NHTSA Complaint #10731049 — 2012 FORD EXPLORER

ON 6/23/2015 MY WIFE BROUGHT HER 2012 FORD EXPLORER TO ME STATING IT WAS VERY HARD TO STEER. BY THE TIME I LEFT WORK AT 6PM, THE HIXSON FORD DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSED. THE NEXT MORNING, WHILE ON THE WAY TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND WHILE GOING AROUND A LONG CURVE ON HWY 546, THE STEERING WHEEL TOTALLY LOCKED UP CAUSING ME TO BE WITHIN INCHES OF HITTING AN ON-COMING CAR IN THE CURVE. JERKING THE WHEEL IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THAT I WAS TURNING IN THE CURVE AND THEN BACK UNLOCKED IT AND ENABLED ME TO GET BACK IN MY LANE. FORD STATES THAT THEY HAD ALREADY "REPROGRAMMED THE PSCM POWER STEERING CONTROL MODULE" LAST JULY SO THEREFORE THE "RECALL" FOR THIS ISSUE (#14S06) HAS ALREADY BEEN CLEARED FOR THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE. WHETHER FORD ALREADY REPROGRAMMED THE PSCM OR NOT, THE ISSUE WHICH THE RECALL WAS ISSUED "POWER STEERING MAY LOCK UP" HAS HAPPENED. MY POSITION IS THAT "REPROGRAMMING" OR UPDATING THE SOFTWARE IS NOT GOING TO FIX A FAULTY SENSOR WHICH IS A PART OF THE STEERING GEAR SO THE "ALTERNATIVE" RECALL FIX SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED IN THE FIRST PLACE WHICH IS "REPLACING THE STEERING GEAR". HIXSON WANTS $1,795 TO REPLACE THE ELECTRONIC STEERING GEAR. THE FAULTY SENSOR CANNOT BE REPLACED BECAUSE IT'S APPARENTLY BUILT INTO THE STEERING GEAR. THIS RECALL ISSUE SHOULD BE PAID FOR BY FORD WHO HAS ALREADY ADMITTED TO A FAULTY SENSOR. IM NOW ON MY 6TH DAY OF A RENTAL CAR.