Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2014 Ford Flex submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 66 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 66, in the owner's own words
I was driving down a main road going 45 MPH when my steering wheel locked up and I got a message on my dash to service advanced steering. I was unable to turn my steering wheel in any direction and had to pull over in order to not be involved in a collision.
Auto “steering assist failure” occurred, very difficult to steer, very dangerous and could have caused wreak if actively driving when it failed. Dash light indicates steering assist failure. Appears this is an ungoing problem with ford flex vehicles since 2010 I do not see recall for my 2014 flex but same issues had recalls for flex up to 2013. I am reporting due that I believe this is a very serious issue on ford flex vehicles and has great potential to cause severe accident if occurring while driving. I believe there should be recalls for this issue requiring Ford to repair the safety risk.
Without warning, the vehicle's power steering stopped working in an intersection while turning. The hazard lights came on automatically and I used my full body strength to steer the car out of the intersection. Inspection showed a computer module failure within the steering rack. Because the computer module is built into the steering rack, the whole steering rack needed to be replaced. This was a critical repair and cost over $3500.
The power steering system failed and requires brute force to turn the wheel. The software system was reflashed but this did not fix the problem. There was a recall for this issue from 2011-2013, but not for our year. There is not a warning light on.
I have a 2014 Ford Flex. My axle shaft came undone while driving. My Ford flex was manufactured 07 of 13 my mechanic said that there's a recall for your front axle shaft on the passenger side and it falls within the guidelines of the affected vehicles but Ford says that it's not covered. My vin was never added to the recall and it’s the same exact issue that the others had for that year.
Driving along and all of a sudden steering will be very difficult to turn - and there is play in the steering wheel. Not being able to turn safely, puts my family at risk. There are no warning lights or alarms that have shown up.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds; the vehicle lost automotive power and the steering wheel was pulling to the left and was difficult to turn in either direction. No warning light was illuminated. An appointment with the local independent dealer was scheduled to inspect the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the Year, Make, and Model being outside the selected VIN range. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to an unidentified NHTSA Campaign; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,400.
2 times now within 6 months my power steering has gone out. This is not power steering that makes it hard to steer. This is power steering going out which locks the steering wheel and leaves it impossible to steer the car. Fortunately I have been at home when this has happened and not on the road. I have managed to get it back after restarting the car several times, but I did not want to chance it. The first time I had it repaired at the dealer and thought it would no longer be an issue. I was so surprised and scared that it happened again. I was planning a long distance trip next week. I am so glad it didn't happen on the road. I paid just under 1000 dollars last time and thought it was fixed. The dealer said it is a different code this time and it will now be 3500 to fix the power assist failure. I looked online and I see others with Fords have this issue. My vehicle type was recalled for 2011-2013, but not my year - 2014. I am hoping you will look at this see there are safey issues. Thank you.
I was pulling out of my work parking lot and my power steering cut out completely. A warning came up on my dash saying something along the lines of steering assist system fault. I was able to get it back into the parking lot but had to really force the steering wheel. After turning the flex off and back on again everything worked fine. I was very fortunate to be driving at low speed at the time. Most of my driving is on a highway or the turnpike and could have been extremely dangerous. I had a shop look everything over and they weren't able to find any issues which has be constantly concerned that it could happen again at any time.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH and making a right turn, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced and programmed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 182,438.
Sudden loss of control due to power steering failure . No accident, was able to recover.
