NHTSA Complaint #11129716 — 2016 FORD EXPLORER

BOUGHT THE 2016 EXPLORER LIMITED WITH ROUGHLY 28,000 MILES ON IT. RAN GREAT FOR ABOUT 2,000 MILES AND THEN STARTED NOTICING A POP/CLUNK NOISE WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL TO THE RIGHT GOING 5MPH OR LESS. MAINLY HAPPENED WHEN PULLING INTO AND OUT OF PARKING SPACES. WOULD ALSO RANDOMLY DO THIS WHILE PARKED. TOOK INTO 2 FORD DEALERSHIPS AND SURPRISE, THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. WAS TOLD TO KEEP DRIVING IT AND IF IT GETS WORSE TO BRING IT BACK IN. DROVE IT FOR ANOTHER FEW THOUSAND MILES WITH IT HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY. FINALLY AFTER HEARING THE NOISE MORE CONSISTENTLY AND EVEN FEELING THE STEERING SLIGHTLY JERK TO THE SIDE ON ONE OCCASION , I TOOK IT BACK INTO A FORD DEALERSHIP. THEY WERE FINALLY ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE SOUND THIS TIME AND SAID IT NEEDED A NEW STEERING RACK. THIS INCLUDES THE WHOLE RACK AND PINION. SO FAR SO GOOD. MY ISSUE IS I'VE BEEN READING ABOUT ALL THESE EXPLORERS WITH SIMILAR ISSUES (MOST OF THEM WORSE THAN MY CASE) AND CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY THEY'RE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL? SOME EXPLORERS STEERING LITERALLY LOCKS UP WHILE DRIVING BASED ON ALL THE COMPLAINTS I'VE READ. I FEEL I WAS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES CATCHING THE PROBLEM BEFORE IT GOT WORSE. NOW I'M KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED THAT THE PROBLEM DOESN'T COME UP AGAIN LIKE I'VE HEARD ALSO HAPPENS. OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING IS FAULTY WITH THE STEERING ASSEMBLY. HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN TO A CAR THIS NEW?