Problems with 2011 Ford F-150 STEERING

While driving 45mph down a straight road, my dash displayed the following error "power steering fault" and my power steering stopped working. i pulled over and stopped to read the manual. it says if/when this happens turn your vehicle off for 10 seconds and restart. if the error message appears again, take the vehicle to a dealership immediately. my concern is, how can an electronic error appear for "power steering fault" and stop working instantaneously? i have read numerous blogs and comments online how this is very common and peoples stories of wrecks or this happening on the highway while traveling at high speeds! this needs to be addressed immediately! i unplugged my battery for 10 minutes to clear the error from the "trucks computer". the power steering worked again fine for about a day then it did the same thing. this is an electronic error that can kill somebody if it has not already.

While making a sharp left turn i heard a loud squeaking sound, and then got the advance trac fault and it reset it self and a few days later got the same sound and fault. about 3 weeks later i heard the same noise and the steering wheel locked intermittently and i wasn't able to turn the steering wheel left direction. had vehicle taken to local ford dealer and was told by service tech that the steering gear needs to be replaced, cost $1,750. this is a very dangerous problem that needs to be recalled and repaired by ford. this can put a driver in an accident resulting in injury or possible death upon failure.

The steering "sticks" when driving at highway speeds and becomes difficult to recenter the wheel. it causes difficulty staying in your lane. problem seems to dissipate when driving at lower speeds. it is also erratic and will not do this consistently, but has become more frequent lately.

When my truck hit about 40k miles, the steering started periodically "locking up". it can still be turned but it takes some muscle and is very choppy. when it does this and i'm in a turn, when you release the wheel it will hold position in the turn rather than returning to center. you have to physically turn it back to center. the frequency of this seems to be increasing. my mechanic says it's the electronic steering module( eaps ) and cost almost 1800.00 to repair parts and labor. forums are full of people having this issue. this will be a lawsuit coming and someone is going to get hurt. some models have a recall for this issue. mine does not.

When making a left turn at a light, the steering wheel froze and there was no power steering. the advancetrac service light came on and stayed on. vehicle was hauled to the dealer where it was purchased. they kept the truck 4 days, said they replaced part #el3z3504be, epas steering gear assembly, and that the truck road tested fine. we picked up the truck and within 20 miles it did the same thing when we attempted to make a right turn. we have owned this truck for 3 years, 4 months and it has less than 53,000 miles. this is clearly a safety issue that ford should recall. it is also very clear that they do not know what is causing, or how to fix, this problem. this is a serious safety hazard as you cannot steer the vehicle when this happens. ford needs to step up!!!

While driving to work my steering began to be very hard to steer and a warning appeared on screen to check power steering then i lost all power steering and warning in screen went to repair power steering now. i no longer have power steering and have had estimates up to 2200 dollars to repair. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the power steering failed. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power steering electronic gear module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

When driving steering wheel grabs or locks especially but not always at low speeds, this occurs for 1-2 seconds then releases and is "normal" again. it seems to occur more frequently when outside air temperature is above 90 degrees. definitely a safety issue as you have no idea when or where it will occur and you have no control...

While making a sharp left turn i heard a loud squeaking sound, and then got the advance trac fault and it reset it self and a few days later got the same sound and fault. about 3 weeks later i heard the same noise and the steering wheel locked and i wasn't able to turn the steering wheel either direction. had vehicle towed to local ford dealer and was told by service tech that the steering gear needs to be replaced, cost $1,750.

My 2011 ford f150, with less than 23500 miles, suddenly developed problems with its electronic steering system consisting of (a) very loose steering, (b) a "service advanctrac" warning message, (c) the control for the left & right blinkers no longer working. i was driving down a dirt at a low rate of speed when the problem struck without warning, and then got onto a paved road where the steering continued to feel very 'sloppy' and somewhat difficult to control the truck. the local ford dealership diagnosed the problem with the epas (electronic) steering system which was first introduced on the 2011 f150 model. they first quoted $1300 to repair it since i am out of the 3/36 warranty, but later came down to $480 when i complained about it being a safety issue and that it was ridiculous for something like this to happen on a truck with less than 25k miles (mostly highway miles). according to the dealer, ford covered the cost of the expensive replacement part. there are many online complaints (websites & nhtsa) regarding problems with the ford epas steering system. its sudden and unexplainable failure, especially on trucks with low mileage, makes this a significant safety concern in my opinion.

