[allenworthamjr]

Hi All,

I have a 2012 F-150 3.5L EB RWD with approx 122k miles.

Drove 100% fine last night.

Parked it at about 1:30am and the wheel locked. Thought nothing of it.

Got in this morning, had to move the wheel a bit to unlock the forward key motion (done it a thousand times) and now my power steering is not engaging. It is giving me the error "Service Power Steering Now". Obviously the dealership is saying to bring it in and pay them $179 to diagnose, and just the parts for the steering system are $1500.

Rented a code reader from Autozone... and ZERO codes returned. Maybe there is a fuse, or security catch that isnt allowing the power steering.

I wanted to reach out to you good folks to see if you have had this before, so I dont waste any money.

Allen

 

[allenworthamjr]

FYI, that type of failure will not produce a code. It's not part of the PCM function. Similar to the "Low Battery" warning people occasionally get.

Before anything, check all the connections to the Power Steering Pump. It's electric. Maybe a bad connection. If you are good with testing electrical (and have a voltmeter), have a person try turning the steering wheel while you check the connections.

Thanks GR!!! Good tip. Will keep you posted

 

[allenworthamjr]

Same as all of my research said... those cheap steering gear assemblies that are not durable past 60K miles are acknowledged by Ford to fail frequently... and most of the time, extremely dangerously.

I towed to the dealer yesterday. As I assumed, the electrical module inside the un-serviceable electric power steering gear failed. Total cost of this repair was $2020.78

Ford service wanted to charge me $1569 for the part.
I called the same dealer's parts department, and got it for just under $1200.... can be bought from parts stores or rock auto for a couple hundred less, but you run the risk of not picking the correct unit for your production date (high cap towing for example).... very specific electronics apparently.

The actual labor, alignment, and service "environmental" fees added up to $776 after a 10% military discount.

Summing up... every 60k miles, you better have $2k you are ready to let go of. And haggle these fools on part.... dont let them walk it over from the parts department... these are big pieces, and they dont like to hold onto them, so you can haggle a couple-a few hundy back.

Thanks for playing along. -Sergeant Wortham

 

[allenworthamjr]

1st one I've heard of.

I have read quite a few horror stories on the NTSA website... sometimes these short out when people are driving down the road... causing near misses and all that. Scary stuff, but I can assure you that mine isnt the first... and it wont be the last... However, we move on! Have a great week.

 

[allenworthamjr]

Good luck. Hope you got it all fixed.

Frankly, I am not a fan of electric steering. Far too sensitive for me. If hydraulic were an option, I would go for it.

I am use to my truck now, but recently I had a rental car (Ford Fusion Hybrid) and that electric steering was even more sensitive than my F150.

All to get 0.000001 mpg increase in fuel economy.

I know man... Its overly pricy, and unreliable. One of my in-laws is an ASE Certified Mech, and he replaces thes in all makes and models every week. I think its garbage that the parts are un-serviceable. They need to move the mechanical away from the electrical, so we can replace relays or mechanical parts as needed.