What 1,671 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

The contact's sister owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his sister was driving 75 MPH, the power steering assist fault warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The steering wheel became firm and his sister was unable to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was initially towed to a hotel; the next day, the contact drove to his sister's location and towed the vehicle back to her residence. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where he was given an estimate for the repair and was informed that the part for repair was on backorder. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ODI 11480541

Electric power steering failing while driving. Loss of power steering assist cause vehicle to become hard to steer at speed, no warning lights. Took to mechanic who reproduced the problem but said they could not do anything and it had to go to the dealer for repair.

NHTSA ODI 11480380

I was on my back from NJ and all of a sudden my vehicle had a power steering fault and Terrain managment fault, I had just decided to resolve the issue by turning the vehicle on/off again, and it worked, it got me safely home but the terrain managment fault persisted, I was confused and unsure whether to keep on driving, forward from that, it felt harder to steer and slow my vehicle down, while i was going at the speed limit at one point I had attempted to stop before a red light and my vehicle even though brakes were pushed, stopped after the red light. I managed to have parked my vehicle at home, and all the faults came through "Power Steering Fault", "Terrain Managment Fault", the car steering wheel refused to turn, and my vehicle has now been in the dealership for a week, due to the amount of ford explorers that have the same issue, I have not yet gotten by car issues diagnosed from them. If it were to have happened sooner it may have lead to a vehicle accident involving 5 people. This issue is persistent and has to be looked at and resolved

NHTSA ODI 11480361

While turning into a parking lot the steering wheel locks up and almost impossible to control the steering. This will cause me to have a wreck. It will reset when the vehicle is cut off and back on. Ford had a recall on the 2013 models for this reason because it locks up the steering wheel it is a dangerous thing. I need help I read there is alot of people with this issue with their 2014 explorers around the same millage. There needs to be a recall on this

NHTSA ODI 11480376

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while exiting a parking spot, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the rack and pinion to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but experience the same failure after the repair on two separate occasions. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,712.

NHTSA ODI 11480035

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,044.

NHTSA ODI 11479795

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH and making a turn, the steering wheel locked. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" and "All Terrain Maintenance" were displayed. The contact turned on her hazard lights. The contact stated as she turned off the vehicle and restarted it, the steering wheel regained power steering. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic at two different occasions. The independent mechanic diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the rack and pinion was replaced twice. However, the failure persisted. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11479538

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Additionally, the steering wheel seized. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

NHTSA ODI 11478996

I am un able to steer my vehicle almost got into an accident on my way to work . I lost all steering function and lights displayed for power steering assist . I feel this issue needs to be part of the recall amd include 2014 explorers seems to be a common complaint as I was reading and very unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11478089

Cranked car and began to drive home. Noticed there was a grinding noise when turning the steering wheel at low speeds. After approx 10 miles, while driving on a straight road, the steering wheel started jerking to the left and then automatically straightening itself up and then jerking to the right. This happened two times within a 6 mile distance. The second time it happened, there were two orange notifications that popped up. One said Service AdvanceTrac and one said Steering Fault Service Now. After that, the vehicle became extremely difficult to maneuver. I almost hit other vehicles several times as I was driving on a 6 lane divided road so traffic was on either side of me and the steering wheel wouldnt stay straight. Upon arriving at my destination, the vehicle sat in the driveway for 2 days until it could be towed to the shop. Upon cranking the vehicle, an orange notification popped up that said Service AdvanceTrac, as well a red notification that said Steering Loss Stop Safely. Problem persisted, vehicle had to be manhandled to be able to steer the wheel to get it loaded so it could be taken to the shop for diagnostic. Tech duplicated issue and diag as needing a new steering rack but cleared codes and vehicle began running as designed but quickly malfunctioned again. Mileage 142885 at time of fault.

NHTSA ODI 11477783

Power steering went out while driving the vehicle and steering wheel was extremely difficult to maneuver. Received error “steering assist fault service required”

NHTSA ODI 11477469

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that the "Service Advance Trak" and "Steering Assist Fault, Service Required" messages were displayed on the instrument panel. Two independent mechanics and three dealers were notified of the failure. The manufacturer was also notified about the failure and referred him to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 163,000.

NHTSA ODI 11476091

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the steering assist fault warning light illuminated, with a message to “Drive Safely’ displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with a failure within the electronic steering rack. The dealer stated parts were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 104,200.

