2018 Ford F-150 steering problems

“NHTSA Safety Complaint Draft Vehicle Information: Make: Ford Model: F-150 Year: 2018 VIN: [XXX] Incident Summary: While driving my 2018 Ford F-150, the vehicle suddenly displayed a warning on the dashboard: “Steering Assist Fault – Service Required.” Within moments of this warning, I lost all power steering assist and was unable to control the vehicle, resulting in the truck veering off the road and into a ditch. This was a sudden and dangerous failure of the Electric Power Steering (EPS) system. I was fortunate not to have been injured, and no other vehicles were involved. However, this type of failure represents a major safety risk to me and to others on the road. I contacted Ford Motor Company and was assigned Case Number: [XXX]. Despite reporting the issue and explaining that the vehicle ran off the road, Ford refused to offer any assistance or goodwill repair. I was told the vehicle is outside of recall 24S45, even though it displays the exact same failure symptoms as recalled vehicles from later years. This failure could have resulted in serious injury or death. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this steering system failure and expand any related…”

“The contact owned a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the contact's son was driving at 20 MPH, the contact's son noticed an unusual sound. The steering wheel did not turn in the intended direction. No warning lights illuminated. The contact stated the steering wheel was detached and loose. The vehicle crashed into a nearby tree. The contact's son did not sustain any injuries. In addition, the air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the insurance company for inspection. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. A police report was filed; however, the information was unavailable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised that the vehicle needed to be inspected by the investigator. The failure mileage was unknown.”

“The button on the steering wheel get hot then fail to work this has happened several times i have complained to ford. The cruise control quits working and all the buttons for the dash menu quit working. I will be driving down the road with the cruise control on and all of a sudden it will quit working. Then it will just come back on like you never shut it off and when you least expect it. when this happens you can not shut the thing off its gonna cause an accident.”

“The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at various speeds, the steering wheel was pulling to the left or to the right, forcing the contact to keep and maintain a strong grip on the steering wheel while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact referenced Equipment Recall: 24S45 (Electronic Power Steering Assist Steering Gear); as a possible cause for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.”

“The contact owns a 2018 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the steering wheel seized as if the vehicle was in park(P) with the vehicle turned off. The contact stated that the vehicle was still running. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who advised the contact to have the vehicle towed to a local dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.”

“I own a 2018 Ford F-150 with 56,000 miles, and I have been experiencing serious and unpredictable transmission issues. These problems first started around 48,000 miles, but at the time, I assumed it was normal behavior. However, the issues have progressively worsened, and by 55,000 miles, a wrench warning light started appearing intermittently. Symptoms: •While driving at highway speeds, the transmission unexpectedly drops from 10th gear to 1st gear, causing a sudden and severe deceleration. •The gear shifts are jerky, unpredictable, and rough, making it difficult to maintain control of the vehicle. •The wrench warning light appears occasionally but disappears quickly, making diagnosis difficult. •No diagnostic trouble codes (D DTCs) are stored or retrieved when scanned at multiple repair shops. •The issue happens intermittently, making it challenging to replicate on demand. •Started noticing issues at 48k miles, but they became significantly worse around 50k miles when the wrench light began appearing. •I called Ford to reset the radio/computer software, after hearing it might help, but it did not resolve the issue. •The unpredictable transmission behavior…”