Power Steering Fluid problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was starting the vehicle, the “steering assist fault-service required” and “service advance tract” and “hill start assist not available” warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality. The contact’s father met his wife at the scene and was able to drive the vehicle to the residence driving the vehicle in manual steering mode. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the power steering and power steering assist failed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home however, the steering was manual making it more difficult to maneuver the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 5 mph and making a turn, he heard an abnormal banging sound coming from the steering wheel and the steering wheel locked. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated as he veered to the side of the road, he was able to steer the steering wheel with no issues. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced, however the parts for the repair were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they will follow up with the dealer. A case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 58,000.

Our steering wheel locked up while turning in an intersection. There was also a knocking noise when we would turn the wheel to the right. When we took it to the Ford dealer they said that the steering gear had gone bad and was most likely caused by a leak in the power transfer unit of power transfer fluid. The service technician indicated that there was nothing that we did as drivers to cause the ptu to leak. We have seen many reports about the steering gear problems in the year and model of our vehicle. The cost to repair the steering gear and the leak was over $5000. 00.