NHTSA Complaint #11025500 — 2013 FORD EXPLORER

WE (MY HUSBAND, MY 10YEAR OLD, MY 7YEAR OLD AND MY ALMOST 2 MONTH OLD BABY AND I)WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, (WE WERE GOING TO MICHIGAN FOR THE WEEKEND) WHEN I STARTED NOTICING THAT IT REQUIRED SOME EFFORT TO MAINTAIN THE CAR IN LANE, AFTER A WHILE SOME LIGHTS WENT ON "SERVICE POWER STEERING NOW" AND "SERVICE ADVANCE TRACK"..., SO I GOT OUT OF THE HIGHWAY WITH DIFFICULTY BECAUSE IT FELT WEIRD DRIVING IT, I COULDN'T KEEP IT STRAIGHT WITHOUT EFFORT. I TURNED IT OFF AND ON-AGAIN, MY HUSBAND CHECKED IT, EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE. WE WENT BACK ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY HUSBAND DRIVING THIS TIME AND AFTER A LITTLE WHILE THE WHEEL JUST GOT SO HARD THAT HE COULD BARELY TURN IT. HE GOT OUT OF THE HIGHWAY WRESTLING THE WHEEL BECAUSE IT WAS SO HARD. MY HUSBAND IS VERY STRONG, SO I KNOW IF HE WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY THEN THE WHEEL WAS REALLY BAD. THANK GOD HE WAS WITH ME AND THANKFULLY THE WHEEL THING HAPPENED TO HIM. IF IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ME, I DON'T THINK I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL IT. I AM VERY GRATEFUL THAT WE DIDN'T END UP IN AN ACCIDENT JUST THE THOUGHT OF IT SCARES ME. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY CHECKED IT AND SAID THAT THE COST TO FIX IT IS $2000.00. I CONTACTED FORD SO THAT THEY COULD PAY FOR THE REPAIR. SINCE THE GUARANTY WAS OVER THEY DIDN'T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT. KNOWING THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM IT'S A FACT THAT THERE IS NOTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO CAUSE THE CAR TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE FORD EXPLORER 2013 FOR PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING SYSTEM, BUT THE RECALL WAS FOR CARS BUILT UP TO JUNE 2012 AND MINE WAS BUILT IN JULY. AS I TOLD THEM, YES, MY CAR WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL; NEVERTHELESS I DID HAVE THE PROBLEM FOR WHICH OTHER CARS WERE RECALLED!! THANK GOD WE ARE ALL OK BUT FOR ALL I KNOW IT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL. ALL I ASKED WAS TO GET MY CAR TO WORK THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO.