Steering Rack And Pinion problems of the 2011 Ford Explorer

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist with the power steering fault message displayed on the instrument panel. The failure occurred on two separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced; however, the dealer confirmed that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.

Tl the contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 19v435000 (suspension). While the contact's husband was driving 35 mph, there was an abnormal vibration and the steering wheel became stiff and inoperable. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. In addition, the "service power steering" and "service power steering assist" messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to barnes-baker automotive (1406 oklahoma Ave, trenton, mo, (660) 359-4461) where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced and the steering unit needed to be reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel became very firm. The power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the doors were opened and then closed, and the vehicle restarted. On the last occasion, after restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel remained firm. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

After starting vehicle, power steering assist failure alert noted. Power steering not working and attempted to reset by restarting car with no success. Towed to dealer. Need to replace total rack and pinion in order to fix this electrical problem.

2011 Ford Explorer limited: I was driving my family back from a vacation and had been traveling at an approximate speed of 65 mph on the hwy. I turned into a parking lot for a restroom break for the kids when the rack & pinion bar broke completely near the driver side front wheel. I noticed the chimes, some loud pops and harder than normal steering prior to the part breaking. Vehicle was unabled to be steered. It is not a every day driven vehicle. Vehicle has 42,608 miles on it. Luckily we weren't traveling at 65 mph when the part failed.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. While driving various speeds, the vehicle would veer to the right without the contact moving the steering wheel. The dealer stated that the rack and pinion steering mechanism needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the part not being available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 41,000.

I was driving on a major street during heavy afternoon traffic. The steering became extremely difficult and I could barely turn the wheel. The warning lights for advanced traction failure and power steering assist fault came on. I also noticed the terrain management control was no longer illuminated. I tried to turn off the road into the driveway but it was extremely difficult. I am a reasonably strong adult woman and had to use all my strength to turn the wheel even slightly while slowly moving. When I managed to get the car into a safe place I put the car in park and turned it off. When the car was started again, it returned to normal and I was able to drive it. Three days later, the same thing happened with another driver while I was a passenger. The older male driver had similar difficulty steering and turning the vehicle. I took the vehicle to the Ford dealership for service. They repaired the rack and pinion steering for an estimated cost of over $2000. The mileage on the vehicle was approximately 36,400 miles so about 400 miles past the warranty. We were able to get Ford to reduce the cost to approximately $750, some of which was for the alignment that was necessary following the repair. This incident could have been far worse with devastating results. I am a mom and girl scout leader and transport children frequently throughout the day. At the time of the incident I had 4 children in my vehicle.

Our first indication of steering problems happened around September 2013. A dashboard error "service advancetrac" message kept illuminating. First the dealer replaced a "sensor" that didn't fix it. Then a software update, that didn't work. They then replaced the "rack and pinion", in this car I am told it is an electronic steering motor. That did fix the problem with the error message, however at times the entire dashboard and "infotainment" screen would go blank and reboot. All seemed fine for a few month's until an unexpected event occurred in January 2014. I was driving my 2011 Ford Explorer on Thursday, January 9, 2014 on andersen air force base in guam. It was a bright, sunny day, and weather conditions were ideal. I stopped at the post office and when I turned left to enter a parking space, I noticed the steering was a little jerky. I didn't think much of it until we were leaving, and the steering continued to be choppy. When I left the parking lot, the car did not respond cleanly when I turned the wheel. I mentioned the my daughter that something was wrong, but I wasn't sure what was happening. As I entered a roundabout turn before exiting the air force base, the steering went out completely momentarily. It felt like I was driving on ice! the brakes worked properly, and I was able to slow down and navigate safely out of the turn. I had no problems driving straight, but turning was jerky. I called my husband to let him know what was happening, and I drove slowly home approximately four miles from the base. The car was turned into the dealer who "could not replicate the error". The "service advancetrac" error happened again on 22 Jan , went into the dealership and I was told again that they could not replicate the error.

I was making a left turn at approximately 20mph when my power steering went out. Luckily there was no car to my right and I was able to muscle the car to the right side of the road and onto a side street. The dash board was flashing power steering assist fault, then service advance trac. I turned off the car and restarted it and the message cleared. I went straight to the dealership and showed them the pictures, the dealer did a epas diagnosis, it said code c200d:49, and an interactive diagnosis pinpoint test, it said internal electrical failure, they replaced the epas rack and pinion. I received my car back today and it appears and feels like it's turning fine.

This vehicle has experienced multiple (20+) power steering failures. It typically occurs while I am driving on the taconic state parkway, a 55 mph road in westchester coutny, NY. The power steering failure occurs quickly with little timne for the driver to react. You simply get a small chime with an indicator on the dash stating "power assist failure' followed by a message stating 'power steering failure'. By the time you read the message, you already know what has happened as you have no power steering the moment the chime is heard. The latest incidnet occured as I was turning off the exit ramp for the taconic state parkway onto a local road to go home. Half way through the turn, the power steering failed and I almost drove my car into another car at the intersection. With my strength, I was able to turn the wheel to complete the trun. Otherwise, it would have been a head on collission intop a car stopped in the intersection. Had this been my preagnant wife, it would have been a scary result. This car was brought to the local Ford dealer (pleasantville Ford) several months ago to have this issue addressed. They claimed at the time that it was due to a crossed wire that was fixed. The problem has continued to occur, and they presently have a new rack and pinion steering system on order from Ford to try and address the issue. Based on the latets occurence, as well as a slew of other electrical issues with the vehicle, I am dropping it at the dealer today as I no longer deem it safe to be driven. I am extremely upset with Ford and their product over this issue.

I was making a left hand turn, when the warning message came on letting me know the "power steering assist failed" and then lost all power for steering. I was able to pull over, stop & restart the vehicle and the power steering came back. I immediately took the car to the dealership and the electrical power steering unit will have to be replaced along with the 'rack & pinion' attachments. I tow a boat from time to time and this could have developed into a dangerous situation, as the vehicle was extremely difficult to steer. Fortunately, I was close to a parking lot at the time and I was able to perform the restart.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the power steering failed and the vehicle became very difficult to steer. The contact mentioned that the advance trac and power steering warning lamps illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 22,000. Updated 8/31/12.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, there was a loss of power steering with the warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. The engine was turned off and upon restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The failure occurred three times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. There was currently an open investigation under NHTSA action number pe12017 (steering:electric power assist system). The approximate failure mileage was 17,500. Updated 7/31/12 on July 12, 2012, the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, due to the fact the vehicle was driven approximately 10 miles before the vehicle could be turned off and re-started. A code was detected in the pcm. From that code, it was determined the vehicle needed a rack and pinion. The consumer was informed there were no parts available. Updated 08/01/12.