Steering had a dead spot at low speed, advancetrac lights came on and stayed on for a few days. steering was very unresponsive. took to dealer, was advised of a $2700 repair being needed for the steering gear and a reflash of the computer. 80,000 miles, not covered under warranty or goodwill, haven't even had this truck 2 weeks. so now i'm stuck with a lump, not sure what to do. ford dealer acknowledged this issue, said that it is likely to be recalled in the future, but until then, there is nothing they can do. this should not happen on a 2011 model vehicle with so few miles.

Second incident with my 2011 ford f-150. epas steering gear failed 9 months after purchasing new. failed again last week. second replacement of this gear. this is a safety hazard. the first time this gear failed, i was unable to steer, fortunately i was turning at a stop light at slow speed. this most recent time i could still steer but wasn't sure for how long. this is a well known issue with this model truck and should be recalled and properly fixed before someone looses steering at highway speeds. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. while driving at approximately 5 mph and turning into a parking space, the steering wheel seized and the power steering warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 54,000.

Steering started freezing at speeds around 20-25 mph. not a huge deal at first because of city driving.. it eventually got worse at higher speeds..august 7th 2015 , the steering failed at 65mph and sent the truck towards the concrete median. it could have been tragic. i ended up taking it to the shop that monday and having the electronic power steering unit replaced at 1200.00 plus. i am really upset that there is no recall on this with the danger it can cause!

The service advancetrac warning came on and the dealership said the truck needed a new steering gear. they stated that if this were to fail, control of the truck would be lost resulting in a major issue. this is a safety issue and needs to be recalled. *tr

While steering through a turn at approximately 30 mph, the steering suddenly locked up for 2 seconds and the "service advancetrack" message came on. the message reset itself and did not appear again for 2 days, when the steering locked again. this repeated until the truck was taken to the dealership. the steering rack was replaced by the dealership in march of 2015. it is now march of 2016 and the steering is starting to lock up again, this time at low speeds while parking. the truck will be going back to the dealer for more service.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. while driving various speeds, the steering failed without warning. the contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle. the failure occurred intermittently. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 135,000.

I was slowing down to pull in my driveway and the steering went out, almost took out my wifes car. service steering now came on. put the truck in park, turned off and restarted. went to drive error code went away, as i was backing up steering became hard and impossible. service steering immediately came on. muscled the truck straight in my driveway and backed it to the end. called the dealer i bought it from and was told that im not the first one to come in with this problem, but there is no recall on it and it would cost me 1500+ to repair. i don't make a lot of money, and i had my little brother in the truck. how is this okay? i cant drive this let alone get to work. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. the contact stated that the steering wheel seized without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 42,000. updated 4/20/15*cn the consumer stated that the vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. updated 6/26/2015 *js

Tl-the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and the service power steering now warning light illuminated. in addition, the steering wheel seized. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it diagnosed that the electric power steering module and the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 47,308. djr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. while driving 65 mph, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver. the contact also stated that the entire electrical control panel failed and the instrument panel illuminated intermittently. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 39,000.

Steering started making a funny noise and power steering stopped working. could not steer vehicle. no prior issues with steering. *tr

When turning steering locks up going left prevent correction or turning. *js

Steering became locked and could not avoid hitting the merging curb. this resulted in blowing both tires on the passenger side and chipping both rims beyond repair. while no one was injured this time i am definitely surprised a recall has not been issued for this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel was hard to turn and a warning displayed on the panel that read 'service advance trap". the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician was not able to diagnose the failure. in addition, the contact stated that when attempting to pass another vehicle, the accelerator pedal was activated and there was loss of acceleration as the check engine light flashed on and off. the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 57,000.

