This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the -??Steering Wheel Default, Seek Immediate Attention-?? warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 168,075.
****** duplicate voq ****** this complaint is being marked for deletion because it is an inadvertent duplicate of ODI# 11442983 ***** duplicate voq ******
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the "Steering Wheel Default, Seek Immediate Attention" warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 168,075.
Recently started experiencing a weird noise coming from the front end near the wheel area. The noise was also physical since I could feel it through the steering wheel. I did take it to a manufacturer locally they could not duplicate the issue. I explained to them that they needed to keep it longer than a couple hours in order to duplicate the problem. I did feel like the dealer did not inspect my vehicle long enough by keeping it and driving it.
When turning the steering wheel, you can hear a terrible squeaking noise coming from the front end of the vehicle in the center. Over time the squeaking gets worse and worse. Steering the vehicle is becoming harder to control, when letting off the gas, the whole steering wheel will stay straight but the actual wheels are quickly do a hard pull to the right. This is extremely unsafe and is likely to cause an accident. Yes the problem has been reproduced by a service center. They told me this is the same issue with the 2013 (1 year older) and there was a recall on that year, however not the 2014, even though the same part was used in the 2014 also. There are no warning lamps, or messages. They have been gradually getting worse since I purchased the vehicle.
- Green Bay, WI, USA
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After having the Water Pump exchanged (on 9/8/21) and a multi-point inspection done, and finding no issues, we went on a road trip. While driving on freeways, we noticed that while in a gentle curve of the road to the left, the steering wheel would not return to the neutral position when the road straightened. As we drove home, it became worse, to where we we would have to forcefully turn the wheel to straighten back to neutral. Returned Explorer to dealership 9/21/21. They finally were able to figure out it was the Rack and Pinion that needed replaced. We got the Explorer back on 10/13/21. Please hold Ford responsible for this issue as they have not fixed the problem that was on other years and this is no different.
The electric power steering is failing. Turning the steering wheel is becoming more difficult. I fear it will completely stop working. Earlier 2013 models have recalls for this. There has not been a recall for the 2014 model. I am bringing it to the Ford dealer 10/26/2021
On August 14th, whilst on vacation in New Mexico, the steering of my 2014 Ford Explorer completely seized in the middle of the road, and left us helpless. Thankfully, we were on a relatively quiet side street in Taos. Just a few days earlier we were traveling up and down the steep winding roads to the top of Pikes Peak. We are thankful that this malfunction did not happen during this time, as the results could have been catastrophic. I have since read related safety recall notices for this issue, and the symptoms described in thse notices are exactly as I experienced. I am very surprised that my vehicle is not covered by any of the safety recalls. The failed rack and pinion was sent back to Ford for analysis. It is a sealed unit so the Ford mechanics at Capitol Ford in Sante Fe were unable to comment.I have attached a photo of the part. For reference with the cost of towing, repairs, car rental and flights, my outlay has been approximately $4,500. I have the necessary documentation to support this figure.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the power steering failed, and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 139,000.
The power steering assist on the vehicle produces a loud grinding noise when the steering wheel is turned in either direction. Additionally, the steering assist is sporadic during lane changes and turning corners. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic shop and they were able to replicate the same issues with the steering, namely loud grinding during the steering process and sporadic steering assistance. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealership at this point and the independent mechanic advised to have a Ford dealership repair the vehicle since they have to complete some computer programming. Currently there has not been any warning lights or messages displayed and problem began about 2 weeks ago.
Power steering is hit and miss. At time-??s, near impossible to turn the wheel and other times it-??s fine. (This is all within full rotation of the wheel). 100% chance of the steering almost locking up and 100% it will be fine in certain spots. This problem arose rather quickly, within about 2 weeks. Looking online, these same symptoms are causing others to have their steering completely lock up due to the electronic steering fail. I-??ve had this vehicle about a month and a half and I would say the steering is about 15% power steering and 80% no power.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 3 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering assist failure message was displayed. The vehicle was towed and was diagnosed but not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the Vin was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was informed that the Vin was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Vehicle started making a grinding noise when turning and a slightly throbbing feedback through the wheel. We stopped driving immediately. According to the dealership the power steering module is failing needs a total replacement. Parts are on back order do to so many others needing same issue. 12-13 and 15-17 Explorers all had recalls do to this same part. However the 2014 models were not because of this I am out the $2700 even though Ford knows there is an issue. I am a single customer and have no power to show how bad for safety this is.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel stiffened while making a turn with a screeching sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that the electronic steering rack and pinion was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.
While driving down the road a message popped up that said: Fault Service Required, Service AdvanceTrac, and Terrain System Fault. The vehichle lost power steering unexpectedly and was very difficult to maintain on the roadway. I pulled over and shut off my vehicle and when I restarted it the power steering was back. I have seen that this is a common issue with the 2014 Ford Explorer and it seems to be the same type of power steering system as the other years that have been recalled but the 2014 has been left out. I would just like to report this as I feel it is a very big safety issue if someone is driving in a turn when this happens or are not in a spot they can pull over when it happens. Thank you for your time.
My wife was driving on the highway and lost power steering completely!! The power steering assist light came on. She almost lost control of the vehicle! She was able to manage it off the highway. We had the car towed to the dealership. They had said that the power steering gear had failed! After researching the problem, I was SHOCKED to see this issue is not an anomaly. There was a recall on this issue for 2011 - 2013, but not for 2014. Yet, the complaints and horror stories for the 2014 model still continue. I called Ford and they documented my call (#CAS32404801) and suggested that we submit a claim from the dealership to Ford after the repar. I am really dumbfounded as to why this frightening issue with the steering has not been fixed!!!!
We were returning from a visit with my son in Ohio. Suddenly a notice appeared on the dashboard about steering control and it was extremely hard to turn the wheel. We tried several methods suggested to correct the problem such as disconnecting the battery and also checking the fuses but no success. Since it appeared I could drive the vehicle, we drove home but had to really work at steering. We finally arrived back at our home without further incident other than being extremely tired from turning the steering wheel. It was like driving a car which was never equipped with power steering but even harder. After returning home, I took the vehicle to the local Ford dealership. They checked the vehicle and said the steering column had to be replaced. Total cost is going to be $2384.73 plus tax.
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- Snellville, GA, USA