2013 FORD EXPLORER Steering Problems

The electric power assist for the steering quit working. This would be dangerous if driven

Steering failure- known issue and has safety recall but my serial number was not in recall but having issue with power steering going out and giving fault warning. Usually able to restart and code goes away and steering works. Now it has happened while driving and cannot reset. No power steering. Asked dealer and they refused to repair since VIN was not in recall. Wrote Ford and they refused to repair under recall. This is a problem even though VIN is not in recall. Ford needs to repair under warranty since it’s a safety issue. Latest incident was 11/28/2023 but has happened multiple times in the last 8 months.

While driving I’ve been having trouble with my steering wheel getting stuck when I make turns. Or just locking up randomly without movement. I then have to shut my car off and restart. It has almost caused me to wreck on multiple occasions. I’ve taken my car to two different mechanic shops and I was told by both that I would need to take my car into the dealership because the steering is electric. The dealership quoted me a price for 3 grand to have it fixed. This needs to be on the recall list immediately as I’ve found this to be a major issues for this make and model. Very dangerous! Be careful.

The power Steering Assist failed. I was unable to steer the vehicle.

2013 Ford Explorer: Power Steering service now red light came on as problem occured it did ding, but not in time for reaction. While driving the wheel will lock no matter how fast or slow you are going. Put myself, my children and husband in danger, as well as others. This has occurred now 4 times in the last month. It is being sent to dealership for a current Recall. No police or insurance has inspected.

Electric Steering Module failure loss of steering control could have caused accident, able to stop and pull over barely. Was like steering was fighting me, used a lot of force to pull over almost caused accident not safe!!!!!! Scared the hell out of me.

Power steering is not working properly. Steering is easy then a few seconds later it's hard to turn

Started car with auto start. Drove approx 5 miles. Pulled up to gas station shut car off, no issues. Pumped gas started vehicle and all these warning lights came on. Service power steering, and so on. Vehicle wheel is locked in place. Called tow truck.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the power steering became inoperable. The contact stated she was able to safely drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle and waited for several minutes before restarting the vehicle and driving to the residence. The vehicle was parked at the residence and failed to restart for four days. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,500.

See Ford Campaign 15N01. Coverage for this vehicle expired 3-25-2022. O/A 10-1-2023 steering became very erratic and traction light would come on intermittently. Independent garage found 4 mounting points for EPAS/steering gear were bad allowing unit to move freely and cause loss of steering. Advised was dealer repair because of proprietary computer program. Coggin Ford over several days couldn't find or would not acknowledge problem even though they were told several times where to look. They just said the lower control arms needed repair for $2500+. Had to get car back to independent garage to do repairs using parts obtained from the same dealer. Went to dealer after repair, showed replaced parts and got refund of their diagnostic fee.

Power steering assist popped up on dashboard with no warning. The safety of me and my children were put at jeopardy because what if we were driving on road and the steering wheel locked up on us?

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the power steering failed to function as needed. The contact stated the "loss of power steering" message was illuminated. The contact stated that he drove the vehicle to the side of the road and turned the vehicle off and on and the power steering functionality returned. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven to a dealer who diagnosed and determined that the power steering gears, and the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,192.

I was driving along the interstate and noticed the vehicle swerving side to side and it was not due to my driving. It was as if the steering was going out or rather I was unable to keep the vehicle under control. I was having to work extra hard to keep the car in the correct lane. I was about 45 minutes from home but no where to pull over due to construction on the interstate. So I just tried going slower. Once I got off the exit a warning popped up on the car that said “service power steering”. I pulled off at the car service shop I use for repairs and stopped the car. By the time I went to drive again which was only a couple moments, the car was hardly able to make turns.

The vehicle's power steering loses power periodically since about October 1, 2023. I have just had the vehicle diagnosed at Duval Ford in Jacksonville, FL on October 9, 2023. I subsequently had Power Steering Control Module replaced, an alignment, and reprogramming of the Primary Control Module done at Ortega Car Care in Jacksonville since there would be cost savings of nearly $1,000. Safety Recall 14S06 seems to be targeted to this problem. The covered vehicle build period is January 1, 2012 to February 28, 2012 according to 14S06 (including Supplement 3). Based on my VIN, my vehicle was built on 4/20/12. I believe that being only 51 days from the end of the approved build period (which may be somewhat arbitrary?) is not a sufficient reason to deny any/all financial assist to get the described safety repair completed. I sent an email to the NHTSA (Request #831557) re: NHTSA Campaign...

