The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured May 17, 2010, through February 28, 2012. The affected vehicles may experience an intermittent connection in the electric power steering gear, which can cause a loss of the motor position sensor signal resulting in a shut down of the power steering assist.
The risk
If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist it will require extra steering effort at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
The remedy
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of motor position sensor signal when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, its steering rack assembly will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S06.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2011, 2012, 2013 |
Components: STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Explorer | 2011 | 1,197 | 6 |
| Ford Explorer | 2012 | 829 | 5 |
| Ford Explorer | 2013 | 2,237 | 11 |
Other steering recalls in 2014
30 of the 770 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2014 concerned the steering; Ford Motor Company filed 737 campaigns in all.
| 14V829000 30 Dec 2014 | Spartan Motors, Inc. |
| 14V812000 23 Dec 2014 | Spartan Motors, Inc. |
| 14V737000 18 Nov 2014 | Mack Trucks, Inc. |
| 14V731000 13 Nov 2014 | PACCAR Incorporated |
| 14V723000 12 Nov 2014 | Setra of North America |
| 14V719000 10 Nov 2014 | General Motors LLC |
| 14V704000 5 Nov 2014 | Ford Motor Company |
| 14V665000 22 Oct 2014 | Neely Coble Company |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2014