NHTSA Complaint #11490570 — 2011 FORD EXPLORER

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that occasionally after starting the vehicle, the power steering functionality would be inoperable. The contact stated that after the vehicle warmed up, the power steering functionality would return. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact stated that on one occasion while his wife was driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel lost power steering functionality and started drifting to the right unintendedly. The contact stated that the driver's side of the vehicle crashed into the guard rails. There was no injury sustained. There was no further information provided. The contact stated that the steering wheel regained power steering assist and his wife was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) and the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The dealer also informed the contact that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair fee because an unknown Customer Satisfaction Program had expired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.