2013 Ford Explorer Steering
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Was at a restaurant and when Vehicle was started to leave, power steering was out along with "Power steering assist fault" message on dash. Vehicle was able to be driven back to residence, but unsafe to drive. Vehicle is now parked until repairs can be made.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. While the contact's wife was driving at 40 MPH, the power steering assist failed without warning. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle back home. The contact called the dealer and was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
The power steering failed and almost caused me to get into an accident. My safety was put at risk because I almost crashed into on coming traffic making a left hand turn. There are thousands of other who have complained about this issue from 2013-2017 models. Power assist fault light came on and I lost full control of the steering of the vehicle. This is absolutely ridiculous this hasn't been one of the biggest recalls of all time. 10's of thousands of these Explores have had the same situation happen and because my build date was out of the initial 14s06 recall I had to pay out of pocket over $2000 dollars. This is a major safety concern that needs to be addressed. I work at a Ford dealership and one of the employees just bought a 2017 Explorer a week ago and the steering gear just failed on that one. Recall 14s06 needs to be extended to all Explorers from 2013-2017.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became firm and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The message "Steering Assist Fault" was displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the contact was informed that the rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); which was linked to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 218,000.
While driving vehicle started pulling in curves. When we pulled into a gas station steering became locked up. Apparently due to a failure in the EPAS system on the car. We were fortunate that it did not occur while driving as the wheel will not turn left or right at all. Ford dealership advised that since it was 1 year and 24000 miles over they could repair at cost of $3227.02. FMC advised it was not a safety issue which concerns me as if that had occured while driving it could have been catastrophic.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving in reverse, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. After which, a warning message displayed reading "Service advanced track." After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 177,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the steering wheel occasionally became difficult to maneuver. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed temporarily on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the electronic steering module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the VIN not being included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) or Ford Service Campaign 14S06. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 72,500.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering warning light was illuminated. The stability-trac and loss of power steering messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was reprogrammed four times. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure was due to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.
The contact owned a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 155,645.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road by using physical strength to turn the steering wheel. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering functionality returned. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving, and there was significant play in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). A case was opened, and the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when the vehicle was purchased from an auction it was listed with power steering assist failure. The contact stated that the power assist failure and the traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The dealer confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 195,500.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal sound. The contact became aware that the power steering was inoperable. The contact stated that the steering was extremely difficult to turn due to the failure. However, the vehicle was safely driven to the residence. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after remaining with the mechanic for two weeks. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The contact stated that there was an open recall for the failure, but the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the steering wheel was locked. The contact stated that there was a message displayed that the steering wheel was locked. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed. The mechanic stated that the power steering had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 159,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH and making a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the power steering functionality had not returned. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 14S06 Steering System Sensor Fault (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 207,000.
Something is wrong with my power stirring when I am driving all of sudden my power stirring just quits working if i can get pulled over and turn off the car an let it sit for awhile it mite be fine and not always serve time's I'm turning the corners and it happens I never know when its going to do this.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the steering wheel was turned left, however, the steering failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the steering proceeded to go forward. In addition, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle slid onto the grass and crashed into a barrier. The air bags deployed. The engine seized. The vehicle started, and the vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The contact stated that this was an extremely terrifying situation. The contact was the only occupant in the vehicle. The contact sustained a skinned left shoulder and a stiff neck, however, no medical attention was required. No Police report was filed. The vehicle was damaged to the passenger's side front grill. The contact stated that due to his fear, the vehicle had not been driven since the crash occurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. In addition, the contact was a certified mechanic and stated that the failure indicated a possible failed electronic steering module. The contact referenced recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000(Steering) which had a similar failure description, however the contact VIN was not associated with the recall. The dealer was made aware of the failure, however the contact was informed that the contact's vehicle was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the contact's VIN was not associated with any unknown recalls. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,953.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel seized. The contact was not able to turn and almost collided with another vehicle. The contact forcefully turned the steering wheel and heard a loud pop. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the steering wheel bearing. The contact was informed that the steering wheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly after the steering wheel seized in place, making it impossible to maneuver the vehicle. The power steering assist and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 111,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed, and the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 173,289.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, while turning the steering wheel to the right to follow the road, the steering seemed to seize, and extra effort was needed to turn the steering wheel. The contact arrived at her destination and parked the vehicle. When the contact returned to the vehicle and restarted the vehicle, the power steering functionality had not returned. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The traction control warning light was illuminated, and the "Service Power Steering Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 166,394.
The steering system, a known problem which previously had a recall in 2014, is failing. My SUV is apparently not included in that recall, even though it is the same issue. There are no warning lamps. This was confirmed via OBD2 scanner and the SUV's behavior. Confirmed by dealer. It has been an issue since I purchased the vehicle in 2023. On 2/14/24, I took it in for a different recall issue - toe link. The tech told me I needed a front-end alignment, which he did not do. I took it to another mechanic for the alignment, at which time they informed me there was an issue.
My 2013 explorer that I purchased is apart of the recall OEM 15n01 EPAS steering efforts. My VIN matches under the recall and my steering gear/rack seems to be faulty or broken. The service center confirmed the steering rack is faulty and is not safe to drive, It doesn’t let me drive in a straight acceleration and there’s knocking/grinding noise when it allows me to turn the wheel. What steps do I take in having this issue repaired?
When I move my steering wheel in any direction there's a grinding noise and my steering wheel tries to get stuck.There was no warning lights on and now the vehicle is difficult to drive
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The 2013 Ford Explorer has 677 Steering complaints on file. 8 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.