general problems of the 2014 Ford C-max

System: electric power steering assist module failed on engine start up. Safety: without power steering it is extremely difficult to steer the car manually which could cause an accident and/or bodily injury. This is a well known problem with the Ford cmax which has created a recall for earlier model years of the cmax (but my 2014 model is not covered under previous recalls). Inspection: vehicle is at the Ford dealership and has been diagnosed with a failed power steering module and is currently under parts replacement. Warnings: on 8 Feb 2014 during engine start, I warning window was displayed that said "service power steering". Same warning window appeared the following morning when car was started. I drove it carefully to the dealership for repair.

The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to make a left or right turn there would be a squeaking noise coming from the front-passenger side wheel. The sound would occur when driving over a bump on the road and whenever the vehicle is accelerated forward as well. The tire pressure sensor failure warning light had been illuminated. The contact learned of NHTSA campaign number: 14v514000 (steering) and believed their failure was related to the recall. The vehicle had been taken to an independent mechanic where it had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure where it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v514000 (steering). The manufacturer also confirmed that their vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 20v331000 (latches, locks, linkages) and 22v413000 (power train). The contact was referred to NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 307,868.

Electric power steering assist failed. Started intermittent and cleared on restart of the vehicle. Now complete failure within 2 days of first alert. Spouse was going to drive the vehicle after the vehicle was parked overnight and when she started the vehicle the power steering was inactive and the warnings were displayed and audible. Warning and alarm to "service power steering" is still active and cannot be cleared. We are currently traveling and will not be home for months and must drive the vehicle without power steering assist. My spouse cannot drive the vehicle with this malfunction. We have researched for solutions and have found that this is a common failure for 2014 Ford cmax hybrid and there is not a fix other than complete replacement of the power steering motor and rack assembly. The safety and health of myself, passengers, other drivers, pedestrians, and even animals is the risk especially if this component(s) fails during active driving and it has according to social media posts and blogs. We have tried to have the vehicle diagnosed by dealerships, but they cannot get the vehicle in for service in any time frame that does not come with significant inconveniences and financial loss. Dealers will not order a part without first diagnosing the problem and cannot schedule an appointment any time soon. I contacted Ford support directly and they confirmed that steering components have been recalled on 2014 Ford cmax based on production dates, however, our cmax was built outside of those parameters. We have logged case number: cas40982963 with Ford.

Complete failure of the steering without any warning, was not able to steer the car. The dealership diagnosed the cause is a failure of the steering rack pinion which needed to be replaced. I understand that the 2014 Ford C-max has a recall on the steering rack pinion, but for some reason my car was not included in this recall. It is obviously it should been included.

Steering wheel locked up and could not control car. After taking car to repair shop I was informed that the entire power steering rack would have to be replaced. Upon internet research noticed numerous similar complaints of same problem in Ford cmax and Ford focus vehicles. Appears to have been a limited recall back in 2014 of several hundred cmax and focus cars but Ford gave assurance those were all the cars affected. Not sure if that problem was the same as current problem but there are many reports of power steering failures which can make the cars difficult or impossible to be driven. To repair the car will be approx. $2000 as the entire electronic power steering rack needs replacing. Please see attached pdf for additional information.

The issue is related to steering. My Ford C-max steering system would become very stiff and gets locked. The warning "service power steering" would pop up and the steering wheel would become inoperable. This has happened a couple instances and creating a huge panic. When this happens the steering cannot be moved. I have to stop the engine and restart after a couple mins. The issue is intermittent and does not give any warnings before this situation occurs creating anxiety and huge risk to drive. I took the car to Ford dealership at georgetown texas. They investigated the issue and reverted that the problem is with steering gear and has to be replaced to fix the issue. Upon checking on internet I see Ford had reported out similar issue in Sep 2014 and had tried to address the issue. Details below. . Read more...

Sudden loss of power to steering. . . . Noted that many others have had this problem.

During last trip with car, parked car while shopping. When leaving store car lost steering and warning light came on in dash indicating power steering assist fault. Car was extremely difficult to drive after that. Waiting for appointment with dealer. Had this happened while turning at a busy intersection it could have been a problem. Car has 100,000 miles so I expect some problems, but I think this could be a safety issue.

After 3 days sitting on my driveway, this morning I went to start the car and noticed a warning on the screen "power steering assist fault". I tried to back out to the street, but the power steering remained un-maneuverable. Online search found out there had been a lot of reports for the very same issue on focus, C-max, and fusion. It appears this is a known issue not unique to my car.

Excessive torque is too easily applied to the wheels when taking off from a stop causing unexpected traction loss and tire spin even under light acceleration, especially when turning. When driving at speed while passing or otherwise using close to or full power (in a straight line), the car will suddenly pull to one side or the other unexpectedly. Any necessary steering correction causes the car to pull to the opposite side and often causes the car to wander across the lane back and forth as I try to maintain control. These issues seem to be related to the high torque of the electric motor as well as the electronically controlled "torque vectoring" differential. An intermittent problem that I've noticed is, when coming to a stop, sometimes the electronics controlling the internal combustion motor get confused, power is applied to wheels in a stuttering fashion, requiring extra force to be applied to the brakes until the engine shuts down (as it normally does when coming to a stop). Despite the required date of incident field below, this is not a one time incident and commonly happens on a day to day and/or intermittent basis.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford C-max. The contact stated that while driving at 50 mph, an abnormal noise was heard coming from the engine. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was not able to be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that she experienced a failure with her steering gears. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14v514000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,910.