Print this page

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 1
Average Mileage:
58,747 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2014 Ford Explorer steering problems

steering problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2014 Ford Explorer:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2014 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 6 of 22)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #333

Nov 082022

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving the vehicle the power steering stopped working. There is no warning light on the dash and indication anything was wrong.

- Sunderland, MD, USA

problem #332

May 012022

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the -??Steering Malfunction-?? message was displayed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who indicated that the electronic power steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Summerville, SC, USA

problem #331

Oct 072022

Explorer 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 124,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while making a left turn, the steering wheel seized. The contact used force to loosen the steering wheel. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the contact believed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 124,000. The consumer had to wait 4 months for the parts to fix the vehicle.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #330

Sep 222022

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle makes a grinding noise when turning the steering wheel. The electric power steering component is failing and can cause a complete loss of power steering which can result in a crash, and a potentially serious one if the loss occurs at a high rate of speed. A mechanic that reviewed the problem has stated that he is aware of several other vehicles experiencing the same problem. There were s zero warning indicators or messages prior to the steering making noise. The worse the noise gets, the more difficult it becomes for the vehicle-??s operator to turn the wheel.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #329

May 142022

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact then stated that the following day, while her husband was reversing out of the driveway, the steering wheel seized as an unknown steering warning light was illuminated. The contact's husband drove back into the driveway and the vehicle was no longer operable. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the parts for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. The contact stated that the recall applies to model years 2011 to 2013 but not to their 2014 model.

- Sikeston, MO, USA

problem #328

Sep 092022

Explorer

  • miles
I have a 2014 Ford Explorer sport. I notice the airbag light went on. I ran my obd scanner, initially it gave B00A0 and B0061 error codes. After a couple weeks, my EPS doesn-??t work after I turned the engine on, it won-??t turn left or right. It went away after turning off and back on. It happened again after couple of days, i was leaving the gas station and the message went on and i tried to restart the engine twice, but it still didn-??t fix it, but i had to leave cause there are people behind me waiting. I tried to drive forward and just end up blocking the way cause I couldn-??t turn the steering wheel and people are getting upset. Thank God it worked after the 3rd restart. Then 3rd time it happened, it didn-??t went away after how many times i turn off and on the engine. When I scanned it error code C1B00 came out and a message on the dashboard saying steering assist failure service required. Then i tried again after few mins later same message pops out as well as collision warning not available and service advance trac. I took it to the mechanic, said it was the clock spring that need to be replaced. But as soon as I picked it up from the mechanic after they change the clock spring, same problem reappeared. The first couple of time, a restart fix it but on the 3rd time the power steering just disabled again. This time the mechanic said it needs a new rack and pinion and it-??s on back order and no idea when they will have it available.

- Stevenson Ranch , CA, USA

problem #327

Sep 222022

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Completely and suddenly lost power steering. It appears to be a major issue with Explorers. A recall was made for explorers up to 2013, but the problem persists in additional year models. It is a very expensive repair and it appears to be a manufacturing flaw.

- Westminster, MA, USA

problem #326

Sep 072022

Explorer

  • miles
Loss of steering in my 2014 Ford Explorer. Traction light-??s and -??Steering Loss-?? came on warning me to -??Stop Safely-??

- Virginia Beach , VA, USA

problem #325

May 202022

Explorer

  • miles
I was driving home from dropping my kids off at school. I was on a main road and I lost the power steering on my vehicle while I was driving, I had to turn off the road a make a few more turns to get home. When the power steering went out a light went on saying my ETS and warning my PAS was out. I did not get this warning PRIOR to losing power steering. The warning came after I had lost power. My car had to be towed to the Ford dealer in town. They informed me I needed a steering rack due to PSCM failure but they were unable to find the part and had no idea when they could fix it. I contacted a dealer 2 hours away and and was told they could get it in 1-2 weeks. I had to tow the car to them. It then sat in their lot from May 27th to August 31, 2022, waiting to get the part in. Final repair bill was $2300, on top of the towing charges and the first dealer charges to -?? diagnose-??. The car had 77,000 miles and is a 2014 Ford Explorer. The safety issue is my greatest concern, losing power steering with no warning, while on a busy road you need to turn off of, could have easily caused a major accident. To find out this is a known problem with Ford Explorers and nothing has been done to fix the issue across the model years affected is beyond concerning. And the fact that it took 3 months to even get the part in to fix the vehicle. And the numerous other people who have had the same issue, tells me this is something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, before someone is gravely injured.

