2015 Ford Flex

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)

Few months back the car stopped working. I took it to repair shop (#1), and they told me I needed to replace the battery. I had them install a new battery, and the car started again. Couple of days later, the car was dead again, so I jumped it. I jumped it about 3 more times, within 2 weeks, so I decided to take it back to the same repair shop, and they told me maybe I got a defective battery, so I exchanged battery for a new one, again. Few days later, the car was dead again, so I took it to another repair shop (#2), and explained the problem. They told they'll run a diagnosis and would let me know They kept it for 4 days, and the end result was; the car started every time they tried it. The car would run for few days, then the same thing wold happen - completely dead! I took it to a different repair shop (#3), and again, they told me they run it everyday, and they could not find anything wrong. All three repair shops said their machine did not come up with any code. All fuses and relays tested OK. It has been over six months, and I am still having the same issue. 2 or 3 days, and the car is completely dead. I don't drive it as much now, because I am afraid the car will die on me at any time, without notice. From what I've read, I think my car has a "parasitic drain" somewhere.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made abnormal grinding sounds. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed but no issues were found. The dealer sprayed rust off the exhaust. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, there was a loud banging sound coming from under the hood before losing control of the vehicle. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and veered to the side of the road. The contact noticed an abnormal burning odor. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to their location. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power transfer unit (PTU) had exploded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

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.

We were on the way back from the grocery store on September 4th, 2021. We were traveling on the freeway at about 60mph when the car suddenly lost power. The only warning light was a wrench on the display. All electrical power remained on but there was no engine power and no acceleration. We were fortunate there was a shoulder where I was able to pull over. I coasted the car down the exit and onto a street away from traffic. I waited about 10 minutes, turned the car off and turned it back on and it started. The wrench light on the display was off. I called the local Ford Dealership and the Service Advisor said there were no recalls and that I would need to pay for a diagnostic check. The issue has not reoccurred.