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

WHEN MY CAR IS TURNING ON THE POWER STEERING WILL BRIEFLY LOCK UP. MY POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY LOCKED UP AS I BEGAN DRIVING RECENTLY AND ONLY UNLOCKED WHEN MY CAR WAS RESTARTED.

NHTSA ODI 11271702

PAINT BUBBLING ON ALUMINUM SURFACES HOOD AND DOOR SKINS, REFERRED BACK TO DEALER WHO REPAINTS AND REOCCURS UNTIL OUT OF WARRANTEE. STEERING FAILURE INTERMITTENT ACCUTRAC CONTROL REQUIRING TOWING AND COMPUTER RESET. CAN FAIL WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN NO OR DIFFICULT STEERING. MULTIPLE TIMES RESET NO CHARGE. ESTIMATE TO REPAIR $2500

NHTSA ODI 11271351

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ALL AMERICAN FORD IN OLD BRIDGE (3698 U.S. 9, OLD BRIDGE, NJ 08857) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROL MODULE WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

NHTSA ODI 11269861

WHILE DRIVING (SECOND INCIDENT, IT WAS REPAIRED BY FORD MOTOR VEHICLE FOR THE SAME THING LAST YEAR) MY STEERING WHEEL BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE. THE VEHICLE KEPT PULLING ME TO THE LEFT, I ALMOST HAD A HEAD ON WITH THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. I WAS SO SHOOK UP, I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND WAITED FOR HELP. MY HUSBAND TESTED IT SINCE AND THE PULL IS QUITE NOTICEABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11269855

UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE THE WARNING INDICATOR "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE" MESSAGE APPEARS AND THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. TURNING OFF AND RESTARTING SOMETIMES RESETS THE WARNING AND POWER STEERING WILL RETURN BUT NOT ALWAYS. THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS (14S06) BUT MY VIN FALLS OUTSIDE THE MANUFACTURE DATE. REACHED OUT TO FOMOCO AND THEY VERIFIED THERE ARE NO RECALLS AND THERE HAVE NEVER BEEN ANY RECALLS FOR MY VIN. ONE MONTH AGO I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM FORD FOR A DIFFERENT ISSUE THAT I HAD FIXED UNDER THE RECALL BY FORD. THAT RECALL DIDN'T SHOW UP IN FORDS DATABASE EITHER FOR MY VIN WHEN I CALLED TODAY BUT YET IT EXISTED AND WAS FIXED. ODD THAT THE SAME POWER STEERING PROBLEM KEEPS OCCURRING ON VEHICLES BUT FORD WONT RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OF A BUILD LOCATION AND DATE. FORD DOESN'T ENGINEER US SPEC VEHICLES BASED ON THEIR MANUFACTURING PLANT, THEY SEEM TO BE SAYING THAT THE SAME ENGINEERS THAT DESIGNED A FAULTY ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR FOR CHICAGO DIDN'T DESIGN A FAULTY MOTOR FOR ANOTHER PLANT. OR THE ORIGINAL "FIX" DIDN'T REAL "FIX" THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11269340

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, WHETHER IN REVERSE OR DRIVING FORWARD, THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED, THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE CONTACT HAD TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AND WAIT A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THEY WERE ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, THE POWER STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000 (STEERING). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

NHTSA ODI 11268826

I HAVE HAD INTERMITTENT ISSUES WITH THE POWER STEERING GOING OUT. GENERALLY WHEN I START THE CAR. I CAN USUALLY RESTART IT AND IT WORKS FINE. JUST RECENTLY, THE POWER STEERING COMPLETELY FAILED WHILE DRIVING. IT IS STILL NOT WORKING. JUST TOOK IT IN TO THE FORD DEALER FOR REPAIR. THEY ARE TELLING MY THAT MY VIN# IS NOT PART OF THE POWER STEERING RECALL, BUT CLEARLY IT HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY THE RECALL OF THE FORD EXPLORER FROM 2011-2013.

