Vehicle lurched into adjoining lane on interstate while going around a slight curve at about 70mph. I was able to get the car under control and pulled off the freeway. Luckily there was no one in the adjacent lane or I almost certainly would have hit them. I was close enough to home that I got the vehicle back (about a mile), but the steering would 'stick'/pull to the right or left when turning such that I had to force it back to center (would not return to center on its own). Limped home at about 10 mph. Had the car towed to Ford dealership who diagnosed a failure of the electronic steering gear and steering rack. They said they've seen this a few times with 2016 Explorer. The Ford technician was shocked that the vehicle was drive-able at all given the damage to the failed steering gear/rack. He explained that I could have easily lost all steering and had a major accident. The vehicle had been in no accidents or had any other incidents that could account for the failure. The Ford technician stated that it looks like a complete failure of the oem parts. Replacement parts and labor cost approximately $2,100.

- Cedarburg, WI, USA

Certified pre-owned 2016 Ford Explorer with 56,000 miles. Electronic steering gear failed. Lost power steering. Luckily it happened at low speed while exiting a parking lot near home - no accident. $2,200 repair cost; no warranty coverage.

- Aliquippa, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving 60 mph, the steering seized for approximately 20 minutes and the traction control and steering assist fault warning indicators illuminated. The contact veered to the shoulder of the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, it did not resume normal operation. The vehicle was towed by an independent towing company to the contact's residence. Arundel Ford (1561 portland rd, arundel, me 04046, (800) 889-7171) was contacted and scheduled a diagnostic appointment. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred multiple times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

- Stanford, ME, USA

The first time my steering wheel got stiff was on 09/13/2019 while trying to make a left turn on a city street. In the process of making the left turn the steering wheel got stiff, and the steering fault hill start and trac lights went on. I was unable to control the wheel which cause me to get onto of the side walk almost hitting a tree. I had to hit my breaks in order to avoid the accident. My kids body jerk back and forth really hard. I turn my car off and back on, and the steering wheel was working again. I was able to drive home safely. The second time the steering wheel got stiff was on 10/05/2019. While on the a curve of ramp to get out out the freeway the steering wheel got stiff again, and the steering fault, hill start and trac lights went on as well. Once again I had to hit the breaks hard in order to avoid hitting the rail, as I was not able to control the steering wheel. I try turning my car off and back on again to see if the steering wheel would work again but it still did not work. I had to call my husband to come and pick me up. I took the car to the dealer and I was told that they had to replace the whole power steering equipment which cost me a total of $2350.39.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

At around 75K miles the steering began to making popping/grinding noises. The sound resolved within the same trip and stopped. It's been two months and the grinding sound returned while driving this weekend on a winding road with my two year in the back seat. While driving around a corner at moderate speed (35-40 mph), the steering wheel briefly stuck and brought my vehicle to the edge of the pavement before I gained control again. The sticking persisted around corners and while turning both directions. Once unstuck, the steering felt loose and near unpredictable. The vehicle is now at a local Ford dealership who confirmed it's a result of rack and pinion failure and quoted around $2500 to repair. They confirmed this is common in Explorer. My research also shows hundreds of reports and complaints exactly as mine, often in frightening and life threatening circumstances. There is serious potential for fatal outcomes with the nature and frequency of this malfunction.

- Williamstown, VT, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving 70 mph, the steering column seized and the steering column warning indicator illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle to the side of the highway, pressed the "ok" option on the message board, and was able to resume normal driving. Also, while driving 55 mph and hauling a trailer, the "hill start assist not available" warning indicator illuminated. The contact pressed the "ok" button and the warning light disappeared. In addition, the ABS, steering fault service now, and service track warning indicators illuminated at various times while driving. During the failure, the contact pressed the "ok" button again and the warning indicators disappeared. The contact took the vehicle to sunnyvale Ford (650 E el camino real, sunnyvale, ca 94087, 408-215-9949) and was informed that the repairs would cost $400. After a diagnostic was performed, the dealer determined that the warning indicator illumination was linked to a faulty battery. The dealer wanted to test the vehicle's trailer hitch cable to determine if that cable was linked to the failures. It was diagnosed that the steering rack was the cause for the system failure and the dealer provided an estimate for the repairs. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.

- Sunnyvale, CA, USA

The power steering gear failed at 41,000 miles. Because of this, the vehicle steering was unpredictable. You turn the wheel, but it may not straighten back out. After reviewing some message boards, this sounds like a common issue with the 2016 Explorer between 40K and 50K. This is a serious flaw, and serious safety issue. I was lucky enough to only run into problems at lower speeds. However if this would have happened at highway speed, with my wife and kids in the car, there is no telling how horrible it would have been. Not to mention the possibility of hitting others on the road due to loss of steering. Seeing how there are multiple people with this problem, I believe this has to be a recall.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

My vehicle intermittently displayed 'steering fault. Service now' message on my dashboard. Unfortunately at first, I didn't think much of it since it happened so infrequently and the steering wasn't too noticeable. Had I known then what I know now, I would have recorded it the first time it occurred. It wasn't until I hit around 25,000 miles that the steering was slightly difficult. I was driving through my town and found it noticeably harder to turn the steering wheel around corners. The same warning appeared on the dash, to which I scheduled an appointment. When I took it in to be serviced for the previous recall, I requested for them to look into the message. Turns out I have a faulty epas in my vehicle, estimating around $2,200 to replace. When I contacted Ford customer service, they reviewed my case and denied any coverage for this replacement.

