2016 Ford Explorer Steering Problems
- 163
- 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 163 stored complaint records:
- 5 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- steering wheel · 57 records
- power steering · 52 records
- rack pinion · 21 records
- steering rack · 18 records
- steering assist · 13 records
- turn steering · 11 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 88 |
| 60–100k mi | 39 |
| 1–30k mi | 25 |
| 100–150k mi | 3 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
My vehicle was in motion, when i heard an odd noise. I stopped and decided to move only to hear a grinding noise any time i turned steering to left or right. Went to the chantilly ford dealership in virginia. It was diagnosed as a steering rack pinion problem which cost just over $2000
ODI 11280702
Steering
Traveling south on hwy65 in alabama, we stopped at a rest stop. When we started the explorer back up, the power steering assist fault error message came on and we did not have power steering at all. We drove to another exit and turned off the explorer and the error message was gone and we had power steering back. We traveled back home and i call my local ford dealer for an appointment. I was just informed that i…
ODI 11256478
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While driving 30 mph, a buzzing noise occurred and the power steering assist fault warning indicator displayed "service now". In addition, the steering wheel seized. The contact press the ok button and continue to drive without power steering to his residence. The contact stated that the failure recurred on three several occasions. The contact called grove city ford (1…
ODI 11254413
Steering
I was parked, when a loud sound came from the motor area of my 2016 ford explorer. The service advance track and the steering failure light came on about. I brought the car to dealer and they said that the rack and pinion is leaking, evan that only had 32, 000 miles is not covered by warranty because expires a few months ago, and is going to cost $2,230.00 for the parts and labor. The day before i was with all my…
ODI 11252846
Steering
At approx 65k miles i noticed the steering wheel becoming stiff and a noise of plastic rubbing in the steering column. Today at 67k miles i took vehicle into ford dealer for another recall to be told the rack is bad. Seeing as this is such an abundant issue with these vehicles, i'm trying to understand how this isn't a safety recall. If this part fails while driving it could lead to a catastrophic crash. Honestly…
ODI 11252233
Steering
My husband was driving down the road when a bunch of errors started popping up including steering assist fault, service advance track, service hill descent, etc. The steering on my car immediately locked up and he could barely get the car turned off the road before it shut down. It almost caused an accident as we were nearly rear-ended. I travel the interstate daily and had this happened on the interstate instead of…
ODI 11253761
Steering
We experienced popping noises on the front end while turning at intersections, pulling in and out of driveway and parking spots. Due to having to replace worn tires at 32k, we took to local quick lane at our st joseph ford dealership. We reported the popping noises at this time and requested it be looked at while they replaced tires. There were no finds at this time regarding what was making the noises. We continued…
ODI 11252686
Steering
While taking a 250 mile trip up the coast of california, we stopped for gas. When the 2016 ford explorer was turned back on, a "steering assist fault" error message appeared on the dashboard and i realized i no longer had power steering. The power steering never returned after that. I had to drive the vehicle 250 miles back home with no power steering. I took it to the local ford dealer, and i was told the repairs…
ODI 11244977
Steering
I was driving down the highway and all of a sudden all the warning lights for the power steering starting flashing on my dash and my steering locked up. I almost had an accident going down the road. The garage i have taken it to have told me that the power steering control module and the rack and pinion are what needs replacing and it's $1950.00. I've read hundreds of other people's stories about this exact same…
ODI 11244608
Steering
Driving and lost full power steering control of vehicle. Ford had to replace power steering with only 47,900 miles on vehicle.
