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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,592 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.

2018 Ford F-150 steering problems

steering problem

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2018 Ford F-150 Owner Comments (Page 4 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #13

Mar 192019

F-150

  • 4,000 miles

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

Auto start/stop creates a hazard while turning. For example, while turning left at a controlled intersection and waiting for oncoming traffic, truck shuts off. Upon restart, there is noticeable lag in power steering which effect the ability to turn. No ability to turn auto stop/start off permanently without voiding warranty. Crash stats prove left turning movements at intersections carry significantly high risk. Additional unpredictable steering behavior increases already high risk. I feel the system is functioning as designed. Power steering is not instant upon start up and auto start/stop functions smoothly unless waiting to turn.

- Cottage Grove, WI, USA

problem #12

Mar 132019

F-150

  • 11,700 miles
Truck pulls to the left, pulls to the right, steering wheel binds, steering goes against itself, pulsations in the steering. Truck is hard to drive. The truck has driven me off the road. The truck has had 3 alignments, steering gear has been replaced, technical service bulletin performed on power steering control module. 2 weeks after it had alignment and tsb performed, Ford engineer confirmed steering problem. Ford engineer said to do another alignment. Ford can not fix the problem and refuses. This truck is not safe to drive. I have reported this steering problem to Ford and nhsta numerous times. This truck should be removed from the road. I should not be expected to put my safety and the safety of others at risk with this truck. Please help

- Proctorville, OH, USA

problem #11

Mar 132019

F-150

  • 7,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. Due to the auto stop/start feature installed on the vehicle, there was a delay in the power steering feature when attempting to make a right turn. Keller Ford Inc (located at 3385 alpine ave nw, grand rapids, mi 49544, (616) 784-6600) was contacted. The manufacturer was also informed of the failure and provided case number: Cas-17380347-F3K9T3. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #10

Feb 132019

F-150

  • 10,000 miles

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

Truck instantly pulls to the right, when steering wheel is straight, the truck drives immediately to the left, the steering wheel binds and will drive itself to the left, impulses in the steering wheel. Truck hus been to dealership 4 times for steering defect. Dealership has replaced steering gear, 2 alignments, balanced rotated tires, adjust air pressure. Dealership told me that I am wasting their time on "warranty work" this truck is not safe to drive, Ford is refusing to comply to my warranty, and Ford corporate will not do a manufacturer buy back. Ford will not give reasons for not doing buyback. Ford says this information is "internal thing". this truck is a danger to me, my kids, and everyone else on the road. Their should be a recall on these trucks for steering issues. Someone please help

- Proctorville, OH, USA

problem #9

Dec 012018

F-150

  • 3,000 miles
When the vehicle is stopped the stop/start technology disables the ability to turn the steering wheel. When it's time to accelerate and turn quickly the power steering does not become available for for some time. I have been close to crashing several times and hit a curb on one occasion as a result of not being able to steer. The dealer told me at the last visit this is normal because of the stop start technology and I just have to wait for the power steering to become available when the engine starts. This is impossible when making a turn into traffic since sometimes this needs to be a simultaneous action of accelerating and turning at the same time.

- Hartsville, PA, USA

problem #8

Jan 042019

F-150

  • 9,000 miles
The steering constantly pulls to the left and pulls to the right. The steering has impulses that are felt in the steering during normal driving. The steering wheel oscillates and attempts to make steering corrections at any speed. The steering wheel will remain turned in one direction. For example, driving through a curve going left, hands can be removed from steering wheel and steering wheel will lock itself in position and stay turning left. The dysfunctional steering drove me off of a 2 lane road at 55mph. The poor steering of this vehicle creates an unsafe and not road worthy vehicle. The transmission can not decide which gear to be in creating pauses of power distribution to the rear wheels. The transmission shifts hard and pulls the vehicle back and forth creating loud clunking noises and rattling the passengers. The poor operation of the transmission creates unsafe driving conditions.

- Proctorville, OH, USA

problem #7

Jan 102019

F-150

  • 17,459 miles

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

The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. While driving 3 mph and approaching a stop sign, the automatic engine shut off engaged when the brake pedal was released. Upon releasing the brake pedal, the steering wheel suddenly seized. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,459. The VIN was not available.

- Gallatin, TN, USA

problem #6

Sep 242018

F-150

  • 300 miles
This truck comes standard with auto start stop technology. When the auto stop turns off the engine it also turns off the power steering. When you let off the brake the engine starts and the power steering should start working immediately. On several occasions the power steering has not come back to full assist. It took 3-5 seconds to start functioning properly. In my case each time this has happened I was stopped and making a left across traffic. When I accelerated I did not have power steering to make the turn. I took all my strength to make the turn without causing an accident. I am now able to recreate this problem on a consistent basis now. If I apply pressure to the wheel while the engine is off and let the engine start it does not have full power steering. If I keep my hands off the wheel and wait a second before trying to turn the wheel it works fine. I brought it into the dealer to address it and they said it was normal operation. That does not sound right to me. They suggested turning off the auto start stop. That defaults to on every time you start the truck. This is a major safety issue. I am a big guy and it took all my strength to turn. I doubt smaller people would be able to handle it. I will not let my wife drive the truck because of it. The truck is new. It is 3 months old and 3K miles.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #5

