While making turns either at slow speeds or at a complete stop, the steering makes popping sounds. Steering wheel also locks for half a second. Took vehicle to a shop and was advised it was the rack and pinion on the front right tire area. The vehicle is a 2016 and has 41K miles. This issue began manifesting approximately two weeks prior. Estimated cost to repair is $2500. According to vehicle forums this is a common issue with this vehicle make and model.

- Avondale , AZ, USA

My wife was driving down the road when the steering quit. It was pulling from side to side and she almost lost control. Steering failure alarms were continuing to go off. She was able to get the vehicle off the roadway and avoid a crash.

- Boonville, MO, USA

Power steering went on a 2016 Ford Explorer XLT with 57001 miles on it. Charged for steering rack/box replacement plus other astronomical fees associated with it out of pocket. The vehicle is supposed to be a family car. It is unsafe and hasn't been the same since. Car just gave out on highway with children in car. The car started to actively sway all over the road without warning. No control. Had to pull over. Called for assistance and than restarted the car to have no power steering what so ever. It was worse than trying to drive a heavy duty truck. As a female, I could not even turn the steering wheel. No codes came up prior; until the restart of the car. "??? dealer took week to get it in plus a day for part and thousands out of my pocket during a world wide pandemic. With massive amounts of people complaining about this issue why hasn't it been recalled" this is incredibly dangerous.

- Kingston, NH, USA

The vehicle was in motion on a state highway when the following warning messages were displayed steering assist fault service required, hill start assist not available, service advance trac, terrain management system fault. At this point I had complete loss of power steering. I was able to pull to the side of the road safely and had to have towed to the Ford dealer in my town which is was 2 hours away. Ford dealership diagnosed the problem as power steering control module.which is integral with the rack and pinion assembly. Cost of repair is $2400 of course I have a lifetime warranty on most parts including fuel pump, engine, transmission but rack and pinion not considered under this warranty.

- Kathleen, GA, USA

The vehicle was in motion on a state highway when the following warning messages were displayed steering assist fault service required, hill start assist not available, service advance trac, terrain management system fault. At this point I had complete loss of power steering. I was able to pull to the side of the road safely and had to have towed. Local Ford dealership diagnosed the problem as power steering control module.which is integral with the rack and pinion assembly.

- Jean, NV, USA

Noticed problem with steering. When I changed lanes the vehicle continued in that direction until I corrected it. This happened several times while driving home from work so I went straight to matt bowers Ford in metairie. I was told the steering gear needed to be replaced, the module reprogrammed and an alignment. I've seen quite a few recalls concerning this but was not told that my vheicle VIN was not affected. I now see many people are complaining of the same problems. This should be looked at carefully before someone gets hurt.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

I was driving home from dropping my daughter off at daycare and I lost the power steering on my vehicle while the vehicle was in motion and I was driving a steady speed down a straight road. My daughter was no longer in the car with me as this could have resulted in an accident but thankfully she was not and I was able to pull off the road with a lot of effort involved. My car had to be towed to the Ford shop and I had to have my power steering core changed. $2500. This car only has 37,000 miles and is a 2016 Ford Explorer. Quite frustrating, disappointing and expensive. There needs to be a recall with this problem because I am not the only one this has happened too.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

Loss of steering while driving. Nearly caused a 4 car collision. Steering wheel locked while driving 57 mph. Was barely able to slow down and pull off to the side. This has happened multiple times, however after this last time, the steering wheel is permanently locked. Steering loss light came on afterwards.

- Midway Park, NC, USA

I was turning into a gas station and the power steering went out with no previous warnings or issues.

- South Lebanon, OH, USA

Steering was getting difficult while making turns. Took it to a Ford dealer and was told the rack & pinion need to be replaced for $2,560 and it is unsafe to drive. Ford is not covering this issue even though it is a faulty part on their end and should be their responsibility.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

I was driving on the highway 65 in ham lake, mn several weeks ago when I suddenly lost control of the steering. The vehicle lunged to the left towards the ditch. I was able to fishtail it back onto the road, almost rolled the vehicle and barely kept it under control. I got over to the right shoulder and call the anoka county sheriff for assistance. A deputy assisted but I don't believe a formal police report was filed. This was Sunday July 19th. We were able to get to local mechanic who looked at it the follow day and determined that the toe control link had broken. They repaired it with a new part from the local Ford dealership and the vehicle seemed fine. Last night the new part that they installed broke as well. I looked online and see that there is a recall for this exact part, the toe control link on 2011-2017 Ford Explorer. I checked the VIN on the ntsb website but it indicates that our car is not included in the recall. We had brought the car into metropolitan Ford in eden prairie earlier in the year for other recall issues. Had the recall been comprehensive, this would have been caught and fixed. At 65 mph, my daughter and I should have both been killed in the original incident. It had been several weeks since the (near) accident and we are still shaken up by it. Fortunately, last night's incident was at much slower speed. I am fearful that there are other families whose lives in danger as well. I have a photo that I took of the current (second) break that occurred that is attached.