NHTSA ODI 11476108

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The steering assist warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road using physical strength to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced; however, the dealer informed the contact that the parts were on a national backorder. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the parts were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11476121

DRIVING DOWN ROAD AND LOST STEERING. WOULD NOT STEER AT ALL. THE STEERING RACK MALFUNCTIONED. HAD MECHANIC SHOP IDENTIFY ISSUE. THE POWER STEERING SERVICE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN STEERING WAS LOST AND THERE WAS NO NOTICE. HAD TO HAVE STEERING RACK REPLACED. LUCKY NOBODY GOT HURT. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. FORD HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH STEERING ISSUE BEFORE. I THINK FORD SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND I AM LOOKING FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE TOW AND REPAIRS.

NHTSA ODI 11475075

Power Steering and Terrain Managment Sysyem Fault, Left me trapped in a completely different state, Vehicle only has 55,588 Miles on it, I haven't yet gotten it checked, but will update my complaint as soon as I do

NHTSA ODI 11474743

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 15 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The driver was able to steer the vehicle safely to a nearby parking lot. The contact was unaware if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with the steering gear assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V245000 (Suspension). The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

NHTSA ODI 11473375

The power steering went out and made the vehicle impossible to drive.We were on vacation 112 miles from home when this happen, so I had it towed 112 miles back home and I took it in the the dealer I purchased it from. They said there was a recall on 2011-2017 Explorers but excludes the 2014 model year. This vehicle only has 24517 miles on it and the dealer said I would have to pay the whole repair bill of almost $2200. Ford knows there is an issue with these vehicles so I don't understand why they would not include the 2014 Explorer also.

NHTSA ODI 11473090

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the power steering failed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled safely to the side of the road for 15 minutes and restarted the vehicle. The contact drove home safely; however, the steering failure reoccurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.

NHTSA ODI 11472308

I was driving down the street and my steering wheel locked up and all kinds of warning lights came on. I glided in to a parking lot and I am 7 months pregnant. I took it to dealer and they said it was the steering gear which was going to cost me over $2600. I started researching and see that this was a recall on 2011-2013 and 2015=2017 Explorers but not on the 2014. This is crazy. Luckily there were no other cars around or I would have been in a bad accident. I believe this should be a covered recall on my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11472041

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal grinding sound was coming from the steering wheel while steering in either direction. In addition, the contact also stated that the steering wheel would fail to readjust after making a turn and would stiffen while driving at various speeds without warning. The contact called the dealer where she was given an estimate for the repair and was informed that the parts to repair the steering wheel were on back order. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and provided the same information as the dealer. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11471230

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was locked with the Service Advance Trac and Steering Fault - Service Now messages displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle regained power steering functionality. Upon taking the vehicle to an unknown dealer for an oil change, the dealer was notified of the failure. The dealer diagnosed that no issues were found; however, the contact stated that the steering felt sticky while driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no early availability to inspect the vehicle. The contact stated while driving 45-60 MPH while taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic, the steering wheel seized inadvertently. The Service Advance Trac and Steering Fault - Service Now messages were displayed. The contact stated that he shook the steering wheel several times and the steering wheel loosened. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the electric power steering assist unit had failed and needed to be replaced; however, neither the OEM parts nor aftermarket parts were available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as there was no open recalls associated with the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer. A case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11470431

second time loss of power steering, first time almost got in accident. they said it was battery, so they replaced battery and reprogramed it at dealership. second time it happened was parked and when restarted no power steering, brought to dealership they said it was the steering rack, replaced rack, cost 2400,00 this should be covered under the recall

NHTSA ODI 11470441

The electronic steering assist is making noises. It’s hard to steer, steering locks up same issues as 2011-13 and 2016-17 Explorers. 2014 is the only model which hasn’t been recalled mileage is 112453 bought used with 109280 miles. When driving the steering wheel will suddenly lock up where you can’t turn then after a moment or so it will free up. This is very dangerous and I’ve seen a lot of other Ford Explorer owners with this same year 2014 having same problems and even wrecking their cars because of it. Ford recalled 2011-13 and 2016-17 but not 2014 or 2015 and these years are having same problems as the recalled vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11469965

the steering is getting hard and soft. when turning making it difficult to drive

NHTSA ODI 11469287