2013 FORD EXPLORER Steering Problems

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 vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was 100,000.

Steering rack moving up and down, steering loose

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 20 MPH, the power steering seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

Started car and Power Steering Assist Fail message came on, put car in drive and tried to turn steering wheel and had no power steering. Shut down car and restarted. The message did not show up this time, put car in drive and had power steering. This message has shown up in the past, approximately 10 to 12 times, but this is the first time we’ve had a loss of power steering. It appears Ford has had a recall for this issue already (Recall #14S06) with a limited number of vehicles. Obviously, this is a problem with farther reaching ramifications that Ford should be required to do something about at their expense. If I had lost power while driving down the highway, I could have been involved in a wreck injuring myself and/or others. Please look into this. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the power steering failed to operate as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact also stated that when the Lane Departure: Lane Keep: Automatic Steering was engaged, the function independently disengaged, and the vehicle was drifting out of the lane. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the functionality returned. Additionally, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was notified of a failure with the rear suspension related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (Suspension) rear toe link. The contact related the steering failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of...

Sudden loss of power steering and traction control components at high velocity. Loss of steering put me and other at risk by not being able to control the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while turning out the driveway, there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The steering wheel became firm with the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was 181,324.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he depressed the accelerator pedal while shifted into reverse to exit his driveway and the steering wheel seized. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted into park. The contact stated that the “electric power steering assist failure” message was displayed. The contact then stated that he inspected underneath the hood of the vehicle, but no failures were detected. The contact then turned off and restarted the vehicle. The warning indicator had turned off and the vehicle operated as designed. The dealer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving in a parking lot, the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle worked as designed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who referred her to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel became firm, requiring extra effort while steering the vehicle. The contact stated that the stability control warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the warning light turned off an hour before the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the power steering functionality had not returned. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the electronic power steering assist had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

While turning, the power steering assist stopped functioning, leaving me veering into oncoming traffic as I could not complete my turn without the power steering assist.

Vehicle began exhibiting intermittent, momentary ABS activation (right front) which would cause vehicle to randomly and severely pull to the right and momentarily flash the traction control warning lamp. This problem began early in 2022 and was first taken to Ford dealership in May 2022. Multiple visits to dealer resulted in inability to diagnose due to lack of recorded codes although they were able to reproduce. Dealer hypothesized a bad electronic steering rack. Subsequent visits to non-Ford repair shops yielded no solution despite replacing ABS Control Module, Electronic Steering rack, yaw sensor, and front struts. Repair shop was able to reproduce. Recently took vehicle to Ford dealer who reproduced and performed pinpoint tests identifying the yaw sensor in the Restraint Control Module (RCM) as most likely cause, but replacement failed to solve. Dealer then removed the front bumper assembly and cleaned and calibrated the cruise control module. Dealer finally identified...

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist fault message was displayed. Over time, excessive effort was required to steer the vehicle because the steering wheel was firm. The contact called the dealer and was referred to the manufacturer. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 216,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, an unknown warning light illuminated, and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while making a left turn, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the service power steering now warning light was illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal, and the steering wheel was able to turn properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 243,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became firm. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

I was driving and the steering wheel got really hard to turn. It continues too do this periodically. I know there was a recall for this on vehicles built before mine.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer The contact stated that why driving approximately 75 mph when suddenly the power assist failed. The contact had pulled over and restarted the vehicle however the power assist failed to correct. The power assist warning light had illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated that the power assist module failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired by a certified mechanic who was not associated with the dealer to which the vehicle was brought. The failure persisted causing the vehicle to be an additional 2 times. The contact stated the owner before them had the same power assist module replaced once before as well. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed them that they had missed the warranty/recall deadline then referred them to NHTSA. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

There is a recall for 2011-2013 Ford Explorers re: Electric power steering malfunction but my VIN# is not included. My 2013 Explorer is experiencing this problem. Can you help? Vehicle was not driven much after incident. Thank you!

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and exiting the highway, while making a left turn, the steering wheel failed to respond. The contact stated that while switching to the center lane, the vehicle kept drifting to the left. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the rack and pinion steering arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 204,049.

