2015 Ford Explorer Steering Problems
- 145
- 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 145 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 3 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- power steering · 67 records
- steering wheel · 42 records
- steering assist · 19 records
- rack pinion · 17 records
- steering rack · 11 records
- steering gear · 11 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 81 |
| 60–100k mi | 25 |
| 1–30k mi | 22 |
| 100–150k mi | 6 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
While driving in the city the steering became difficult, then the notification system said steering failure please stop, the drive selector failed and the blinkers failed all at the same time. After stopping the steering was unturntable by the average person. Had this failed at freeway speed it would have been deadly if not fatal. After towing the vehicle to the dealer they refused to do anything warranty wise. The…
ODI 11119936
Steering
My wife has for a while heard some noises from the steering and we believed this to be a minor issue. We have had the car in for service a number of times and to our surprise they have not found issues. Now the mileage of the car (38k+) and age (3y+) is beyond warranty and at our last visit to the ford dealer we were informed that it was an issue with the "rack and pinion" and it needed to be replaced at a cost of…
ODI 11113912
Steering
At approximately 57,000 miles, my complete steering mechanism failed as i was driving my vehicle down a road, while out of state on a vacation. Both of my children were in the vehicle when this occurred and luckily no one was injured. The vehicle was towed to a ford dealership where the complete rack and pinion system had to be replaced ($1,900.00). While waiting for a tow truck, i located a ford recall had been…
ODI 11132651
Steering
Steering failed at 65 mph not allowing me turn the vehicle. Hurt wrist trying to avoid others cars.
1 injury
ODI 11113911
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 ford explorer. While driving various speeds on six different occasions, the steering wheel seized and an abnormal noise was heard coming from the steering column. In addition, the advance trac service indicator illuminated. As a result of the failure, the vehicle struck a curb. There were no damages to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to darcars ford lanham ([redacted], lanham, md…
ODI 11111959
Steering
Us service member overseas (which complicates the solution). Purchased vehicle in us in august 2015. Currently about 45,000 miles on a 2015 ford explorer sport and loud pop from steering column at low speeds. Local mechanic says entire steering column needs replaced and over 2600 euro ($3000). Shouldn't happen at low miles. Others experiencing similar issues across model years.
ODI 11121288
Steering
The electronic power steering assist (epas) went out while while my wife was manuevering through a parking lot one time and while driving down the road another time. Luckily no accident resulted from either occurence.
ODI 11111030
Electrical System · Steering
The electric system went on the fritz when it was significantly hot outside. This caused the power steering to falter and the car to be essentially inoperable. This happened 4 times throughout the summer, and it seemed to happen on extremely hot days. It would always occur while driving and caused significant danger to not only myself, but other motorists as well. At high speeds when the steering went out the car…
ODI 11190029
Steering
I was in downtown des moines and received a "service steering fault now" warning. I continued to drive to find a parking spot. While parallel parking, i recieved the warning again but this time the steering went out. I was unable to turn the wheel at all. I was on the railroad tracks as a train was coming at this point. I continued to try to move the steering wheel anyway i could to at least get off the tracks. O…
ODI 11124710
Steering
Power steering locks intermittently while driving the car. It happened about a week ago, when i started the car the next day it was ok. It happened again this last friday july 6, 2018 on a city street while driving the vehicle. I was able to drive it home. It is parked on my driveway now, i won't drive the car its dangerous.