NHTSA ODI 11268623

AFTER AN ALL DAY EVENT, I GOT INTO THE CAR, STARTED IT AS USUAL, BUT THE POWER STEERING WOULD NOT WORK. THERE WAS A WARNING ON THE DASH, SO I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. HE HOOKED IT UP TO THE COMPUTER, AND DID A SCAN, WHICH SHOWED SEVERAL CODES RELATED TO POWER STEERING ISSUE. I DO RECALL ON THE DRIVE TO THE EVENT, MY NAVIGATION WENT OUT, WITH A WARNING THAT SD NAV CARD IS NOT WORKING, AND MY PHONE WOULD NOT CONNECT TO THE SYSTEM VIA THE CABLE. MECHANIC RESET THE CODE TO TEST IT OUT. THIS HAS ACTIVATED THE POWER STEERING, RADIO, AND EVEN THE BACK UP CAMERA. YES, BACK UP CAMERA WOULD ONLY WORK PERIODICALLY, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS CAMERA ITSELF. I'M WORRIED POWER STEERING WILL GO OUT DURING THE NORMAL DRIVE. IS THERE ANY RECALL ON POWER STEERING OR ELECTRICAL ISSUES?

NHTSA ODI 11268009

THE ELECTRONIC STEERING RACK HAS FAILED AND LOCKED UP. THIS RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SOME EXPLORERS BUT SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE MORE VIN NUMBERS AS THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 40,000 MILES ON IT. THE PROBLEM STARTED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP FULLY AND POWER STEERING FAILED DURING THEIR TEST DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11267333

SUDDEN POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE DRIVING CRUISING SPEED.. CAR BECAME EXTREMELY LIMITED TO HANDLE. FORD TECH VERIFIED AND PULLED CODE U3000:61 REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF STEERING GEAR.

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POWER STEERING ASSIST LIGHT TURNS ON WHICH CAUSES LOSS OF STEERING CAPABILITY.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN THE VEHICLE, IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE STEERING WHEEL AS IF THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE ALSO HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD AREA OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH TRI FORD INC (LOCATED AT 12610 ILLINOIS 143, HIGHLAND, IL 62249, 618-654-2122) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.

NHTSA ODI 11267066

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AND THE POWER ASSIST DEFAULT WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. SUBURBAN FORD OF FERNDALE (21600 WOODWARD AVE, FERNDALE, MI 48220, (248) 399-1000) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC CAME TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS AN UNKNOWN RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000.

NHTSA ODI 11267082

THERE IS A RECALL FOR 2013 FORD EXPLORER FOR POWER ASSIST POWER STEERING FAILURE. MY VEHICLE BASED ON VIN NUMBER IS NOT INCLUDED(IT IS A 2013 AS WELL) I HAVE A POWER ASSIST POWER STEERING FAILURE AND FORD REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE ISSUE. I HAVE A CASE NUMBER WITH FORD: CAS - 24449952

NHTSA ODI 11266702

ON THE EVENING OF 04OCT,2019 MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE OUTLINED IN NHTSA RECALL #14V286 (POWER STEERING FAILURE). FORD NEEDS TO EXPAND THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES COVERED UNDER THIS RECALL AS THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY FAILURE THAT COULD RESULT IN INJURY, LOSS OF LIFE AND/OR PROPERTY DAMAGE. FORD DOES NOT HAVE A POLICY OR PROCEDURE ON FILE TO DEAL WITH VEHICLE OWNERS LIKE MY SELF I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS HIGHLY REGRETTABLE AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANKS (XXXX) DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11266714

LOST POWER STEERING. THE POWER STEERING WILL INTERMITTENTLY WORK AND YOU WILL GET A POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT NOTICE. THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE (15S11) BUT FOR SOME REASON THIS EXPLORER WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO THE MANUFACTURE DATE. I BELIEVE THAT RECALL NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED TO COVER ALL OF THE VEHICLES AFFECTED. THE VEHICLE IS ALMOST UNSTEERABLE WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11266790

CRANKED UP CAR THIS MORNING AND THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT LIGHT CAME ON. COULD NOT TURN STEERING WHEEL. TRIED AGAIN LATER AND COULD DRIVE IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP 1.5 MILES AWAY. THEY SAID THERE'S NO RECALL. AND IT'S $2300 TO REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR. HAS 107000 MILES ON IT

NHTSA ODI 11266907

THE CAR STEERING STOPS TURNING AND STIFFENS WHILE I AM STILL IN MOTION. IT IS THE MOST TERRIFYING THING EVER.