Power steering has gone out. No control of vehicle. Steering wheel is VERY HARD to move if movable if all thank goodness didn’t cause any accident on freeway. Car will need towed. See info all over web about accident and incidents about this issue on this model but no recall need help from ford on matter

For that pass 6 months my vehicle has had a check engine light on. Warning light will flash steering assist fault the the wheel locks up and vehicle comes to a holt. This problem has been happening on and off some days it’s fine some days this accurs. Recall #14S06

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and making a turn, the electric steering gear lost power and switched to manual mode. The power steering control module warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence. The contact opened the hood to refill the power steering fluid but was unable to locate the steering fluid reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the failure was due to the power steering. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was due to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 164,567.

1. Power Steering fault randomly causing total loss of power steering. Have to turn the car off and restart to fix. No error codes are stored when this happens. No DTC's. This also causes a system terrain fault but again no error codes are stored for this either. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. This has happened while driving in the mountains, on the highway and through residential areas making the car very hard to control or causing us to have to pull over in dangerous situations to restart the car to correct. 3. Whenever we take it for diagnosis they cannot duplicate the issue nor see the error codes in the history. Thankfully we have not yet been in an accident where we have needed the police to be involved although this has happened many times since we have owned the vehicle (5 years). 4. We...

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the power steering failed while making a right turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault and stabili-trak lost warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that he could no longer steer the vehicle because the steering wheel had seized in place and the vehicle was stopped in the middle of an intersection. The contact stated that the engine was still running. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle several times however, the power steering had not regained functionality. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times however, the work-around of turning off and restarting the vehicle restored the functionality. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering system needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The...

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering failed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure the messages "Power Steering Failure" and "Stabili-trak" were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the battery cable was faulty and needed to be replaced. The battery cable was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 130,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The VIN was not available.

the car keep saying power steering assist this is the second time the steering gear went out

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized inadvertently. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the recall due to the manufactured date. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle made an abnormally loud grinding sound while turning the steering wheel. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred while driving 25 MPH, and the steering wheel seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The dealer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The...

The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the steering seized. The steering control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed that the electric steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 138,580.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and making a left or right turn, the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the "Traction Control Failure" and "Power Steering Failure" messages displayed and the steering wheel became firm, almost causing a crash. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and shut off the vehicle. The contact restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in the recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 146,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist with the "Service Power Steering" message displayed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the power steering control module needed to be reprogrammed and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 160,994.

We have a 2013 Ford Explorer with around 90,000 miles that we bought from my father in law for our 16 year old. He was driving home from a friends when he lost power steering. There are three alerts that came up the first was Service Power steering, in addition to: Service Advance Trac and Terrain Managment System. First I want to note there was no warning, thankfully my son was on a side road and not going down the highway at 55! Second I checked recalls because I thought maybe my father in law missed something and noticed that there were plenty of 2013 vehicles recalled for this reason but only 1/2 of them! I now see the other 1/2 of the 2013 Ford Explorers on this Forum having the same issues. Why isn't Ford doing the right thing and fixing these? This fix is going to cost us...

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the “Power Steering Assist” warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was unable to be turned in either direction. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to regain power steering functionality. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rack and pinion and steering system needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.

I was pulling out of my driveway and as I started to turn the power assist warning light came on. I was unable to turn the steering wheel. A truck (luckily my neighbor) was heading towards me (the vehicle was still perpendicular to the oncoming truck). I turned the vehicle off and started again and the power assist warning was still on and steering wheel was still unable to move. So we pushed it back in my driveway. Two days later (this happened on Friday) on Monday I took it to the local dealership to check for a recall and they stated my vehicle was not on the list and could not provide any further service.

