What 821 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

I have had 3 upper rear lateral links snap off. 2 on the rear driver side and 1 on the rear passenger side. I am researching recalls. And there is a recall on some explorer models for the rear toe links. Sounds like the same thing that keeps happening to my vehicle. I am scared to drive it now. They literally just snap and the back tire starts steering however it wants.

NHTSA ODI 11436182

On 10/4/21 while driving my 2012 Ford Explorer down interstate 95 approximately 70 mph and my steering wheel seized up. I lost all steering control and my steering wheel would not even turn. A red warning appeared that said "service power steering now". My car veered into the other lane of oncoming traffic due to my inability to steer. We somehow avoided oncoming vehicles and made it to the side of the road. My personal and trusted mechanic informed us there is an open recall for the issue. I called my local Ford dealership who confirmed there was an open recall. I took my Explorer to the dealership but they are refusing to service it stating that the code is no longer being thrown and the car is driving fine. They stated unless the car is showing problems while in the shop they are not required to repair anything under the recall. The problem is this is the first and only time in the 4 years I have owned this car that is has happened and that one time nearly killed us.

NHTSA ODI 11435685

The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle pulling into a parking spot and adjusting the wheels on the vehicle the contact heard a loud grinding scraping noise while turning the steering wheel in either direction. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11435562

the car unexpectedly loses power while driving on the highway causing several near crashed having to move to the brake down lane .The wrench symbol shows up on dash and the car is trying to stall at idle. I have to shut it off and restart to drive it. Check engine light does NOT go on. Car has 96k miles .It has happened 4x's in the last month. My research says its the Throttle body. I am trying to bring it to Ford to confirm.

NHTSA ODI 11435588

I was driving with my child in the car when u hear a loud noise. After that i heard grinding. So when i got home we put the car on jack stands. There seemed to be no problems. The next day i took the car to a shop and was called to come back down. The mechanic showed us that the transfer case blew a part and cracked the transmission. Not one warning lights or service engine light came on. Had the drive shaft fell out as a result it could have killed me and my child.

NHTSA ODI 11434208

2012 FORD EXPLORER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO A RECURRING STEERING ISSUE. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE BACKING OUT OF A GARAGE THE STEERING REVERTED TO MANUAL AND A STEERING ASSIST WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE STEERING ASSIST HAS LOCKED AND WARNING MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED FOR THE POWER STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS REPROGRAMMED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN NOTIFIED.

NHTSA ODI 11434018

purchased my ford from duval ford jax fl. heard a grinding noise. probably brakes. but cannot remove tires to check brake pads. swollen lug nuts. nothing will fit the nuts to remove the tire.

NHTSA ODI 11429052

The rear view camera shows the image as a mirror image. In example, items that are actually on the right side appear to be on the left side when viewing the camera. In addition, the camera often times just goes black and shows no image while in use.

NHTSA ODI 11428072

Power steering gear failure while driving. Light appeared as failure occurred. SUV became barely steerable while driving through a vehicle dense inner city residential block. I have excellent upper body strength but I was barely able to maneuver the vehicle to an open area to suspend operation and park to call for AAA to come tow it to mechanic. If my wife and children were driving or in this vehicle at the time of power steering gear failure I am afraid that she most likely not be able to have achieved the safe result I was able to. Vehicle was towed to Sentry Ford, they were able to diagnose the issue. It was a failed power steering gear, which is a recall(Ford Recall #15N01). They contacted Ford recall center and were informed that it was out of the coverage range by 804 miles. 804! And Ford would not honor repair. I attempted to contact Ford directly to work with them to resolve this serious safety issue, they said “this recall repair is no longer supported”,I asked to speak with their recall department and they informed me “that team is no longer active, there was a class action lawsuit brought up regarding this recall and now was being handled by a different department”, that she would transfer me to the class action section to handle this recall. When she transferred me she inadvertently disconnected call, I called back and spoke with another representative, explained my previous call, conversation, and direction which the previous representative provided. This second agent stated “no such department exists, you are over the mileage for the recall repair, we will not be covering it”. I asked to speak with a supervisor, was told none available and one would return my call within 24-48 hours. Waited for the rest of evening and into next day, “supervisor” called while I was driving and call sent to voicemail. Supervisor stated on voicemail that “recall past coverage period” “won’t support” supervisor did not leave a number to speak directly with her

