10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 9 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 7 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 41,132 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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« Read the previous 20 complaints
Second steering failure incident. Ref cpmplaint 11111323 inching up to stop sign when wheel froze. Dash error as follows: "steering fault service now(this was in red) "service advance trak" (this was in yellow) put car in park.turned engine off and restarted then regained power steering.
- Plain City, OH, USA
My 17 year old son was driving this vehicle when the steering wheel "froze" I would describe it as the old manual steering systems. He was driving on a state route going straight ahead into a curve when it happened. Fortunately, there was a large gravel lot ahead for him to steer straight into. I don, T buy Ford' claim that the steering functions and only difficult. Tell that to a frightened young driver or an elderly person. The error displayed below is what was displayed on dash and what is found numerous times from other vehicle owners. The continued history of this issue is not acceptable! while I have not found an fatal incident related to the issue, I do not my family to be the first. Please review this occurrence nationally and I implore you to issue a recall. I am old enough to remember the pinto fuel tank, the Firestone 50 tires and of course the air bag fiasco. Please contact me if you need more information. Thank you [xxx] 1. terrain management system fault 2. service advance trak 3. hill assist error information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Plain City, OH, USA
I took my truck to the shop on Wednesday and dropped it off due to numerous lights coming on when driving. The light would read "steering fault service now, service advance trac and hill start assist not avalable". I took pictures of the lights when they would come on and have documentation of that. When the lights come on, I also lose power steering and am unable to drive my truck. This has almost caused me to have an accident! waldorf Ford just called me to tell me I need a new steering gear and that my epas system has gone bad and this is going to cost me $2100 to fix. My truck is only 2 years old, I have maintained all service as needed since owning, it only has 49,000 miles on it and this has happened. I have looked online at the forums and see this is an ongoing problem with many Explorer and not just mine. These vehicles need to be recalled before someone is killed!!!!! this is extremely dangerous and a very expensive fix that to many people are having to pay for when it is occurring so often. Please, please check into this and put out a recall on not only the 2016 Ford Explorer but the other Ford who are experiencing the same issue as myself.
- Callaway, MD, USA
Steering gear failed causing the car to be very difficult to steer at low speeds, especially when turning right.
- Saint Albans, MO, USA
Originally I had a light coming on when driving down the road saying "steering fault service now" it would come on and go off or occasionally I would have to pull over and restart my truck to reset. After about a week I started having multiple lines come on at one time flashing at me while driving saying "service advance trac, hill start assist not available, service advance trac and steering fault service now". when these lights come on I lose all power steering in my vehicle and I'm unable to steer at all. This has happened multiple times and it has become extremely unsafe to drive. It has always been while driving, but other than that I see no rhyme or reason or other factors that are the same when the lights have came on. I took my truck to my mechanic to look at and he found online that this is an issue many people are blogging about and complaining about. He hooked my truck up to the computer but could not get any type of error code to come back and suggested I follow up with Ford to have them look at it but also suggested that I contact someone to see if this has some type of recall because in his words "this is going to kill someone". I have checked but no recalls have been made as of now but did see there was a very similar problem in the 2011-2013 Explorer and a recall was made. I have an appointment this week for my truck to go to the Ford dealership to be looked at but feel strongly that this is something that needs to be recalled now on the 2016 Ford Explorer. I have 2 young drivers that occasionally drive my vehicle, if one of them were to drive it when the steering went out, I don't want to think what could have happened. This is to serious to ignore and I see to many complaints from other people online so I know this is not something that only I am going through. Please recall these vehicles and have this checked.
- Callaway, MD, USA
2016 Ford Explorer started making a noise when turning the steering wheel. Was driving on the interstate at about 60 mph and the steering became jerky and didn't want to steer. This was at somewhere around 38000 miles. I took it to the Ford dealership when I got home and was told it needed a right tie rod end. The tie rod end was replaced at a cost of $200+. the Ford Explorer continued making a noise at a low speed and wife stated that the steering was jerky when she drove it. Took it back to Ford dealership and was told that a nut had came off in the steering box and the steering rack needed to be replaced. The car was dangerous to drive as it was so authorized the repair. The repair was done at 40634 miles. So far this appears to have fixed the problem.
