2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid steering problems

“My car has lost powering steering three times now. I have replaced the rack and pinion module twice and I’m fixing to a third time. This has happened all within the last 3.5 years”

“I became the owner of a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid in 2016. At first there was no issues. Roughly a couple of months later, there was a power steering issue- so the car was driven to Ford with great difficulty where they reset the sensor or something and the power steering was working again. Now a couple of years later, the problem occurred again. The power steering chime came on, the car read “service advancetrac” in yellow and “power steering assist fault” in read, accompanied by the wheel stiffening. I pulled over turned the car off and back on, and the problem went away. It occurred several more times and turning the car off and back on remedied the problem. It would only occur every couple of months, but more recently it started happening every couple of weeks and now- the last ten days it has happened every time I drive. Each of those times, with the exception of the most recent occurrence, turning the car off and letting it sit for a couple of minutes, followed by turning it back on, solved the problem. The most recent time, I was traveling on the highway going 60 mph when the messages appeared and my wheel stiffened. It terrified me as I was moving fast on…”

“While driving I noticed that at times my steering wheel would be difficult to turn. At first, the problem seemed small until I was trying to make a left turn on a very busy 4-lane road, and without warning the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. I narrowly avoided being hit and ever since then, the steering has not been the same. I sought help at my nearest Ford dealership and after they inspected the car they determined that there was a problem with the steering assist and possibly the rack and pinion. We then discovered that the very same parts were recalled in 2011 for the same make and model car. I was never notified of any recalls and I asked why I was never contacted. The Ford dealership did not know why. According to them the vehicles that were recalled were vehicles that were made at the same facility as mine. They pointed out that normally my car would have been included in the recall and they did not know why I was excluded. I have attached the documentation they provided me proving that my car was built in a factory that had other cars recalled for the same reason. Currently, they are telling me that they cannot honor this recall because my…”

“The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering assist and driving track warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to his place of employment. The contact stated that after work he started the vehicle and, while driving, the steering seized. The contact used both hands to turn and steer the vehicle. The contact phoned the local dealer and made the dealer aware of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report to failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.”

“The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while her husband was attempting to reverse, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, and the vehicle displayed a message stating "Electric Power Steering Assist Fault". The EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power steering control module. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering) however, the VIN was included but the vehicle was already repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 66,000.”

“The contact owns a 2012 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The contact stated that while his grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the power steering control module was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V340000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.”