Oct 172018

F-150

  • 16,000 miles
I purchased a used 2018 F-150 with approximately 16,000 miles on 10/17/2018. When in motion, steering intermittently wanders, often drifts or pulls left and right, and requires a more than reasonable effort to keep in lane. On first trip to the dealer for this problem (West herr Ford in hamburg, NY), was told that alignment was good, and maybe tires were bad - they switched the 2 front tires, and problem persisted. Went back to West herr Ford less than 3,000 miles later for the same problem, and was told alignment was barely in spec. They aligned, and claimed to have addressed the issue. The steering still intermittently pulls, wanders, and dangerously fails to travel straight without constant correction.

- Colden, NY, USA

problem #4

Dec 062018

F-150

  • 350 miles
Vehicle equipped with auto stop start feature. When engine shuts off the electrically operated power steering also shuts off. Releasing the brake pedal restarts engine but power steering does not return for approximately 1-2 seconds. I've owned this truck since new. I currently have a little over 700 miles on the vehicle. Three times since purchasing the vehicle I have been making a left turn from a busy highway onto a secondary road and the stop start feature has engaged. I make the decision to turn and go but the truck has no power steering and I am moving forward. The vehicle is almost impossible to steer without power steering.there is a button on the dash to disable the system but the default is to turn the system on every time the vehicle is started. I am fearful that if my wife or other person not intimately familiar with how the system is designed to operate will be put at extreme risk. In my opinion this is an extremely unsafe design and should be removed or redesigned to enable the power steering to operate any time the key is in the ignition in the "on" position.

- Perkasie, PA, USA

problem #3

Feb 282018

F-150

  • 10 miles

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

I bought this 2018 F150 lariat new, on test drive I noticed vehicle did a lot of weaving to the point I asked salesman to drive it back and verify if steered like his 2017 which he did. This vehicle drifts all over the road and feels like it is getting over run with electrical impulses in the steering causing it to drift left and right constantly and at its will, if you look down to adjust the heater controls it will be across the centerline or off the shoulder immediately, and there are a lot of complaints about his from owners. My dealership has aligned the front end and it is correct, the best we can tell it is in the electric steering, and not to be confused with lane assist which is never turned on, it has to do with the epas and the driftt control/crown in the road conditions. It feels like this system is constantly creating road conditions in it's mind and working the steering to correct for what is not there. Ford has an algorithm built in and it is not working and needs to be turned off immediately and correct this steering issue. To tell you how bad it is passing 3 cars the other day at 70mph crossing into the passing lane the truck had some kind of hiccup and the steering steered hard right and I almost lost control of the vehicle, it almost snapped the truck sideways, nobody was very happy with this. Going down the road slowly on a flat surface you can feel the impulses or the steering wheel/tires oscillating ever so slightly back and forth, hook a trailer to this truck and you have a swaying beast on your hands. This steering system is very dangerous, not 100% sure what is going on but it drifts constantly back and forth, nobody wants to drive this truck, you start to pass you do not know what to expect out of the steering, dealership is ready to help but Ford knows it is a problem with alot of their 2018's, waiting on Ford for a fix!

- Supply, NC, USA

problem #2

Aug 282018

F-150

  • 6,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. While driving approximately 35 mph, the message "service power steering, hill start assist" appeared and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The vehicle was driven to Ford of mansfield (1515 w 4th street, mansfield, oh 44902) where it was diagnosed that rodents chewed through the electrical wiring. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 6,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Lexington, OH, USA

problem #1

Mar 102018

F-150

  • 800 miles
The 2018 F-150 truck was purchased brand new and after approximately 800 miles the truck's steering started to pull to the left and then to the right. The direction of steering pull seems to switch depending on the last turn made or the direction of the trucks body roll, but also changes direction randomly. The steering wheel needs constant input from the driver in order to drive straight or else the truck will be in the other lane or off the road. This issue happens on the interstate highway at speeds of 65 mph and also on local roads at speeds of 25 mph. The road could be straight or curved and the steering will constantly pull the vehicle left or right and seems to periodically switch directions. Ford Motor Co. Has been noticed multiple times and refuses to acknowledge the issue. Three different certified Ford tech, at two different dealerships, have driven the vehicle and said there was a problem. However, the manufacturer will not admit there is an issue or even attempt to fix the problem. Ford Motor Co. Claims all of their 2018 F-150 drive this way. Their advice to me was "keep your hands on the wheel and the truck will go straight". of course if driver fights the steering wheel pulling left and right constantly, the truck will go straight. The driver obviously will try to keep the truck in it's lane to avoid an accident. If what Ford Motor Co. Claims is true, that all their 2018 F-150 drive this way, then this is a serious safety issue and should be investigated. Ford Motor Co. Should be embarrassed with how the company treats their customers and also should be concerned with hazzardous vehicles they are putting on the roads. Buyer be aware!

- Southington, CT, USA

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