Drove 10 miles from house and I stopped to get gas. When I left gas station I was driving at 45 miles an hour on country road and noticed steering seemed very stiff. Over the next mile it seemed to get worse until it completely was not able to steer and the blinker also stopped working. I received multiple errors on the dash and the vehicle was next to impossible to steer. Very lucky this did not happen on the highway at a higher rate of speed. Took to Matthews Ford in Oregon Ohio and was diagnosed as needed a new hear assembly part number EB5Z 3504 P. Total cost of repair $1961. Appears multiple issues and complaints with exact same issue on same make year and model. This should be looked into immediately.

Initially when the steering wheel was turned to park the car it make a loud screeching sound. The next day when we tried to steer the car out of the drive, the wheels wouldn't move at all and the screeching noise was louder. We had to incur a $130 fee to tow the car to the dealership as it wasn't safe to drive.

The dealership carried out a diagnosis and determined the problem is an electronic steering gear defect which is extremely expensive to fix and Ford will not take responsibility for this defect. I believe the manufacturer should be held accountable for all defects regardless of whether the car is under warranty, as this is not a wear and tear issue. This particular problem was identified as a defect on 2013 Ford Explorers and these vehicles were recalled and repaired with no cost to the customer. The same problem exists with the 2014 Explorer but Ford just don't want to incur further expenses.

Prior to this current problem we were told the engine was on the verge of exploding in January 2018 so wasn't safe to drive. This was also a costly repair to a vehicle that's only 4 years old. I'm appalled that Ford are not taking responsibility for yet another defect and we're out of pocket again for a very expensive repair to our car.

My hope is that we can be compensated for these expenses as the vehicle is clearly faulty and probably shouldn't be on the road again.

This is the same issue other users have reported here as well. I've taken meticulous care of my 2014 Explorer Sport, and have had all the services done at a dealership.

Last week, while driving on a highway, I lost my EPAS, and it was very scary that I was near 65 mph when my dash started getting alerts such as "Power Assist Failure", "Terrain Management System Failure", "Hill Descent Failure", "Traction Control Failed/Off"...something along these lines. I was in the middle of nowhere and was barely able to pull it over. Upon a quick stop, and restart of the vehicle (hoping those warnings will reset), those warnings still appeared, and disabling my steering completely. Eventually, I lost my battery too. I had to get towed to the neared Ford Dealership (in Frederick, MD "Frederick Motor Company"), that was around 35 miles away from where I had this life threatening event!!!

In line with the observation of others, Ford has a recall on 2011-13 models but not on 2014 onwards! Apparently, they had replaced the part in 2014 onward - guess, what! It still fails!!!

I fought over this issue to be repaired as part of the recall but the dealership won't budge since it didn't show up against my VIN. Very frustrating. It costed me close to $2,500 for the repairs.

This is a HUGE safety concern, and Ford should own this up!! I demand any additional fix, and a reimbursement of this cost.

Update from Aug 7, 2018: This is the same issue other users have reported here as well. I've taken meticulous care of my 2014 Explorer Sport, and have had all the services done at a dealership.

Last week, while driving on a highway, I lost my EPAS, and it was very scary that I was near 65 mph when my dash started getting alerts such as "Power Assist Failure", "Terrain Management System Failure", "Hill Descent Failure", "Traction Control Failed/Off"...something along these lines. I was in the middle of nowhere and was barely able to pull it over. Upon a quick stop, and restart of the vehicle (hoping those warnings will reset), those warnings still appeared, and completely disabled my steering. Eventually, I lost my battery too. I had to get towed to the nearest Ford Dealership (in Frederick, MD "Frederick Motor Company"), that was around 35 miles away from where I had this life threatening event!!!

In line with the observation of others, Ford has had a recall on 2011-13 models but not on 2014 onwards! Apparently, they had replaced this faulty part in 2014 onwards - but guess, what...It still fails!!!

I fought over this issue to be repaired as part of the recall but the dealership won't budge since it didn't show up against my VIN. Very frustrating!! It costed me close to $2,500 for the repairs.

This is a HUGE safety concern, and Ford should own this up!! I demand any additional fix, and a reimbursement of this cost.

UPDATE: After the fact, I contacted Ford (via Facebook Messenger as their chat on the owner's site or phone weren't responsive!). I wanted to report the incident so that they can take corrective measures and proactively assess a recall for this issue on other models too, and hopefully get to reimburse my expenses. I got a very cold response, and nothing useful from its rep!

Ford is endangering lives!!!

This is an incredibly dangerous failure of the power steering mechanism.

The first time it happened, I was in an unpaved parking lot, and suddenly lost steering. Not just power steering, it was impossible to move the steering wheel. The STEERING ASSIST FAULT warning came on. I turned off the car and let the electronics reset. The light showing that the car was in a normal drive train position finally came back on, and normal steering resumed.

