NHTSA Complaint #10860249 — 2013 FORD EXPLORER

COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING. I MOMENTARILY FELT PANICKED INSIDE, MY CHILDREN WERE IN THE CAR AND WE WERE GOING 70. TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED AND IT DROVE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IT SEEMED FINE. 9 MONTHS LATER (APRIL 2016) IT HAPPENED AGAIN DRIVING 45MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. I WAS ABLE TO FORCE THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND CALM DOWN. THE CAR WOULD BARELY STEER. IT WAS HARDER TO MANEUVER THAN DRIVING AN OLDER VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER STEERING. IT WAS JUST SHORT OF BEING LOCKED UP. AGAIN IT RESET AFTER TURNING ON AND OFF ABOUT 5 TIMES. IT WAS EVENING AND I DECIDED IT HAD TO GO BACK TO THE SHOP THE NEXT DAY. THE FOLLOWING DAY IT WAS LOCKED UP COMPLETELY AND NOT DRIVABLE. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AS IT WAS NOT DRIVABLE AND UNSAFE. THE POWER STEERING ASSIST AND TRACTION ASSIST ALERTS STAYED UP- BOTH FUNCTIONS SHOWING OFF.