2017 Ford F-150 Steering Problems

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormal whistling and dinging sound coming from the vehicle, and the powertrain malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle independently downshifted, and the rear driver’s side of the vehicle slid to the left, and the front passenger’s side of the vehicle crashed into another parked vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered that due to the impact, there was windshield fluid leaking out of the windshield washer fluid reservoir onto the ground, and the vehicle caught on fire. The contact entered a local AutoZone, retrieved a fire extinguisher, and extinguished the fire. The local fire department was contacted. The contact stated that no air bag was deployed. A police report was filed. A Fire Department report was not filed. The contact had a cut on the right arm, and the medical team in the ambulance patched up the arm; no further medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where it was self-diagnosed that the steering and ball joint assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V237000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. A dealer was contacted and stated that the remedy was not yet available and would not be available until July 26th. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11750882

Incident

Apr 16, 2026

Mileage

100,000 mi

Truck suddenly reported ABS issue while driving. Traction assist light came on. Parking brake light came on.steering assist failure message appeared. Now the power steering is not functioning. I know of 2 other people with near exact issues on a ford and a Lincoln. There is also a pending master cylinder recall that ford said the didn’t have parts for and still haven’t heard back from them on that. Please investigate this dangerous situation.

NHTSA ID

11746552

Incident

Jun 11, 2026

Vehicle is experiencing severe, dangerous transmission malfunctions matching Ford Safety Recall 26S28 / NHTSA 26V237. Multiple times while cruising at highway speeds, the vehicle has abruptly downshifted into 2nd or 3rd gear without warning, causing violent engine revving, sudden loss of forward momentum, and severe steering wheel shaking. These incidents occurred in rainy, low-visibility environments. The vehicle is primarily driven by my wife with our [XXX] granddaughter inside. A sudden drop to 2nd gear at highway speeds in low-traction conditions creates an immediate, catastrophic risk of a high-speed rear-end collision or loss of control. On Wed [XXX], we took the truck to Hubler Ford (Shelbyville, IN). The service department officially diagnosed the vehicle and acknowledged the malfunctions are caused by Recall 26S28. However, they refused to repair it because they are "waiting on a software code" from Ford corporate, estimating a delay until mid-July 2026. They refused to provide a safe loaner, forcing us to drive an actively malfunctioning vehicle. On 6/18/26, I called Ford National Customer Service to escalate this safety issue and request an interim rental. The Ford rep contacted Hubler Ford but failed to authorize a rental. Instead, Ford corporate placed me back in a customer service loop, telling me to discuss symptoms with the dealer again, even though the dealer already officially diagnosed the defect. This loop has caused numerous 20+ min holds with no one addressing the issue. Both Ford and Hubler Ford are refusing to provide intermediate safe transportation for an officially diagnosed, severely malfunctioning safety-recall vehicle, leaving a toddler exposed to a severe highway crash hazard. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11744945

Incident

May 15, 2026

My truck after doing all the symptoms stated in the recall a ford technician deemed it unsafe to drive has been grounded since May 9th the dealer nor ford manufacture will give me a rental.or help in anyway..so June 9th will be 30 days for a truck I cant drive and still making payments and have full coverage on that I have to pay for it would appreciate if ford would help or buy it back

NHTSA ID

11739877

Incident

May 8, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel was stiff and failed to turn as needed. The message "Steering Assist Failure" was displayed with an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was then taken to another independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a third independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the electronic power steering and rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was then taken to the residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA ID

11732363

Incident

Feb 15, 2026

Mileage

118,000 mi

I purchased a 2017 F150 in March of 25’. Miraculously no issue started until approx 4000 miles after the purchase. The dealer warranty was good for 3500. In the months that preceded issue after issue began to arise. First and least important in my personal opinion. I get in my truck to head to work and my sliding back glass is laying in backseat, completely intact with the track it slides on. One would initially think the GA sun maybe warmed the adhesive to such a Temp that it came loose but my truck is parked in the shade every day at work & at home. Insurance won’t cover it because they say it’s on Ford. Next I have lost power steering, when loosing it i have apparently lost all of steering, uphill downhill assistance an approx 10 other warnings that come every time i crank it. I have been driving the truck 7 months now with no power steering. Lastly and most important, the 10 speed transmission is completely faulty. The problems with it started in July. When accelerating from a stand still, like pulling on the road or highway, over 50% of the time the transmission just fails and you are a sitting duck for any oncoming traffic. Typically 2-4 secs later, the truck will catch of sudden with such a jerk it will give you whiplash. So once you made it through getting on the highway without dying, every shift of the transmission from 4th to 10th, the truck shutters and shakes so bad it seems like it will fall apart. The engine light will start flashing and you can’t go faster than 40-45 for about 15 secs until the engine light is solid again. Then while shuttering you can’t attempt to increase speed. I contacted Ford, I was completely blown off, they denied that 2017 f150 have any transmission issues. I’m forced to drive this daily because I spent all my savings on this truck. Oil change, along with oil filter have been kept up every 5,000 mi. I out everything into this truck and now I have a duct tape back window, no power steering and a transmission faulty.