My suspension was damaged and my car froze and stalled during winter storm and caused my car to go to several shops and I spent lots money on repairs

Power steering assist fault

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while making a turn from a complete stop, the vehicle gradually lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving by using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly while making turns and decreased while driving on straight. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.

My power steering assist fault came on while driving my steering wheel became very hard to turn which caused me to almost crash I had swerve and stop me and my 3 year old were almost killed my truck electrical system is malfunctioning on its on and ford will not look into it I’ve read up on all the recalls ford has had for the power steering assist fault and it’s scary that it happened to me while driving I’m extremely terrified to drive after having that happen to us

Power steering assist fault I was driving when it came on and almost wrecked with my 3 year old in the car with me

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated when he started the vehicle and shifted into drive(D), the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact turned the vehicle off and, on several times, but the power steering functionality failed to return. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence without power steering at approximately 30 MPH. The contact stated that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not 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 approximately 130,000.

The SUV will swerve into other lane when it switches gears. Replaced both struts. Odor in the cab. Coolant will not stay and after spending $1000 for repairs, it still cannot be fixed. Cracked head gasket.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from both front wheels. The contact stated that it sounded like the tires rubbing on the wheel wells. The contact stated that the check power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway into a parking lot and stopped the vehicle and saw the "Service Power Steering Now" light was illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to turn to the right or the left. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact had been advised by Ford Customer Service that there was a recall, NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000...

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn intermittently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the radio, entertainment systems, and navigation systems were inoperable during the failure. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic for the repairs due to the vehicle being vandalized and experienced the failure. The independent mechanic was informed of the rack and pinion and electric power steering. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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 power steering assist fault message displayed. The contact restarted the vehicle to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. 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 173,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

The individual has a 2013 Ford Explorer with two active recalls for rear toe link fracture and reached out to Alton Blakely dealership in Somerset, Kentucky, to have it repaired. However, the dealership refused to repair the vehicle and directed the individual to find another dealership. The reason given was that in the past, they have conducted the repair and left the vehicle in worse shape than before, with the vehicle unable to be appropriately aligned, leading to uneven wear on the tires. The individual is looking to draft a complaint to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about the dealership's refusal to repair the vehicle, despite it being a recall repair.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 3 MPH, and leaving his driveway, the power steering failed to operate as needed. The contact stopped and turned off and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle resumed power steering functionality. The contact stated that the "power steering assist" warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the power steering assist failure was intermittent. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic to be 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 150,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while pulling out a parking lot, the vehicle lost power steering functionality with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. On another occasion, the contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the wheel hub needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) or 17E048000 (Wheels, Suspension). The failure mileage was 155,000.

Power steering assist fault multiple times over the past six months. Problem went away after shutting vehicle off and restarting. Yesterday the PS assist failed again while driving and light came on. Took the vehicle to Palm Coast Ford in Palm Coast, FL where I was told the PS system needs replaced at $2200. Vehicle shows no recalls even though the problem is clearly common among owners. Parts on order and will be repaired next week at my expense. How does the manufacturer get away without paying for such a common problem with so many complaints filed on this site?

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the power steering assist failure warning message appeared on the instrument panel and the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality. On both occasions, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and resume normal driving. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) which she linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

Vehicle Lost Power Steering while driving to drop my kids off at school, lets talk about heart dropping! Became extremely hard to turn the wheel! Thankfully made it home, where it just sits with the service power steering light on along with service Advancetrac. Called the ford dealership in ottawa kansas where we bought this Car February 2019, they said there was no recalls, completely no help. Just let us know it would cost close to $4,000 to fix! As in other complaints it sounds alot like recall from 2014 14V-286, however when I put my vin in shows up as no recalls found for the 2013 ford explorer. The amount of complaints for the steering on this vehicle, please open a investigation in this. Before someone gets seriously hurt.

So my 2013 Ford Explorer XLT Steering locked up while I was driving lucky I did not crash but did had to use a lot of force to turn wheel to get to side of the road had car towed to ford dealership they said sorry it's not a recall but yet I've seen and read a lot of complaints but nothing as far as a recall I ended up paying a lot of money to fix it please someone put a recall on that Steering before someone gets hurt and so I can get my money back

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure nearly caused a collision. The local dealer and a second dealer, Gregg Smith Ford Lincoln (1316 Price Ln, Clinton, MO 64735) were made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.

