2014 Ford Flex

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON A MOUNTAIN PATH WITH SNOW ON THE GROUND AT SPEEDS OF APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, AN AUDIBLE ALARM ACTIVATED AND THE MESSAGE POWER STEERING LOST DISPLAYED BEFORE THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER WRIGHT FORD LOCATED AT 1835 S HWY 97, REDMOND, OR 97756 WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE WAS DEFECTIVE AND THE STEERING RACK NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE CHASSIS BOLTS HAD RUSTED ON THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT'S WIFE WAS ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE STEERING WHEEL CEASED. THE STEERING ASSIST FAULT LIGHT ILLUMINATED ALONG WITH ANOTHER UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHT. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO FORD OF DALTON (925 SHUGART RD, DALTON, GA 30720) HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE REMAINED AT THE DEALER UNREPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE BUT OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD FLEX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN UNIVERSAL JOINT WAS RUSTED. ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED AFTER TURNING APPROXIMATELY 90 DEGREES, ALMOST CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE STEERING COLUMN WAS REPLACED AND THE FAILURE WAS REMEDIED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER SKALNEK FORD LOCATED AT 941 S LAPEER RD, ORION CHARTER TOWNSHIP, MI 48362 WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 56,000. *LN

SUDDEN ELECTRIC ASSIST STEERING LOSS WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. VEHICLE EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, OCCUPANTS IN DANGER OF LOSS OF LIFE FROM CATASTROPHIC CRASH. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO FORD MOTOR COMPANY. THEY HAVE RECALLED OTHER YEARS OF ELECTRIC ASSIST ON FORD FLEX, HOWEVER NOT 2014. WE WERE NOT AWARE OF THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PART BEING INSTALLED ON OUR FLEX. FORD MOTOR COMPANY DID NOT CONTACT US WITH ANY WARNING OR RECALL. THEY SIMPLY STATED THAT SOME PARTS FROM EARLIER RECALLED MODELS COULD HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED ON OUR VEHICLE. SINCE THEY KNEW THAT THIS COULD HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED ON SOME 2014 VEHICLES, THEYSHOULD'VE INFORMED US OF THE SAFETY HAZARD. WE ARE NOT ALONE. THE FORD FLEX OWNERS FORUM IS FULL OF SCARY DETAILS OF OTHER FAMILIES LOSING STEERING ON THEIR 2014 FLEX WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO DIE BECAUSE FORD HAS NOT TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY & ALERTED ITS CUSTOMERS.

FAMILY ROAD TRIP APPROXIMATELY 450 MILES FROM HOME. NO POWER STEERING IMMEDIATELY UPON COLD START - WARNING CHIME AND WARNING DISPLAY ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER STATING LOSS OF POWER STEERING CONTROL AND TO CONTACT DEALER FOR SERVICE. WIFE SAID THIS SAME WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER COLD STARTING THE VEHICLE APPROXIMATELY 3 DAYS BEFORE, BUT TURNING THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTARTING ELIMINATED THE WARNING LIGHT AND SHE WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. WE RECALLED THE SAME THING HAPPENING APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AGO WHILE ON A FAMILY ROAD TRIP AFTER WE COLD-STARTED THE VEHICLE AND DROVE APPROXIMATELY 2-3 BLOCKS BEFORE WE LOST POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 30-35MPH. FORTUNATELY, WE WERE IN A RELATIVELY EMPTY DOWNTOWN AREA WITH VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC WHEN I LOST POWER STEERING IN CONJUNCTION WITH WARNING CHIME AND VISUAL WARNING ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I PULLED TO A STOP, RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND EVERYTHING WAS BACK TO NORMAL. ALSO FORTUNATE THAT I WAS DRIVING WHEN LOSING POWER STEERING WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. NO RECURRENCE OF THIS ISSUE UNTIL THIS PAST WEEK. HAD TO HAVE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST FORD DEALER WHILE ON OUR FAMILY ROAD TRIP YESTERDAY AND HAD TO MAKE THE 450 MILE DRIVE BACK HOME IN A SMALL RENT CAR. THEN, WE RECEIVED THE DREADED CALL FROM THE FORD DEALER SAYING THE DIAGNOSTIC FAULT CODE SAYS WE NEED A NEW POWER STEERING RACK FOR $2,800.00 THIS IS CONCERNING SINCE ITS OBVIOUSLY A KNOWN ISSUE THAT RESULTED IN A LIMITED RECALL FOR THE 2011 THRU 2013 MODEL YEARS. OUR VEHICLE WAS MANUFACTURED IN LATE 2013 BUT IS A 2014 MODEL, LEAVING ME TO WONDER IF THE STEERING RACK ON MY WIFE'S CAR WAS DEFECTIVE ALL ALONG. PER THE FORD DEALER AND THE FORD WEBSITE, OUR VIN DID NOT QUALIFY FOR THIS 2015 RECALL.

POWER STEERING IS GETTING HARD TO TURN ESPECIALLY AT LOW SPEED. FEELS AS IF THE POWER STEERING IS INTERMITTENT. THERE ARE NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ANY OTHER NOTIFICATIONS OF A PROBLEM, BUT IT DOES EXIST. IT APPEARS TO BE LOSS POWER STEERING ASSIST AND BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER IN EITHER DIRECTION. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT A RECALL ON OTHER FORD FLEX MODELS WITH POWER STEERING ASSIST BUT NOT 2014 YEAR...THIS YEAR WAS THE BEGINNING OF IT CREATION YOU WOULD THINK YOU WOULD STARTED WITH RECALLS FROM THE BEGIN OF DEVELOPMENT NOT WORKING BACKWARDS... I HOPE IF I GET THE REPAIR I WILL E REFUNDED IF THE ISSUE TURNS IN A MANDATED RECALL... THE STEERING IS TIGHT TO TURN AT SLOW AND FAST SPEEDS.