NHTSA ID

11704154

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 15 MPH, the power steering became inoperable. No warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the electric power steering assist needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.

NHTSA ID

11686956

Incident

Aug 6, 2025

Mileage

128,000 mi

First experienced slight steering weaving for a week. Then electric power steering assist completely went out. $2,450 bill to replace. This issue has been to common with F150's and should be a recall fix for free issue. Requesting assistance

NHTSA ID

11686745

Incident

Aug 5, 2025

The mounting bolt for the lower control arm at the driver's front wheel sheared off causing the mounting on the frame to tear away completely. Wheel came off axis and loss of steering.

NHTSA ID

11670106

Incident

Jun 29, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the vehicle was difficult to maneuver. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering electronic module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related to the failure of the Customer Satisfaction Program: 24S45. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11651351

Incident

Jan 16, 2025

Mileage

180,000 mi

This is a MAJOR issue with Ford F150s. I am not sure how this was never a recall. Ford issues a TSB for this but NOTHING is the TSB fixes the issue. There is a major fault in the IWE system that causes the 4x4 to engage randomly causing the truck to have major steering issues. It causes grinding, like metal on metal grinding, the steering wheel locks in place at times and I personally almost dies several times from this.The locking steering wheel caused me to crash into a ditch because I could not bring the steering wheel back to center. This has randomly happened to me several times while driving, The TSB claims the issue to be intermittent, which it is due to the fault in this IWE system. FOrd needs to literally cover and replace the entire IWE system before someone gets hurt. Please look this up, this is a very known issue that deserves to be a recall and not a TSB. Please help save lives.

NHTSA ID

11635701

Incident

Jan 13, 2025

This first began when we went to Oregon from dry Central Valley in California and hit rain. Multiple error messages appeared: Service Advance Trac, Check 4x4, Hill Assist Not Available, ABS, Steering Assist Fault, etc. Power steering assist was lost and is now intermittent which creates a dangerous situation. The ABS brakes made load groaning noises. I went to O’Reilley’s and used their OBD2 scanner. It showed codes: U1012-00, U0212-00, U0121-00, P062C-00, all being communication errors. I got a new battery and had a shop scan it. The clockspring was bad so it was replaced with an OEM from Sunrise Ford. He can’t get any communication with any of the other modules. I researched the issues and disconnected the battery while I cleaned the ABS controller connection with electrical contact cleaner. I checked some of the grounding points that weren’t checked by the shop. All of the error messages are now gone except the STEERING ASSIST FAULT. My research showed that this may be related to a wheel speed sensor or the front hub that contains the sensor. It also might be the ABS controller. I entered Engineering Test Mode and have the following continuous DTCs: C40182, C12100, C41582, C42082, C15100, C21200, C42982, C10200. Since they all end in 00 or 82 I think they are likely related. I was told in an online forum that they are communication errors. I think that might apply to the 00 errors, but don’t know about the 82 errors. The truck has under 28,000 miles and the extended warranty expired in May 2024.

NHTSA ID

11635359

Incident

Oct 26, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 50-55 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The Hill Assist warning light and the power steering assist warning lights were illuminated. The contact's wife was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with rack and pinion failure; however, the part to do the repair was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

