2017 Ford Explorer Steering Problems

I am reporting a safety-related defect involving the electric power steering system on my 2017 Ford Explorer. The vehicle displays a “Steering System Fault” warning, and when this occurs the power steering assist is reduced or disabled, creating a safety risk during low-speed driving, turning, and parking.

My daughter was driving our 2017 Ford Explorer when the steering wheel locked up without warning, putting her life at risk. It mirrors the exact steering rack failure already recalled for 2011–2013 Explorers (Recall #14S06 / NHTSA 14V286000). We were told by a certified mechanic that the steering rack and gear failed, and that this is a common issue in these models.

Our Explorer was in the shop for over 4 weeks in September The steering went out randomly while driving. We are lucky that the vehicle did not crash. Called FORD Care and they said nothing they could do.

I bought the car from modern Corp s in Fort Myers Florida and the brakes are bad the catalytic converters are melted the steering makes noise sounds like it's just going to break in half we have a warranty and they will not honor any of it after they said they would we had to put it in the shop not even a week of having it because of the AC and the only thing the warranty covered was the sway bars ball joints and a couple other things I drive this car every single day I just feel like this car is not going to make it nobody wants to honor the word about anything and I see there is a recall for the roof rack one side of it is missing if anybody can help me that would be great because I would love to get my vehicle repaired the right way

Increasing the risk of a crash

The rack and pinion failed; these parts were replaced by Ford at my expense and Ford kept the old parts. The safety of myself, my passengers, and other drivers was put at risk because the steering would catch while in a curve and cause the driver to be unable to steer momentarily.

We bougth the car on august 2019 with 4700 miles. In november 2019 the car started occasionally (3 times during 3 month period) to sound the reverse alarm sensor while driving. Then car didn't start, so we changed the battery.

The eps unit suddenly failed without warning and almost caused us to get into an accident. From doing a little research I have discovered that this has been an issue since ford created the epas system. We were traveling on the highway at the time it failed.

As I was driving the explorer the cross traffic alert sensors went hayware, then the navigator, radio, HVAC, and everything else froze did commands on its own. The part assist mode came on it own, steering wheel controls would not work and car started to take control. Very scary as the car was taking commands I could not control.

The cruise control at my speed of 65 MPH stopped alone cause the car to break making me loose control, 2nd the voice command don't work or responding, to help navigation or phone perpouse ( don't use cell while driving) around december 2018 bring tothe attention of the dealer at service and the miss.

Vehicle has an NHTSA recall notice#:19v435 and a ford issued recall#:19s17 which indicates as follows: recall description: rear suspension toe link replacement. Risk to safety: a fracture of a rear toe link significantly diminishes steering control, increasing the risk of a crash!

Rear suspension toe link recall: driving approximately 50 miles/hr with my husband behind the wheel and myself and our 3 children in this family vehicle, this rear suspension broke. We live in rural saline county and drive gravel daily. The incident happened while entering a bridge on a highway.

While driving 60 MPH my steering wheel seized completely, a bell started ringing, and an indicator light on my dashboard started flashing that steering failed. Please park safely. There was no warning and my car had been working perfectly before this happened.

Tires that came with vehicle have chunks of tread peeling off /cutting from normal driving of 9100 miles and 11 months. This presents several hazards such as vehicle stability, traction and potential blowout / rollovers other sizes these same hankook ventus s1 noble2 have already been recalled due to similar failures. These are 255/50 r 20 size.

2017 ford explorer. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle alert gauge message center displays failure of collision warning system, tracking control system and steering system. Attempts to replace/repair sensor and steering column fails.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH to the residence, the power steering became inoperable. The contact stated that the steering wheel was previously pulling to the right.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was later towed to the residence.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assists warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the power steering had seized, and the vehicle was inoperable.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became firm. The contact stated that the power steering assist failure warning light was illuminated.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions, there was a squeaking sound coming from the tires. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was observed that the steering wheel had seized and failed to move.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel did not return to center. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to respond normally while turning the steering wheel to center.