The electric power steering lock! and send me to the side walk, thanks god nobody was there. *tr

At roughly 32000 miles, in october of 2014 i experienced a failure of the electric brake vacuum assist. the symptoms were that the pump constantly ran and could audibly be heard where it was not previously constantly running. as soon as i noticed a change i reported the issue to johnson ford in pittsfield ma.. the pump was replaced in october of 2014 under warranty. no recall or campaign has been implemented for this condition but numerous reports by ford owners have been made regarding the same condition. i believed the audible noise i was hearing was a steering component because i was simultaneously having an issue with "notchy" steering. while negotiating a long, gradual turn my steering would lock while turning left. the wheel would lock when the top of the steering wheel was in the area of the 10 o'clock position. no crash occurred but the condition was very unsafe. the vehicle had to be driven erratically to remedy the condition. a hard yank on the wheel was necessary to forcibly increase steering input. the steering components were also replaced in october of 2014 by johnson ford under warranty. no recall or campaign has been implemented for this condition but numerous reports have been made regarding the same condition. the electric vacuum assist replaced in october of 2014, nine months ago was the same part with no updates as the one that failed. i again hear the vacuum assist motor running almost constant as it was when replaced. the truck is no longer under warranty. i have only had this vacuum assist for nine months. i spoke with ford customer service. no warranty is available as i have driven the truck in excess of 12,000 miles (12,200 miles at the time i reported the problem). the customer service employee offered no service other than to bring it to ford at my expense for repairs, $130.00 diagnosis, $580 pump, $200.00 labor.

Loud sound and popping when turning wheels sharp. has been happening for a while and has gotten worse. service advance trac message displays and then turn signals no longer work. eventually warning would disappear but would come back on when turning sharp again. took in for service and problem became so bad that vehicle would not turn. having to replace rack and pinion. *tr

I have a 2011 f-150 cert. preowned ( 9/22/2014) , and from day one have had problems with the steering , from approximately 45mph and up, when going into left curve steering will try to continue to turn or track to the left, butt ford cert. tech. can't seam to find the problem ?? imagine that !

My 2011 ford f150 -with only 39000 miles- had a complete failure of the rack mounted electric power assisted steering module which prohibited it from being driven. the failure caused an increase in steering effort (no power assist) of the vehicle which needed to be towed to the dealer for repair. fortunately, the vehicle was not being driven at that time and was parked at the time of the failure. in addition, a driver alert was observed that indicated that the power steering rack had failed and warned to service the power steering system. an attempt was made to reset the system but the message returned again after restart and the power steering assist was not functioning. the vehicle was towed to the ford dealer who indicated that the power steering rack had failed and would need to be replaced. total replacement cost was in excess of $1500.00. the vehicle only had 39000 miles indicated on the odometer. this is very similar to reports of the failures on sedan vehicles installed with similarly designed power steering racks. it is recommended to nhtsa, that the recall/investigation of this issue with sedans be expanded to include ford light trucks. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the service advance track warning light illuminated intermittently as the turn signals failed to operate. the failure recurred several times. the dealer diagnosed that the rack and pinion and steering box needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 24,500. updated 11/24/14*lj

While driving on the highway at approximately 65 mph as i steered into a left hand curve in the road with the steering wheel in about the 10 o'clock position the steering "locked" into that position. the vehicle felt as if the wheels had entered a rut in the road. the automatic return to center function did not work and i hand to manually apply force to bring the steering wheel back to center. this malfuntion continued to occur whenever the above conditions were met. i brought the vehicle to the dealer and they had to replace the electric power assist steering system "rack". ford is aware of this problem and has a tsb (#11-08-18) in effect to address it. the tsb has the problem narrowed down the the year, model, place of manufacure, and date of manufacture. i do not understand how a well documented problem such as this that has been fully researched and identified is not the subject of a safety recall. this problem could easily cause a vehicle to drift out of its lane on a divided highway, into oncoming traffic on on undivided road or off the roadway entirely. *tr

