2013 Ford F-150 Steering Problems

While driving the steering wheel will jerk and pull the wheel to the right then have no power steering at all. This has happened three times now with one time I ran off the road while going around a corner , luckily on a fm road with no traffic. I have to stop turn the vehicle off wait a few minutes then restart and it is fine again for awhile. I used a code reader to find a torque shaft sensor code where it loses communication with itself intermittently which is inside the electric power steering rack and unserviceable outside a 2k whole steering assembly. This is a dangerous fault , I used my truck at work until this happened and lost my job due to not being able to perform my duties as a maintenance tech. I see the recalls online about this issue I’ve tried to schedule a service to have it reprogrammed but everytime I try the ford site just spins and never loads for this service yet will work just fine for any other aspect .. please help I shouldn’t have to lose everything because of fords known issue with the power steering .. I’m the second owner of this vehicle and have no other problems ever with the truck outside of normal maintenance. I can’t afford the rack due to losing my job and can’t get to a job due to the issue it’s a catch 22 .. please help…

NHTSA ID

11746172

Incident

Apr 5, 2026

I was driving down the road when my power steering went out in the middle of a sharp turn. As the power steering was going out the screen on the dash showed “Service power steering now” and beeped three times, giving me only about a second to read the message and react to losing power steering. The steering wheel jerked right and I almost drove off the road. I have since taken it to a ford dealership where they informed me that the entire rack and pinion needs to be replaced.

NHTSA ID

11725425

Incident

Mar 7, 2026

2013 Ford F‑150 Limited – VIN [XXX] On [XXX], my 2013 Ford F‑150 Limited experienced a sudden and dangerous transmission failure involving the transmission conductor plate (lead frame). My son was driving the vehicle when the dashboard abruptly shut off, multiple warning lights illuminated, and the truck lost engine power. Shortly afterward, while braking, the engine attempted to accelerate on its own, and the vehicle resisted slowing down. This created an immediate and life‑threatening situation. These symptoms match the known failure mode of defective 6R80 transmission lead frames, which NHTSA has previously identified as a serious safety hazard due to sudden loss of power, erratic shifting, unintended acceleration, and dashboard failure. The vehicle became undriveable and could not be safely transported to a Ford dealership. It had to be repaired at a nearby independent shop (Auto Stop Elite of Purcellville, VA). The conductor plate was replaced on February 12, 2026, at a total cost of $1,689.59. Despite this being a well‑documented safety defect affecting many Ford F‑150 owners, no recall or service campaign was ever issued for my VIN. No warnings appeared on Ford’s website, Carfax, or through any Ford communication. Other owners have received reimbursement from Ford for the same failure, yet Ford provided no notice or remedy in my case. This defect placed my son’s life in danger and represents a clear safety issue that should be addressed. I am requesting that NHTSA review this incident as part of the ongoing pattern of conductor plate/lead frame failures in Ford’s 6R80 transmissions. We are informing you because we have contacted Ford and they have done NOTHING to resolve this. We had to have it repaired and were never aware that there was a safety recall. We expect to be reimbursed in full for this repair by Ford. To date - we are being ignored and will now pursue with the Virginia Attorney General's office as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 55

NHTSA ID

11723289

Incident

Feb 11, 2026

I was driving about 55 mph when suddenly my 2013 truck down shifted to either first or third gear and I barely was able to control it to get off the road. The truck just bowed up and the vehicle behind me almost hit me. The speedometer stopped working and a wrench icon appeared. I tried to take off and the truck was stuck in third gear. Ford dealership said they would fix it if it was the OSS sensor. I paid to have it towed and they charged me over 2,000. There was a safety recall 24S37 on the 2014 with the 6R80 transmission the same kind my truck has. My 2013 did exactly the same thing as the 2014 and I believe it should have a safety recall. There was a extended warranty or something either 10 years or 150,000. My truck has 130,000. I talked to Ford customer satisfaction but they have done nothing. I told them I was going to report it.