- Minnetonka, MN, USA

I initially had 'steering fault' alert a few months ago. Just today a 'terrain maintenance fault' alert came up with a few alerts icons on the dashboard. The steering froze to the point I could only move the steering wheel an inch while muscling it to a stop. Apparently, according to the dealership, this is a know issue. They had me restart the SUV and that temporarily solved the issue, but it could happen again at anytime. The dealership said, if the issue isn't occurring when I bring the SUV in they can't specifically diagnose the problem, but more than likely the steering gear needs to be replace for ~$2K. As I am reading others, this is an ongoing issue that could put drivers in danger and have for others. I was in marshfield, MA when this happened, driving 30 mph approximately 2pm on plain street.

- Marshfield, MA, USA

The fluidity of the steering is deteriorating. When turning the wheel right or left there is a grinding sound of metal on metal. Intermittently I have to wrestle with the steering wheel when accelerating through a turn which is a major safety concern I have as I typically am traveling with two young children. The problem has arisen in the past three months and the mechanic I utilize, who does not repair steering racks, reported that the cost of addressing the issue could exceed $1000. This problem should not be associated with a 2016 model that just went over 50,000 miles and is not subjected to rough, extended driving but rather most days are a 28 mile round trip for work.

- Johnstown, PA, USA

49000 miles, electronic steering is starting to go out. When driving moderate speeds car makes loud audible noises especially when turning the wheel. Rack and pinion will need to be replaced. Ford told me it was 100% safe to drive. Took to independent mechanic who said the exact opposite and should be replaced before it goes out heaven forbid at high speeds.family of 4 young kids, this is supposed to be a safe, family car. Ford is putting a lot of families at risk not recalling this. This car only has 49K miles. They are losing lots of return customers by not handling a safety issue properly. I hope no deaths have to happen to bring more severity to this pressing issue. If you hear a click when steering, get the car inspected asap! clicking occurs when stationary and is more intense when driving. It could go out at any moment.

- Saratoga Springs, UT, USA

Our 2016 Ford Explorer with only 50K miles started to have very sticky steering and it would make some clunking noises when turning. This progressively got worse while my pregnant wife used the SUV as a daily drive until one day she said she nearly lost control of the Ford and had to swerve off the road to avoid hitting oncoming traffic. We took the vehicle into harold zeigler Ford in lowell, mi and they said that the electronic steering gear had gone bad and needed to be replaced. That means replacing the entire steering assembly which is a $2,200+ repair. That is way to serious of a repair to happen so often and this early. Based on the many similar issues I have read about regarding this issue and the fact that Ford already had a similar recall for earlier years of the Explorer, this needs to be recalled. Someone will get hurt and Ford is just trying to save money by not addressing it. The worst part is that there seems to be no guarantee that it won't happen again in 50K more miles.

- Belmont, MI, USA

While driving at 75 mph the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering, the wheel jerked and I almost ran off the road. Then the steering made grinding noises. The dealership wants $1500 for the part and just as much or more for the labor, not covered under warranty and the vehicle only has approximately 77000 miles on it.

- Salina, KS, USA

The rack & pinion motor failed on this vehicle after only approximately 40,000 miles. In this instance it did not cause an accident. However, I understand that these motors are failing at a relatively high rate and steering could lock up in these vehicles while driving.

- Burr Ridge, IL, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that at start-up or while driving and attempting to turn in either direction, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to bozard Ford Lincoln (540 outlet mall blvd, St. Augustine, fl 32084, (904) 824-1641) to be diagnosed. The strut tower and steering gear needed to replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage 78,105.

- Ponte Verde Beach, FL, USA

Our 2016 Ford Explorer with 44K miles is making knocking sounds while turning. The sound was intermittent at times so not all turns made the knocking sound.we had it looked at by a mechanic and he said the rack and pinion steering is going out. He explained in more detail, but the gist of it is a repair cost of $2K on a vehicle that's not paid off and extreme hazard to drive. This is a critical concern for many Ford Explorer owners that have reported the same issue. Please investigate.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

Steering fault light came on twice in two days, both instances happened after taking off from a stoplight. Took the vehicle in the dealership where they read the codes and it came back the steering assembly was failing. They proceeded to tell me that the steering could go out any minute. The vehicle only has 57K miles on it but of course isn't covered under power train warranty. After googling the issue, it seems as though this is a very common problem and the dealership conveniently had the a steering assembly in stock. Not sure what the hold up is for Ford to issue a recall! this could kill someone.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA