NHTSA Complaint #10482489 — 2011 FORD EXPLORER

DRIVING ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD, WARNING MESSAGES APPEARED - POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE AND ADVANCE TRAC CONTROL FAULT. THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER STEERING ASSIST. WITH MUCH EFFORT (EXTREMELY HARD TO STEER!), I PULLED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT IT OFF. WHEN I RESTARTED, THE POWER STEERING RETURNED AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS THE ADVANCE TRAC WARNING MESSAGE WENT OFF. TOOK VEHICLE TO FORD DEALER (BENSON FORD EASLEY SC). THEY FOUND PROBLEM CODES AND PERFORMED A SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT FORD TOLD THEM WOULD CORRECT THE PROBLEM. ONE MONTH LATER, ON 6/18/2012, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST AGAIN FAILED. THIS TIME IN MY DRIVEWAY. AGAIN THE STEERING ASSIST RETURNED AFTER RESTARTING THE CAR. TOOK THE VEHICLE AGAIN TO BENSON FORD. TROUBLE CODES WERE FOUND AND THIS TIME THE FIX WAS A NEW STEERING GEAR AND RACK ASSEMBLY. AVAILABILITY OF THE PART WAS INITIALLY A PROBLEM BUT THE DEALER WAS ABLE TO LOCATE A PART TWO DAYS LATER. THE CAR HAS NOT HAD A RECURRENCE TO DATE ( 20125 MILES) I CONSIDER THIS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS THE EFFORT REQUIRED TO STEER THE CAR WITHOUT THE ASSIST IS EXTREME AND LIKELY BEYOND THE ABILITY OF SOME DRIVERS. *TR