2014 Ford Flex

Power Steering Assist Fault. We drove the vehicle from Detroit to the Florida Keys and back. We were on mountain roads and small bridges along the way. As we pulled into the driveway at home the Power Steering Assist Fault message dinged and displayed on the dashboard. The steering is locked straight forward, and the vehicle is stuck in the driveway until a tow truck can pull it out and deliver to a dealer for repairs. A recall exists for many other Flex and Ford vehicles with the same steering. This vehicle MUST be included for free repairs as well. My wife has had nightmares since the return of us jumping the Seven Mile Bridge or diving off a cliff in West Virginia and we would be dead along with the cousins riding with us and any other vehicle we hit with completely locked steering. We were exceedingly lucky this time. There can not be a next time.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while her father was driving at 10 MPH and attempting to complete a left turn, the vehicle suddenly jerked to the left. As a result of the failure, the vehicle struck the curb. Several weeks later, the failure reoccurred, causing the vehicle to strike the sidewalk, and severely damaging the suspension. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Safety Recall 15S18. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was unknown.

Power steering intermittently stops working and the steering wheel becomes almost locked in place. This first occurred approximately 6-8 months ago, but has gotten more frequent in occurrence and longer in duration. I have seen multiple complaints about this issue, but so far, there is no active safety recall. My vehicle was manufactured in the Oakville Plant, which was part of the recall for a very similar problem with 2011-2012 Ford Flexes (see Safety Recall 15S18) and although my vehicle is a 2014, it seems to have very similar issues. No steering or warning lights come on, the wheel just becomes very slow, almost like it is full manual steering.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist, requiring excessive force while steering the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the failure never occurred during inclement weather. While the vehicle was at the car wash, the failure self-corrected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering module and steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

My vehicle steering system had a loss of communication/loss of power to the electrical power steering. It nearly resulted in a very bad accident at an elementary school drop-off. I recorded a video of what is happening after the fact for documentation. Basically, it sounds as though there is a known communication issue from the fully electric steering to the primary electrical system on the vehicle. It appears from my reading that this is a known problem. I would strongly consider this to be a recall issue as it could be catastrophic and potentially deadly.