NHTSA Complaint #11366738 — 2014 FORD FLEX

FAMILY ROAD TRIP APPROXIMATELY 450 MILES FROM HOME. NO POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY UPON COLD START - WARNING CHIME AND WARNING DISPLAY ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER STATING LOSS OF POWER STEERING CONTROL AND TO CONTACT DEALER FOR SERVICE. WIFE SAID THIS SAME WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER COLD STARTING THE VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 3 DAYS BEFORE, BUT TURNING THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTARTING ELIMINATED THE WARNING LIGHT AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. WE RECALLED THE SAME THING HAPPENING APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AGO WHILE ON A FAMILY ROAD TRIP AFTER WE COLD-STARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE APPROXIMATELY 2-3 BLOCKS BEFORE WE LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 30-35MPH. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE IN A RELATIVELY EMPTY DOWNTOWN AREA WITH VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC WHEN I LOST POWER STEERING IN CONJUNCTION WITH WARNING CHIME AND VISUAL WARNING ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I PULLED TO A STOP, RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND EVERYTHING WAS BACK TO NORMAL. ALSO FORTUNATE THAT I WAS DRIVING WHEN LOSING POWER STEERING WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. NO RECURRENCE OF THIS ISSUE UNTIL THIS PAST WEEK. HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALER WHILE ON OUR FAMILY ROAD TRIP YESTERDAY AND HAD TO MAKE THE 450 MILE DRIVE BACK HOME IN A SMALL RENT CAR. THEN, WE RECEIVED THE DREADED CALL FROM THE FORD DEALER SAYING THE DIAGNOSTIC FAULT CODE SAYS WE NEED A NEW POWER STEERING RACK FOR $2,800.00 THIS IS CONCERNING SINCE ITS OBVIOUSLY A KNOWN ISSUE THAT RESULTED IN A LIMITED RECALL FOR THE 2011 THRU 2013 MODEL YEARS. OUR VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN LATE 2013 BUT IS A 2014 MODEL, LEAVING ME TO WONDER IF THE STEERING RACK ON MY WIFE'S CAR WAS DEFECTIVE ALL ALONG. PER THE FORD DEALER AND THE FORD WEBSITE, OUR VIN DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THIS 2015 RECALL.