What 821 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Explorer Gas

THIS IS A CONTINUAL PROBLEM REPORT ONE 8/10/13 19,000 MILES: POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE <15 MPH AND BACK CEILING LIGHT CAME ON AND WOULDN'T GO OUT. FORD: 8/13/2013 SAID CEILING LIGHT SHORTENED OUT BATTERY AND CAUSED POWER STEERING TO GO OUT - ORDERED LIGHT BULB CAME BACK IN 3 DAYS TO REPLACE LIGHT BULB - THEY SAID POWER STEERING WAS FIXED. REPORT TWO 9/23/13 23,891 MILES: POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON WHILE PARKED. FORD: DID DIAGNOSTIC SAID THE ISSUE WAS MOST LIKELY WIRING AND SAID ISSUE WAS FIXED AND I LEFT WITH CAR REPORT THREE 10/02/13 24,280 MILES: POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON DASHBOARD AND POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY 65 MPH, PULLED OFF HWY. REPORTED INCIDENT TO FORD. FORD: RAN DIAGNOSTIC, SAID ISSUE WAS MOTHERBOARD. ORDERED PART AND I RETURNED IN A FEW DAYS TO REPLACE COMPUTER BOARD. TOLD ISSUE WAS RESOLVED AND LEFT WITH MY CAR. REPORT FOUR 10/31/2013 25,295 MILES: POWER STEERING YELLOW LIGHT CAME ON DASHBOARD AS I STARTED VEHICLE IN PARKING LOT. POWER STEERING HAD NOT GONE OUT ONLY HAD WARNING LIGHT SHOWING. I DROVE A FEW MINUTES HOME WITHOUT THE STEERING GOING OUT. I STARTED CAR ABOUT AN HOUR LATER IN GARAGE AND POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY OUT. BRIGHT RED LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD. WARNING LIGHT SAID SOMETHING TO THE TUNE OF 'REPORT POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY". FORD: KEPT CAR FOR 4 FULL DAYS WHILE WE DROVE RENTAL AND WAS TOLD THEY HAVE NO SOLUTION AND FORD REGIONAL'S ENGINEERS SUPPOSEDLY SAID 'THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE THEY HAVE SEEN BEFORE' (EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE ALMOST 100 REPORTS ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE ABOUT THIS EXACT ISSUE) AND TO REPORT IF HAPPENS AGAIN. REPORT FIVE 11/28/13 27,000 MILES: POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE STARTING VEHICLE IN GARAGE DASHBOARD LIGHT UP WITH RED WARNING SIGNS. HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER HOLIDAY TO REPORT TO SERVICE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10554105

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT DID NOT TAKE THE VEHICLE FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000. ...UPDATED 08-08-13 *BF

NHTSA ODI 10531808

I WAS DRIVING IN A PARKING GARAGE AND THE TERRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND POWER STEERING SYSTEMS BECAME DISABLED. THE CAR WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO HANDLE ONCE THE POWER STEERING WAS LOST. WHEN I PARKED THE CAR, SHUT THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED, THE POWER STEERING APPEARED TO BE BACK BUT THE TERRAIN MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CONTINUED TO SHOW AN ERROR. I WILL BE CONTACTING THE DEALER TODAY. I HAVE SEEN SIMILAR COMPLAINTS LISTED HERE - I HOPE FORD IS ADDRESSING APPROPRIATELY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10521005

I WAS SLOWING DOWN AS I WAS APPROACHING A TRAFFIC SIGNAL AND HEARD A WARNING CHIME. INITIALLY, VEHICLE DID NOT SHOW ANY SIGNS OF PROBLEM, BUT GOT A WARNING MESSAGE OF POWER STEERING FAILURE (OR SOMETHING SIMILAR) AND ANOTHER ONE INDICATING TO SERVICE THE ADVANCE TRACK SYSTEM. THE ADVANCE TRACK INDICATOR LIGHT WENT OUT ON THE DIAL, TOO. AFTER A FEW HUNDRED FEET THE POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY GONE AND I HAD TO USE SIGNIFICANT EFFORT TO STEER THE VEHICLE INTO MY DRIVEWAY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ONLY 2 MILES FROM HOME WITH FEW TURNS TO GET THERE. ALMOST COULDN'T MAKE THE TURN INTO MY DRIVEWAY. STARTED & RESTARTED THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES AND EVENTUALLY ALL PROBLEMS AND WARNING LIGHTS DISAPPEARED. DROVE THE VEHICLE A FEW MILES AND ALL SEEMS OK. WILL UPDATE WITH ANY ADDITIONAL ISSUES AFTER 8/21/12. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED USED ON 8/15/12 WITH 12,700 MILES. CALLED DEALER AND THEY SAID TO BRING IN IF PROBLEMS PERSIST. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10471810

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM A MOVIE ON PACIFIC COAST HWY IN HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA AND ALL OF SUDDEN THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT WARNING CAME ON, I HADN'T LOST COMPLETE FUNCTION OF THE STEERING BUT IT WAS ABOUT A HALF A MILE DOWN THE ROAD THAT IT GOT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME TO TOW IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT THERE WAS A SHORT TERM FIX BY TURNING OFF AND THEN TURNING BACK ON AGAIN TO MAKE THE WARNING LIGHT GO AWAY. TOMORROW TAKING IN MY CAR TO DEALER TO GET IT FIX.... NOW BEFORE IT ENDS IN CRASH OR SOMEONE KILLED.!!!!!! I HAVE THE ECOBOOST I4 CYLINDER ENGINE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10471483