What 2,224 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the power steering assist failed, and the steering wheel was stiff and became difficult to turn. The power steering assist and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to drive to his residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure and scheduled an upcoming appointment for diagnosis. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 82,410.

NHTSA ODI 11434271

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting her vehicle, the steering wheel would lock up with the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact called the independent mechanic and was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) which he linked to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle was not under recall. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was provided the same information as the dealer. The manufacturer filed a case. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Consumer stated it happened several times.

NHTSA ODI 11433595

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was driving 55 MPH, the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The steering wheel locked up when the warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted, and the driver pulled over to the side of the road. The driver was waiting on the two trucks to arrive to tow the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA ODI 11433036

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the power assist steering fault message displayed on the instrument panel and the power steering malfunctioned, causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn in either direction. The traction control message was also displayed and the vehicle loss functionality. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 177,000.

NHTSA ODI 11432926

I noticed a "clunking" in my steering, when i turn steering wheel. so husband put it up on jack stand to see if anything was loose. While up on jack stands and turning the wheel, it done a "shutter" feeling. when pulling back and forth on tire, it moved fine. I made appointment with local Ford dealer and they inspected the front end and steering rack. I paid 100.00 for the diagnose. They told me I needed to replace steering rack. costing up to 2500.00 If the price hadnt been bad enough news, they told me it was not recalled, but complaints were high. Also, told me that they can not get parts to fix it for a month or so??? which means, I am paying for a car that i can not drive. Something needs to be done!! As i read through all the complaints on here about steering rack issues, they need to watch over our saftey and others. Im not happy with this situation.

NHTSA ODI 11432694

Was pulling out of my driveway and when I went to go forward the steering became hard so I had to get help to push it back into my driveway

NHTSA ODI 11432695

power steering just died could not control car

NHTSA ODI 11432557

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle and while pulling out of the driveway, the power steering assist and traction control message displayed on the instrument panel and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering control module and steering gear was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 142,000.

NHTSA ODI 11432453

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while in his driveway the steering became inoperable. The power steering message was displayed. The contact called the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was 78,662.

NHTSA ODI 11431955

A significant clunk noise is present any time the steering wheel is used but worse when in reverse. The clunking is present when parked and the steering wheel is moved and while driving. If turning, the clunk is present and there is an involuntary slight but forceful pull of the wheel that has nearly caused an accident. Frequent instances with unusual handling and feels very unsafe, and after being evaluated at a local mechanic it was mentioned that there is a possible misaligned affecting the rear wheel and slight axel off set. It has been stated that if a fracture or bend is present that over time it will significantly diminishes steering control, and put my family at risk for an accident. My local Ford dealership, Bluebonnet Ford of New Braunfels Texas, refuses to assist despite the recent recall due to my VIN not being included in the recent release. I need assistance immediately to keep myself and children safe. I have poured thousands of dollars into this vehicle after sensor failure and AC/hose failure which was essential poisoning my family for months.

NHTSA ODI 11431541

Was driving my 2013 Ford Explorer and the service steering light came on. Pulled in parking lot and turned car off. Turned it back on and then I had do steering. Had to have car towed. Was told I needed a new steering rack. This was a recall on my year 2013 explorer but my car is out of the manufacture date. Major safety issue

NHTSA ODI 11431289

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into drive, the power steering assist fault warning light illuminated the steering wheel seized. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle several times before the vehicle resumed normal functionality. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The contact mentioned NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

NHTSA ODI 11430112

Power Steering Assist Fault comes up when I crank my car. The wheel locks up and I cannot turn it. If I turn the car off and back on, then it works fine.

NHTSA ODI 11429695

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while she was reversing out of a parking space, the steering wheel inadvertently failed to respond and became increasingly difficult to maneuver. The warning message "Power Steering Assist Fault" appeared on the instrument panel. The traction control warning light was also illuminated. The contact stated he was able to forcefully maneuver the steering wheel and drove the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair as the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 118,729.

