2013 FORD EXPLORER Steering Problems

No incidents steering makes loud noise

While driving home from work on the 95 (highway) I noticed that I could barely control the steering in my 2013 Ford Explorer. Fortunately I was able to make it home and my husband arranged to have it towed to a mechanic who inspected the vehicle and advised us that it had a rack and pinion failure. He mentioned that it would be very dangerous to attempt to drive the vehicle with this issue and that the total cost to repair would be over $4K. I recently replaced the engine on this vehicle which cost me over $2K. I do not have the $4K at this time to replace the rack and pinion. This is extremely upsetting. Is there any recall will this issue?

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at a slow speed, the steering wheel failed to operate as needed with the Traction Control warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to reset the battery; however, the failure persisted. The contact notified the dealer and the manufacturer of the failure and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

[XXX] 13 recalls listed two of which are the electronic power steering and traction control. I bought this vehicle and less than five days later the power steering goes out. So I'm going to loose my job and I could have lost my life yet Ford is denying there are any recalls and refusing to fix them. I am also a veteran and this is the last bit of bad news I can bare. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Power steering control module causing power steering to stop and loss of control to car. I took to auto shop and had codes reset and happened again with in an hour.

Steering Assembly Part E5BZ3504AM failed while driving down the interstate. Initially power steering was lost but as it was driven further on the interstate, there was more play in the steering wheel, to the point I was struggling to keep it steady in the lane. This put my entire family and those around me at risk. Vehicle is currently unsafe to drive. Explorer is at local dealer. The dealer states the part is on indefinite backorder with > 10,000 of the Steering Assembly parts on back order across the US. Our local dealer has a total of 3 2013 Ford Explorers awaiting this part. This sounds like a material defect that should be addressed by the manufacturer.

Our Explorer has been riding extremely rough going down smooth highways and the slightest bump in the road make the car shake sideways as if it’s almost bending in half. Last week, We drove a couple miles down the road and stopped at Walmart. After loading groceries up I started the car to leave and the steering wheel was harder than normal to move. I thought we might have had a low tire and we weren’t that far from home, however as we’re driving home, the dash notification screen lights up and says power steering assist fault. So I then let off the gas pedal attempting to try to slow down and this causes the steering wheel to completely tighten up, almost causing us to wreck as I can no longer move the steering wheel more than an inch in either direction while going down the highway. The only way...

The check charging system light came on and the power steering locked up, once it locks it stays mostly down. I was going around a curb at about 55mph when this happened with my two children. If that is not a safety issue I do not know what is. I could have wrecked and we could have been seriously injured or worse. Now my check brake system light is also on, check engine light, and it has a leak in the driver's side third row seatbelt. Now I know that it's said to have the battery and alternator tested and that has been done. I feel like I wasted a lot of money that I honestly did not have to buy a decent vehicle for me and my kids. This part is not under recall for my vehicle, however I have done my research and there are numerous recalls, investigations,...

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the steering wheel failed to turn as needed and was inoperable. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The power steering assist message was displayed. The contact notified the local dealer of the failure but the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The steering assist doesn't work All the time. We have to shut the vehicle off and then restart it. It is really hard to steer. The warning light comes on letting us know that there is a failure. It is available for inspection. This is not a good feeling when this happens. This happens roughly twice a week.

Steering wheel would turn but the SUV would not turn in the direction the steering wheel direction. Could have been a major accident from the SUV not able to turn directions.

On more than one occasion (starting at about 90,000 mi) experienced steering wheel lockup while starting vehicle with message alerting to steering assist failure. On those occasions, turning off and restarting vehicle reset the problem. But just the other day while driving, the steering wheel locked up and the message alert was displayed. Luckily vehicle was in right hand lane and was able to drift to the side of the road. Internet search reveals this as a frequent complaint and there is a factory recall for my vehicle year (Ford 14S06), but for a build on or before Feb 2012, mine is in Nov 2012. With a personal OBDII reader, was able to obtain DTC codes U3000-42 and U3000-72 which point to steering/rack n pinion problem. Repair of this problem is an urgent and essential safety issuse and lives are at stake if not fixed. These electrical steering mechanism is...

My 2013 Ford Explorer Sport lost control while driving. My wife ran off the road while driving going around a curve because the power steering went out without warning. Luckily, she was not in a place where she did not hit anyone but had a near miss with a pedestrian walking on the side of the road. I noticed in the past that the power steering fault indicator came on a few times when starting the vehicle. After turning the SUV off and back on, everything worked fine. I notified them at the dealership the last time I was getting serviced and they said it was a common problem but for some reason, there was no recall for my VIN. After reading the complaints online for this issue, I find it disturbing that this is not a safety recall. I can only imagine how this could have turned tragic while...

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist would fail to operate as the power steering assist fault warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where she paid to have the vehicle's computer reset. Despite the reset, the failure recently returned. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH while depressing the brake pedal to make a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to her residence. 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 unknown.