Power Steering Assist Fault. We drove the vehicle from Detroit to the Florida Keys and back. We were on mountain roads and small bridges along the way. As we pulled into the driveway at home the Power Steering Assist Fault message dinged and displayed on the dashboard. The steering is locked straight forward, and the vehicle is stuck in the driveway until a tow truck can pull it out and deliver to a dealer for repairs. A recall exists for many other Flex and Ford vehicles with the same steering. This vehicle MUST be included for free repairs as well. My wife has had nightmares since the return of us jumping the Seven Mile Bridge or diving off a cliff in West Virginia and we would be dead along with the cousins riding with us and any other vehicle we hit with completely locked steering. We were exceedingly lucky this time. There can not be a next time.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while her father was driving at 10 MPH and attempting to complete a left turn, the vehicle suddenly jerked to the left. As a result of the failure, the vehicle struck the curb. Several weeks later, the failure reoccurred, causing the vehicle to strike the sidewalk, and severely damaging the suspension. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Safety Recall 15S18. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was unknown.
No warning lights , electric steering failed while turning on a busy Highway. Was able to barely keep control fighting with Manual steering . Took the vehicle into independent shop and they replaced steering rack. $2500 dollars.
Electric assisted power steering failure. No warning lights, no warning of failure whatsoever. Unable to steer vehicle while driving. Problem was confirmed by mechanic that the steering rack needed replacement.
Power steering intermittently stops working and the steering wheel becomes almost locked in place. This first occurred approximately 6-8 months ago, but has gotten more frequent in occurrence and longer in duration. I have seen multiple complaints about this issue, but so far, there is no active safety recall. My vehicle was manufactured in the Oakville Plant, which was part of the recall for a very similar problem with 2011-2012 Ford Flexes (see Safety Recall 15S18) and although my vehicle is a 2014, it seems to have very similar issues. No steering or warning lights come on, the wheel just becomes very slow, almost like it is full manual steering.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist, requiring excessive force while steering the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the failure never occurred during inclement weather. While the vehicle was at the car wash, the failure self-corrected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering module and steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
POWER STEERING QUIT, COULDN'T TURN WHEEL. ALERT POPPED UP THAT SAID "STEERING ASSIST FAULT SERVICE REQUIRED" THEN ANOTHER ALERT POPPED UP "SERVICE ADVANCE TRAC" SAME ISSUE AS THE EARLIER YEARS OF THE FLEX THAT HAD A RECALL ON THEM SO THE RECALL NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED AS THE PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED IN THE NEWER YEARS.
My vehicle steering system had a loss of communication/loss of power to the electrical power steering. It nearly resulted in a very bad accident at an elementary school drop-off. I recorded a video of what is happening after the fact for documentation. Basically, it sounds as though there is a known communication issue from the fully electric steering to the primary electrical system on the vehicle. It appears from my reading that this is a known problem. I would strongly consider this to be a recall issue as it could be catastrophic and potentially deadly.
I was driving and lost all power steering.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated that the power steering assist fault warning message had flashed twice on the instrument panel; however, the power steering continued to operate as needed. The contact then stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the warning message flashed as the power steering assist failed to operate as designed. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle to the residence. Several days later, an independent mechanic went to the residence and drove the vehicle back the shop without failure. The mechanic determined that the vehicle needed to be serviced by an authorized Ford dealer. The vehicle was driven to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a defective electric power steering rack. The contact then called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was not under warranty or recall. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Flex. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the power steering assist warning light illuminated and the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the battery was replaced; however, the failure recurred. On another occasion, while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as designed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000.
Loss of power steering while turning left at low speed. Steering warning lit and alert for steer assist and service vehicle. Steering wheel extremely difficult to move off center. Car power cycled off then on which cleared warning. Power steering appeared to be restored.
The AdvanceTrac warning light came on and said "Steering Loss Stop Safely", the light then went off. After stopping the vehicle the power steering completely failed and the wheels could not turn. This is an unbelievable safety issue where the car can't even turn. The steering wheel couldn't even turn like an old manual steering car. The 2013 Ford Flex had a recall for this exact same issue and it must still exist in the 2014. The local auto repair shop had to replace the entire power steering column at incredible cost. Ford will not honor the repair cost since only the 2013 Ford is part of the recall. This is unacceptable for such an incredible safety issue. We no longer drive this vehicle more than 5 miles from home for fear that something else will fail on it.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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