Power steering locked up during a drive around the block, had to turn off the engine and turn it back on. After the car was running again, no issue. If this issue persists or comes back again, drivers aside from myself will be put in danger on the road as the steering can lock up anytime during the drive.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist would fail to operate as needed. The contact stated that excessive force was required to steer the vehicle due to the failure.

Vehicle has an intermittent issue where it will lose all power (stall), and electronic components will inherent sporadic behavior, for instance the vehicle will refuse to completely shut-off. The error message on the dash show "power steering assist failure". This typically happens on a daily basis after the vehicle has sat for the night.

Vehicle loses acceleration, stalls and shakes when at a stop. Jerks when backing up. Vehicle has been to ford two times.

Driving one day in the neighborhood and power steering locked up briefly intermittently, with the error message. Turned car off and on again and was fine, later on in the day power steering locked up for good and the error message is always there.

Sudden power steering failure resulting in an unsafe and unusable condition in which the vehicle can be driven. Dash alerts began to go off, and the steering was still usable. Next time the car was started the power steering was no longer operating and several additional dash warning indicators were going off.

Making a left turn in the snow and my power steering locked up and I hit the curb, thr dealer is telling me there's no way this can happen and has never happened before. won't warranty anything and I'm stuck with a vehicle I believe to be unsafe for my wife and children to ride in.

Your steering wheel is hard to turn and makes noises when you're turning. This could indicate problems with your power steering system or suspension components that need inspection and repair.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 10 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff with the message "Power Steering Loss" displayed. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and restarted; however, the failure persisted.

Problem with the power steering. When turning to the right, the wheel sticks. I have to forces it past the parts that sticks.

I’ve been experiencing a buzzing sound whenever I turn the steering wheel, and the more I drive the vehicle, the louder the noise becomes. I took it to a local shop, and they advised me that the power steering rack is going bad — a very common issue in 2017–2019 Ford Explorers, especially around the 100,000-mile mark. They provided a quote of $2,652.86 to have it replaced.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop from a traffic light, the vehicle made an abnormally loud popping sound. The contact exited and inspected the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on uneven terrain or roads, the rear of the vehicle was pulling to the left or the right. There was no warning illuminated.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction and the warning messages "steering assist" and "service advanced Track" had been displayed. The vehicle was later taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion were faulty and needed to be replaced.

The transmission stops switching gears after going 70 MPH on the highway no acceleration was possible Just stopped working.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his sister was driving 5 MPH making a right turn, the steering wheel seized and failed to turn as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the passenger’s side the A-pillar applique trim had a split in the middle causing rainwater and dirt to enter the vehicle. As a result of the failure, the sunroof motor was damaged and then failed to operate.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the electrical components failed to function as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed steering column control module.

I bought the SUV Used in January/2023 from a Ford dealer. It had brand new tires on it. 6 months later and the outer tread of the tires are bald, that’s when I realized the toe angle was pointed in.

Tow links from my vehicle is going bad. Vehicle fish tails a little on the highway when traveling on uneven surface. Knuckles have been replaced and Link-Stabilizer on both side by my mechanic.

Vibration or rough idle in drive and reverse. Shudder while driving Lack of engine RPM Low performance, lack of acceleration on take off. Mechanic found and replaced the following.

In March of 2022, this vehicle was repaired for a rear suspension toe link recall. On Christmas evening, December 25, 2022, the toe link failed. The car fishtailed briefly before veering uncontrollably off the road.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was swaying and became difficult to control with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V537000 (Steering).

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel failed to respond. The contact shifted to park(P) and then shifted back into drive(D).

I drove the SUV to the store, with my kids. On the way back home , the steering wheel stop working and it was hard to steer the SUV. We took it in to the dealership in inverness Ford, but they couldn't find anything wrong with the SUV.

*vehicle makes popping noise *jerks, loss of power when going down the road, hard to steer, push on gas and will not go. Engine light and wrench come on. Called dealer when first happened was told to turn off back on to reset.