Steering Rack Motor Failure recall #14S06 did not include this vin and needs to be added to this vin as the dealership Timberline Ford in Libby Mt has investigated the failure and deemed the issue should be part of this recall and that due to the fact that this was a fleet vehicle (Police Interceptor) this could be why it was not listed in this individual recall. There were no prior instances or notifications before failure. Failure was immediate and the Drive Assist lamp did light up immediately. Traveling down Yaak Pass Hwy 2 Montana the failure occurred causing malfunction in steering capability and adverse and unsafe handling of the vehicle almost causing collision with guard rail, and oncoming traffic. Very winding road way made it difficult to maneuver to a safe location for tow. Putting my passenger and dog (Family) at risk of accident. Below is information obtained from...

Today is Thursday, August 11, 2022, while driving on the highway at a speed of 65 miles an hour my steering wheel just lost steering. Ford has a recall of this problem but for some reason my Vin number is not part of the recall. This has occurred about 5 to 6 times since I purchased the vehicle. I returned it to Ford at least about three times with this concern. The first time I was advised that my Vin number was not part of the recall but that it was under warranty and they updated the computer. Other times when I complain about this problem I was advised that there was no code for them to read. And nothing was done. As I stated at the beginning of this complaint it happened to me again. All I can say is thanks to God I was able to control the...

The power steering failed on my 2013 Ford Explorer while driving which made steering extremely difficult, especially at slower speeds. I was very startled by the immediate loss of steering while traveling at a high rate of speed. I also had to be extremely cautious turning to ensure there was ample time to turn and not cause an accident. My turn signals also quite functioning properly. When turning on my turn signals they would only blink once unless I held down the turn signal which would then allow it to work which is difficult to do as it takes the strength of both hands to steer the wheel with the power steering not functioning. The vehicle is available for inspection and I have an appointment to take it to a Ford dealership next week. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or anyone else. It...

STEERING LOSS ON HIGHWAY TWO TIMES BUT CAME BACK AND A SQUEALING NOISE WHEN TRYING TO PARK SOME TIMES FOUND OUT THERE ISN'T A POWER STEERING PUMP SO DON'T KNOW WHERE THE SQUEALING NOISE IS COMING FROM BUT IT IS IN THE STEERING HAD THE FORD DEALER CHECK IT OUT AND THEY SAID IT NEEDS REPLACED

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics who diagnosed a failure with the power steering assist. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The contact pulled the steering wheel for it to operate correctly. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer who diagnosed a failure with the power steering assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

I was driving and my steering wheel got really hard to turn.

While backing out of my driveway, my power steering fault light came on and I lost power steering. The steering became unresponsive. Fortunately I was going slowly and could stop. We took the car to the Ford dealership to determine the problem. They determined the rack and pinion gear failed requiring the rack & pinion assembly to be replaced. A $3,000 repair. It is frustrating that Ford has recalled thousands of cars of the same model and year for this exact problem, but our particular vehicle was not included in the recall. Ford's response was sorry, your car is not included in the recall. Reading through other complaints on the website, it is clear that Ford knows that this component is defective and refuses to stand behind their vehicles.

The contact called on behalf of his wife who owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was attempting to reverse out of the driveway, the power steering assist was inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,669.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while reversing, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the Power Steering Assist and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced because the rack and pinion module was not communicating with the computer system. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

After picking up the vehicle from an oil change from the Ford dealer, the power steering functionality has changed. Upon entering the vehicle and attempting to reverse, the steering felt like it locked up. But with enough force the resistance can be overcome and the wheel will turn, but in jerking motions. It takes a strong effort, but will make an approx 60-90 degree advance/rotation of the steering wheel, then another effort to continue the turn, advancing about a quarter turn each time. Vehicle now feels unsafe to drive and am concerned it will sieze completely while driving due to a known recall that exists for this exact issue, NHTSA recall ID 14V286000, but the VIN falls just outside the recall range.

Multiple times throughout the last month, I turned the vehicle on and went to back out of our garage and the dash displayed a warning of "electric power steering assist failed". The steering wheel was extremely hard to turn, so I stopped and placed the vehicle in park, turned it off, waited about 15 seconds and restarted the vehicle with no steering problems. This last time after doing the same, the error did not go away and the issue remains. I contacted the dealer, and they say there is no recall on the 2013 model year explorer for a vehicle built in October 2013. Just before and after.... how does a known recall issue for the prior yearand following year not indicate a potential issue in this year? The repair estimates are crazy high, and I feel did should repair at their cost.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while reversing out of the driveway at 20 MPH, she heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from underneath the driver's side floorboard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced; however, the part was not available. The vehicle was repaired with remanufactured parts; however, while driving and turning all the way to the right, the steering rack was making abnormal grinding sounds. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where the rack and pinion were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic who advised the contact to take the vehicle to an authorized Ford dealer since the parts to repair the vehicle were no longer available. The contact stated that the parts were on national back order. The dealer...