NHTSA ID

11613997

Incident

Aug 28, 2024

Mileage

61,000 mi

After driving at highway speed, 75-80 MPH for about 6 hours, the steering felt heavy, minor steering input resulted in major directional changes. The steering direction felt locked in that minor turn position and required significant effort over what was normal to return the direction to straight and that action caused a dramatic directional change. Upon my return home, I had the vehicle inspected by the dealer, Kelly Ford in Melbourne Florida and they could not identify or duplicate the problem. I have significant experience in vehicle operation, including being a Certified Emergency Vehicle Operations driving instructor and this condition was extremely dangerous. Controlling the vehicle, keeping it in a lane and recovering from navigating curves in the road was a significant challenge. There were no notifications of an issue displayed on the dashboard before, during or after the event. The problem was not an issue at lower speed, below 45 MPH after exiting the highway or when running at highway speed with everything cold from an overnight park until after 5-6 hours of operation at highway speed when the issue returned. After the initial onset of the issue on July 30, It reoccured on July 31. Our trips ater that were shorter until August 6 on our drive from Wilson NC to our home in Palm Bay FL when the problem recurred. On what for me is a normal drive, the steering was again very heavy feeling and the steering unpredictable when driving on the Florida turnpike on August 13 from my home in Palm Bay FL to Fort Lauderdale FL

NHTSA ID

11609558

Incident

Jul 30, 2024

While driving steering gets locked

NHTSA ID

11599207

Incident

Jul 5, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became abnormally stiff, making it difficult to maneuver the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with electronic power steering failure. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 97,215.

NHTSA ID

11596401

Incident

Jun 13, 2024

Mileage

97,215 mi

I WAS DRIVING AT 70MPH AND ALL OF SUDDEN THE STEERING BECAME STIFF AND VERY UNSTABLE THAT I ALMOST CRASHED, IT WAS A VERY SCARY SITUATION DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY (MY WIFE AND MY 2 DAUGHTERS)

NHTSA ID

11594355

Incident

Jun 13, 2024

while driving i went to turn into a driveway of a busy restraint and the steering assist stopped working and i almost lost control of the vehicle. this i notice has been reported a lot as well as complained about online it is apparent nothing is going to get done to make ford fix it even if someone gets killed, how can this not be a safety issue $$$ something needs investigated $$$ maybe even the $$$ investigators $$$ claiming there is$$$ no problem.

NHTSA ID

11554097

Incident

Nov 7, 2023

The power steering failed while driving. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer service shop. The dealership has said that there is over 400 vehicles with the same issue. The dealership confirmed that it's a steering box issue.

NHTSA ID

11534101

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

while driving on freeway comming to a slight curve the steering wheel began to try and turn back to straight fighting me , then after exiting i went to turn it began to bind in the turn and now feels funny checked the links and the steering shaft ujoints there all good

NHTSA ID

11527253

Incident

Jun 6, 2023

THE TRUCK WILL PULL TO LEFT THEN TO RIGHT . SEEMS. TO STEER HARD .THE DEALER HAS REPLACED TWO STEERING RACKS IN MY TRUCK .WORKES WELL FOR A SHORT TIME I HAVE ONLY 27000 MILES ON THIS TRUCK . IF YOU YOU GOOGLE. THIS PROBLEM YOU CAN READ THE COMPLAINTS FOR 2013 TO 2019 F150 SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE.THANK YOU THE DATES THAT THE DEALER PUT IN NEW STEERING RACK WAS 4-20-21 AND 3 -22 -22. THE DEALER HAS BEEN GOOD TO WORK WITH .IT IS A PROBLEM THAT FORD NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY. THANK YOU

NHTSA ID

11507087

Incident

Feb 13, 2023

My steering seemed to be jerking. I had "the works" done at the dealership. They did not note any issue during inspection. I was driving my granddaughter and her friend to the mall. While going around a turn my wheel locked up. I was able to jerk it hard to the opposite side to avoid the oncoming vehicles. I was able to pull off the road and called for a tow. I have several friends who own the same type of vehicle, Ford f150, say they have had similar issues. Mine is a 2017 ecoboost supercab.

NHTSA ID

11492524

Incident

Nov 5, 2022

Electric power steering assembly unexpectedly fails resulting in increased risk of injury or fatality from collision.

NHTSA ID

11478213

Incident

Jul 14, 2022

The power steering abruptly stopped working while driving after two violent jerks to the left on the steering wheel. I was able to maintain my lane travel thankfully but it was a close call

NHTSA ID

11476708

Incident

Jun 27, 2022

The truck uses start stop technology. When you start to move after it has stopped the power steering does not start working initially making turns nearly impossible. Once the power steering builds pressure it returns to normal steering. This has occurred multiple times and seems to get worse as the truck ages.

NHTSA ID

11475163

Incident

Jul 21, 2022