Problems with 2012 Ford F-150 STEERING

Tsb 11-08-18. exactly what happens to my vehicle. random. in long sweeping left turns when steering wheel is at the 11 oclock position between 40-75 mph. steering wheel will not reset itself back to center. i have to manually move wheel back to center. meaning, when coming out of the lefthand turn the wheel will stay at the 11oclock position until i move it back to center. not every time but often. if you dont pay attention 100% of the time the truck will steer itself into a wall or median only going left.

I was driving home from the speedway gas station an about 2 miles from the gas station my power steering failed completely while making a left hand turn,i had steering but no power steering an very difficult to steer the vehicle or make any turns!i finally made it home but still have to drive vehicle to repair shop for repairs to be done.

While making a sharp left turn at slow speed i heard a squeal and got a (service advanced track warning). and my turn signals stopped working properly. later that day it happened again and this time the steering quit all together and got a (electric power steering fault) on the display cluster. cant believe this is not a safety recall isue!

At first the service advance trac warning appeared and the directional blinkers would not work. standing still or moving. hit ok and it would disappear, but would come right back on. now. it appears and also driver assist fault warning comes on and you loose your power steering. extreme difficulity turning or anything at any speed.

Vehicle is displaying "service advancetrac" error message when vehicle is turned sharply left or right. when the error message comes on, the turn signals do not function properly. the driver must hold the turn signal switch to activate turn signals anytime needing to change lanes or turn off roadway. vehicle error has been checked by servicing dealer and an update was performed to abs module to attempt to fix the problem, but explained that a possible need to replace the power rack and pinion to resolve the problem. i am afraid that the power rack and pinion is going to fail and cause me to have an accident, or the turn signals not functioning properly is going to cause an accident. ford needs to issue a safety recall to fix this failing part in the 2012 f150 model line.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while driving approximately 30 mph, the contact heard a squealing noise emerging from the engine. the steering warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic who advised the contact to have the dealer inspect the vehicle. the dealer stated that the steering column module failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

While i was driving to the store on 10 mar 2016, i made a left turn in my f150 which resulted in the steering making a squealing noise and preceding to lock up. i was able to muscle the truck home and am fearful to drive it anywere.

For 8-12 months every time i turned the steering wheel all the way to the right the system emitted a loud squeak like a pneumatic p[inch. i mentioned this at my last two oil changes with no response.. it proceeded to get worse making the same noise when turning the wheel fully either direction and became stiff to turn while driving.. i finally showed the service agent the issue and he had not seen this before?? the power steering actually gave out right there at the dealership and they ended up replacing the "ps module, gear asy-steering, core and fixed a water pump leak that was undetectable (nothing leaking as far as i could tell). $4k repair bill and the truck was at 67k miles. rediculous

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. the contact stated that while driving at a low speeds and making a right turn, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned causing the steering wheel to become extremely difficult to turn. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that a water leak had caused wiring damage which might have caused the failure. the water pump was replaced but the vehicle later experienced the same failure. the cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 67,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. when the vehicle was started, the power steering ability was inoperable. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module was defective and needed replacement. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure recurred every day for the past month. the vin was invalid. the approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

Steering wheel locks up while driving and unable to steer vehicle

I was driving down the highway and the steering went out, i had no power steering at all and i nearly had an accident. this vehicle is less than 3 years old. i had to spend nearly $1700.00 on repairs for a problem that is all over the internet about these problems. i was diving down the highway and there was a lot of traffic.

Power steering assist fault comes on and vehicle is hard to steer. resets after shutting engine off but has came on multiple times. i have driven many vehicles with manual steering and can hardly turn the wheel on this vehicle when this fault happens

When making a left turn my steering hangs up and will not return to center. this problem seems to come and go. i first noticed the issue on oct 2015 with aproximately 25k miles on the odometer, this is pretty scarry , even while driving in a straight line down the highway, as this makes me do the minute steering wheel adjustments that the self centering steering should be doing. i have taken it to the ford dealer but they could not duplicate the problem. this issue is still randomly going on.