- Russell, PA, USA
My 2016 limited Ford Explorer with about 38000 miles began making a noise when turning the steering wheel. I was driving on the interstate and the steering was jerky and would hang. Took it to the Ford dealership when I returned home and they replace the right tie rod end at a cost of $200+. the Explorer continued to make a noise at low speeds. Wife said that the steering was jerky when she drove it. Took it back to Ford dealership and was told that a nut had come off in the steering box and it needed a complete steering rack. Dangerous to drive as it was so authorized the replacement. Cost this time was $1685.67. The Explorer had 40634miles on it when this was done. Got on the internet and found the steering is a rather common problem on Ford Explorer.
- Russell, PA, USA
The steering column went out at 38,000 miles. The motor is dead and entire thing needs to be replaced.
- Belle Chasse, LA, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving 5 mph, the steering wheel made an abnormal noise without warning. The vehicle was taken to jps Ford (224 gap farms rd, arcadia, la 71001, (318) 263-2084) where it was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly needed replacement, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,000.
- Bosssier, LA, USA
Steering is making grinding noise and is very difficult to turn, at times when entering curves or driving. The steering wheel gets stuck when you have to firmly grasp it and it then jerks you either direction. It's a safety issue, it's losing steering control. Going to jerk me into oncoming traffic or pull me off the road. I have children and this is our primary car to drive and we are afraid of the steering. It happens also just backing in and out. Very stiff to control. Safety issue in all ways. I've taken to Ford dealership and they diagnosed it as a internal fault in the electric rack and pinion steering assembly. Estimated cost $2100, this should not have failed, if anything they get play in steering not failed or break, maybe if car was old and had 200K miles. Ford has had issues with steering assembly on Explorer since 2011 -2015 and clearly have not fixed there problems. Problem with steering is stationary, in motion and on highways and turning. Hazardous to drive. Never knowing when it may decide to stop working and lock up on me.
- Clarks Hill, SC, USA
The eletric power steering failed. And would fail and then be ok after restarts but would fail while driving the car and make it very difficult to steer at all speeds, often locking itself during a turn and requiring significant effort to correct. Often dangerously hard to steer at highway speeds. I noticed this was a previous issue with Ford vehicles...
- Little Silver, NJ, USA
We were driving our 2016 Ford Explorer limited (34,731 miles) through town at approx. 25mph, slowed down, and attempted to make a right hand turn onto a town road, but our vehicle would not turn. At the time we had no idea what was happening except that the vehicle wasn't steering. After we came to a stop in the middle of the road we realized that we could still turn the vehicle if we manhandled the steering wheel. A steering code flashed on the dashboard. At that point we realized we had no power steering. We called the dealership right away and carefully drove it over to them to fix. They verified the power steering was inoperable, ran diagnostic testing, and replaced steering gear assembly R&I front sub frame. See attached service record. After researching, we found that other people have experienced this same issue. I can't imagine what this would have been like had we been on a highway. This is a serious failure that could have hurt or killed people. How is this not a recall?
- Waynesboro, PA, USA
My wife and I were traveling in our 2016 Ford Explorer on Saturday when the steering wheel started "sticking" while going around curves. I was driving at 60-65 mph on a four lane highway, going around a curve to the left when the steering wheel stuck and had to be forcefully pulled back to straighten up. I slowed the vehicle to about 45 mph and was preparing to pull over to the shoulder when messages started appearing on the information center. The messages stated "steering fault stop now" and "service advance trac". thankfully, as I was pulling off the next exit, there was a Ford dealership. At this point, the I as still able to steer the vehicle with some force. After pulling into the dealership parking lot, I turned the ignition off. When I restarted the vehicle, the messages still appeared and the steering wheel wouldn't turn at all, even with force. The dealership called today and said that the steering gear rack needed replaced and that the warranty was expired and the issue isn't covered under recall. He stated that the total repair would be $1842. I feel that being a safety issue is this magnitude, Ford should step up correct the problem before someone is hurt.
