Problems · by component

2011 Mercury Milan steering problems

77 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2011 Mercury Milan cite steering, 40% of all 192 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.

Complaints
77
40% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the steering

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I was driving approximately 35 mph when a chime sounded and the DIC flashed "Service Advancetrak" and "service power steering NOW" I immediately parked the vehicle and called for roadside assistance and had it towed. Upon placing the service request with AAA I was informed that my vehicle was subject to an active recall involving the electric steering.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 21, 2026SteeringODI 11772612
“While driving, the ABS, traction control and power steering lights came on. I was coming off the highway and I lost power steering!!! I almost wrecked into the guard rail coming off the exit!!! I got to the light at the bottom of the exit and I had no power steering. I pulled over immediately and called for a tow. I took it to my mechanic and he said the rack and pinion is bad. We looked it up and there are a ton of people with the same year/make/model as me that are getting tier cars fixed under recall. They wont pay for mine because my vin isnt in this campaign. They said take it to Ford for ANOTHER diagnosis just to tell me they will let me know if my car gets added!! Im not paying for another diagnosis when I have one already!! This is a serious safety issue and they arent fixing their product!!! I JUST bought it and its costing me almost $1800 for a repair!!! There was no indications it was bad or I wouldnt have bought it! Ford needs to stand by all of their cars, and get my vin added to the recall and pay for their crappy/shoddy parts!”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 26, 2026Steering, Power trainODI 11759666
“On XXX My 2011 Milan, experienced a total loss of steering assist. Am original owner & have original invoice from former dealer (Vista Ford )dated XXX, Invoice #XXX shows the dealer only did a software patch under 15N01 because there were no error codes at the time. My physical defective steering gear was never replaced, and now suffers a total mechanical electrical failure. The manufacturers software recall patch failed to prevent the component from failing.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 14, 2026SteeringODI 11750411
“The contact owns a 2011 Mercury Milan. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the electronic power steering failure warning light illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact's family member attached the ODS monitor to the vehicle, and fault codes: C1277 (Steering Wheel Angle Sensor), UL3000 (Power Steering Control Modular) and several other failure codes associated with the electronic power steering were retrieved. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,430.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 12, 2026SteeringODI 11743808
“1) The electric power steering system failed. The dashboard displayed the message “Service Power Steering Now,” and the steering assist stopped working, making the steering extremely stiff. The vehicle also lost reverse gear, where the engine revs but the vehicle does not move when shifted into reverse. The vehicle is still in my possession and available for inspection upon request. 2) When the power steering assist failed, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn, which made the vehicle harder to control. This created a safety risk when attempting to turn or maneuver the vehicle in traffic or parking areas. Additionally, the inability to use reverse gear could create a hazardous situation if the driver cannot back out of traffic, parking spaces, or other areas. 3) The problem has not yet been inspected or confirmed by a dealership or independent service center. 4) No, the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or other parties. 5) The dashboard displayed the message “Service Power Steering Now,” and the steering assist stopped working. The problem appeared suddenly when the vehicle was started. The…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 7, 2026Steering, Power train, Electrical systemODI 11722674
“on 10/27/25 my son was driving car (2011 Mercury Milan) and light came on dash and car suddenly lost all power steering. Luckily car was able to be driven to side of the road when steering went out. I went to the Ford recalls website and it indicated "Epas steering efforts" was on the website as requiring free service. This recall is specifically for loss of power steering in car. Electronic Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) systems provide variable steering assistance but can experience issues leading to increased steering effort and loss of control. Upon checking with dealer, this was to be fixed under safety recall bulletin 15S18. This was initially repaired in 2015 under that recall bulletin. This did not fix the issue as the car requires a power steering gear replacement for same issue. Warranties on this recall are not being honored and this is deceptive as the final repair did not correct the problem. Federal law dicates warrenties do not expire on safety recalls. Upon checking the ford recall website, Ford is now indicating it can be fixed under a "Customer Satisfaction Program" to cover the original safety recall which has already expired. Now I am faced…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 28, 2025SteeringODI 11696096

Showing 6 of 77 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

1 recall on this component

Steering: electric power assist system

Free remedy

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Ford Fusion vehicles without a 3.5L engine and Lincoln MKZ hybrid electric vehicles, 2011 Mercury Milan vehicles, 2011-2012 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with a 3.5L GTDI engine and 2013 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles equipped with any available engine. The affected vehicles have electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.

SteeringReported Jun 2, 2015NHTSA 15V340000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 10, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Other 2011 Milan problem areas