Since october 2015 my steering on my 2012 ford f150 supercrew 4x4 with 44,000 miles randomly freezes up without warning. this issue occurs mostly after making a left turn. after turning, the steering wheel fails to return to center. occasionally this issue happens while driving straight, which makes driving very scary as i have to continually work to keep the wheel centered. i did take it to the ford dealer once when this problem was happening for a few days straight, but by the time they tested it the issue dissappeared.in reviewing the multitude of complaints for this issue, i am shocked that there is no recall issued for dangerous problem.

I have a 2012 f-150 with 44651.5 miles on it. over the past 2 months when i start the truck in the garage the steering makes a terrible noise and when driving there is glitch in the steering off and on. i have taken it to the dealer twice and unable to get it to do this for him. after seeing these statements(complaints) about the problem with steering in the 2012 f-150's i don't feel safe driving mine. the noise occurs when i start the engine and turn the steering wheel however slight, the glitch is felt when driving.

Power steering goes out. gauge says power assisted steering fault. shutting vehicle off and starting corrects the problem, but it is intermittent. has happened multiple times, even at higher speeds. has almost caused multiple accidents.

When i over steered the vehicle to the left it made a squealing sound and the power steering failed. there was a notification on the dash display saying "steering assist fault" and "service autotrack." i was told it is not covered under warranty and there is no recall!

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while driving at 5 mph attempting to make a left turn, the power steering failed without warning. the contact mentioned that the failure previously occurred. also, the coil springs were replaced three times prior to the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering rack and coil springs needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 92,000.

There were several codes of service traction control and several times that a loud clunking noise occurred while driving. i took the truck to the local ford dealer and was told that i needed a new rack and steering module.

Power steering suddenly failed while traveling down i-35 in new braunfels tx making it very difficult to control at high speed at near impossible to turn.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while traveling 50 mph, the contact attempted to pass another vehicle. when the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, the engine misfired and the vehicle could not accelerate. the contact stated that the failure also occurred before the vehicle shut down. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that it was a maintenance issue that was not covered under the power train warranty. the dealer stated that the plugs needed to be cleaned and replaced. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer while it was still under warranty, but the dealer only cleared the codes and did not repair the vehicle. while in reverse, the service advance track light illuminated on the instrument panel and the turn signals stopped working. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that there was no failure with the vehicle. a mechanic told the contact that the failure was caused by a faulty steering nut in the steering column. the vin was invalid. the failure mileage was 32,000.

I bought this vehicle on 4/21/2015 with the impression from the dealer that i could order the telescopic steering wheel and have it installed. i am 6'4 and have to sit farther back so i can't safely reach the steering wheel to drive without the telescopic feature. after talking with ford dealers, ford company, and aftermarket shops, ford does not make a kit or have a way to install the telescopic feature in a truck after it has been manufactured. i am not stuck with this vehicle and not only uncomfortable but unsafe. *tr

The electric rack and pinion quick working i was not able to street my vehicle at all i was lucky to be on a straight away i'd i had been in a corner i would have had an accident. *tr

Back out of garage turned steering wheel to left; put in drive pulled ahead , advance track light came on and service advance light also came on . if you don't reset light the signal lights don't work unless you hold the lever up or down it bring codes up c1b00 and u0428-20 andu2101 which dealer says steering sensor is bad but not serviceable so you need new electric steering rack. this is on a 2012 f150xlt and there is no recall but i think this is a safety issue, also i think it is a power train issue. *tr

When trying to move my 2012 f150 truck out of a parking space the steering wheel would only turn to the left side. when trying to turn the wheel to the right the steering wheel would not go past the center position. i tried backing it up and then going forward but nothing would get the wheel to turn to the right side past the center steering wheel position. i tried turning the vehicle on and restarted many times but nothing would free it up. after working with it for 40 minutes and not able to get it out of the parking lot i shut it off and i had the truck towed to the local ford dealership the next day. the dealership has had the vehicle for 2 1/2 weeks and cannot reproduce the problem. *tr

On december 19, 2014 at a traffic light the instrument cluster, turn signal and power steering stopped working on my 2012 ford f150. this is after the advance traction warning light came on. i had it towed to a ford dealer. the ford dealer updated and reprogramed the abs module. after getting the vehicle back on december 22 the power steering, turn signal, and instrument cluster problem reoccurred as it was not repaired correctly. i returned the vehicle to the ford dealer on december 22. this time they found a faulty pscm (power steering control module) that was losing communication once hot. they replaced the power steering gear assembly and applicable hardware. this vehicle only had 42,704 miles when this problem occurred.