My steering wheel would become very sticky. I would make a turn and then when I would go to turn the wheel back, it would stick. It almost threw me into a tractor trailer yesterday.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 ford explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the steering wheel vibrate and the front end of the vehicle shook and vibrated. The tires were replaced and rotated however, the failure continued.

Steering tightens up on curves or straight a-ways. Dealer ran test on computer and found no problems, and a test drive did not reveal any problem at the time. Dealer stated that it was electric steering.

The vehicle has 34,450 miles on it and was purchased oct 1 2016 but is a 2017 model. The steering failed on october 13th while I was in estes park colorado. The vehicle had several issues just prior to the failure with a warning the traction control had stopped working followed by a hill start assist failure and the steering loss stop safely.

While driving at slow speeds (25 to 40 MPH) the steering will feel like it is "binding up" slightly when turning. This will not happen every time so the dealer was unable to duplicate it. Also after driving on the freeway in a straight line for a long period of time, when you turn the wheel slightly I will feel that same binding.

Have a noise on front passenger side suspension

Intermittent steering binding condition at slow turns mainly during hot weather. This binding issue was difficult to recreate and eventually the dealer was able to create this after a lengthy (30 minute) road test in 80+ degree weather. The binding issue was a result of an internal steering gear failure.

Clicking noise when turning the steering left or right.I was told by the dealer that he heard the same noise from the same model and year vehicle. This needs more analysis as this may be a safety concern if the steering wheel locks

At around 35,800 miles, I noticed a slight jerk of the steering wheel when going around curves. I was going 70mph on the highway for a quick afternoon trip out of town. On the way home (36,000 miles) it was doing this even when driving straight.

I was stuck at a standstill in traffic on a city highway with my family on father's day when the dash lit up with multiple warnings such as "steering loss stop safely," "service advancetrac," "stability control off," and "hill start assist not available." I was not moving and could not understand what happened. No one was injured and the vehicle's power steering failed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 ford explorer. While driving, the steering seized and the "steering assist fault, service required" indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to crossroads ford of prince george (877-331-9405, located at 4500 whitehill blvd, prince george, va 23875) where it was determined that the VIN was not included in a recall.

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 ford explorer. While driving 40 MPH, the power steering warning indicator illuminated and the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to rye ford (1151 boston post rd, rye, ny 10580, (914)-967-6300) where the contact was advised that vehicle was not included in any recalls.

The power steering went out with no warning. Stirring wheel went stiff and made it extremely hard to turn. All the traction and steering lights came on.

When driving and going to make a turn or change lanes . The steering wheel will stick and have a little jerk . Had it looked at but could not find anything.

Problem with the power steering. When turning, the wheel sticks.

Rack and Pinion is bad... vehicle is only six years old... please look into this issue.

Thr manufacturer did not put rear tire links on my vehicle. I purchased brand new tires 3 months ago and my two rear tires are already showing sings of wear and tear. I went to a mechanic to see if I could get a full alignment on my vehicle.

April 5th 2022 I took my 2017 ford explorer limited to City Ford here in Columbia City Indiana because the steering was sticking. It had been sticking slightly at times for several weeks prior to this. They couldn't find any problem.

The car sways when changing lanes on parkway

Slowing down hard shift @ 40 and @20. Steering feels like it wants to pull when driving on a curve or when turning.

When going low speeds under 50 the car will jerk to the right and it's like someone else has control of the wheel then you have to jerk it back on the road. It has happened several times while I was driving and once when my husband drove. We thought we were going straight in a ditch.

Power steering just stops working and almost can not turn the wheel and tracking controls stop working. This is police vehicle on a city street just before a turn.

Paint on the hood is bubbling, steering feels lose, and the instrument panel cracked do to cold temp....contacted ford they dia ot help or did not car

Loss of power assisted steering when the car is in motion, and during turning

As I was reversing I placed the vehicle from reverse to drive and it became very hard to turn the steering wheel. On several different ocassions the exhaust has blown smoke and the vehicle smells like fumes after turning it on.