NHTSA ODI 11429788

My steering wheel is making squeaking noises when turning the wheel back and forth has not seized up on me yet but I don’t want to get to that point.my suv only has 36,000 miles on it not to happy with Ford right now!

NHTSA ODI 11429120

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.

NHTSA ODI 11428510

While driving this 2013 Ford Explorer, it almost ran off the road twice on the embankment close to a shallow ditch. I was going maybe 25 mph. I tried to hold the steering to turn the vehicle but it would not turn. This was a very scary experience which I have never in the past experience nothing like this. I was somewhat able to apply the brakes which the vehicle eventually stopped on the opposite side of the road embankment. Thankfully no other vehicles were approaching from the opposite direction. When the steering become very, very difficult to maneuver three warning lights appear indicating Service Advancetrac, Terrain Management and Power Steering Assist Fault. Please assist in getting this matter and concern address urgently. Thanks in advance

NHTSA ODI 11427286

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking lot, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that as she continued to drive the vehicle, the steering wheel became increasingly difficult to maneuver. The contact also stated the turn signal button would not stay down after being disengaged. The contact stated the warning messages "Service Power Steering Now" and "Service Power Steering System" appeared on the instrument panel with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated at some point she lost control of the vehicle and almost crashed into a telephone pole. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the power steering electrical system needed to be replaced. The failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) due to the date that the vehicle was manufactured. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000.

NHTSA ODI 11426628

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 5 mph, he noticed that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated before the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and restarted the vehicle however, the power steering functionality did not return. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11426156

While shifting my Explorer (which I had just purchased used 3 days prior) from Reverse into Drive after backing out of a driveway, a prompt appeared on the left side of dash instrument panel saying ‘Power Steering Assist Fault,’ and then the power steering failed completely. After struggling to steer the car off the road, I parked and turned the ignition off and back on again and the problem went away (power steering resumed as normal). Then, after backing up again, the same thing happened in the same sequence. Again, I parked, turned the car off and on again and once again, the power steering worked. After this happened twice (in about 15 minutes), the next time I started the car, the power steering assist fault prompt came up again and the power steering never resumed working. I was about an hour away from my home and had to drive the car on the interstate and back home with no power steering and a traction management issue as well (steering became very jerky while adjusting wheel left or right to stay in lane, causing car to swerve back and forth). I notified my salesperson right away, but since it was Saturday, he said to bring it in first thing Monday. I took the car to the dealership I bought it from the following Monday and it was diagnosed and the part was ordered, but apparently is on a national backorder due to the chip shortage. Other prompts that came up (that never came up before) were ‘Service Advance Trac’ and another about the Terrain Management system. The blinker also stopped working automatically- meaning it would not stay on when engaged all the way. I had to hold it down to keep the blinker on, whereas before, it would stay on by itself if blinker arm was depressed all the way. This became difficult when trying to turn the vehicle with no power steering. The car is currently at Phil Long Ford Motor City dealership in Colorado Springs awaiting the backordered part.

NHTSA ODI 11426015

When starting car driver assist alert comes on and car is hard to steer

NHTSA ODI 11425368

I was driving this 2013 Ford Explorer and the POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT warning appeared on the dashboard. The steering became very difficult to steer and maneuver. This can increase risk of accident and place other motorist at risk for serious injury

NHTSA ODI 11425267

Power steering assist fail. It happened in my driveway multiple times in one day, hasn't happened since. Car has been owned by my daughter for only a couple of months. I want to report it as a known issue.

NHTSA ODI 11424174

Power Steering Failure when driving car. Notification of sensor on dash and power steering fails. Had to restart car upon failure to get power steering back. This has occurred several times at several different mileages fir car. Recalls on other Ford vehicles including Ford Explorer have been issued.

NHTSA ODI 11423857

The electric power steering assist failed on my explorer while driving causing me to lose control and hit the ditch. There was a recall with this problem on the 2011-2013 models but both Ford and my local Ford dealer advised me that my vehicle is not part of the recall. It’s the same problem as the existing recall but mine is not included.

NHTSA ODI 11423531