When slowing down to make a turn the vehicle makes a kind of moaning sound. at first we were told it might be the front wheel bearings going out but when we took it to the dealership they said it was the electronic steering gear which would cost us $1645 to fix. this is a 2012 vehicle that gets regular oil changes and maintenance, is driven to and from work and on highways and interstates. there's no reason this should need to be repaired after less than three years of ownership. we are the original owners. there seems to be a defect with this system and ford is recalling their 2014 f150's due to this problem. i think they need to expand their recall to include 2012's. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. the contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering ability while driving approximately 35 mph. the power steering assist fault warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the eps gear malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. prior to the failure, another failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 77,000. ...updated 02/19/16 *bf *tr

Reversing vehicle as in a parallel parking maneuver with steering locked, service advancetrac warning displayed. vehicle operated normally but turn signals would not stay on when activated. system automatically reset later after vehicle was shut off and restarted but warning returned during same type of maneuver. dealer diagnosed code c1963 and c1b00. steering rack and pinion (aka steering gear) was replaced. code c1b00 indicates issue with steering angle sensor. the electric power assisted steering (epas) in the f150 has no serviceable parts so when the sensor goes bad, the rack goes bad. very coincidental that ford recalled 2014 f150s for a similar problem (see nhtsa recaii14v316.) *tr

Feel a clunking feeling in steering wheel when driving straight at all speeds, when go over any little bump in road. does not have to be a big bump. the clunking feeling is on any type of road. *tr

My vehicle when going around na turn would want to straighten out in the turn. later that day i came into a small town got thru the red light at that time my power steering needs maintenance light came on shortly after that i was unable to control my the steering of my truck there was no steering i had a gentleman help me get the truck off the road as far as he could you just could not steer as it turns out my rack and pinion steering is no good there is no recall on this item but if it happens to someone going into a corner they will have a bad accident because you just cannot steer. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f-150. while the turning signal was engaged, the traction control warning light illuminated and caused the turn signal to deactivate. the failure occurred on several occasions. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v316000 (steering). the failure mileage was 39,000.

Pulled into parking lot and truck stalled. could not steer. could not accelerate. warning light popped up said low oil pressure. was not on a hill. ran vehicle health report through ford sync service and everything came back ok. will call dealership next. had my daughter with me and it scared me to death. *tr

Electronic power steering module failed leaving vehicle with no power steering. *tr

When the truck is started the power steering is inoperable making steering very difficult. after restarting the power steering operates as intended. hope it doesn't go out while driving. *tr

Have had the truck for about a year now originally brought it to the dealership for a knock / pop/ rattle felt and heard through the steering wheel only in the colder weather , they replaced the steering rack . all was fine until the warmer weather hit in new england and 3000 miles later it came back . took it back to the dealership the mechanic felt the knock/pop/rattle again . they replaced the rack again .. all was fine for about 3-5000 miles and once the really hot weather hit it has come back again and does it in all temperatures . so that is 3 steering racks at 3 different temperatures doing the same thing and ford had the nerve to say its a "normal " characteristic of the vehicle . thats impossible seeing that each steering rack performs different in different temperatures . ill also add that the feeling of the steering tightens and loosens with temperature change and when its windy the truck is almost impossible to control on the highway . there is hundreds and hundreds of complaints about this issue and nothing is being done about . i also find it funny how the new 2014 f150s have had a recall on the steering also. *tr

While driving at normal highway speeds truck will abruptly die losing steering and brakes and has to be pulled to side of road and restarted. normally happens while pulling rv trailer has not happened running empty. after restart will normally run several miles before recurrence. it always reflects "service advance trac" and shows a wrench at the read out. however, when taken to dealer there was no engine code so they are unable to find problem. i feel like we are at risk of a serious accident everytime we pull the trailer. this has happened 6 times. dealer has advised me to keep driving till next time it occurs and to somehow try to restart without erasing "service advance trac" read out. i thing for our safety there is a lot of jeopardy in this.

