their products, how am I suppose to feel safe in their vehicles?

- Story City, IA, USA

problem #78

Sep 042018

Explorer

  • 5,100 miles
The steering wheel locked up while going 55 miles an hour over a bridge going straight

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #77

Sep 052018

Explorer

  • 15,000 miles
I just filed a complaint on my vehicle steering problem and as I have been surfing the web I find that many other people have had the same problem. I am a retired Utah highway patrolman with 36 years experience and I have never seen a more dangerous problem than this. I cannot believe tjhat something has not been done about this problem. I can guarantee it is only a matter of time until someone is killed or seriously injured as a result of this problem.

- South Jordan, UT, USA

problem #76

Aug 202018

Explorer

  • 80,000 miles
The "electronic steering gear" is defective at 80,000 miles. The part makes loud noises on turns. Repair shop says inordinate number of problems have come in with this part & failure could cause steering to freeze up & cause serious wreck. Shop says can't be repaired & must be replaced. Part & labor costs over $2K. This critical, expensive part should not fail at such low mileage & cause such high risk of injury or death.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #75

Sep 032018

Explorer

  • 46,500 miles
We were driving at about 45 miles an hour when advanc trac and power steering light came on. The steering got suddenly very hard to maneuver husband had both hand trying to keep it steady, he had to pull very hard to be able to pull in gas station to get out of traffic. Blinkers no longer worked, terrain knob turned off and didn't work. This could have been a fatal accident if we were going at higher speeds! this problem needs to be recalled so that no one gets killed

- Garland, UT, USA

problem #74

Aug 232018

Explorer

  • 31,812 miles
All steering stopped while going 45/50 mph on a main road! got the steering sensor fixed for $551 and 2 days later the light is on again so it's going back in..... I'm pregnant with 2 boys U der 2 and a 7 yr old and this os ridiculous!!!

- Mexico, NY, USA

problem #73

Aug 272018

Explorer

  • 44,000 miles
Operating vehicle in motion. Warning lights and errors showed on dash without any warning that something was wrong. Power steering instantly stopped working while vehicle was operating on city street. Vehicle became very difficult to handle. Pulled over and shut vehicle off.

- De Pere, WI, USA

problem #72

Aug 292018

Explorer

  • 57,000 miles
Currently own a 2015 Ford Explorer Sport which has 56000, while driving East bound on the I84 doing the speed limit at 65mph suddenly no steering! completely locked'-whoa'- talk about scary' almost crash into an 18 wheels beside me, I quickly hit my hazards and came to a crawl at the side of the road into a bank' I truly thought I was good as dead.. I had to tow the car to my home because Ford dealership was closed at the time '-this has been a common problem with Ford across their fleet for years'. as of right now I have a 50K car with 57K miles just sitting'. will be bringing in to my dealer asap and a cal to corporate.. they will have to handle this asap ''. they will kill somebody if they haven't already

- Newburgh, NY, USA

problem #71

Aug 282018

Explorer

  • 36,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While driving at a low speed, the steering column seized and the service steering warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to cowles Ford (13779 noblewood plaza, woodbridge, va) where it was diagnosed that the electric power steering failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #70

Aug 232018

Explorer

  • 35,400 miles
While driving w on M-81 highway 5 miles West outside cass city, ni. Suddenly lost power steering assist entering curve.. vehicle departed onto gravel while trying to crank wheel ccw to get back in lane.. then while trying to correct wheel cw to stay in westbound lane, vehicle crossed into eastbound lane before regaining control and reducing speed - power steering remained in manual mode until reaching home - no pre-warning, power assist disengaged upon display warning for "steering fault", "terrain management", and "advtraction". would have been manageable if fault occured on straight road, but at entrance to curve at highway speed, was unable to have enough time to muscle vehicle under control. Bad situation if wife or daughter had been driving. Taking vehicle to dealership today, started up with power assist functional once again, still shows faults for terrain and traction control. Power steering should not disengage if a fault is detected in terrain management or traction control. No injuries, but some wrist strain in maneuvering the steering wheel under manual control. No medical treatment sought.

- Caro, MI, USA

problem #69

Jul 162018

Explorer

  • 45,000 miles
Us service member overseas (which complicates the solution). Purchased vehicle in us in August 2015. Currently about 45,000 miles on a 2015 Ford Explorer Sport and loud pop from steering column at low speeds. Local mechanic says entire steering column needs replaced and over 2600 euro ($3000). Shouldn't happen at low miles. Others experiencing similar issues across model years.

- Apo, AE, USA

problem #68

Aug 082018

Explorer

  • 38,000 miles
While driving on a side street in my neighborhood my steering locked up & a light came on that said steering fault I could not move the steering wheel at all I turned car off & looked under hood had no idea what I was looking at closed hood got back in car started up default light was off & car seemed fine next day driving in my neighborhood same thing happened turned car off and on and car seemed fine I drove straight to dealership where I purchased they told me it's a defect in electric power steering rack its gonna cost a lot to fix because I bought car in March 2015 it's no longer covered because we are now in August after doing some research I see many people are having this same problem & it was a recall in 2014 models same exact problem this is a safety issue & should be recalled before someone gets killed

- Sayville, NY, USA

problem #67

Aug 142018

Explorer

  • 54,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While driving 35 mph, the steering wheel seized and the traction control and steering wheel warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not able to restart after the contact turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 54,000.

- Indian Trail, SC, USA

problem #66

Jul 262018

Explorer

  • 37,000 miles
While driving in the city the steering became difficult, then the notification system said steering failure please stop, the drive selector failed and the blinkers failed all at the same time. After stopping the steering was unturntable by the average person. Had this failed at freeway speed it would have been deadly if not fatal. After towing the vehicle to the dealer they refused to do anything warranty wise. The vehicle has 37K miles. They failure was the eps and the rack and pinion had to be replaced. 2K dollars. I read on the internet of over 65 instances of this happening on the same year make and model, all with low miles.

- Lehi, UT, USA

problem #65

Aug 072018

Explorer

  • 90,000 miles
Loss of power steering while driving

- Mechanicsville, VA, USA

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