When maneuvering in the parking lot, the epas unit failed creating the steering wheel to be extremely hard to move. this issue was so bad i could no longer drive the truck back due to safety concerns. i am having the truck towed to the ford dealer to see what they can do about this issue. the service advancedtrac information display appeared on my dash as well as electronic powersteering assist system failure. when turning as far right as possible the truck would make a really loud metal to metal noise. this truck is no longer able to drive safely, hopefully ford will take action to fix this issue before its too late. otherwise, i am still going to have to pay out of pocket around $1200-1500 to have this fixed. *tr

The first time this happened i was driving on a highway on ramp turning left and my steering wheel stayed stuck in the turned position. my truck felt like it was going to flip and the wheels would not straighten out until i turned them back. it has also caused my truck to put up warning about my stability control. this has happened to me a number of times and seems to happen when it is warm outside. i feel this needs to be looked at because it could be a serious risk of rolling over. *tr

Screeching in rack and pinion and lost all power steering. took for diagnostic and was told it was the steering angle sensor embedded in the rack. entire rack has to be replaced. truck is only 3 years old with 52,000 miles. new rack and pinion is over $1500. *tr

Luckily, there was not an incident in my case. i had a rear sliding window switch replaced under warranty. i also had an oil change and my battery terminals cleaned by the dealers service department. when i went to pick up my vehicle and began to drive off, i noticed a warning displaying the message "service advancetrac". i then left the vehicle with the service department again. when the service advisor contacted me to tell me what the technicians diagnosed, he said that the truck needed a new electric steering rack. he also told me that this part is on national backorder. after doing some research, i found that this is a vital part in steering functionality. i also read that if this part fails while you are driving, there is a serious risk of accident. i'm thankful that my truck wasn't moving when this steering rack went bad. but it concerns me that so many ford owners have had this happen to them and that this is not a recall. i also think that if this part is on national backorder, there must be many people who are having this issue as well. i want to do my part to make the public aware that this part also went bad on my vehicle. i want to contribute to the numbers so that this can become a recall if the data shows it's necessary. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. while driving 5 mph or higher and making a left turn, the steering wheel seized without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. the failure recurred numerous times. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 130,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. the contact stated that the failure occurred on six occasions. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 46,000. updated 10/24/14*cn

Power steering became inoperable without warning causing vehicle to become difficult to steer or control. vehicle was taken to ford dealer where problem was diagnosed as a failed steering rack, rack was replaced and vehicle now operates normally. the sudden power steering failure could cause loss of control and a crash. *tr

Lack of steering wheel return ability on left turns. must be manually corrected. *tr

Vehicle has just over 40,000 miles all highway. vehicle is 4wd. vehicle has never towed, hauled or been off road. took vehicle to ford dealership to have a/c serviced (which was noted having problems during warranty, but techs never found issue nor ran diagnostics) during the diagnostics the service tech stated there was a noise coming from the steering gear. *note the vehicle had been out of owner's possession and at the dealership awaiting a/c service for 4 days. owner stated that there had been no steering issues or warnings displayed in the vehicle and had been operating without any problems. dealership states that when they finished the a/c service that the steering ceased upon backing the vehicle out of the service area. owner asked why the steering gear is not covered under the drive train warranty. the dealership advised that this issue is a common issue that is being encountered with the new ford epas system and is not covered under the drivetrain warranty even though the vehicle's low mileage. owner requesting that ford pay for replacement due to it being commonly defective. vehicle still in dealership's possession. *js

Steering locks when making right turns and then straightening out.

The subject pick up truck was southbound on i405 between orange ave and cherry ave in long beach california. the vehicle was in the fast lane or the lane adjacent to the fast lane. speed at the time of the incident was approximately 65 mph and the cruise control was engaged. traffic was moderate with all lanes moving at freeway speed. without warning, and simultaneously with the sound of a skidding tire, the vehicle pulled violently and abruptly to the right, out of control, and crossed all traffic lanes of the freeway and the shoulder of the freeway. just prior to departing the roadway, enough control was regained to avoid hitting a freeway directional sign in the landscape median. the truck entered the landscape median and came to rest facing south, parallel to the freeway. approximately 10 minutes passed before the california highway patrol responded to the accident site. the officer said he was responding to an accident that was reported. the vehicle was towed to a local ford dealer for investigation. five to ten minutes prior to the loss of control, the driver noticed a fluctuation in the speedometer from approximately 65 mph to 50 mph with no change in vehicle speed, engine rpm or performance. several weeks prior to the accident, the driver experienced an event at moderate speed which was described as feeling though the vehicle was hit from behind at slow speed although there was no one behind the truck. simultaneously, the speedometer and tachometer both failed to 0 and the dashboard display went blank. shortly thereafter, a "wrench" icon appeared momentarily on the display. the driver continued driving to a gas station and refueled. when the engine was started after refueling, all instruments appeared normal with no icons present. no icons re-appeared at any time up to and including the date of the accident. updated 06/16/14 *bf

The steering on my truck has started to stick and is getting worse all of the time. it started happening at low speeds and has since started to stick on the highway. it is bad enough that i have to pull the wheel to get the truck back in line. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. the contact stated that the power steering assist failed during cold weather. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the steering rack needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 43,000. the vin was not available. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford f-150. the contact stated while driving 60 mph, the power steering system malfunctioned as the contact lost control of the vehicle. the contact was able to pull over and shut the vehicle off. the contact restarted the vehicle and the power steering system worked momentarily. the failure recurred three miles later. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing which determined that the gear in the power system needed to be replaced. the contact did not have the gear replaced. the failure mileage was 24,000. the vin was not available.

Slowed down to make a left turn when power steering quit working. it is gradually getting worse and now it is stopping working at various speeds and turning either right or left. the last event i was making a right turn pulling our of a parking place and the steering wheel snapped back while i was turning it hurting my arm. *tr

On the night of dec 20, 2013, i was traveling south on i81 north of syracuse ny. road conditions were not very good. a block of ice fell off a truck ahead of me, evasive action was not possible due to ice and traffic volume. the ice struck the alternator which is cleverly positioned about 10" off the ground on the lower left front of the vehicle. the vehicle began to lose electrical power system by system. i cant recall the exact sequence, as it was all happening pretty fast. eventually, the electric power steering system lost power. when this happens on this vehicle, you lose all steering capability. its not like its just manual steering, there is no steering other than the ability to slightly alter course by pulling extremely hard on the wheel. the vehicle had no lights, the shoulders were unplowed, stopping wasn't a good idea. as good fortune would have it, the cicero ny exit presented itself at that moment. i was able to pull extremely hard on the wheel and was able to steer the slight curve. at the bottom, i discovered i had no breaks. i shot across the usually busy ny 31 and into a kwikstop, where i stomped on the emergency brake and came to a stop. we shortly discovered a fire underneath the engine and were able to extinguish it with snow. i cannot believe a steering system like this is permitted. had i known it had this system and its limitations, id never have bought the car. if my son and i had been killed that night, it would have all been chalked up to road conditions. in furious about this system. it needs to be recalled.....now. *tr

Cpsc: i144350a. 2011 ford f-150. consumer stated the electric power steering system lost power. *ln the consumer stated while driving, a block of ice fell off a truck that was ahead of him, and evasive action was not possible due to the ice and traffic volume. the ice stuck the alternator which was positioned 10 inches off the ground on the lower left front of the vehicle. then vehicle then began to lose electrical power . eventually, the vehicle lost electrical power steering. he was able to pull hard on the steering wheel and was able to steer a slight curve. he then realized he had no brakes, so he shot across the highway, which was usually busy, and he stomped on the emergency brake and came to a stop. the consumer then discovered there was a fire underneath the engine, but quickly put it out with the snow. *jb

I had my truck scheduled to have a leveling kit and new tires put on. immediately after the simple install my truck gave an alert on the information screen saying "electric power assist steering fault. took the truck down the road to nearest ford dealer and after they ran diagnostic it showed it needed a complete new rack and pinion. $1278.00 worth without alignment. the mechanics shop who installed the kit is going to pay for it because it was fine before i took it to get kit + tires, however, i have read numerous stories online similar to mine that show the epas going out or that there having problems with it. ford has had several updates to the epas models i'm aware, hopefully the new one going in will work and i won't ride away only to have a clunking noise to deal with in my front end like so many others i know. *tr