When driving under 40 mph on a an uneven surface especially gravel or dirt roads there is a clunking sound from front/also felt through steering wheel. feels like a worn out vehicle with bad balljoints. after researching on the internet i found this is widespread on these 2011-2013 trucks with the electric steering. notified dealer about all the complaints on here and forums about bad steering boxes. took truck in to dealership and mechanic experienced it on test drive. tightened all front suspension hardware and all was tight. was told there is no problem and they can't replace anything if nothing is broke. they had no explanation of the concern even though the mechanic felt it on test drive. the truck has just over 10,000 miles on it now and has been happening since about 7,000 or 8,000 miles. very dissatisfied with the quality of this truck. i have owned a lot of fords in the past but if this is not resolved i will never buy a ford again. for a truck that stickered just under 50k it is very pathetic that ford does not step up and address that there is a problem with these steering racks. it is pretty clear with all the complaints on here and other websites with the same exact concerns that there is a issue here. i hope they figure something out because a malfunction in the steering could be a big safety issue. if you are reading this and thinking about buying a f-150 i would think of looking at other brands. *tr

My truck without warning just starts shaking violently and becomes hard to control. it has happened 10-12 times at various speeds and over different road surfaces. i have had the truck "fixed" two times. the problem continues and has become worse after the second "fix". now not only does it shake violently it makes a grinding should too as it shakes. the dealership admits other ford truck owners are having the same problem. *tr

My wife was driving on la 3033 when she began to notice that the steering response was erratic and slow, pulling a little to the right and hard to turn in corners. this started about 3 miles before the incident and she didn't know what was wrong but continued ahead. she reached a right hand curve on a local lake levee and noticed it still hard to turn but made it okay. the next curve was a left hander and when she stated into it the steering refused to respond. there are hardly any shoulders on this highway and she went straight down the levee embankment and hit a tree and into the water. the truck is badly damaged but she and the two grandchildren are okay. i am puttting this on this site because i know ford is going to deny any problems like this. now i'm wondering if it might happen again to us or someone else. *tr

I hear a thunking noise under the front suspension over bumps in the road. my first reaction is it's a brand new truck. it sounds exactly like a bad sway bar link. so i took the truck to my friends mechanics garage and noticed front tires are cupped badly, an unusually wear for a new truck. we rotated the tires and checked suspension. we noticed what we thought was a bad inner tie rod cause there was loose unusual movement side to side with the tire on driver's side. so i went home and started to read on f150 forum.com and found many people with 2011-2013 f150 year truck is having the same issue of thunkin noise. it turns out it is not tie rods, it is a bad steering rack and pinion. i read alot of information and a video of a truck that sound like mine. i have read where a service writer mentioned that 2 trucks lost steering but there was no accident and the steering racks were replaced. i have called ford service recently and they said they know nothing about bad steering racks. many owners of these trucks have posted in the forum that ford knows of these so called contaminated steering racks that were made. i would like a tsb or a service bulletin that would get these bad racks off these trucks. thank you *tr

The truck started shaking violently while trying to pass a truck on the two lane highway. there was a huge loss in power and couldn't complete passing the truck. extremely unsafe to have to slow down while still shaking and bucking to get back behind the truck that i was trying to pass. this violent shaking and loss of power has happened many times even after the many trips to the ford service department's. none of the bandages have worked that ford has attempted. this has been a nightmare to not feel safe in a 4x4 truck nor will my wife ride in it anymore because of the issue scaring her last time she rode in the truck. the problem happens when it rains or has rained recently or is humid which would be every day in the state of florida. *js

