This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Without any warning, the engine and power system failed while on the highway. There was no system warning lights preceding the event, and the vehicle had be well maintained. We were lucky to have been able to get off the road by safely coasting. Once towed to the mechanics, we were told that a rod had failed and entire would need to be replaced.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that the vehicle had lost steering gear functionality. The contact was able to pull the steering wheel and regain control. There was an unknown steering message displayed. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear, connecting rod, and rear toe link needed to be replaced, but the parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.
We have had power steering loss upon starting our 2015 Ford Explorer front wheel drive with park assist. This evening 2/13/2023 my wife called me to tell me the steering has stopped working again and she could not turn the wheels. The power rack has totally failed and I AS A STRONG MAN COULD HARDLY turn the wheels. I limped it home and it was all I could do to turn the wheels even going down the road. I am upset that Ford would of made this type of self sealed power rack that can fail and one will lose all control of the steering. Because it is so hard to turn the wheels. No woman can turn when in this situation and can wreak their Explorer because of this failure. Ford need to fix this issue and not just put the same part back into the Explorer. So anyone that owns a 2015 Explorer be aware of this issue!!
After several instances of intermittent loss of steering, the steering is now suck in manual mode (very stiff if not impossible to turn wheel). Luckily my wife was just pulling out of the driveway and not attempting to make a turn in traffic!! The dealer said it needs a new rack but at my expense!!"? $2500-3200. I am appalled that Ford has not addressed this issue yet. 2013/14 models covered, 2016 models covered. Why not 2015 models?" Its THE SAME EXACT ISSUE!!! Now I have a $12,000 brick sitting in the driveway. HEY, FORD!!! PLEASE HELP!! this is a very scary safety issue!
- Red Bluff, CA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
I was driving at about 50 mph and didn't have control of steering luckily I didn't panic and got safely off the highway. Never showed any signs that it was malfunctioning and it just went out. Took it the dealership and they told me it would be $2300 to repair.
My steering column was fine one day, and then very loud the next. We took the car to our dealership. They figured out what was wrong... the steering gear went out which caused the complete steering gear assembly to be replaced. But, then they could not get the part from Ford. They said it was a "known issue" and Ford was not releasing the necessary part to have this repaired. They had my car four weeks before Ford agreed to ship the part. I am guessing they had to make sure the parts in inventory would not have the same issue. They would not release my car back to me because they deemed it "unsafe to drive". Finally five-six weeks later, I have my car back repaired.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the steering became very difficult to turn. The contact was able to steer the vehicle; however, extra effort was needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to his residence and the vehicle regained power steering functionality after turning off and then restarting the vehicle. The contact stated that he recently started hearing a grinding noise coming from the transfer case. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the PTU transfer case 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 160,000.
My 2015 Explorer power steering failed while I was driving and resulted in no control of my vehicle. The Ford dealer has indicated that the Rack And Pinion Assembly, Part Number: E5BZ3504AM needs to be replaced. This is a serious safety concern. I had replaced this part a few years ago but fortunately that time I only experienced creaking noise while turning. Now Ford is telling the dealer there are no parts nationwide and my car is sitting at a dealership and has since August. This needs to investigated as Ford Motor Company will likely supply the service department with another one of these dangerous parts.
Steering wheel becomes stiff, and at times locks up while vehicle is in motion no matter the speed. I almost lost complete control when the wheel locked briefly while exiting the highway on a curved off ramp. Thankfully my wife nor my teenage daughter where operating the vehicle, I was. Having had experience in vehicle operations while in combat, I was able to regain control without further incident. This unpredictable malfunction should truly be looked into and rectified by manufacturer.
Power Steering Assist Fault on 10/17/2022. Steering wheel would not move (or was very difficult to turn the wheels at all). Had this occurred while driving it would have been near impossible for my wife to steer the car and likely would have caused an accident. Fortunately it happened first thing in the morning when starting the car in our garage. Towed to repair shop and they confirmed the entire steering rack needs replacement (electric steering). Warning light for same problem occurred 11/23/2021, but after restarting vehicle the warning indicator went away and the steering unlocked. Took to service shop but they could not replicate the problem and cleared the codes, and the code did not come back. This time however there is no solution other than to replace the entire steering rack at great expense.
Driving down the road and making a right turn into a gas station, I heard a popping noise coming from the front, passenger, tire area. I let it go for a couple days but the noise didn't go away. A day earlier, I picked up the vehicle from Ford (had the recalls addressed). Never was informed of a problem with the front end what so ever...I decided to take the vehicle to Firestone. They checked and found the "rack and pinon" needed to be replaced because the popping noise was coming from inside the system. The repair was estimated to cost $2600. Firestone informed me that they called Ford for replacement cost and Ford said they didn't have any to sell. I've read various chat rooms for 2015 Ford Explorer issues and found NHTSA was aware of the problem but no recalls had been issued by Ford. NHTSA, I urge you to push the manufacturer, Ford, to issue a recall on 2015 Ford Explorers and have the rack and pinon issue fixed. This must happen before unsuspecting drivers and their passengers (let alone other drivers and maybe even pedestrians if the car's steering wheel was to lock up as has been reported by other drivers in chat rooms) are hurt or killed. I hope this complaint will be the one that compels NHTSA to act on a recall. After 20+ years working for DOT, I have hope that NHTSA will push Ford to act. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the steering wheel seized in a certain position with the "Steering Assist Fault Service Required" warning message on the instrument panel. Upon restarting the vehicle, the power steering failed to operate as needed and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact was able to reset the vehicle and drove to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective electric steering rack. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Vehicle lost power steering while driving on highway. My self along with 4 other passengers was in danger of running into other vehicles. I was able to get vehicle to repair and the dealership service department has t replace the Electronic Steering gear and program. There were no prior warning before we lost control.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact turned off the vehicle and allowed the computer to reset itself. The failure persisted. The power steering assists warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000. The consumer stated that the vehicle was repaired but soon failed again. At the time of the second failure, the "Steering Assist Fault" was displayed on the dashboard, and it took multiple tries to get the vehicle moving again.
The power steering went out while I was driving. I had to hold the steering wheel all the way to the left just to go straight. Had the car towed to the dealership where I was informed the repair would cost $3000 and Ford will not cover any of it. Was told that Ford does not even make the part any more because they had so many problems so they would have to order a refurbished part in order to fix.
2015 Ford Explorer electronic power steering assist module rack and pinion my wife started the vehicle and a power steering light came up on the dash.we had no power steering, thank goodness it happened in our driveway and not on the road somewhere. We were able to get the vehicle to the nearest Ford dealer and they told us the electronic power steering assist module rack and pinion was bad. We had to pay $2500 up front to order the parts and were told the parts were on back order and may take 2 weeks to a month or more to come in.they told us it is a safety issue and not to drive the vehicle until fixed.I started looking up this problem on the internet and found out this was happening to many other vehicles, Ford Explorer thanks for looking into the problem and saving lives
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while pulling into the driveway at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the Service Advance Trac and Steering Loss Stop Safely messages displayed. The contact related the failure to a faulty rack and pinion and steering column; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became inoperable. The power steering assist and advance track warning indicator lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 69,053.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- West Bloomfield, MI, USA