NHTSA ODI 11258836

ON AUGUST 30TH, HAVING DRIVEN TO THE POOL A SHORT DISTANCE FROM MY HOUSE, I WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK THE STEERING WHEEL TO DRIVE HOME. I MANEUVERED THE WHEEL A BIT AND IT UNLOCKED. THE NEXT DAY WAS A DIFFERENT STORY. I COULD NOT GET IT UNLOCKED TO DRIVE HOME FROM THE POOL NO MATTER WHAT I INITIALLY TRIED. I FOUND IN THE OWNER'S HANDBOOK THAT I SHOULD TURN OFF THE VEHICLE FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES THEN TRY AGAIN. IT DID WORK, HOWEVER THE BOOK WARNED THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING AND COULD "CAUSE AN ACCIDENT"...NO JOKE. I TOOK IT TO THE NEAREST AUTO DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON 2012 AND 2013 FORD EXPLORERS THAT WERE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. MY FORD DEALER SAID THAT THEY WERE SORRY BUT MY "VIN NUMBER" WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. SHOCKED, I HAVE TRIED EVERY VENUE TO GET MY $1,973.13 BILL FROM FORD AND MY CAR RENTAL FROM ENTERPRISE FOR $624.71 PAID BY FORD WITH NO AVAIL. SINCE MY VEHICLE, 2013 FORD EXPLORER, HAD THE SAME ISSUE OF THE RECALL, I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY MINE WAS NOT COVERED.

NHTSA ODI 11258694

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, TO INCLUDE THE MORNING OF SEPTEMBER 27, 2019, WHEN THE 2013 FORD EXPLORER WAS TURNED ON, AN ERROR MESSAGE STATING 'POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT' APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD SCREEN. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AT THE TIME OF THE ERROR MESSAGE. THE POWER STEERING WAS DISABLED AND IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. WE CONTACTED FORD ABOUT THE ISSUE AND WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE 'POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT' FOR THE 2013 FORD EXPLORER BUT OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED BASED ON THE VIN. EVEN THOUGH THE ISSUES WE ARE EXPERIENCING ARE IDENTICAL TO THE RECALL, WE MUST INCUR OUR OWN EXPENSES TO HAVE IT FIXED. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 105,000 MILES

NHTSA ODI 11258481

WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED, MY POWER STEERING SUDDENLY FAILED. THE CAR BECAME IMMEDIATELY UNABLE TO DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11258463

POWER STEERING WILL FAIL WHILE DRIVING DOWN ROAD. THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW FROM FORD AND THEY SHOULD REPAIR IT. THIS FAILURE IS CAUSED BY OVERHEATING OF THE ELECTRONIC ASSEMBLE IN THE STEERING RACK. I WILL SUE FORD IF THEY DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS COMPLAINT.

NHTSA ODI 11257912

WHEN TURNING THE TRUCK MAKES A ROARING NOISE AND DOES NOT RETURN STEERING BACK TO STRAIGHT DIRECTION. HARD TO TURN WHEEL MANUALLY. FORD DEALER DIAGNOSTIC CLAIMS STEERING HAS AN INTERNAL FAILURE AND MUST BE REPLACED FOR SAFETY. ELECTRIC RACK AND PINION STEERING POSSIBLE DELAYED DEFECT!. EXPLORER HAS LESS THAN 66,000 MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ODI 11257527

POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT WARNING AFTER TURNING ON CAR AND PUTTING IT IN DRIVE. . I HAD NO POWER STEERING. TURNED OFF CAR THEN RESTARTED AND THEN I COULD DRIVE.

NHTSA ODI 11257562

MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND THROW THE "POWER STEERING FAULT" ERROR MESSAGE ON MY DASH MULTIPLE TIMES WHEN EITHER I AM BACKING UP, STARTING TO TAKE OFF, WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. IT DID IT ONE TIME ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A FLUKE BUT NOW IT IS HAPPENING ALL THE TIME. AND I HAVE GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND APPARENTLY THERE IS A RECALL ON ONLY CERTAIN MODELS BUT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE SHOULD BE SEVERAL MORE LISTED THE MORE I LOOK AT HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS I AM.

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