The contact’s wife owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became firm, and the vehicle was difficult to maneuver. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with power steering control module (PSCM) failure. The contact was informed that the PSCM needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number 14V286000 (Steering) however, the dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The power steering in my 2013 Explorer went out on the road, and a light came on. My I am having my steering assembly replaced. 2800.00 plus. Please advise, as there was a recall on this model for same, though I received no info regarding the issue. My car was made in Chicago as well. The recall number was 14S06, but for some reason, my car was not covered. I filed a verbal complaint as well. Thank you. (The car is being inspected and handled at Lynch Ford, Mount Vernon, Iowa. ) My safety was at risk, and the situation was dangerous. Thankfully, I was not hurt. This took place on the 24th of July. Thank you. (Complaint---[XXX].) “INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).” The consumer stated that the manufacturer has yet to assist them with the issues.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and turning, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel was significantly difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced, and the power steering gear needed to be aligned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) because the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the "power steering assist fault" message was displayed. The contact stated that the steering wheel was firm however, the contact was able to steer the vehicle off the highway and stopped in a parking lot. The contact stated that the turn signals became inoperable. The contact shifted the turn signal handle and the turn signals returned to normal functionality. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to regain power steering functionality. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

While driving the vehicle at 75 mph down a highway my power steering assist faulted and made the vehicle difficult to control. The vehicle had approximately 87000 miles on it during this incident. Currently the vehicle when started does not have power steering assist when started at all. There was a NHTSA recall for this very issue 14SO6. My vehicle was supposedly not affected as it was assembled at a different plant. I believe that my vehicle should be included as these same safety related issues are happening to this vehicle which is the same model year sighted in the safety recall.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel seized. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering function returned. The contact was able to drive to the residence; however, the failure recurred while driving out of the garage. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering became operable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

2013 ford explorer. Was driving vehicle at low speed steering wheel became very hard to turn. No warning lights on. Called Ford recall phone number no assistance available was told my vehicle was not included in power steering failure recall.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds, the power steering failed, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 190,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the power steering assist function became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.

The safety failure involved the Electric Power Steering Rack on my 2013 Ford Explorer XLT. The failure occurred while driving on the interstate at posted highway speed, 65 mph. The warning lights came on during the failure and all power steering was lost. The electronic control box on the Steering Rack has been the diagnosed failure by a Ford service center, and the entire rack requires replacement, costing approximately $4000. While the lost of power steering did not cause an accident, it certainly could have and is a definite safety concern. This steering system had a recall in 2014 for the 2013 Ford Explorer, but my car's VIN was not included in the recall for some reason. From online research, this is apparently happening to others. Please raise this for a recall immediately as this could have been catastrophic.

Power steering issues light came on right before it happened

On July 7, 2023 I was traveling to home from work. While driving about 50mph the car started beeping at me saying the traction control system and the intelligent awd has turned off. Then I received an error for power steering fault. After that the electronic power steering turned off making massively difficult to turn. Thankfully was able to pull off the road into a stores parking lot where I called my insurance company for a tow truck. Tow arrived and took it to a local ford dealer I go to. There they diagnosed the cars steering gear failed resulting in the above events. If the recall was applied to my vehicle and taken care of my safety would have never been put at risk.

I was driving when I got a warning my power steering needed serviced I was on the highway and couldn’t pull over my traction control turned off and said the advanced traction control needed serviced. I got to a sage space and pulled over. I turned off my car and turned it back on to my wheel being locked and unable to move.

i was driving on the thru-way 90 and lost all power steering almost hit 3 people I was so scared I have proof of 13 people die because of this issue no steering control

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the message "Steering Default" was displayed. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 87,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH and merging into the left lane, the vehicle pulled to the right with the traction control and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to control the vehicle but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to the dealer since the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) and that the warranty had expired. No additional assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NTHSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 249,000.

There are no warning lights on. My steering wheel is extremely hard to turn at times. I have seen recalls on this same year vehicle. The dealership has inspected my vehicle for this issue and it is the known steering issue for explorers. Where this is a failure of a known nature, my vehicle should be covered under the recall and I should not have to pay for this repair out of pocket.

The power steering system has an intermittent electric connection and the steering wheel will jerk in opposite directions. There is a recall for the issue with similar year ford explorers but for has told me to contact nhtsa to see if this vehicle can be added to the list for the same issues. Also I am not able to smog it due to bad catalytic converters.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, with the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, which corrected the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 145,178.