NHTSA Complaint #11203599 — 2016 FORD EXPLORER

WHILE STOPPED AND ATTEMPTING TO TURN MY STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT TO MANEUVER OUT OF A PARKING SPACE, BACKING INTO MY DRIVEWAY OR SIMPLY MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, I WOULD HEAR A POPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING MECHANISM. THE NOISE DID NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME AND I COULD GO A MONTH OR SO WITHOUT HEARING IT AT ALL. I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND ASKED FORD TO DO A VISUAL INSPECTION OF MY STEERING MECHANISM TO MAKE SURE NOTHING APPEARED TO BE OBVIOUSLY IDENTIFIABLE. EXPLAINED TO FORD THAT THE POPPING NOISE COMES AND GOES. I WAS TOLD THAT EVERYTHING LOOKED TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE AND NOTHING WAS LOOSE. A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER THE POPPING NOISE WAS REPLACED WITH STEERING RESISTANCE AND GRINDING AS I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL IN A PARKED POSITION AND WHILE DRIVING. FURTHERMORE, WHEN CHANGING LANES THE VEHICLE APPEARED TO HAVE TOO MUCH PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND WOULD HAVE TO BE PULLED BACK TO CENTER. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, SO I RESEARCHED "2016 FORD EXPLORER STEERING COMPLAINTS" AND WAS SURPRISED TO FIND HUNDREDS OF STEERING COMPLAINTS JUST LIKE MINE. MY VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS ROUGHLY 69,800 MILES, HOWEVER, THE COMPLAINTS I READ DEALT WITH VEHICLES BETWEEN 22,000 - 80,000 MILES. I DROPPED MY CAR OFF TODAY AT FORD TO HAVE THE PROBLEM ASSESSED. MY VEHICLE IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND THIS MAY BE SOMETHING I HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR. WITH THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS I WAS ABLE TO UNCOVER WITH A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH I'M SURE FORD IS AWARE OF THE STEERING MECHANISM DEFECTIVE AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ORDERED. THERE IS NO WAY A MAJOR PART SUCH AS THE STEERING MECHANISM SHOULD BE FAILING ON ANY VEHICLE. I ENCOURAGE THE NHTSA TO LOOK INTO THE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THE 2016 - 2018 FORD EXPLORER STEERING ASSEMBLY.