NHTSA ODI 11426896

During the pandemic I have been mandated to drive everyday to work almost everyday to keep the community safe as I am a nurse. I received two recall letters over this time. I did not have an opportunity to take the car the the garage as some were closed and or short staffed unable to see my car anytime soon. The other day as I was driving to work the power steering light came on the dash and suddenly the power steering locked up almost causing a serious collision. With all of my strength I was unable to move the steering wheel to stay on the road. The explorer was towed to Ford. I was told that I am 4,255 miles over the recall requirements and I must pay thousands of dollars to fix this. There are no exceptions for the few miles that I am over. When filing a complaint with ford about this situation, I was told that the recall for power steering was already done on this vehicle before me owning it. ( the ford dealership was unaware of this) There is no warranty on the recall replacement? This is a very dangerous situation that obviously keeps happening in fords. This is not fair that this is not covered. I complained previously about the steering issues I had at the time when it rains and the way the car handled, along with a few other complaints. I was told if the car did not show power steering issues, so they could not fix something they did not see having issues. At that time the gear shifter was replaced. I was not a fan of the service I received at FORD because I thought they were ignoring many of my issues. I don't know if I would be without a car right now if FORD would of handled this differently.

NHTSA ODI 11425627

My steering when driving at low speeds is really tight as if my power steering is not working. There is no warning for it and it does not happen non stop it will go away but when it does happen it's random and that can cause a lot of issues if I'm during a sharp corner. I have 2 kids I transport and working 5 days a week to meet clients. This is my only vehicle and have nothing else I can drive.

NHTSA ODI 11425325

Ford Sync screen goes black and stays black. You cannot control rear air such as heat and or a/c. With this in mind and someone having small children that ride in the back and live in an area that sees 90 to 104 degree temperature well I am sure you can guess how hot the car is inside for them. I have been told by dealerships this is a common problem with this year of ford so why is their not a recall for this yet as children and pets are suffering and risking heat stroke due to this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11424465

ABS Trac light came on while driving Car was taken to the dealership twice to fix the problem but Ford wasn't able to find the problem. I know there is a problem with the Ford Focus ABS Module due to recalls and I think on the Ford Explore but Ford isn't saying anything about this problem with the ABS module.

NHTSA ODI 11422776

When filling up the fuel starts dripping in the bottom behind the rear wheel even though the tanks is not full yet.

NHTSA ODI 11422418

Vehicle feels like loses control, briefly and warning lights coming on. Had noticed intermittent, but was heading back from vacation and warning lights stayed on. Drove cautiously back on back roads, avoiding highway and took to local Ford Dealership and it was determined that the past steering recall repair has failed (15N01). The fix is warranteed so they ordered parts needed to fix problem. Unfortunately the vehicle has been out of use due to serious safety concern as advised by dealership as well as Ford, but part has no ETA on when available. I have been without a vehicle for over a month. Dealership was aware I reached out to Ford and also contacted representative at Ford I had contacted. Claim was filed, but to this day we still have no ETA on the fix and I am without use of this vehicle and they won't do anything in the interim to rectify the concern. I have a claim with Ford with a Yeniss Frias Case No. CAS-31788394-F9K2Y9  - 1-866-631-3788 Extension #:79,088 and myself and Kyle at Kimber Creek Ford 1-218-818-4419 have reached out and we have no answers and I have no driveable vehicle and no info on when if ever I will. This is beyond poor customer service on Ford's behalf to rectify a dangerous problem and to tell a customer sorry we don't know when and the customer has nothing safe to drive in the interim and they won't help with that either, is VERY poor and may cause others if in similar situation to just take the risk and drive the defective vehicle as people need their transportation and to offer no timeline. I was told when asked about loaner or rental by Ford, I didn't qualify as I didn't have a warranty, despite the recall fix being warranteed. They told me basically sorry, these are unusual times so doing their best. But yet as I noted, I get unusual times, but then maybe some things like helping someone have a safe vehicle to use in the interim should be reconsidered. The consumer stated there is no communication with Ford and an inability to drive the vehicle due to the defect.

