The steering rack and pinion failed causing our steering wheel to lock while driving. This was a major safety risk/hazard for my family, me, and other drivers on the road. We lost all steering capabilities, something we'd never experienced before. This could have caused an accident leading to serious bodily harm and or fatal injuries to all involved. This problem has been confirmed by a Ford Dealership. The vehicle has been inspected by a Ford Dealership service team. There were no warning lamps or messages until after the vehicle steering locked up.

- Tampa, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering failed to function as intended. The contact stated that while reversing out of a parking area, the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering malfunction and tire sensor warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failed rack and pinion and a failed passenger's side tire sensor. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion and the passenger-??s side tire sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 195,468.

- Chauncey, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and making a left turn, the power steering and 4WD suddenly failed, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. The 4WD was independently deactivated. During the failure, the message "Service Power Steering" and "Service Power Track" were displayed. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failures, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 110,000.

- Columbus, KS, USA

Steering Fault Service Now" with no symptoms. Then, a minute later the steering locked up and ran myself and my two little kids off the road. Then when I turned my car off. I started it back up and then the steering was fine. Then 3 days later it locked up again driving down the highway. Thank God I was in the right lane and not the middle. It threw me off the road again. I'm scared to death of my explorer. I'm afraid to drive it now.

- Canton, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the "Service Power Steering Now" message was displayed, and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under a Manufacturer's Extended Customer Satisfaction Campaign related to the power steering malfunction. The failure mileage was 160,000.

- Eastpointe, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the vehicle was difficult to maneuver. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.

- Wentzville, MO, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact used excessive force to pull to the side of the road. The power steering failure and Service Power Steering messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 114,401.

- Lebanon, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact stated that four unknown messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a power steering failure, but recommended no repairs at the time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred several times; however, the power steering was reset independently when the vehicle was turned off and restarted. The contact stated that after the last failure had occurred, the vehicle failed to regain power steering functionality and the vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that the failure description was like an unknown recall however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

- Naalehu, HI, USA

Vehicle became very hard to steer and warning lights came on warning of steering module failure.

- Centennial, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. While the contact's wife was driving at a moderate rate of speed, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. The contact was unaware of any warning lights being illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact's wife used excessive force to steer the vehicle back home. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

- Wellston, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the electronic power steering. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.

- Stevensville, MD, USA

Power Steering quit working in a sharp turn. No accident occurred. No prior issue. Recall 14so6 was performed on 2/06/2015 under 15no1. But at the time of recall it did not present any codes and they skipped replacing whole steering gear and hardware. Currently it is presenting code U3000:49-08 which would cause them to replace whole steering gear and hardware and they are refusing to repair vehicle under their cost because of mileage. All that was performed at time of recall was updating power steering control module. I do not understand how a known recall is not being fixed because of mileage.

- Texarkana, AR, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the power steering assist fault message was displayed, and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. The contact was able to stop the vehicle, and the vehicle was turned off and restarted and regained power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and occurred at various speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and became aware of two Customer Satisfaction Programs associated to the VIN; however, the contact was informed by the dealer that the program for EPAS Steering Efforts 15N01 (Steering) was no longer covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 108,045.

- Canton, GA, USA

2011 Explorer, 102,000 miles. Power steering light would occasionally come on upon starting the car and would reset itself after turning the car off and back on. September 2023 upon starting the car the power steering would not fix itself so it was towed to a mechanic. He repaired the power steering for $3K. Found out in February 2024 through an inspection receipt there had been a 'recall' on the power steering and the rear toe-link (never received a letter from Ford) so we took it to the dealership. We're being told since the car is over 10 years old we cannot get reimbursed for the power steering charge even though apparently we were extremely lucky my 16 year old son wasn't actually DRIVING it when it went out based on other people's situations. This should be a RECALL, not an extended warranty issue and Ford should be liable for fixing this extremely dangerous faulty part.

- Dallas, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed, after which the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 184,000.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

I own a 2011 Ford Explorer Limited with 150K miles. The Power Steering Assist light has come on a number of times. Typically when I first start the car and start to move. It has however failed 3 times while driving in traffic. I shut off the car and restart it and it clears and is drivable again. Today it failed about 4 miles from home and would not reset. I gimped it home with no power steering. I will take it to the dealer this week to see if they will honor their recall. DOA.

- Middletown, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Steering Fault, " message was displayed, and the electric power steering assist was not operating properly. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, and after restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 15N01. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 134,000.

- Fontana, CA, USA

Over the past couple of years the steering wheel has locked. But would reset if turned off and on. The traction light also engaged temporarily and later went off. When I took my vehicle in to the dealership at Blue Springs Mo Ford on [XXX] for service and diagnostic they indicated a sensor and/or steering mechanism needed repair or replaced and the part has been on back order. They would order the parts-and let me know when they came in. They have yet to contact me on the part. They said it could be some time.. About a month the tire pressure sensor fault warning came on so I was looking repairs. Early this week while driving the power steering quit working. A day or so later while troubleshooting the dash display reported faults with both power steering assist and advance tract. After turning it back on and off the warning lights engaged. I have a new battery, checked connections and fuses, then looked online and found ford has a known problem with power steering assist failing. Also comments report if an issue occurs with the electronic power assist at any time Ford is responsible to repair for free. Today I called the ford number 800-392-3673 to report this problem and was informed my vehicle does not qualify for free repairs due to the mileage 173,958. The fix expired at 150,000 miles or 10 year - which was an extension to warranty). I don-??t agree with this approach as Ford has been aware of this issue with the power steering electronic system for years and provided no notice to consumers. I would have had it checked prior to hitting the 150,000 mile mark. Please advise on my rights or recourse. Thanks. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Blue Springs, MO, USA

We were driving down the road and lost complete control of steering. Me and my family's safety as well as other drivers on the road was very much at risk as we lost steering at 60 miles per hour. The problem was reproduced and there was a recall issued 14s06 but Ford Motor Company will not repair as it has been too long (in their opinion) at the dealership and calling Ford Motor Company There was no warning prior.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA