general problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer - part 1

While driving a 2013 Ford Explorer, the vehicle experienced an electrical issue that caused the power steering system to malfunction. The power steering assist suddenly failed, making the steering wheel extremely difficult to turn. The failure occurred suddenly and at the time of the incident the vehicle was traveling 2 miles and I parked it immediately. This created a serious safety hazard, especially when attempting to turn or maneuver the vehicle. A warning message stating “power steering assist fault” did appear on the dashboard . Prior to the failure, there were no warning signs. Due to the sudden loss of power steering assist, the driver’s ability to safely control the vehicle was significantly reduced, increasing the risk of a crash. The issue has not yet been inspected. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 201,226.

I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding a severe design defect in the 3. 5l v6 engine of my 2013 Ford Explorer. The vehicle is equipped with an internal, chain-driven water pump that is currently failing at 100000 miles, as evidenced by coolant actively draining from the factory weep hole. Because this pump is located inside the engine block and driven by the timing chain, a complete seal failure dumps engine coolant directly into the oil pan. This is a critical safety hazard. When the coolant and oil mix, it destroys the engine bearings and causes the engine to completely seize without warning. If this sudden engine seizure occurs while driving at highway speeds, it results in an immediate and total loss of motive power, power steering, and power brakes. This defect creates an extreme crash hazard for the occupants of the vehicle and other drivers on the road. The internal weep hole provides virtually no dashboard warning or indicator to the driver before this catastrophic failure occurs. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this known, dangerous design flaw to force a mandatory safety recall before this sudden loss of vehicle control causes severe injuries or fatalities.

After dropping off my son at school, I turned the steering and suddenly it became very difficult to turn. I was stuck in school traffic and was nearly involved in an accident. Shortly after , the power steering assist warning light came on. I brought the vehicle to my mechanic, who ran a diagnostic and informed me there is a known recall related to the steering system on 2013 Ford Explorers. Based on this, the vehicle was towed by aaa to the nearest Ford dealership. At the dealership, I was told that my specific vehicle ( VIN#) is not listed under the recall. Given the seriousness of the steering failure and the safety risk involved, I am requesting further review and guidance on how to proceed.

I was leaving the store pulled out on a main road in town about to head on the highway. My steering wheel locked and would hardly move with all my strength and the help of my significant other we pulled back into the store parking lot rarely missing hitting several vehicles in the process. I had my children with me at the time in this vehicle as well. The power steering assist fault message popped up. I had the vehicle towed to Ford groves and after a diagnostic test was ran I was told it was my steering gear and the entire steering column needed to be replaced. The second opinion I got said it was the rack and pinion needing to be replaced. After doing research I found other reports of other 2013 Ford Explorer owners having wrecks due to this some with the same edition as myself (limited). There are recalls for the steering on 2013 Ford Explorer but not the limited. I need my edition to be added because this is clearly happening here as well. This was very dangerous when I explained to the dealership about the recalls they told me this was not accurate and was the wrong information. This was random and happened out of no where my vehicle was fine prior to this. Yes the vehicle is available upon request for inspection.

Power steering assist fault and service advance trac alerts came on in the dashboard when car was cranked up to drive. I was unable to turn the steering wheel easily and the vehicle was difficult to steer. My safety and the safety of others would be put at risk when attempting to drive the vehicle because the steering wheel locked up and was very difficult to turn. I happened to be at a firestone service center at the time that this event took place. The technician was testing the battery and the alternator for me after a new battery was inserted into the vehicle. When the technician pulled the vehicle around for me to leave, I was unable to drive away due to the steering issues that had occurred. The vehicle has not been inspected by the others at this time. The warning lights came on just as I was about to drive away from the firestone service center on 09/27/25. The technician notified me that firestone was unable to repair those types of issues on my vehicle and the vehicle would need to be taken to a Ford dealership or mechanic of choice for further repairs.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and accelerating, the steering wheel inadvertently veered to the left, and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,200.

Power steering went out, could barely steer the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to make a turn from a stop, while turning the power steering function became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 222,000.

An emission control alert appears when driving; seconds later, you have no control over the vehicle. The steering wheel locks up, and you can not turn while you are still driving. The risk is very high due to the car doesn't stop, and you can not move out of traffic due to no control over the vehicle. If this were to happen on the highway or during bad weather, this could cause death. This has happened a total of 3x and had to be towed 2x to the machines. July 28th 2025 and July 20th 2024 it was towed for this issue of no control of the vehical due to locked up.

My power steering went out within 5 minutes of the "service power steering now" and the "lane keeping system malfunction service required" lights came on while I was driving on the interstate at 75 mph. When I turned off the Explorer and turned it back on the power steering was completely gone. I checked on Ford's recall website and they show that there is a "customer service program" for the epas steering efforts and for "rear toe link inspection replacement", nothing stating that these "customer service programs" were restricted at 10 years or 150,000 miles anywhere online. When I call Ford to let them know that my VIN is showing that the electric power steering should be covered and asking about what can be done to get my broken down Explorer to them and then I get told that my Explorer doesn't qualify anymore. When I typed in my VIN it said my Explorer qualifies, why would it show that if the program ended at 10 years which would have been 2023. This makes the owners of these Ford's believe that Ford will take care of their vehicles when there is a know safety issue but then that is not the case. I could've wrecked going 75 mph if I wouldn't have gotten off the interstate. This known issue for the 2013 Ford Explorers should be taken care of if they are still coming up under recalls on Ford's website when the VIN is entered.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle went into limp mode and stalled. The power train warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off, and restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the steering gear rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 183,340.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel felt stiff. The messages "service power steering now" and "service advance track" appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was towed to a local independent service shop, where it was diagnosed with an unknown communication error and in need of a sensor reset. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to another local independent service shop for a second opinion, where it was diagnosed with the same failure experienced prior. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 15v340000 (steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message "power steering assist fault" was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering functionality became operable. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle the following day, the failure recurred, and the steering wheel locked up. The contact stated that the vehicle was undrivable. The messages "power steering assist fault" and "service power steering" were displayed, and the traction control warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 93,572.

I was driving to az from a CO vacation with my two kids in the car when the steering in my 2013 Ford Explorer locked up. I had exited the freeway and was on a 2 lane country blacktop. I approached some curves in the road and at that point noticed I had absolutely no steering whatsoever. I noticed warning lights came on around that same time. I started slowing down, as the road continued to curve I entered the oncoming traffic lane, went onto the shoulder, back into oncoming traffic lane, back into my lane and onto my shoulder before coming to a complete stop. I'm not sure how or why we are all ok/still alive. I had zero control or steering ability in my moving vehicle. We could have so easily been in an accident or killed. I myself, as a driver, am traumatized. The car was towed to the closest Ford dealer where I'm not getting much help. I've been told many 2013 Ford Explorers were recalled for steering issues, but unfortunately mine isn't included. They have also had the car for several weeks and have yet to completely figure out/repair the problem. When I called Ford customer service, they suggested I report it to you.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact heard a grinding sound coming from the steering wheel. The contact stated that an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering module and rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 155,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel seized. The message "check power steering" was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 191,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 127,000.

Electronic steering box is intermittent and sticking when turning left. Diagnosed with steering gear replacement which has been recalled on other 2011-2013 Ford Explorers.

Driving vehicle along highway, two alerts came on from the computer. Power steering warning, system advancetrac warning. Could hardly steer the vehicle appropriately. My vehicle does not fit in the may 17, 2010, and February 28, 2012, recall as it was manufactured in 08/12 so I cannot fix this issue. The vehicle is unsafe for travel and is just 6 months after the recall making me believe it is apart of the affected vehcile.

I was driving the vehicle when all of a sudden I lost powersteering and the steering became impossible to control almost causing an accident. I then took the vehicle to the shop and was informed my rack and pinion had to be replaced. I replaced it eventhough there is a recall for this issue in the 2013 Ford Explorer but it does notcover my VIN which is frustrating. So then I'm leaving the mechanic shop and I'm almost home and I get a powersteering fault light and the powersteering goes stiff again. Almost causing me to wreck again these are the same symptoms are in recall 14v286000 and I cannot figure out why my vehicle isnt part of the recall for the dangers that this issues causes.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 3 mph and turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the power steering function failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). The contact was referred to NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

2013 Ford Explorer lost steering while driving. Determined to be steering link. Incidentally also issue with toe link on rear. This were both recall issues in past.

Steering rack, vehicle VIN is not listed under the 2013 Ford Explorer recalls although vehicle is now having the issues related to the recall.

I have an electric power steering pump, it’s not working at all. It’s showing it’s part of a recall but mine is just shy of the date. But I have spoken with many Ford dealers and they have told me to report this to here, cause it should be a part of it as well. It’s a very hefty expense to repair this. But no one should be driving one with power steering assist fault and traction control fault on dash. And cannot even turn the wheel. This is an accident waiting to happen.

As I drive mostly during low speeds the steering wheel locks in a turned position for a split second. This happens as I am navigating through neighborhoods and can’t turn the wheel too drastically. I could easily run into something or someone into me if I can’t control the vehicle direction. Not sure if the mechanic noticed as the problem persists at random times. No warnings have been shown on the dash board for this problem yet. The problems started around the beginning of April 2025.

Steering suddenly became hard to turn the wheel. Felt kind of jumpy.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the power steering failed to operate as needed. The contact used an excessive amount of force to turn the steering wheel. The power steering and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering had failed, and the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The mechanic informed the contact of NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering); and was referred to manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to turn in either direction. The message "power steering assist fault" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local service center where the vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The parts for the repair were ordered and the repair was pending at the owner's expense. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering); however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to parallel park, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact drove back to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The dealer confirmed that the vehicle was not previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and case was filed. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 179,663.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle because the steering wheel was stiff. The contact, who is mechanically inclined, inspected the vehicle and discovered that the failure was caused by a defect with the rack and pinion. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA campaign number: 14v286000 (steering) was linked to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,800.

Service advancetrac light came on while driving. Lost all propulsion and power steering. Almost went off road around a curve due to no power steering. Ford dealership diagnosed it as faulty steering sensor. Had that replaced about 18 months ago, now this near accident just happened. Service trac light traction control light are both on with no propulsion or power steering. I’ve been doing research on this and this seems to happen to a lot of Ford owners as Ford is the only manufacturer to produce vehicles with advancetrac system. How has this not been a recall yet?.

The power steering has failed. The steering is tight, cumbersome, difficult to manage. The vehicle had a recall for rear tow link for which it is in service center currently. Ford issued a recall for the steering issue as well. However, allegedly, my car does not qualify for the recall. Please advise. The steering issue is dangerous. I have read that over 600,000 vehicles have been recalled for this issue. I live in ohio which has the “highly corrosive salt factor”, which is a noted issue for this recall item.

With the vehicle on, will sometimes get simultaneous warnings for "hill descent control fault" and "service advancetrac" along with 3 warnings/flags (abs, service advancetrac, and service advancetrac off). Additionally, the instrument cluster/display will occasionally (less often) reset while the vehicle is still on and driving.

Was at a restaurant and when vehicle was started to leave, power steering was out along with "power steering assist fault" message on dash. Vehicle was able to be driven back to residence, but unsafe to drive. Vehicle is now parked until repairs can be made.