NHTSA Complaint #11540061 — 2013 FORD TAURUS

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Taurus. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle inadvertently lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while making turns and while starting the vehicle. A message indicating that the Power Steering Assist was inoperable was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 65 MPH and making a turn with his child in a car seat in the rear seat, the failure recurred. The vehicle fishtailed and was nearly rear-ended by a semi-truck. The contact used physical strength to steer the vehicle to the side of the road and slammed on the brake pedal. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the steering wheel responded as needed. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.