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

Our Explorer has been riding extremely rough going down smooth highways and the slightest bump in the road make the car shake sideways as if it’s almost bending in half. Last week, We drove a couple miles down the road and stopped at Walmart. After loading groceries up I started the car to leave and the steering wheel was harder than normal to move. I thought we might have had a low tire and we weren’t that far from home, however as we’re driving home, the dash notification screen lights up and says power steering assist fault. So I then let off the gas pedal attempting to try to slow down and this causes the steering wheel to completely tighten up, almost causing us to wreck as I can no longer move the steering wheel more than an inch in either direction while going down the highway. The only way I was able to get us home safely was stopping and going no more than 15 mph until we pulled into our driveway. I will not let my family get in the car until I know we’re all completely safe and out of harms way. The Ford dealership in Ponchatoula said it will have to be towed there and the problem won’t go away until the faulty steering motor is fixed. We were told they’ve had plenty Explorers come in with the same problem as our year, make, model and engine. I’m 6’2 230lbs I should not have this much trouble trying to turn a steering wheel either driving or sitting still.

NHTSA ODI 11482682

The check charging system light came on and the power steering locked up, once it locks it stays mostly down. I was going around a curb at about 55mph when this happened with my two children. If that is not a safety issue I do not know what is. I could have wrecked and we could have been seriously injured or worse. Now my check brake system light is also on, check engine light, and it has a leak in the driver's side third row seatbelt. Now I know that it's said to have the battery and alternator tested and that has been done. I feel like I wasted a lot of money that I honestly did not have to buy a decent vehicle for me and my kids. This part is not under recall for my vehicle, however I have done my research and there are numerous recalls, investigations, and complaints. I need this issue fixed.

NHTSA ODI 11482366

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the steering wheel failed to turn as needed and was inoperable. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The power steering assist message was displayed. The contact notified the local dealer of the failure but the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11482174

The steering assist doesn't work All the time. We have to shut the vehicle off and then restart it. It is really hard to steer. The warning light comes on letting us know that there is a failure. It is available for inspection. This is not a good feeling when this happens. This happens roughly twice a week.

NHTSA ODI 11481772

Steering wheel would turn but the SUV would not turn in the direction the steering wheel direction. Could have been a major accident from the SUV not able to turn directions.

NHTSA ODI 11481512

On more than one occasion (starting at about 90,000 mi) experienced steering wheel lockup while starting vehicle with message alerting to steering assist failure. On those occasions, turning off and restarting vehicle reset the problem. But just the other day while driving, the steering wheel locked up and the message alert was displayed. Luckily vehicle was in right hand lane and was able to drift to the side of the road. Internet search reveals this as a frequent complaint and there is a factory recall for my vehicle year (Ford 14S06), but for a build on or before Feb 2012, mine is in Nov 2012. With a personal OBDII reader, was able to obtain DTC codes U3000-42 and U3000-72 which point to steering/rack n pinion problem. Repair of this problem is an urgent and essential safety issuse and lives are at stake if not fixed. These electrical steering mechanism is less effective than vacuum power assist and in manual mode even harder than old cars without power assist.

NHTSA ODI 11480690

Ac is not blowing cold air, it is also making a hissing noise. I got it inspected by an independent service center, and was told it will be expensive to repair. It is very common with my year and make of vehicle. A freon leak it is very dangerous for a person to breathe in, and can cause significate damage to me and my baby.

NHTSA ODI 11480778

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with the water pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480796

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the coolant warning light illuminated on the instrument panel as the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle would not accelerate above 35 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who discovered a leak in the water pump. The contact called two dealers and was informed that there were no recalls on her vehicle for the water pump and was given an estimate for repair. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480222

My 2013 Ford Explorer Sport lost control while driving. My wife ran off the road while driving going around a curve because the power steering went out without warning. Luckily, she was not in a place where she did not hit anyone but had a near miss with a pedestrian walking on the side of the road. I noticed in the past that the power steering fault indicator came on a few times when starting the vehicle. After turning the SUV off and back on, everything worked fine. I notified them at the dealership the last time I was getting serviced and they said it was a common problem but for some reason, there was no recall for my VIN. After reading the complaints online for this issue, I find it disturbing that this is not a safety recall. I can only imagine how this could have turned tragic while driving down the mountain last weekend if this happened while on a downward descent, my family could have been killed. This is scary to think about and I am surprised that more people have not been seriously hurt or killed due to this electrical malfunction. I also don't understand how the same year models have recalls on the same part but because of the factory location that this is not covered on some VIN numbers. This should defiantly be a recall that is reconsidered. Thank God that she was able to vear enough to miss the pedestrian walking.

