Power Steering Pump problems of the 2011 Ford Explorer

While driving down interstate 75 from gainesville FL to loganville GA my power steering pump went out ! thankfully my children were not in the car , but even after pulling over and cutting the vehicle off to try to reset it it did not work!.

I have had this truck for ruffly 3yrs. When I first bought the car something was wrong with it immediately. . . . I was driving to the mail box after getting home from about a 30min trip. The whole car cut off lights were dim in the car, steering had locked very hard to turn. . . Automax in killeen took the car in for service. Had the new purchased truck for a month and 2 days. Their service team told me it was the battery. I felt other wise and no longer wanted the car. But of course by this time all paperwork had went through to the bank. . . . . . Drove the truck fine for about 8months, then broke down the same way as the very first time but on a bridge this time. . . . . . This time around I was told it was the engine, got a second opinion, said person said water pump. I fixed the water pump. Now guess what??? its actually the engine. . . . I am blown away by how many problems I have had with this Ford Explorer. . . . . I thought I was making a great purchase going with a Ford. This truck sat in the driveway for a year while in nursing school. . . . . I am lost and at my wits end. . . . . When I look for recalls all I am seeing is suspension issues or towing. . . . When I talk to mechanics they say these models are know for bad engines, thus is another reason why the 2011 Ford Explorer engines are more expensive. . . . . I am looking for help. Has anyone else had these same issues. I owe 14000 still on this truck and how could it need a new engine already?.

I was starting to back out of a parking lot and the stabilitrac lights came on. The steering got tight and there was little movement to turn the wheel right or left. I pulled a few feet back in the parking stall, turned the car off, and restarted it again. Everything seemed fine for a mile or so and the lights came back on. I could barely turn the wheel. I got a tow to the dealership. They had to order and replace the steering pump. This happened a second time three days ago, on 7/2/12. The dealership had to again replace the steering pump. I have no confidence that this will not happen again. This second time I had my two 7-year-olds in the car and was traveling about 40mph down a major street. The same lights came on and the steering wheel tightened. I could barely turn the wheel. Luckily I was close to home, but still had to make 5 turns. I was turning the steering wheel so hard that I felt like I was going to break it. It took all my arm strength to make the turns. I would turn the signal on and it would blink once and go off also. It is scary when it happens and as mentioned, I have no faith that it won't happen again. And this vehicle is just now a year old.