2012 Ford Explorer Steering Problems
- 168
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 168 stored complaint records:
- 6 indicate a crash
- 3 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- power steering · 132 records
- steering wheel · 35 records
- steering assist · 33 records
- assist fault · 22 records
- needed replaced · 14 records
- steering failed · 13 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 61 |
| 30–60k mi | 35 |
| 60–100k mi | 24 |
| 100–150k mi | 20 |
| 150–400k mi | 16 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
A few times at slow speeds the 'power steering assist fault' light would come on and it was very difficult to steer. If the engine was turned off and back on, it would clear the issue. This last time it happened the 'service advancetrac' light also came on and the issue could not be cleared. The car was too difficult to steer and had to be towed to the dealership. All of these happened at slow speeds.
ODI 11052656
Steering
Power steering assist fault, lose of steering at low speed lost control and hit curb
Crash reported
ODI 11053402
Steering
Gear steering assy problem. Stiffness in steering
ODI 11052898
Steering
Our power steering system finally went out on our 2012 xlt. In fact, the wife was driving on the interstate with our two toddlers at 75mph when it went out. She pulled over and i had to meet up with her and drive it home (not easy). We would have been eligible for the recall if this happened 8k miles ago, but since we are over the 150,000 limit, i get to pay $1940.00 to get it repaired(getting repaired as this is…
ODI 11051246
Electrical System · Power Train · Steering
After starting the car while parked the 'service advance trac" warning came on. After driving approx. 100 feet the warning went away. There was a slight hardness in the steering at this time. That went away when the warning went away. This occurred on nov. 10, 2017. The second problem occurred on nov. 23, 2017. While parked overnight and all day in our garage i started the car and the "power steering assist fault''…
ODI 11048224
Steering
Power steering quit working in the parking lot. Has no power steering. Has had a software update to fix the steering and was told the steering needed replaced but the part was on back order and then was told the vehicle didn't qualify to have the steering rack replaced and now it has failed.
ODI 11033385
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Steering
I was driving on an intersection that dashboard lights started flickering and the car indicated check manual and orange wrench came out... And all of the sudden car stop & i tried starting it but it would it was in the middle of nowhere... I was on 342 n. San fernando rd., los angeles, ca 90031 around 2:00 pm
ODI 11011372
Steering
Power steering assist fault show up and the steering wheel is very hard to move. I start and turned off a couple times nothing happens. This is my second time this happen. The first time start working again but now have 2 weeks in may garage without be able of move the car.
ODI 10994054
Steering
Immediately after ignition is turned on, power steering failure light comes on and steering wheel can barely turn. Turn off ignition and back on again and it is gone. This has happened 5 times in the last 2 months.
ODI 10993678
Steering
Power steering on the vehicle has failed on and off. I find out tomorrow what kind of service bill i am going to be hit with when they attempt the recall. This recall has been around since 2014 and i was never notified of it! If this had happened while my wife was actually driving the car it could have caused a major accident! *tr
ODI 10928405
Electrical System · Engine · Steering
Drove about 2 miles in the morning while turning onto the interstate ramp the steering locked up would not go over 30mph, suv started to smoke while the temperature gauge never changed inside of the vehicle. Lucky to not have caused a major accident. After having vehicle towed, per the mechanic the computer system is fried, motor valves melted, and all spark plugs need to be replaced. This suv is only a 2012 and…
Fire reported
ODI 10925105
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Steering
Takata recall i purchased this vehicle in january 2016, on october 22, 2016 while driving in elberton georgia my car alerted me that the power steering needed to be serviced. About 2 miles down the road my turn signal wouldn't stay on when being used to turn. A few hours later when ready to head home i could not get my car to steer without major effort on my part. I am a mother of 3 and i refuse to put my kids in an…
ODI 10918768
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Vehicle has been driving perfectly fine and out of no where it shows 2 warnings. One indicting to service power steering, and the other indictating to service advance trac system. The steering fluid is full and there are no damaged to the hose or power steering system. This is showing the same signs of the recalled explorers yet this one has not been recalled.
ODI 10915078
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Vehicle has 66,000 miles. The service power steering now and advancetrac warning lights came on saturday evening (9/10/16). Vehicle drove with no issues that evening. Sunday morning (9/11/16) the same indicator lights came on and the power steering did not work. Checked for leaks, fuses, etc. And no apparent issues. As dealerships were closed on sunday, autozone ran diagnostics and showed zero error codes, even with…
ODI 10905739
Power Train · Steering · Unknown Or Other
Gear shift message - 'shift to park' after putting vehicle in park and ignition is turned off.
ODI 11033282
Steering
When i was driving my ford explorer 2012 on a busy highway (us 60), the vehicle suddenly reminded me that "power steering assist fault", then the steering wheel became inoperable, which put me in an extremely dangerous position. Very luckily, no accident happened; a gentleman stepped out his vehicle and told me to restart the vehicle; after that my vehicle become operable. This is the first time, "power steering…
ODI 10876667
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford explorer. While driving at a low speed in reverse, the steering wheel seized completely. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the angle sensor and housing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 76,000.
ODI 10889344
Seat Belts · Steering · Suspension
The front strut tower mounts are bad. This is on every 2011-2015 ford explorer i have seen. It makes a bad clunk sound everytime the wheel is turned.
ODI 11309119
Steering
When we first bought the explorer in 2012 the steering quit working on a hill and my wife crashed into a bank and a concrete light pole. Never was paid back for our insurance deductible plus now we have a wreck car not worth nothing even thought it was repaired. Ford did there update recall to the steering. All has been fine till april 2016. Twice it has showed a steering assist fault and the steering wheel wouldn't…
ODI 10861901
Steering
I first reported an incident with the loss of power steering on march 24. I was told the problem was resolved by the dealer by replacing my battery? Here it is 10 days later and another power steering assist failure. Vehicle was remote started from inside our home. 5 or more minutes later my wife got in the truck to find no power steering and the "power steering assist fault" error message on the dash.
ODI 10852366
Steering
My wife first told me she thought she had a flat in the front tire because the steering wheel was pulling back and forth. She stopped to check, no flats. Restarted the vehicle and all was good. Later that week while driving her dashboard lights blinked including the traction control lights. (she wasn't sure what other lights illuminated) at the same time the power steering failed. The software fix had already been…
ODI 10851416
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, the power steering assist suddenly failed and caused the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who indicated that the power steering was faulty. The contact indicated that the power steering assist software was updated in 2013, but the failure still occurred. The manufacturer was…
ODI 10944980
Steering
While making a left hand turn, the power steering went out, causing my vehicle to veer into a brick mailbox and ditch. Resulting in major damage to my vehicle and mailbox. Also causing injury to my right arm and shoulder.
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10818216
Steering · Vehicle Speed Control
I was on a residential street driving 35 miles an hour when the car suddenly went less than 5 miles an hour immediately. I drove it off to a safe spot and parked it. Luckily no one was behind med and i was not on an interstate or highway. No warning. It would not go over 5 miles an hour, even with the accelerator push all the way to the floor. I took it back to the dealer, where it was evaluated and i was told it…
ODI 10748883
Steering
When turning steering wheel left to right it makes clunking sound sound comes from under car most of the time to the right
ODI 10730859