NHTSA ODI 11479799

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist would fail to operate as the power steering assist fault warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where she paid to have the vehicle's computer reset. Despite the reset, the failure recently returned. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that her vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11479556

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH while depressing the brake pedal to make a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11479601

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear backup camera had become inoperable. The "System Not Available" message was displayed. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

NHTSA ODI 11479409

Steering Rack Motor Failure recall #14S06 did not include this vin and needs to be added to this vin as the dealership Timberline Ford in Libby Mt has investigated the failure and deemed the issue should be part of this recall and that due to the fact that this was a fleet vehicle (Police Interceptor) this could be why it was not listed in this individual recall. There were no prior instances or notifications before failure. Failure was immediate and the Drive Assist lamp did light up immediately. Traveling down Yaak Pass Hwy 2 Montana the failure occurred causing malfunction in steering capability and adverse and unsafe handling of the vehicle almost causing collision with guard rail, and oncoming traffic. Very winding road way made it difficult to maneuver to a safe location for tow. Putting my passenger and dog (Family) at risk of accident. Below is information obtained from one of many sources on the internet involving this recall: Vehicles Affected: About 177,500 model-year 2011-13 Ford Explorer SUVs The Problem: A potential electrical issue in the steering gear may result in the loss of electric power steering assist while driving. This could cause the steering system to default to manual mode, making the vehicle more difficult to steer, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash. According to the Detroit News, Ford said drivers will hear a chime and see a message in the instrument cluster if electric power steering assist is lost. The Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will either update software for the power steering control module or replace the steering gear for free. Why is my electronic power steering not working? Today's electronic power steering systems may fail due to issues with the mounted electric motor. In particular, excessive heat on the motor is likely to cause the failure modes.

NHTSA ODI 11478979

Today is Thursday, August 11, 2022, while driving on the highway at a speed of 65 miles an hour my steering wheel just lost steering. Ford has a recall of this problem but for some reason my Vin number is not part of the recall. This has occurred about 5 to 6 times since I purchased the vehicle. I returned it to Ford at least about three times with this concern. The first time I was advised that my Vin number was not part of the recall but that it was under warranty and they updated the computer. Other times when I complain about this problem I was advised that there was no code for them to read. And nothing was done. As I stated at the beginning of this complaint it happened to me again. All I can say is thanks to God I was able to control the vehicle and not get into an accident. This is a problem that Ford knows and the highway safety division. This is a safety issue and it’s not new.

NHTSA ODI 11478892

The power steering failed on my 2013 Ford Explorer while driving which made steering extremely difficult, especially at slower speeds. I was very startled by the immediate loss of steering while traveling at a high rate of speed. I also had to be extremely cautious turning to ensure there was ample time to turn and not cause an accident. My turn signals also quite functioning properly. When turning on my turn signals they would only blink once unless I held down the turn signal which would then allow it to work which is difficult to do as it takes the strength of both hands to steer the wheel with the power steering not functioning. The vehicle is available for inspection and I have an appointment to take it to a Ford dealership next week. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or anyone else. It will be taken to a Ford dealership next week as that is the soonest they were able to see it. The two warning messages that went off at the time of power steering failure were Power Steering Failure and Service AdvanceTrac System.

NHTSA ODI 11478544

STEERING LOSS ON HIGHWAY TWO TIMES BUT CAME BACK AND A SQUEALING NOISE WHEN TRYING TO PARK SOME TIMES FOUND OUT THERE ISN'T A POWER STEERING PUMP SO DON'T KNOW WHERE THE SQUEALING NOISE IS COMING FROM BUT IT IS IN THE STEERING HAD THE FORD DEALER CHECK IT OUT AND THEY SAID IT NEEDS REPLACED

NHTSA ODI 11478683

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics who diagnosed a failure with the power steering assist. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The contact pulled the steering wheel for it to operate correctly. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer who diagnosed a failure with the power steering assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.

NHTSA ODI 11478224

I was driving and my steering wheel got really hard to turn.

NHTSA ODI 11477974

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on multiple occasions she noticed that the coolant level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the internal water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to call the NHTSA hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.

NHTSA ODI 11477747

While backing out of my driveway, my power steering fault light came on and I lost power steering. The steering became unresponsive. Fortunately I was going slowly and could stop. We took the car to the Ford dealership to determine the problem. They determined the rack and pinion gear failed requiring the rack & pinion assembly to be replaced. A $3,000 repair. It is frustrating that Ford has recalled thousands of cars of the same model and year for this exact problem, but our particular vehicle was not included in the recall. Ford's response was sorry, your car is not included in the recall. Reading through other complaints on the website, it is clear that Ford knows that this component is defective and refuses to stand behind their vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11477472

I pulled into a parking spot. I shifted to park, turned off my engine. My vehicle rolled backward and hit a parked car while I was still sitting in it.

NHTSA ODI 11476027

The contact called on behalf of his wife who owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was attempting to reverse out of the driveway, the power steering assist was inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 91,669.

NHTSA ODI 11474463

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact related the failure to a faulty fuel pump; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA as well as take the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.

NHTSA ODI 11474509

The contact owned a 2013 Ford Escape and requested to be removed from the recall notification lists.

NHTSA ODI 11474516