I bought this car less than 2 years ago and I am tired of it already. I have gotten a power steering assist warning light multiple times in the past 2 weeks. The light comes on and I am unable to move the steering wheel. I tried waiting a while and restarting the car but the light still comes on. This left me and my child stranded at a gas station and waiting for assistance to get home. The dealership can not get me in until the end of next month. I am now without transportation. This is ridiculous because I need transportation to my job and to get my children to their activities.

Power steering, can't steer the SUV out of my driveway

My 2013 ford explorer sport ecoboost.. steering locked up. Mechanic diagnostic code came back power steering gearbox replacement/ steering rack needs to be replaced. My warranty doesn't cover the $2400 repair. Only had vehicle for less than a yr.

power steering assist fault occured while driving causing me to lose power steering. There is a recall out for this exact issue but my vehicle vin falls just outside of the dates stated for the recall, so the ford dealership is refusing to repair under the recall.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30-35 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and started jerking. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle however, extra effort was needed to steer the vehicle. However, upon pulling into his driveway, the steering wheel seized. The contact restarted the vehicle the following day and the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure. 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 vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was repaired with a new power steering unit at an independent automotive shop in late July 2022 at the owner's expense.

While driving down the road my steering locked up and stopped working. I turned my vehicle off and called for a tow truck. I had it serviced and it was found to have electrical issue in the steering gear which resulted in the loss of electric power steering assist while driving. They had to replace the electronic steering rack and pinion.

Upon taking off, in a busy intersection during lunch time traffic in town, a "Steering Assist Failure" and chime came on at the same time the power steering failed. While the steering was just shy of locked, I was able to avoid hitting oncoming traffic and aim the Explorer into a parking lot directly in my path. I put on my hazards (they should come on automatically in such instances) and the other motorists were kind and allowed me to do so since traffic around and behind me had to come to a stop. Even at a healthy 250 lbs and 6'4", it was a serious struggle to make even a small change in the angle of the steering wheel. The Explorer is my wife's vehicle and I just happened to be with her that day, prepping the vehicle for our son to take over as his since he starts...

I bought this car 2020 an spoke to them about this popping noise when I turn my steering wheel, well the other I had it repair thinking it was struts an springs but to fine out it was the rack and pinion bushing they had to have this knowledge. Then my backup camera went out it's because there to large structural issues at each rear hang that seems to be body putty in so they act sold this car without a full inspection I don't think so it has structural damage at the time of me purchasing it.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering assist fault and the service advancetrac warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the power steering unit to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. 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 142,706

The power steering stopped working while we were driving with kids in my car could of been really bad or really fatal. This is a real safety risk luckily we were not on a freeway or any where there was a lot of traffic. I check the car before we bought it a year ago with no recalls for my vin but this a wide spread issue that Ford needs to acknowledge

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 20-30 MPH, the Power Steering Fault message displayed and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) due to the manufactured date. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not provide financial assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 133,830.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving off the highway into a parking garage, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with electric power steering assist failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to turn at slow speeds, the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 120,000.

Was driving and trac control plus power steering assist came on and I lost all power steering while traveling at 70mph. Turn signals would not stay on and this almost caused me to wreck. Very unsafe.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH, the steering wheel became firm and was difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure only occurred while slowing down. The steering power functionality would return while accelerating. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that she contacted the dealer however, they were not able to assist. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,496.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH the steering wheel became firm and was difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. While slowing down and attempting to pull over, the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering assist while turning to the left. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with a faulty power steering assist system. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number 14V286000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

Steering failed completely. Unable to turn wheel at all. Thankfully I was stopped in my driveway this time, but unable to turn vehicle at all. It is being taken to Ford Dealership tomorrow. Problem has been reported to dealership, but not inspected yet.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the electronic power steering assist message was displayed. The contact restarted the vehicle for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The contact stated on several occasions the contact drove the vehicle without power steering assist. The local dealer was contacted however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Power steering failing. When turning makes loud grinding noise and gets stuck in one position and has to be jerked back to get out of a turn.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and making a turn, the steering became difficult to maneuver. There were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was diagnosed at a local dealer as a beginning stage of power steering failure. The contact believed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 153,000. Consumer stated Ford Motor Company will not assist in fixing this issue under this recall, despite their own dealership telling them this issue is affecting the consumer's vehicle. Consumer's power steering is almost non existent at times.

Lost power steering and have code U3000-96

This vehicle should be part of the Ford campaign 14S06 or 15N01. The power rack and pinion has frozen and made the vehicle undrivable. The vehicle has a build date of 3/12 and the campaign lists the affected vehicles from 2011 through February 28th 2012. Ford has denied multiple attempts to get this repaired and they say the build date excludes this vehicle. We are talking about literally days apart to make it eligible. We replaced the power rack and pinion at our expense approximately 2 years ago and the same problem has reoccurred. This vehicle is unsafe to drive and we can not get it repaired outside of the Ford dealerships as the electronic power steering control module has to be re-set by Ford after a replacement. The warning message is on in red on the instrument cluster message center and the warning chime is sounding.