Power steering went out. POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT. error is on car.

Vehicle lost power steering while driving. Vehicle indicates power steering assist fault. Vehicle is currently at a Ford dealership. My 17 year old son was driving the vehicle at the time of the malfunction with several passengers in the vehicle. Thankfully he was able to maintain control of the vehicle, but a power steering failure and lower experienced driver could have easily resulted in an motor vehicle accident and injuries. The dealership has confirmed that this was the failure of the steering gear, a known issue with many 2013 Ford Explorers. A search of my VIN indicates that it was not part of a recall, but vehicle presents with the same problems as described in NHTSA Recall 14V-286 issued in 2014. There were no previous indicators of this failure prior to the time of the event.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds when the power steering would suddenly fail to make it difficult to maneuver the vehicle and or seize complete movement. The contact stated that when the failure occurred they would park the vehicle and maneuver the steering wheel until they were able to gain control. The contact had made an appointment with the dealer but not taken the vehicle to be diagnosed as of yet. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000.

I was driving the kids to school and the power steering assist light came on and then the steering went and the vehicle became very hard to steer. I called Ford twice and spoke to two different representatives who said because my vehicle was not built between May 17, 2010 and February 28, 2012 there was nothing they could do, upon looking at the over 1500 complaints on this website over 620 are for this same issue with 2013 explorers built just outside of the above dates. Does there have to be injury, fatality or fire before this is addressed.

Every now and then, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" light would come one, usually once I parked or when I first started the car. When I would turn off the car and restart, the light would no longer be on and there were no power steering problems. This went on for a month or two. It seemed like it was just a faulty warning light. Then one day while at my daughters school, thankfully, I was parked, my "Power Steering Assist Fault" light came on and power steering no longer works. The car is extremely difficult to turn and is not safe to drive.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the steering wheel became significantly difficult to steer. Additionally, there was an abnormally strong burning odor coming through the A/C vents. The contact stated that she lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle veered towards the opposite lane of traffic. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped. The contact then contacted the Highway Patrol who drove the vehicle to the side of the road. The contact stated that the power steering assist fault message was displayed with another unknown message. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering motor and electrical wiring...

This vehicle has had recurring instances of failed power steering. It will happen at low speeds where the power steering malfunctions and does not work until the car is shut off and turned back on. This can be especially dangerous when driving near other people or cars when we experience loss of control. Thankfully no collisions have occurred yet but it’s is an issue that has been recurring. There was a recall set out for electrical power steering failure - #14V286000. Unfortunately this recall only affects 2011-2013 FORD Explorers up until Feb 28, 2012 while this one was made Mar 7, 2012 (just a week outside of the recall). This was frustrating because the vehicle is experiencing every symptom that the recall #14V286000 states it fixes.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel failed to operate as needed. The power steering assist message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact notified the dealer of the failure and was informed that there was no open recall on the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed him that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Driving on I95 South in Daytona Beach, Florida during crowded weekend event traffic, the lane assist malfunctioned, would not turn on and then immediately experienced power steering failure. Both warning and failure lights illuminated on the dashboard. The power steering is electric and turning the wheel was near impossible. I had 4 occupants in the vehicle and almost caused a very severe accident crossing lanes of traffic to attempt to reach the shoulder. It is near impossible to turn the wheel and although the car is driveable, its not steerable. Found out that the NHSTA campaign # 14V286000 describes the same issue as I have. Ford recall #14S06 is that recall but the issue I now have is my vehicle was built 1 day after the recall parameters. The car is sitting unable to be safely operated, and I'm asking for NHSTA to extend the dates of original recall from...

The 2013 Ford Explorer power steering stopped working at 89,100 miles. The mechanic we took it to said this should be a recall. Mechanic provided me with recall 14S06, which describes my problem. I called ford and the vin didn’t come up as in this recall. I think it needs to be added to the recall, Mechanic says steering rack needs to be replaced. Lots of people have same problem it’s not safe and too expensive. We bought this car brand new and it can’t even steer after less than 90k miles. I hope others complain

The contact's wife owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was pulling into the driveway, the steering wheel locked inadvertently. A message indicating a power steering system failure was displayed. The contact's wife parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted upon starting the vehicle the next day. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.