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2017 Ford Explorer EPAS Fail


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Im new to the forum but an old Explorer fan. I've owned a 1990, 1994, 2005, 2009, and now have a 2017. The 2017 was my first lease - the rest I bought outright and loved for the duration of ownership. I love the 2017 also. Never been happier with a vehicle actually. 

Except, one little thing. 

Last Thursday I was driving 60 down the highway (with my children in tow!) when (without any notice) my steering wheel froze, a bell started dinging, and my dashboard started flashing: "STEERING FAILED. PARK SAFELY." I don't just mean the power steering went out and you could still drive even though it was more difficult. I mean the steering wheel FROZE COMPLETELY and could not be moved from its locked position. 

Through my lease I had coverage for towing and a rental car. The dealership sent out a tow truck and they hauled me and my sad car in. They sent me home in a loaner car, no questions asked. 

Saturday they called to tell me it was a failed EPAS and would cost me $2850 to fix. 

I am pretty frustrated. I have googled Ford Explorer EPAS failure and see where it was known issue in 2011-2013 Explorers. Ford claims to have fixed it. But clearly in my case there is still some sort of issue. 

I love my Explorer. But this annoyed me. I don't think this is not a wear and tear issue. The car has been babied, it was been serviced at every step, it is very well cared for and should NOT have had an issue like this. (Of course, I acknowledge I may just be annoyed and indignant at the moment - haha - and there is a chance Im just being a cry baby.) 

Has anyone else heard of this or experienced it? Does it seem "normal" for this to happen? 

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Sorry to hear that.  I take it you're over the 36K mile warranty threshold?  Just because it's a failure doesn't mean that it's the same failure or the same exact cause as the other issues.  Parts fail all the time on all makes and models.  The good news is that it shouldn't fail again once it's fixed.

When you decide not to purchase an extended warranty you are gambling that you won't have a big repair bill and more often than not you'll come out ahead in the long run over several vehicles.  But sometimes you can get burned on one repair.

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How many miles are on your Explorer?  Unlike aKirby, pending on your mileage, I think it is reasonable to expect the power steering to last more than 36000 miles so I understand the frustration. I had the EPAS go out in a 2013 at 65000. I don’t recollect it was going to be that expensive to fix so perhaps there is something else going on. 

Nevertheless, I would ask for repair support from your dealer to see if they will help cover a portion of the repair. I was able to get my dealer to pay for part of it, and I paid $600. They get money from Ford to pay for portions of repairs to help people out. 

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Hey there- thanks to both of you for taking the time to respond. 

I am in fact over the 36,000 miles. My odometer currently reads 37559. So major bummer on that. I did buy an extended warranty (5year/60,000 miles) but it only covers Powertrain. So, lesson learned. 

I will reach out to the dealership regarding repair support. Didn’t know that was an option. So thank you for that very helpful piece of advice! 

 

Thanks again! :) 

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Like tbone said. If you have a good loyalty score, Ford will more than likely assist with the repair. I would be surprised if they didn’t. Go ask the dealer nicely if you could get some after warranty assistance with this huge repair bill.

Edited by fordtech1
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2 hours ago, tbone said:

How many miles are on your Explorer?  Unlike aKirby, pending on your mileage, I think it is reasonable to expect the power steering to last more than 36000 miles so I understand the frustration. . 

By that token, nothing should ever break before 150K miles.   Stuff happens, that’s why there are limited warranties.  In my mind you’re only entitled to what you pay for, so if you don’t pay for extended warranty coverage you shouldn’t expect it to be covered.

Now in this case since you’re within the 3 yr period and just outside the 36K I agree that Ford and the dealer should and probably will help you out.  I bet they’ll cover half the repair at least.

BTW, I also agree that in these cases where there is a known bad part that the warranty should be extended to at least 100K miles.  But they’re not required to do that.

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On 3/25/2019 at 6:36 PM, MountainGal81 said:

Hey there- thanks to both of you for taking the time to respond. 

I am in fact over the 36,000 miles. My odometer currently reads 37559. So major bummer on that. I did buy an extended warranty (5year/60,000 miles) but it only covers Powertrain. So, lesson learned. 

I will reach out to the dealership regarding repair support. Didn’t know that was an option. So thank you for that very helpful piece of advice! 

 

Thanks again! :)

 

So a few things to point out.  I moderate the Explorer forums and there is a ton of discussion on peas failures.  I will saw that there have been very few failures in 16+ Explorers compared to 11-15.  Majority of issues in early years were build issues from the supplier and had been corrected.  Still, it is electronic and electronics can and will fail.

 

Now $2,850????  The part is under $1,000, labor is about 4 hours and you need an alignment afterwards.  You should be in the neigh or of $1,500-$1,800.  $2,850 is pure robbery!!

 

Lastly, you bought a 5yr/60k powertrain extended warranty on a vehicle that has a 5yr/60k powertrain warranty already? B2B is 3/26 but powertrain from Ford is already 5/60k.  It would seem the dealer sold you an ESP that offers you NOTHING but a rental car since your coverage is included.

 

If you care to read through 66 pages of discussion..

https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/2011-2018-explorer-power-steering-issue.320445/

Edited by blwnsmoke
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5 hours ago, blwnsmoke said:

Now $2,850????  The part is under $1,000, labor is about 4 hours and you need an alignment afterwards.  You should be in the neigh or of $1,500-$1,800.  $2,850 is pure robbery!!

Agreed, regarding the epas repair cost. The amount range akirby quoted is the amount I recall being quoted. The price you were quoted sounds excessive. 

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On 3/25/2019 at 5:36 PM, MountainGal81 said:

Hey there- thanks to both of you for taking the time to respond. 

I am in fact over the 36,000 miles. My odometer currently reads 37559. So major bummer on that. I did buy an extended warranty (5year/60,000 miles) but it only covers Powertrain. So, lesson learned. 

I will reach out to the dealership regarding repair support. Didn’t know that was an option. So thank you for that very helpful piece of advice! 

 

Thanks again! :)

 

20 hours ago, blwnsmoke said:

 

So a few things to point out.  I moderate the Explorer forums and there is a ton of discussion on peas failures.  I will saw that there have been very few failures in 16+ Explorers compared to 11-15.  Majority of issues in early years were build issues from the supplier and had been corrected.  Still, it is electronic and electronics can and will fail.

 

Now $2,850????  The part is under $1,000, labor is about 4 hours and you need an alignment afterwards.  You should be in the neigh or of $1,500-$1,800.  $2,850 is pure robbery!!

 

Lastly, you bought a 5yr/60k powertrain extended warranty on a vehicle that has a 5yr/60k powertrain warranty already? B2B is 3/26 but powertrain from Ford is already 5/60k.  It would seem the dealer sold you an ESP that offers you NOTHING but a rental car since your coverage is included.

 

If you care to read through 66 pages of discussion..

https://www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/2011-2018-explorer-power-steering-issue.320445/

So I was looking at Ford's ESP site.  The PowertrainCare plan is not available for 5 years/60,000 miles, you have to go at least 6 years and at least 60,000+ miles.  The BaseCare which covers components like suspension and steering and would cover the EPAS is available for 5/60,000 (minimum is 48,000 miles or 5 years).  So I would look at your extended warranty and see if it is a genuine Ford ESP plan.  If not, ask for a refund from the dealer or threaten legal action for selling you a warranty that doesn't provide any protection beyond the manufacturer's warranty which would constitute fraud.

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