NHTSA ID

11707463

Incident

Dec 15, 2025

The electronic steering assist went out

NHTSA ID

11697421

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized. In addition, the steering failure warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11675966

Incident

Jul 24, 2025

Mileage

150,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while exiting the driveway, the steering wheel moved voluntarily and failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that the steering wheel then seized. The message "Power Steering Fault" was displayed on the screen. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11666851

Incident

May 13, 2025

Mileage

170,000 mi

I was driving on [XXX] in Georgia. I was going around 75 mph and my transmission dropped from 6th gear to 1st Gear my speed dropped from around 75 mph to 25 mph in less than a second. My safety and the safety of other vehicles/people were put in danger, I almost lost control of my steering and hit somebody in the right lane next to me. Three Vehicles behind me had to slam on their brakes and swerve around me to avoid rear ending me. When the vehicles transmission dropped gears rapidly, at the same time I got a gear wrench symbol across my cluster display, and I lost functionality of the vehicles mph gauge and gas gauge. The fasten seatbelt light was also on but no audible warning tone was heard.. The vehicle also lost acceleration power. I was able to get the vehicle home and turned the car on and off and everything went back to normal. This is an intermittent issue with no warning when it will happen. There was a recall from ford for a programming issue with the tranny and currently a CSP with campaign #19N01 for a Transmission molded leadframe extended coverage. Basically the lead frame needs to be replaced to correct the problem which is 4,000 to 6,000 dollars. Ford will not fix my lead frame because I am past certain dates and over the mileage by 2,200 miles. I also needed to be displaying symptoms and the code for ford to fix the issue if I was within dates and mileage. I didn’t display any codes or symptoms until I was 2,200 miles over the CSP warranty coverage. I also just bought the truck in September of 2024 and was not aware of this issue. I can’t express enough how dangerous going from 75 mph to 25 mph in a second on a busy freeway is. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11642735

Incident

Feb 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel was turned; however, the steering wheel failed to respond as intended. In addition, the power steering failure warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with rack and pinion failure. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 38,057.

NHTSA ID

11642545

Incident

Nov 30, 2024

Mileage

38,057 mi

Service advancetrac warning has been coming on excessively and ford has known this a problem in the majority of their F150s, for says it needs steering rack replacement and its a known issue

NHTSA ID

11628955

Incident

Nov 28, 2024

Driving on highway when a felt a slight jerk in the steering wheel. Then I discovered steering wheel required Herculean strength to turn the vehicle. I made it to a safe location, restarted the vehicle and was able to drive normally. My dash said there was a power steering assist fault. A week later it did it again. A few days after that, my power steering is gone and restarting the vehicle will not fix it. This is an unsafe condition and Ford should issue a recall.

NHTSA ID

11569523

Incident

Jan 11, 2024

The truck slammed into 1st gear going 55 mph on the interstate. Through investigation a speed sensor warning was the culprit. Not being able to have truck service for a month due to Ford Dealers being backed up Cavalier Ford sent a mobile mechanic out to me. He spent about 10 minutes on my truck handed me the keys and told me he did something with the computer mo parts are needed. He never test drove it to ensure the problem was corrected. When I went to drive the truck, the wrench light was still on and was worse than before. Actually stuck in first gear. After going around and around I was informed by Fors Customer Service they did their part, anything else I wanted done would be my responsibility financially because of the mileage. I didn't not think recalls had a mileage limit but they are insistent after 150k they were no longer responsible. Cavalier Ford marked the recall as complete but it wasn't. My case number with Ford is CAS44213098 transmission fluid leaking recall was not on there but I am leaking that as well. I don't want something for free, I just want them to correct their defects

NHTSA ID

11537707

Incident

Aug 2, 2023

So recently my 2013 ford f150 steering wheel starting acting up on me, by acting up it my steering wheel started locking up on me and jerking to the left I was on my way to the movie theater with my 2 daughters in the back seat luckily nothing happen but it was a scary situation to be in having your steering wheel locked up on you in the middle of traffic. Later that day I had my truck towed to a Tuffys mechanic shop where I was later told that ford had a recall on what ever was happening to my steering wheel, so I made an appointment for the next day thinking my problem was going to be resolved but it didn’t. So it all happens to be that the recall was made for a couple 2013 ford models but not f-150 but they did cover the 2014 ford f-150 model which was kinda weird to me because I’m sure their is not a big difference when it comes to a 2013 and 2014 ford f-150.

NHTSA ID

11526742

Incident

Jun 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds and making a turn, the steering wheel seized. The power steering assist message was displayed. The vehicle was restarted and worked as designed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

NHTSA ID

11521544

Incident

May 11, 2023

Mileage

141,000 mi

Power steering has been going out when the weather is extremely cold causing me to loose control of the truck and run off the road almost wrecking the truck the power steering returns after the weather warms up. This was very scary and very dangerous. Luckily I was going slow

NHTSA ID

11502370

Incident

Dec 31, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that he was unable to turn the steering to the left or right without extra effort. The contact stated that he noticed several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the service advancetrac message was displayed with the traction control warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after letting the vehicle run for approximately 30 minutes and then turning off and restarting the vehicle, the power steering functionality returned. The contact stated that the failure had become more consistent during the colder weather. The contact stated that during the summertime he had not experienced the loss of power steering functionality. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 231,000.