- Grantham, NH, USA

Within the past 2 weeks, on 2 separate occasions, the power steering has gone out while driving. Ford has stated that there is no recall. The Ford dealership in phoenixville, pa stated on 9/25/19 that the issue is with C200D code for motor rotation angle sensor. They gave an estimate that the part is 1500 and labor 500.

- Phoenixville, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving 35 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the rack and pinion motor was seizing. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,000.

- Mt Washington, KY, USA

2016 Ford Explorer XLT. Electric power steering gear failure. Has 82,000 kms on it. $1900 for part. Total repair quoted at $2700 + tax in Canada.

- Charleston, CA, USA

My 2016 Explorer just reached 85,000 miles when I started to hear a popping sound from the front end of my vehicle, while I was parking, the next day as I was turning onto a city street the steering wheel locked for a second followed by a loud pop. I took the car to sanderson Ford dealership and they advised me, my rack and pinion needs replaced. ($2,500) repair cost

- Goodyear, AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. When making left or right turns or slightly turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel seized without warning. The contact had to jerk the steering wheel in order for it to turn. On another occasion, while driving, the contact had to depress the brake pedal quickly because the vehicle pulled to the left, the steering wheel seized, and the engine turned off. The vehicle was restarted and was able to drive normally to the contact's residence. The contact stated that the vehicle did not have power steering fluid. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.

- Corbin, KY, USA

At just 36,300 miles the electronic steering rack has failed. A simple google search shows numerous Ford vehicles with this electronic steering system having issues with as many or less miles. Of course it is out of the bumper to bumper coverage at this point. The steering mechanism felt as though it was a manual steering system when it failed as I was on my way home from work on a very busy highway. The wheel doesn't return to center after turning and needs to be brought back manually. I'm glad this didn't result in a crash but easily could have. Ford should issue a recall before someone gets killed. At a cost of over $2000 dollars for the repair, I haven't been able to afford it and have had to rely on others to get back and forth to work.

- Toledo, OH, USA

Traveling South on hwy65 in Alabama, we stopped at a rest stop. When we started the Explorer back up, the power steering assist fault error message came on and we did not have power steering at all. We drove to another exit and turned off the Explorer and the error message was gone and we had power steering back. We traveled back home and I call my local Ford dealer for an appointment. I was just informed that I need a new electronic steering gear at $2500. My 2016 Explorer has about 47,000 miles. This is unacceptable to have a power steering issue on an Explorer with low mileage. I believe this is an on-going problem with Ford and the earlier recalls of this same issue with Explorer. Accidents are going to happen, which will be tragic knowing Ford could recall and repair this issue before someone is killed when their power steering just goes out!

- Madison, AL, USA

2016 Ford Explorer XLT, 86000 miles. Steering sticking while turning left/right while traveling at all speeds. There is also a popping noise when turning right at low speeds. After investigation I have found the is a rack & pinion problem that Ford refuses to recall. Many instances of steering wheels locking while driving which could potentially be fatal. Repair costs for replacement are $2000-$3000. This should not happen on a 3 year old vehicle, and definitely not to amount of vehicles that are showing the same issue. Consumer safety is definitely not being taken into consideration for this defect. It appears money is the driving force for not recalling this issue by Ford.

- Nicholasville, KY, USA

While driving my 2016 Ford Explorer, the power steering became loose and making a grinding noise in the front end. The vehicle was taken to a local Ford dealership and was diagnosed with a steering rack issue. Needs to be replaced. Ford Motor Co will not pay for the repair. This is clearly a safety issue. More importantly, while my vehicle was being diagnosed, two additional Ford Explorer were brought to the same dealership for the same problem. Ford needs to recall these vehicles and make these safety repairs. Prior to bringing the vehicle to Ford for diagnostics I took a video of the damage and the grinding sounds in the front end.

- Westborough, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving 30 mph, a buzzing noise occurred and the power steering assist fault warning indicator displayed "service now". in addition, the steering wheel seized. The contact press the ok button and continue to drive without power steering to his residence. The contact stated that the failure recurred on three several occasions. The contact called grove city Ford (1 taylor plaza, grove city, pa 16127, (724) 748-4790) and butler county Ford (400 S main St, butler, pa 16001, (724) 287-2766) and scheduled an appointment. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: Crs242007579. The approximate failure mileage was 53,110.

- Saxonburg, PA, USA

My husband was driving down the road when a bunch of errors started popping up including steering assist fault, service advance track, service hill descent, etc. The steering on my car immediately locked up and he could barely get the car turned off the road before it shut down. It almost caused an accident as we were nearly rear-ended. I travel the interstate daily and had this happened on the interstate instead of a city street it could have resulted in a deadly accident. I use this car to Transport my infant around and it is not safe at all. An error like this could kill my whole family.

- Cheyenne, WY, USA

My steering starting making noise and hesitating when turning during city type driving. The next day driving became more difficult steering especially at higher speeds on the highway. I was unable to keep the vehicle straight continually going back and forth in my lane. The following day the wheel would not turn at all and all sorts of error display messages started. Saying steering failure, stop as soon possible, traction control failure and more. My Explorer is only 3years old with less than 80,000 miles. If this failure happened while I was driving it could have caused serious injury or death. Ford is unwilling to do anything to address this issue. Only thing I could get them to tell me is that it was being looked in to. Online message boards show this is a very common in the 2016 Explorer and even reoccurs sometimes after being 'fixed'. seems Ford doesn't have a handle on the issue and this needs to be addressed asap. Searching online also shows several lawsuits in regards to this issue. I'm unsure why this is not being addressed when it's clearly a major, major safety concern.

- Waynesboro, PA, USA