NHTSA Complaint #10948944 — 2010 FORD TAURUS

POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED, ALMOST LOCKING UP STEERING WHILE STATIONERY. VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DRIVEN AS TOO MANY FORCE IS NEEDED TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS IS THE INFAMOUS ELECTRONIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM (EPAS) ON MANY RECENT FORDS THAT ARE FAILING LEFT AND RIGHT. THE SYSTEM REPLACEMENT PART IS ABOUT $1,300 (THE WHOLE THING NEW, AS IT CAN NOT BE REPAIRED) + $700 LABOR = A $2,000+ REPAIR. FORD HAS DECIDED TO RECALL SOME VEHICLES (2011 AND NEWER) BUT OTHERS NOT (2010 OR EARLIER), LEAVING OWNERS LIKE MYSELF STRANDED, AS THESE EPAS USUALLY FAIL AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRES. I OWN A 2010 TAURUS SHO, ON THESE PARTICULAR 2010 AND EARLIER SYSTEMS, WHICH APPEAR TO BE AN EARLIER GENERATION, WHEN THE EPAS FAILS, STEERING BECOMES HARD AS A ROCK, YOU SIMPLY CAN NOT DRIVE THE CAR. THIS IS VERY CONCERNING IF IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING. UNFORTUNATELY, FORD HAS BEEN HIDING, AND EVEN THEY HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATED, THEY CLAIM THAT EVEN WHEN THE EPAS FAILS, YOU STILL SHOULD BE ABLE TO STEER YOUR CAR AND BE ABLE TO DRIVE IT WITH JUST A LITTLE MORE EFFORT. THIS IS HALF TRUE. THAT IS THE CASE WITH THE 2011 AND NEWER EPAS SYSTEMS, WHICH YOU CAN SEE DEMONSTRATED HERE: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/SU5FD_W5HXM?T=1M53S BUT FOR 2010 AND EARLIER, THAT IS NOT THE CASE, AS THIS FELLOW DEMONSTRATE: HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/SZHMXWCP9FO SO, THIS ISSUE IS REALLY AFFECTING PRE 2010 OWNERS, WHICH APPEAR TO HAVE A 1ST GEN EPAS I GUESS, SINCE THE TWO BEHAVE DIFFERENTLY WHEN THEY FAIL. FORD SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AS TO WHY THEY RECALLED 2011 AND NEWER BUT DID NOT RECALLED 2010 AND EARLIER. THE TWO SYSTEMS ARE DIFFERENT, AND THE PRE-2010 IS A MORE CONCERNING ISSUE, AS IT INVOLVES A TOTAL STEERING LOSS OF THE CAR. *TR