- Switzer, WV, USA
The contact owned a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 70 mph, an abnormal noise was heard from the front of the vehicle. After the noise was heard, the vehicle lost steering and brake functionality. As a result, the contact was involved in a side impact collision with the median wall and the vehicle overturned. The side air bags deployed prior to the crash. The failure occurred without warning. The contact and her daughter suffered moderate bruising that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the insurance company's lot and deemed destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 58,064.
- St Claire, MI, USA
Steering/rack: Problem began with an intermittent noise (clunk) in the front end of vehicle. Took to dealership while under full warranty. They failed to document my concern. Noise became more frequent and turned into more of a grinding sound while steering while the vehicle is stopped or moving slowly. Had problem looked at by mechanic doing oil change who sent me back to dealership stating I needed a new rack (steering part). At this point, my vehicle had surpassed the 36,000 mile warranty. During this time while debating with dealership if part should be covered under warranty due to their failure to document my initial visit, the steering while driving at slow and highway speeds has become "darty" or "jerky" and does feel safe to drive. My vehicle has been well maintained and has under 50,000 miles. Vehicle is unsafe and to date both Ford and dealership has failed to take care of this issue. Cost quoted for repair is $2100. Service dept at local dealership is incompetent, failed to admit fault in lack of documentation, and failed to back up the product, address safety concerns.
- Dewitt, IA, USA
2016 for Explorer Sport - purchased brand new. Vehicle has 15K miles now and I am hearing a loud popping / creaking sound that occurs when turning the steering wheel either left or right when the car is in motion. It's most noticeable at a slower rate of speed when turning into a parking space or turning from a complete stop. Today, on 3 separate occasions, when turning left the steering locked up and I had to jerk the steering wheel to the right in order to get the vehicle to go straight again. Each time this has happened there is another loud pop sound that can be heard. This is a major complaint across the board with 2014 - 2016 Explorer along with the wheel bearing, suspension and loss of power complaints.
- League City, TX, USA
I was driving my pregnant wife (31 weeks) and my 22 month old daughter to church this past Sunday (1/14/18), when we entered a sharp left hand curve. We got to the halfway point in the turn when the steering wheel completely locked up and sent us into a ditch and bank. Thank god nobody was coming in the opposite direction or we could have been seriously injured or worse! there was absolutely no warning; no light, no sensor, nothing. The wheel simply locked tight in the turned position at roughly 30 mph. I later learned Ford has been using electronic controlled power steering and this is a common occurrence across various Ford models with no known recalls. How many people have been killed that can't tell their story? there is no way we'll be keeping this vehicle and Ford should be made to redesign their steering or return it back to the original, belt-driven design.
- Buckhannon, WV, USA
While driving the vehicle, alarms go off and a notice saying 'steering assist fault' is displayed. This has happened 4 different time at random. 1 time, the steering completely went out and the vehicle lost all power steering. This is a huge safety concern as this is a family vehicle transporting very young children.
- Arroyo Grande, CA, USA
Was traveling down a city surface street when another vehicle tried to beat me to getting onto the same street I was traveling on made a sudden turn before I could get to his location. Upon trying to maneuver and avoid a collision the vehicle suddenly did not respond to the maneuver and instead veered off the road and crashed into a residence. Steering failed to function as intended, ABS system also failed to function properly. This has not been the first time I got into a wreck like this with this vehicle. Making a sudden turn in this vehicle will likely suffer some sort of accident, vehicle does not respond like it should with all them electrical safety features.
- North Hollywood, CA, USA
- Ypsilanti, MI, USA