NHTSA Complaint #10722439 — 2012 FORD EXPLORER

I WENT TO CRANK MY CAR AND WHEN I DID I IMMEDIATELY RECEIVED A POWER STEER FAIL ASSIST NOTICE. MY CAR HAD NO POWER STEERING. I WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY DRIVE TO A PARKING SPACE AND REVIEW MY OWNER'S MANUAL. I LET THE CAR SET FOR 10 SECONDS AND THEN CRANKED AGAIN IN HOPES THAT IT WOULD RESET. IT DIDN'T. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE HOME AND PARK THE CAR. THIS MORNING I TOOK THE CAR TO HIXSON FORD IN MONROE, LA. BY THAT TIME I HAD RECEIVED A TRACTION ERROR ON THE DASHBOARD AND ALSO WAS UNABLE TO USE MY SIGNAL LIGHT. I WAS TOLD ALL OF THIS WAS IN RELATION TO THE POWER STEERING AND THE NEED TO REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN FOR A PRICE OF $1794.00. IT APPEARS THAT FORD IS VERY AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS OF THE POWER STEERING FAILURE. WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A LARGER RECALL? MY CAR IS NOT ONE OF THE 2012 MODELS THAT WAS RECALLED. JUST OUT OF WARRANTY AND THEN THIS. I THINK FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED IN THE PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEER FAILURE.