NHTSA ODI 11418379

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS POWER STEERING ASSIST WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE DRIVEN WITH MANUAL STEERING ONLY. ROUNDTREE FORD (8770 BUSINESS PARK DR, SHREVEPORT, LA 71105, (318)798-3673) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE STEERING MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS THEN INFORMED THAT THE REPAIR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11416339

JUST PURCHASED THIS CAR, DECIDED TO LOOK UP ANY RECALLS AND FOUND 1 PERTAINING TO THE TOE LINKS. LOOKING THROUGHLY AT THE VEHICLE THERE ARE A LOT OF MAJOR DEFECTS. THIS IS GOING TO BE A DAILY DRIVER FOR MY DAUGHTER AND I AND I TRULY DON'T FEEL SAFE AS I'M READING ALL THE REVIEWS AND RECALLS. THE ONLY THING I CAN MENTION AT THIS MOMENT ABOUT THIS CAR WOULD BE THE BACK WASHER FLUID LEAKS INTO THE CABIN, THE HOOD OF THE CAR DOES NOT SHUT CORRECTLY-HANDLE FOR THIS AREA IS LOOSE. THE STATE OF THIS CAR IS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI 11413698

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON THE STARTING OF THE VEHICLE, EXCESSIVE FORCE WAS NEEDED TO STEER THE VEHICLE. THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT CALLED LORENZO FORD (30725 SOUTH FEDERAL HIGHWAY, HOMESTEAD, FL 33030) WHERE THEY INFORMED HER TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR AN INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11408184

PERSISTENT EXHAUST ODOR IN VEHICLE UPON START UP . WHEN THE VEHICLE CRANKS UP AND WITH A/C ON THERE IS A STRONG EXHAUST ODOR , IT ISN'T AS NOTICEABLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS BUT STILL THERE . THIS ISSUE STARTED A COUPLE WEEKS AGO AND HASN'T WENT AWAY

NHTSA ODI 11407848

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER, AND AFTER WAITING FOR APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES, THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND THE STEERING FUNCTIONALITY WAS RESTORED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING FAULT WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT SPOKE TO A REPRESENTATIVE AT KEN STOEPEL FORD (400 SIDNEY BAKER ST S, KERRVILLE, TX 78028, (830)257-5553) AND IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAIRED PREVIOUSLY UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000 (STEERING) HOWEVER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED FOR A SECOND TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT UNDER RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 140,000.

NHTSA ODI 11407306

AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT ONTO A CITY STREET THE POWER STEERING ALERT CAME ON AND I LOST POWER STEERING. THE CAR WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER AND I BARELY MANAGED TO STAY ON THE ROAD. TURNING WAS THE DIFFICULT PART. I PARKED THE CAR AND SHUT OFF THE ENGINE. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN THE POWER STEERING HAD RETURNED.

NHTSA ODI 11404948

2/17/21 MY AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON... BUT WHEN I LOOKED FOR A RECALL OR WHAT TO DO IT SAYS I DON'T HAVE A RECALL....

NHTSA ODI 11396920

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED AND MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING ASSIST WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED LANDERS FORD SOUTH (95 GOODMAN RD E, SOUTHAVEN, MS 38671, (662) 349-4300) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS LIKE THE FAILURE LISTED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000 (STEERING). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 186,000.

NHTSA ODI 11391007

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING THE RACK AND PINION REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. RECENTLY, THE VEHICLE STARTED EXPERIENCING THE SAME SYMPTOMS, AND WAS TAKEN TO SUBURBAN FORD OF FERNDALE (21600 WOODWARD AVE, FERNDALE, MI 48220 248) 399-1000) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING THE RACK AND PINION REPLACED. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000 (STEERING) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF FAILURE AND DETERMINED THAT THE CONTACT HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THE REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 106,653.

NHTSA ODI 11387506

VEHICLE HAD BEEN STATIONARY ALL DAY. GOT IN IT TO BACK AND AND POWER STEERING FAILED. LIGHT CAME ON THE DASH THAT SAID POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT.

NHTSA ODI 11387364