The vehicle from original purchase date in october of 2012 has exhibited a knock/clunk/vibration from the front suspension and steering that transmits up through the steering column and can be felt while holding the steering wheel and heard from the frontal area of the vehicle while driving. the steering wheel is also off center to the left and vehicle seems to pull left regardless of road crown and the front two tires are feathered across the tread. the first visit to dealer at 2700 miles the dealer reset the toe as it was toe out causing uneven tire wear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer at roughly 4700 miles for the knock/clunk/vibration and uneven tire wear again and it was found that pinch bolts were loose on the steering column causing the clunk. dealer states the uneven tire wear was due to low tire pressure. after picking up vehicle the knock/clunk/vibration is still present. with the vehicle off and turning the wheel back and forth rapidly the knock/clunk can be heard from the front of the vehicle, however the dealer states this is normal noise from the ford epas steering rack. asked dealer to compare to a new like vehicle on the lot. dealer changed the subject. sounds like faulty tie rod ends or faulty internal rack components from my past automotive experience. owned a 2011 f150 with the same suspension and epas steering rack and the wheel was straight, and no noise was heard or vibrations felt while driving. tires did not show uneven wear either. dealer states i cannot compare my 2012 f150 to my 2011 f150. dealer states an appointment is going to be set with the local field service engineer to test drive my vehicle to make a determination if any further action is to be taken. at this point the dealer is not providing any further assistance in resolving my concern. issue has also been documented with ford customer care. *tr

While driving in a straight line on us 395 north bound, north of pearsonville, ca, the steering began to feel loose with a "clunk" or "popping" that could be felt in the steering wheel. this was very concerning, and annoying, and lasted for 3 hours until i arrived at my destination. the outside air temp was about 90 degrees, and this "clunk" becomes more pronounced as the temperature rises. i have serious concerns with this new electronic power assist steering (epas) and the potential for total steering failure. ford had serious issues with the 2011 explorer epas, and now the new f150 (beginning with 2011 model) with epas is beginning to show the same problem. i was at perry ford in poway, ca yesterday, and the service writer stated that two new f150's lost all steering control. the online forum, www.f150forum.com, has hundreds of new f150 owners with the same complaint. many have had total steering rack replacements only to have the same problem come back in a few thousand miles. i limit my driving with this vehicle (only 3,012 mi.) after one year of ownership. i refuse to waste my time with a rack replacement as ford has made no modifications or changes to the original design. the vendor for this epas unit is nexteer. i have contacted nexteer and received no response. i opened a case with ford customer service. my personal safety, the safety of my family and the safety of others keeps me off the road until ford acknowledges the problem and finds a fix. the problem needs to be addressed before a life, or lives, are lost. thank you. *tr

Epas steering failure. while making a left turn the epas electronic power assist steering stopped working. though we kept turning the wheel, truck did not make the turn, it seemed to be trying to turn and turning slowly. then all of a sudden the epas started working again. truck shook and jerked, as the epas tried to correct for steering input. brakes were applied to emergency stop the truck and truck ended up off the road, on to the shoulder of the road. *tr

Shortly after the purchase of this new 2012 ford f150 ecoboost, a knocking developed that could be felt through the steering wheel. this occurred while driving straight, and could be felt and heard under normal road conditions. it doesn't have to be a bumpy road, normal road conditions this occurs. it feels like a rattle or knocking coming from the steering assembly. i brought the vehicle to the dealer for it's first oil change, and to have the knocking issue looked at on august 8, 2012. the dealer noticed the noise and their repair made was to rotate the tires. august 15, 2012 brought the truck back for the same condition. the dealer noticed the noise during the road test and contacted the ford hotline. no repairs made. september 21, 2012 brought the truck back for the same condition. the technician could not duplicate the noise condition. no repairs made. october 25, 2012 after contacting ford customer care center myself, they instructed me to bring the truck back in and they will replace the tie rods. tie rods replaced on this date. november 5, 2012 brought the truck back in for the same condition. service department refused to test drive the truck, and told me that everything is normal and "operates as designed". january 14, 2012-still have knocking/rattle condition through steering wheel. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford f150. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle began to vibrate. the failure occurred at any speed and became progressly worse when traveling 70 mph. the vehicle was inspected by two different authorized dealer, both were unable to diagnose the problem. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 25.

Steering locks up

On vacation to ga from md in july of 2012, during a heavy downpour and lost power several times traveling on i-95 towing a boat. driving about 65-70 mph stopped at the ford dealer on rt. 1 in fredericksburg va and they did a temporary fix, a piece of cardboard was installed to prevent the moisture from causing problemsonly to be told to go back to our dealer for the part once it comes in all back ordered. we have since contacted sheehy and got nowhere never got a call either that the part was in. truck gets the worst gas mileage and over the rain we had started to stall out again. never called and never fixed.now with the rain again and the heat it is doing it again..... *tr