ODI 11110216
Steering
While turning the steering wheel to the right a knocking sound can be heard. Took vehicle to my local ford dealer and it was diagnosed with having a bad steering gear and it needed to be replaced for $1600 plus tax. The vehicle has 35,766 miles on it and is over the 3 year warranty by 5 months. Ford would not give assistance on replacing the part. Someone needs to look into these faulty steering components before…
ODI 11115325
Steering
While driving down a gravel road at approximately 35 mph, the power steering stopped working. The vehicle displayed a message advising the power steering assist had failed and a service advancetrac was showing. I was able to drive the vehicle home, but it was very difficult to turn. Luckily, my wife was not driving down a busy highway or in a curve as that would have easily resulted in a bad accident. The local ford…
ODI 11110401
Steering
Electronic steering assist control freezes up while the vehicle is in motion, causing loss of steering control. This could result in an increased risk of a crash. The vehicle must be pulled over and turned off. The vehicle must be turned off for about 10 minutes. When restarted, the problem ceases. Sometimes the vehicle must be turned off for longer periods than 10 minutes to "reset" the problem. This error has…
ODI 11105105
Power Train · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 ford explorer. While driving at low speeds, the steering wheel lost power and the power steering gear assembly indicator illuminated. In addition, the power train warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to longmont ford ([redacted], longmont, co 80501, [redacted]) where a diagnostic test located a failure code. The contact was unable to provide the diagnosis and failure code…
ODI 11103411
Gear Box (Other Than Rack And Pinion) · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 ford explorer. While turning the steering wheel to the right, an abnormal clicking noise was heard. The vehicle was taken to freeway motors of rogers ([redacted], rogers, mn 55374, [redacted]) where it was diagnosed that the steering wheel gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
ODI 11101851
Power Train · Steering
80,000 mileage starting with steering noisy and click noisy sometime . Powertrain looses when parking and hard to shut off the engine.
ODI 11218545
Steering
My steering wheel locked up. I couldn't turn the wheel at all. Mechanic says the steering module needs to be replaced.
ODI 11099220
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 ford explorer. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized. The dealer (casa ford, [redacted], el paso, tx 79925, [redacted]) was unable to duplicate and diagnose the failure. The dealer indicated that they would test drive the vehicle and asked the contact to leave the vehicle with them for further diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was…
ODI 11099158
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 ford explorer. While driving low speeds, the steering wheel made a grinding noise and became difficult to maneuver. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked when attempting to change lanes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (jack bowker ford lincoln, 2415 n 14th st, ponca city, ok 74601) where it was diagnosed that the power steering assist failed. The vehicle was not repaired.…
ODI 11093762
Steering
This was the 3rd time it had happened. On 5/11/2018 the steering wheel locked up in the parking lot and not on the highway like before. We had to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealership verified that it was locked up and the codes were still displaying on the dash. After investigating the codes the dealer stated that the steering column needed to be replaced. Well when the steering column was replaced…
ODI 11096849
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Vehicle has less that 65,000 miles and the electrical power steering assist shuts down making the vehicle unable to turn. This happened to me while on the freeway going 50 mph making it extremely dangerous to control. The vehicle now has no power assist to help with steering at all.
ODI 11093199
Steering
I was driving on the highway at 60 mph and the car beeped a warning stating steering malfunction and my wheel just locked. I was in my car with my wife and two kids. I immediately put on my blinkers and started honking, luckily everyone around me realized my car was in trouble and safely made it off the highway. Something like this is extremely dangerous when you cannot control a car at 60 mph
ODI 11093822
Steering
At interstate highway speed 80mph my power steering was lost. I had two warnings pop up as it went out; steering loss stop safely and service advance track. There was not any warning at all. This was not a typical power steering loss i have experienced this with older vehicles i have had. I had to put nearly my full body weight of 300 lbs into steering to a safe place. Had this happened to others this very well…
ODI 11091998
Steering
Steering failed while driving in motion resulting in a close call when crossing intersection having oncoming traffic to interstate ramp, evidently a major safety risk, due to electronic steering rack design issue. Estimate of over $2,253.00 repair with $1,343.00 part at local ford dealership.---thanks,
ODI 11076466
Steering
Since around 40000 miles, power steering will have a loud click and pop with all turns. Since 50000 miles, during the turn, the power steering will lock and the driver will have to pull hard to change turn radius. Took it to ford - entire epas (electronic power assisted steering) needed to be replaced. This is unsafe and unacceptable at 50000 miles.
ODI 11079200