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
Steering making clunking noise when you turn steering left to right most of the time to the right
ODI 10730858
Steering
On 6/23/2015 my wife brought her 2012 ford explorer to me stating it was very hard to steer. By the time i left work at 6pm, the hixson ford dealership was closed. The next morning, while on the way to the ford dealership and while going around a long curve on hwy 546, the steering wheel totally locked up causing me to be within inches of hitting an on-coming car in the curve. Jerking the wheel in the opposite…
ODI 10731049
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford explorer. While driving approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and the service power steering warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the steering seized. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure…
ODI 10731687
Steering
Power steering failed on interstate. Driver drove to a safe place. I met them and drove the car to a place until it could be driven to a dealership. When i tried to drive it to the dealership, vehicle would not steer at all. I called a tow truck. Dealership told me the steering gear needed replaced. They said it wasn't covered under the recall. I called ford customer service and they said the recall had been…
ODI 10731380
Steering
I first encountered the problem on monday june 08, 2015 as i was driving to work at the traffic light all of a sudden the steering was really hard to steer as i was trying to make a left turn i had to use all of might to make the turn very scary. I was able to drive my car home after work that night, everything okay till wednesday, june 10, 2015 @ 7-8am, driving to drop my kids off to school and work, as i was a…
ODI 10725173
Steering
I went to crank my car and when i did i immediately received a power steer fail assist notice. My car had no power steering. I was able to slowly drive to a parking space and review my owner's manual. I let the car set for 10 seconds and then cranked again in hopes that it would reset. It didn't. I was able to drive home and park the car. This morning i took the car to hixson ford in monroe, la. By that time i had…
ODI 10722439
Steering
I am unable to enter the date of 5/29/2015 which was the date this occurred. The car was driving good and i stopped to shop. I came back to the car, cranked the car and immediately received the message of power assist failure. I tried to back up and realized that i had no power steering. I was able to get to a parking spot and checked the service manual. I followed the instructions and hoped that the power steering…
ODI 10722436
Steering
On my way to work the service power steering light came on in my 2012 ford explorer. When i got work i called the ford dealer they said bring the vehicle in the steering could go out. Later the same day i took it to the dealer and the steering went out in the 2.5 mile trip to get to there. I was going very slow and managed to maintain control of the car, it was difficult and scary, no hydraulics any more these…
ODI 10722941
Steering
Started car and power steering assist failure warning came on. You could not steer at all. Had to turn car off and on a couple times to get computer to reset. Cars 3 yrs old just out of warranty and ford won't cover it even though steering could lock up as your driving.
ODI 10721807
Steering
I received a recall notice a while ago and took my car in right away for the software fix. Not long after that, i started having problems where the power steering intermittently didn't seem to be working. 2 weeks ago i took it to the dealer to be checked. They said they found no problem. 7 days later i got in my car and immediately got a power steering assist fault error on the dashboard and couldn't turn the…
ODI 10715146
Steering
In a parking lot on a friday dec.19 at 6am, the steering assist dash warning light came on, and in same instance, steering locked up. I was unable to steer, but was able to bring my 2012 ford explorer limited to a stop. Restarting the car enabled steering. I notified my spouse who called dealership and arranged for a service visit the next monday. Dealer honored recall ( 14s06 electric power steering ) for issue by…
ODI 10671469
Instrument Cluster/Panel · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving at a low speed, the instrument panel illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at high speeds, the steering wheel would shake. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was repaired but the failure recurred. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number 14v286000 (steering). The manufacturer was…
ODI 10817604
Steering
Power steering assist failure light came on and vehicle steering locked up. Was told by ford dealer it is unsafe to drive this vehicle yet they want me to drive it to them to be repaired which they are going to charge me for. I feel this should be covered by ford in full. *tr
ODI 10652906
Electronic Stability Control · Service Brakes · Steering
Safety recall notice 14s06/nhtsa recall 14v-286 we received this recall notice in the mail from fmc. Knowing we had a trip coming up, i immediately took the vehicle in to ken garff ford in utah for servicing and to have the recall corrected. They supposedly fixed the issue so i went on my way. I drove a single gas tanks worth (appx 400 miles) and then everything went to hell. Power steering failed, traction control…
ODI 10633441
Steering
Received recall letter from ford to get my vehicle in immediately. Called sacramento downtown ford and spoke with david. David said "sorry, can't help you right now as they have not sent us the parts or the software". He added, "call back in a couple of weeks". I was shocked that nothing was offered. Website even states may cause inability to steer your car and letter even states may cause an accident. But they…
ODI 10617014
Steering
I was stopped and the car was idling in drive (i was braking) when the car beeped and displayed two warnings, one about power assist failure or off and the other about advancetrac service (i don't remember the exact wording of the errors). The power steering was no longer working in the car. I put the car in park and turned it off and on again. After it turned on it still said the errors but i was able to move the…
ODI 10615170
Steering
While driving down the interstate my power steering went out. It was very hard to maneuver my car to the exit ramp and almost impossible to turn on smaller streets. *tr
ODI 10587951
Steering
On three different occasions within the last month the power steering fault assist has gone off. Twice while driving and once when first staring the vehicle. I took it to the shop and they drove it for a few days but can't fix the problem unless something is recalled or the problem happens while they have the vehicle. This is to dangerous of an issue to happen while driving when my two small children are in the car.…
ODI 10592971
Steering
This is the second incident with the steering assembly. In august of 2012 my power steering failed and the steering assembly was replaced after a two month wait for parts. (first clue there was a serious problem) it was repaired and 6 months later it has failed again. I am a police officer and we have purchased ford explorers as patrol vehicle. I have written a letter to the police association with my concerns about…
ODI 10583438
Electrical System · Steering
My wife was driving our 2012 ford explorer down the highway when the steering went stiff (power steering went off), causing the vehicle to swerve into the other lane, after which the terrain management system fault light came on. I happened to be in our other car following directly behind her and was able to watch the incident happen. She immediately slowed down and steered the vehicle to the side of the road. I…
ODI 10583041
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford explorer. The contact stated that when turning the steering wheel left or right, a grinding noise was heard without warning. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 44,000. *tr
ODI 10567671
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph the power steering suddenly malfunctioned making the steering wheel very difficult to turn. The contact indicated that the disabled air bag and disabled traction control sensor lights illuminated during the incident. The vehicle was turned off and back on several times in order to correct the defect. The vehicle was…
ODI 10577154
Steering
While traveling 70 mph on a highway steering wheel locked up, power steering assist light and traction control lights started flashing. Vehicle began to swerve as brakes were applied. Was able to coast off of highway with much effort and pull into a parking lot to call for assistance. Vehicle taken to dealership. Originally told it "sounds like a sensor has gone bad." notified today that rack and pinion assembly…
ODI 10564989
Electrical System · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford explorer. The contact was driving 50 mph when the advance tracking warning lamp illuminated and the power steering failed. The vehicle was taken the dealer for inspection. The contact was informed that the electronic power assistance system failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the incident. The approximate failure mileage…
ODI 10555479
Steering
Steering suddenly became extremely hard and stiff to the point where i could not make a turn of more than 10% at any speed. Luckily i was only going 25mph at the time of the incident so i was able to gradually guide the car to the side of the road bringing it to a full stop. I tried resetting the "error condition" by restarting the car, but the steering became only marginally better. I was however able to drive the…
ODI 10551790