- Minot, ND, USA

problem #324

Sep 052022

Explorer

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel became firm and required excessive force to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her of an existing recall for the steering wheel. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure and the dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact then stated that on another occasion while driving out of her driveway, the steering wheel became firm and she was unable to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that the vehicle was inoperable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Philo, OH, USA

problem #323

Mar 032021

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car has been hard when turning since last year.also, on highway while traveling at 55mph car drifting from side to side.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #322

Aug 192022

Explorer

  • miles
Clicking noise from inside steering gear.

- Church Hill, TN, USA

problem #321

Aug 282022

Explorer

  • miles
The power steering went out and it was discovered the steering rack and pinion need replaced. This is available for inspection upon request. It is unknown when this can be fixed so I am without a car until then. Upon research this is a common problem for this year and model of car. There was no warning messages, I just all of a sudden did not have power steering and was not able to steer my vehicle.

- Council Grove , KS, USA

problem #320

Aug 192022

Explorer

  • miles
Electric Power Steering locked up. Almost killed me my fiance. And my 2 kids.

- Louisville, CO, USA

problem #319

Jun 262022

Explorer

  • miles
Steering went completely out in a curve while my wife was driving. She had to manually steer the wheel to keep from wrecking, and it was very hard for her to turn. This isn-??t the first issue I-??ve had with the steering, but I-??ve researched and other years of explorer with the same issue have recalls but not the 2014s. It-??s VERY dangerous for my 110lb wife with our 4 children to drive a vehicle who-??s steering may go out at any moment. There were never any dash lights to indicate any problems. I will be getting it serviced soon. Please put out a recall on the 2014s before the steering goes out and ends up killing someone.

- Crowley, LA, USA

problem #318

Aug 262022

Explorer

  • miles
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized. A message indicating a steering rack failure was displayed. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel operated as needed; however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Huntsville, MO, USA

problem #317

Sep 042022

Explorer

  • miles
Power steering stopped working while my family and I were an hour from home. Dash warning said Power Steering Fault Stop Safely. Drove home with no power steering and parked it. Have not driven it since. Started the vehicle multiple times, inspected all fuses and breakers, all intact. All research points towards a fault in the Electric assisted power steering.

- Sturgis, SD, USA

problem #316

Jul 292022

Explorer

  • miles
I was driving home on the Bonne Carre Spillway Bridge from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and the warning lights came on while my car started swerving. Needless to say, I was Terrified when the warning message on my dashboard said, "Steering fault Service now" and both swervy line warning lamps under the directional panel on the dashboard came on. I had no steering power and had to drive 45 mph all the way to Baton Rouge on I-10 almost getting run over by 18 wheelers and other vehicles. I have 163,303 miles on the truck. Thank God for the Hollingsworth Ford Dealership employees (Lori) who were able to take my vehicle that same day. They had to tow it into the work bay, because the system completely froze up on them the following day. There is already a 2014 - 2017 Ford Explorer recall for Northeastern states, but Louisiana should be included also as we have a lot of flooding which can be worse than snow and ice nowadays. I have had to rent a vehicle for a month now and do not have anymore money to rent. I am over 50 years old so you can imagine how my body will be worn out if I have to take a bus to work. I know my truck was probably made in the same plant as the other 22 states vehicles who are included in the recall. I should NOT have to pay for these repairs!!! Please Help Me get Fair treatment as a 2017 Ford Explorer owner. I Appreciate your help.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #315

Aug 302022

Explorer

  • miles
Steering started grinding and has slight resistance when turning left when trying to pull the wheel back to straight. Upon taking it to my repair shop, they have found that the electric steering rack & pinion component needs to be replaced. When they contacted Ford for this part, it's on national backorder with no ETA. There were no warnings to this happening, no lights, no other issues, this just started out of the blue. Obviously with the part being on national backorder, this is happening with more than just my vehicle and yet Ford is not issuing a recall. How long can I drive this for waiting on the recall? I don't have another vehicle to use to get to/from work.

- St. Paul, MN, USA

problem #314

Aug 272022

Explorer

  • miles
- Power steering failed - My safety as well as the safety of my children - Research shows that many people have had the same incident, some have been in accidents others have not. Luckily I was able to drift off to the shoulder of the road without an accident. There were no cars around me at the time. - Waiting on Ford Dealership to call me back - Once my power steering failed there was a warning light stating that it failed and I needed to pull over safely. This happened after my power steering failed not before.

- Mcminnville, TN, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?