NHTSA ID

11498076

Incident

Nov 13, 2022

Mileage

231,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH from a complete stop and making a left turn in a parking lot, the steering wheel seized inadvertently, and the vehicle veered into a handicap sign pole. The messages "Service Power Steering", "Power Steering Assist Fault", and "Service Advancetrac" were displayed. The air bags had not deployed. The contact had not sustained any injuries. The Police patrol that was parked nearby the contact verified that he had not sustained any injuries. There was no police report filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion had seized while driving. Additionally, it was diagnosed that the electric steering motor had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V316000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The contact stated that they are waiting for the repair for the dent in the fender caused by the accident.

NHTSA ID

11495317

Incident

Nov 25, 2022

Mileage

130,000 mi

There was no warning prior to this failure. Went to crank the vehicle on a cold morning recentlyand shifted to reverse to back up and my power steering failed. After a couple hours and a warmer temp., this issue resolved itself. Next morning battery was dead. replaced battery. Next cold morning. the vehicle cranked fine, but the steering was failing again. Called dealership, they bring in for a checkup, a week down the road, Bought this truck brand new and only have approx., 22,000 miles on it. Have saw many complaints with this problem on the computer. This is not isolated incidents for this paricular year model. No recalls for this year model has not been issued, I understand Ford did a recall on 2014 year model.. This is a very serious situation and needs rectification. Also a very expensive out of pocket for me. Please get ford to issue a recall on this mode, be fore I have a very serious accident. Thanxs David.

NHTSA ID

11494271

Incident

Nov 5, 2022

Aug 23 2022. Vehicle had 130,800 miles at time of failure. Vehicle began to pull to the right; turning left became very difficult. Parked vehicle for several hours, then drove it again. Steering power assist had completely failed. "Service Power Steering Now" message appeared on instrument panel. Vehicle was extremely difficult to steer both right and left. Required extreme effort to turn steering wheel, and was impossible to turn wheel to full extent of travel in either direction. (I am not a small person - 6ft 3in, 195 pounds.) Took vehicle to dealer, was told that power steering rack had failed. Part was not in stock. Part became available and vehicle was repaired on 30 Aug 2022. Total cost of repair was $2,262.57. '

NHTSA ID

11482445

Incident

Aug 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at 45-50 MPH, the vehicle jerked and the steering wheel lost power steering. The messages indicating traction control, power steering, turn signals, advance tract, and Hill Control failures were displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact turned off the vehicle and restarted it after 5 minutes. However, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the contact’s residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,665.

NHTSA ID

11479662

Incident

Aug 16, 2022

Mileage

180,665 mi

Electric motor for power steering assist then power steering service now

NHTSA ID

11475675

Incident

Jun 29, 2022

Driving at a low speed, my steering wheel seemed to lock, mid turn. A message appeared on my display screen saying, "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAULT." I turned off the vehicle and restarted it, the message disappeared and all was fine. Aproximately 20 miles later, while climbing a steep grade, the message reappeared and steering became extremely difficult. I was able to get it to the side of the road at the top of the hill. The message has appeared ever since. I had to have the truck towed back to my residence. The safety issue is alarming due to the sudden inability to steer.

NHTSA ID

11474572

Incident

Jul 8, 2022

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while making a right turn the traction control and hill descent warnings would illuminate. During the failure the turn signal became inoperable and the driver had to manually hold the turn signal in order for the signal to operate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the failure was due to a failed steering angle sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. Also while driving a squilling type noise was present coming from under the vehicle due to a damaged exhaust manifold. The manufacturer was also notified of the failures but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11463230

Incident

Jul 1, 2017

Mileage

100,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the warning message "Service Advance Trac" and "Hill Control Defect" illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel lost power steering functionality. The contact turned off the vehicle and upon restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel regained functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the steering gear and the rack and pinion assembly were replaced. Additionally, an unknown software was reprogrammed; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that the failure could not be replicated. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving at 25 MPH. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in an unknown recall associated with the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 81,504.

NHTSA ID

11460955

Incident

Jul 15, 2021

Mileage

81,504 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the power steering fault, service power, downhill assist fault warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the turn signals failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact to call NHTSA. The contact stated that the manufacturer confirmed the vehicle was not included in a recall. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

NHTSA ID

11458719

Incident

Nov 16, 2021

Mileage

122,000 mi