The second time, I was with my daughter on the highway! Luckily, I had just moved to the slow lane since my exit was coming up. Again, the steering was incredibly difficult, but I managed to make it to the side of the road. Again, I turned the car off and reset the electronics by taking the key out of the ignition and opening and closing the door. I had to do this a number of times before it finally went back to a normal mode. If I had been on another highway that I frequently travel, where there is construction and a lot of sudden quick turns, I may have easily hit a jersey barrier and suffered grave consequences.

It is beyond me why this is not a recall!!! I would call this reckless endangerment on behalf of the Ford Motor Company as well as the NHTSA. I can only assume that they are waiting for a number of fatalities to occur before acting on this. It seemed to be important in the 2011-2013 Ford Explorers since those have a recall for this problem. But if you own a 2014 with the same exact problem it doesn't require a recall?

Today I was going to take the car to the dealer, but my car is currently in the driveway, and I need to have it towed to be fixed because the steering is not turning at all and the STEERING ASSIST FAULT stays on now. If it was just a mechanical issue that needed fixing and was not dangerous for the driver or people in the driver's way, I would not complain. This, however, is such a dangerous failure and needs to be addressed before there are extreme consequences. I also see that there are numerous complaints addressing this issue so it's not an isolated or rare incident.

On May 5, 2018 I was driving down a curvy road when the traction control and electronic steering went out. I had no control of my car I almost hit a box truck. I was able to jerk the steering wheel with all my strength and pull it back to my side of the road. I contacted a FORD dealership and told them what had happened. I talked to a mechanic and he informed me that it has happened to several Explorers. I have looked for recalls and notice that in 2013 they had a recall but not 2014. The repairs cost over $1400 to fix.

For some time my 2014 Explorer was making this somewhat concerning, but more so annoying, clunking sound when turning the steering wheel at near stand-still speed (parking space maneuvering, pulling out of garage, driveway, etc.). I was finally able to take my car in for an oil change and to have it looked at. Of course, I’m sure it started before my warranty ran out, but I didn’t take it in until after it ran out (my fault for not paying closer attention to mileage vs. months). The team lead told me that it was an issue with the power steering system, and would cost about $1,800.00 to repair; however... at this point, it is more of the noise, that it sometimes just happens over time, but there isn’t anything that isn’t working, and it could possibly not progress past the noise, so it was up to me to repair or not.

I asked if getting it repaired would impact my turning it back in just a couple months away and he said no, that wouldn’t be what they would look for, it was mostly mileage and the visual condition of the vehicle. He said if I didn’t mind the noise, I could try to ride it out and maybe not have to pay for the repair, and told me what symptoms to look out for that would be warning signs it was getting worse. I decided to hold off, and continued driving and tolerating the noise. Unfortunately, after just a few weeks, the front end started to not feel right, there was increased play in the steering wheel, and overall, just felt like my tires were going to fall right off the car while in motion.

I started only driving it short distances, and sent him an email asking him to remind me what to be on the lookout for and how much the repair was. I didn’t hear from him that day, and the next morning coming back from dropping my daughter off at school, I was on high alert because it was the worst it had ever been. I didn’t even pull into my driveway, but just pulled up next to the curb across the street and went in and called my service tea. He remembered my issue and asked a few questions about driveability and if I’d need a loaner and how long it would take to repair. Being the Monday of Thanksgiving week, he said if I brought it in right away, they could probably get it done before the holiday, but if I needed a loaner, they wouldn’t have one until the Friday after.

We still have our old Expedition (2004) so I talked to my husband about following me to drop off my car; and worse, how much it was going to cost because I was past my (bumper-to-bumper) warranty. We decided that given our financial situation, it would probably be best to hold off on the repair, that we could park it in the driveway for a couple of weeks and I could drive the other truck. I cancelled the drop off at the dealership and went to move it from the curb. The steering wheel wouldn’t budge and the breaks would hardly give an inch. It was all locked up and still is – in front of my neighbors house (luckily we have great neighbors).

Granted – I am very grateful I wasn’t driving at the time, especially not driving with the children; but the first thing that came to mind was from the first conversation I had about it with the dealership. That it just happens sometimes over time... I wondered, really? Because in the decade(s) I have been driving and owning cars – and known drivers and car owners, I don’t think I have ever heard of something like this. So I looked it up, just to see how often, and low and behold, apparently it does just happen sometimes – to Ford Explorers produced in the last 5 years. Awesome. Shouldn’t that be like having to disclose lead paint to a home buyer?

I’m now looking into the Emissions Performance Warranty, because the warranty handbook I got in my glove box doesn’t seem to even mention power steering, let alone point out that it’s not covered. I can only hope that someone doesn’t have a life-changing experience if the steering failure just happens sometimes to them.

Without warning, the power steering failed on this vehicle, while driving 40 mph. At slow speed, steering is almost impossible. Mechanic has stated that this is the SAME issue as the prior year Ford Explorer recall. Cost to repair is $1600 minimum, but replacement parts have not been fixed for the 2014 model, so if we pay for the repair, we may end up with the same exact problem. VERY DANGEROUS. Had our 95 lb 15 year old been doing practice driving (with her temps), there would have been NO way for her to steer this. Vehicle was towed to mechanic, as it was not safe to drive.