ODI 11246226
Electrical System · Steering
Issues started with several electrical glitches that occurred and still occur consistently with no resolution. Battery was "fried" and replaced, sync module was replaced, now the glitches include a frozen steering column while driving and a "charging system service now" light that comes on and off while stationary and driving. Also passenger side view mirror gets stuck outwards, interior electrical malfunctions.…
ODI 11280007
Steering
While driving my 2016 ford explorer, the power steering became loose and making a grinding noise in the front end. The vehicle was taken to a local ford dealership and was diagnosed with a steering rack issue. Needs to be replaced. Ford motor co will not pay for the repair. This is clearly a safety issue. More importantly, while my vehicle was being diagnosed, two additional ford explorers were brought to the same…
ODI 11254414
Steering
My steering problem started while driving, which began with a popping noise when backing up and then a grinding noise while turning left or right when driving forward. The problem quickly progressed and the vehicle became difficult to turn left or right when i was driving in traffic at around 30 mph. I had to muscle the steering wheel to turn the vehicle and managed to drive to the nearest garage. This same garage…
ODI 11252588
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While driving approximately 45 mph, the steering seized. The contact regained control of the steering and drove to purvis ford lincoln (3660 jefferson davis hwy, fredericksburg, va 22408, [redacted]). The dealer diagnosed that the rack and pinion failed. The manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 23972804. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was…
ODI 11243513
Steering
Had just returned to baton rouge,la from biloxi ms, stop to drop off our traveling guest at their home restarted the vehicle and a steering assist error code appeared alone with two other codes uphill start and one for traction. There was no warning or indication something was wrong
ODI 11242495
Steering
I was driving 55mph on the highway when my power steering stopped working. It was very hard to drive and control the car. I could of easily crashed and kill myself or someone else. I had just purchased this car less then a week before and i took it to the ford dealership i bought it from. They said they could not cover it and i have to pay over $2000 to get it fixed.
ODI 11244763
Steering
I was parked at the airport. When i started my car i received a warning "steering assist fault service required" the power steering was completely disabled and i was not able to drive the vehicle without great difficulty. I had to drive it home and it was extremely dangerous. The vehicle was parked when i got the warning.
ODI 11241406
Steering
Steering rack/steering gear failure causing car to lose control and run off road into shoulder/ditch. Alloy wheel bent with running off road. No injury or bodily harm as this occurred in a low traffic area at about 30mph. Steering wheel would lock into turns. Car steering wheel very hard to turn car uncontrollable at any higher rate of speed. Not covered under manufacture warranty or recall. Mileage at failure:…
ODI 11242956
Steering
On the highway with my family in the car "steering fault" light came on and the steering wheel got hard to turn. Luckily i was close to home and started going home. Juat as i pulled into my drive way "steering loss" light came on amd i could no longer turn my steering wheel. Luckily no one was injured. Having the vehicle towed to dealership.
ODI 11240516
Steering
While in motion the vehicles steering suddenly became "sticky" and making a grinding sound. Shortly after the car became hard to control while in motion because it had lost power steering. The car is only 3 years old and the repair is very expensive as well as not guaranteed because the part is fatly and it can happen again.
ODI 11240543
Steering
Turning steering wheel makes a grinding noise. Steering gets stuck when turning left or right and has to be forced back to center. Does not return on its own. Happens while sitting or driving. If you make a turn on the street it will send you off the road or into another lane if you do not force the steering wheel back. The steering rack is bad. 3 year old explorer. After researching more almost every other year of…
ODI 11235189
Steering
At 40,906 miles the steering totally failed. I was driving home from work and lost all steering capability, the wheel effectively locked up. Towed to dealer. A steering module inside the gearbox failed. From what i have read, this is a common issue with the epds system. The entire gear assembly was replaced for a total of $2,234.22 with labor. After over a dozen different calls to fomoco customer service, they…
ODI 11245211
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, the power steering made a grinding noise while the vehicle was making a turn. Also, the steering wheel became stiff and resistant without warning. Ted britt ford of chantilly (ford building, 4175 auto park cir, chantilly, va 20151, [redacted]) was contacted and stated that diagnostic testing was needed. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired.…
ODI 11240451
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. In addition, the message "steering fault" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to keith hawthorn ford ([redacted], belmont, nc) where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 11241326
Steering
Dash warning message states "steering system fault". Power steering no longer active. Extremely difficult to turn wheel. Had to muscle car to safe lane. Not drive-able.
ODI 11232403