2015 Ford Flex

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact state that while driving on two occasions at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and the steering wheel became very stiff. The "Power Steering Assist Fault" message was displayed. During the first failure, the contact pulled over to the side of the road and the vehicle was towed to a dealer; however, failure was no duplicated. The contact stated that during the second failure, the vehicle was taken to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the message "Steering Assist Loss - Service Now" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality while driving 20 minutes later. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for diagnosing testing. Additionally, the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 183,000.

On [XXX] I was driving on the freeway when suddenly my car dash warning appeared “ no power steering assist, pull over safely. The power steering completely stopped working- on [XXX], took to Ford Dealership where it was confirmed with code U300:49 48. The steering gear was replaced . The car stopped functioning while driving on freeway and was dangerous to try to control and get to safety, car was not able to stay in lane due to no steering control whatsoever. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact related the failure to a faulty steering control module; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the "Steering Assist" and "Advance Track" messages were displayed and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rack and pinion was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,000.

A Ford Lincoln dealer installed a new Battery Cable Assembly (Part DA8Z*14300*BA) in my 2015 Ford Flex on 8/5/2021. After 20 miles of driving in two trips the power steering failed at the start of a third trip on 8/6/2021. I struggled to get the vehicle to a parking lot and turned it off. The yellow image of a car skidding had appeared on the information display. I turned the vehicle back on and the steering operated as normal. I drove the vehicle again on 8/8/2021 and it operated as normal. It is necessary for Ford to inform all owners of this issue as it could result in an accident if a driver is not aware of the potential for a power steering failure.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, the power steering failed not allowing the contact to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with the power steering assist needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.