2014 FORD TAURUS POLICE INTERCEPTOR Steering Problems

ON THE WAY HOME AFTER BEING ON DUTY, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THAT READ "SERVICE ADVANCETRAK LOW". I RESET THE MESSAGE AND IT APPEARED AGAIN. I DEACTIVATED THE TRACTION CONTROL AND IT APPEARED TO BE FINE, PRIOR TO THAT THE STEERING WAS VERY UNRESPONSIVE AND APPEARED TO BE SLUGGISH. THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON I GO TO GET IN CAR AND MESSAGE CAME ION DASH STATING "STEERING FAILURE" AND STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT MOVE. THE CAR IS BEING TOWED ON MONDAY OCTOBER 29 TO CLOSEST FORD DEALER. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM WITH SAME MODEL AND YEAR, AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS ISSUES THE SAME AS OUR POLICE CAR. EVEN THOUGH THIS IS A POLICE CAR, WE ARE A SMALL TOWN AND THERE IS LITTLE TO NO AGGRESSIVE DRIVING.

MY CAR'S POWER STEERING SUDDENLY DEVELOPED A FAULT, SHOWING MESSAGE ON DASH "STOP SAFELY NOW" ALONG WITH A SIMULTANEOUS MESSAGE ABOUT SERVICING ADVANCETRAC. STEERING BECAME VERY DIFFICULT. STEERING STILL WORKED, BUT CAR BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN (I AM NOT A SMALL MAN, AND IT WAS STILL DIFFICULT). I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD (I WAS ON A LARGE CITY STREET TRAVELING ABOUT 45 MPH) AND STOP WITH SOME DIFFICULTY. POWER STEERING SEEMS TO HAVE COMPLETELY FAILED SPONTANEOUSLY.

THE POWER STEERING MAKES NOISE AND IS SLIPPING AT CERTAIN POINTS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING. IT SEEMS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 17B22, WHICH WAS RECENTLY ISSUED FOR THE POLICE UTILITY VEHICLES OF THIS SAME YEAR, BUT DID NOT INCLUDE THE SEDAN. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM, AS POWER STEERING COULD FAIL AT HIGH SPEEDS.