NHTSA Complaint #11375149 — 2014 FORD F-150

DURING DRIVING THE STEERING RANDOMLY LOCKED UP. STEERING WAS NOT JUST STIFF (AS WOULD HAPPEN WITH THE CONVENTIONAL LOSS OF POWER STEERING); THE STEERING FELT LOCKED AS IF THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF AND THE WHEEL TURNED TO LOCK IN SOME VEHICLES. HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING THROUGH THE CITY AND TURNING CORNERS THE FIRST TWO TIMES, THIRD TIME WAS WHILE TRYING TO PARALLEL PARK. LOCKED UP WHILE TURNING BOTH TO THE LEFT AND TO THE RIGHT. THESE THREE OCCASIONS HAPPENED DURING A 10 MINUTE PERIOD. UNLOCKED SIMILARLY RANDOMLY (ATTEMPTED CRANKING HARDER ON THE WHEEL, JIGGLING, POWER CYCLING THE VEHICLE; NO LINK TO ANY OF THESE). A FEW WEEKS PRIOR TO THIS TRIP, THE STEERING BECAME SUDDENLY NOTCHY (FOUND HARD SPOTS IN ROTATION OF WHEEL THAT I POPPED OVER WITH MORE FORCE) WHILE DRIVING ~STRAIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY, RETURNED TO NORMAL WHEN DRIVING HOME. THEN OVER THE FOLLOWING WEEKS THE WHEEL STOPPED RETURNING TO CENTER AND BECAME STIFF ALL THE TIME AND NOTCHY FREQUENTLY. ATTEMPTED REPLACING INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT, THINKING U-JOINTS WERE BINDING, BUT DID NOT FIX NOTCHY, STIFF STEERING. DIAGNOSIS AT MECHANIC REVEALED ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WAS NONRESPONSIVE TO ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION AND NOT RESPONDING TO COMMANDS WHEN COMMUNICATION WAS ESTABLISHED. REPLACEMENT OF POWER STEERING UNIT FIXED PROBLEM.