NHTSA Complaint #10852834 — 2011 FORD EXPLORER

MY 2011 FORD EXPLORER STARTED HAVING POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE IN DEC, 2015 AT FIRST IT WOULD BE ON FIRST START UP, LASTING 3-4 SECONDS WITH A FROZEN STEERING WHEEL. GRADUALLY IT HAPPENED MORE OFTEN AND LASTED LONGER (5-10 SECONDS) RECENTLY IN MARCH 2016 WHILE DRIVING ACROSS FLORIDA ON VACATION, I SLOWED TO ENTER THE DRIVEWAY OF A SHOPPING CENTER, AS I MADE THE TURN AT APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH MY STEERING WENT STIFF AND I HAD TO USE EXCESSIVE FORCE TO TURN AND AVOID A VEHICLE EXITING THE PARKING LOT. IT WAS ONLY THEN I GOOGLE SEARCHED IF OTHER EXPLORER OWNERS HAD EXPERIENCED SIMILAR FAILURES. THAT'S WHEN I LEARNED THAT ITS HAPPENING TO THOUSANDS OF OTHER FORD EXPLORER. EVEN THOUGH A SAFETY RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED TO REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR, YOU'LL FIND FORD WILL WANT TO CHANGE OTHER PARTS FIRST, PARTS NOT COVERED ON THE RECALL. THE STEERING GEAR IS VERY EXPENSIVE ($1,500) FIRST THE DEALER SAID ITS THE STEERING WHEEL ANGLE SENSOR AND NOT THE STEERING GEAR. THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM AND THEY CHARGED ME FOR THE REPAIR......I LITERALLY PULLED OUT OF SUBURBAN FORD OF WATERFORD MICHIGAN AND DROVE 1 MILE TO A NEARBY GROCERY STORE, AFTER RETURNING TO MY VEHICLE ON THE FIRST START UP AFTER THIS REPAIR MY STEERING WAS FROZEN FOR 7-10 SECONDS AFTER 4 DAYS LOSS OF USAGE OF MY VEHICLE WHILE AT THE DEALERSHIP, NO RENTAL CAR OFFERED, I'LL BE RETURNING MY EXPLORER TO THE DEALER TOMORROW, I'LL KEEP POSTING UPDATES TO THIS NIGHTMARE WITH FORD MOTOR CO. FOLKS, I'M SURE YOU'LL ALL AGREE, LOSS OF STEERING IS ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS DEFECTS A VEHICLE CAN HAVE, NOT ONLY TO THE OWNER AND OCCUPANTS BUT TO THE OTHER INNOCENT DRIVES ON THE ROAD AS WELL