ODI has 508 Ford Motor complaints alleging loss of power steering assist and increased effort thus far.
The Office of Defects Investigations – ODI – at NHTSA has opened an investigation into 2010 to 2012 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ vehicles equipped with rack mounted Electric Power Assisted Steering. This so-called EPAS system used to save fuel since around a 4% improvement can be saved by not running a hydraulic pump all the time.
However, automotive electronics and specifically the software needed to run them are giving “the old drill a hole in cast iron” automakers fits. The customer is now often performing troubleshooting and the final stages of product development after purchasing the vehicle, in effect becoming a release engineer.
ODI said it has 508 Ford Motor complaints alleging loss of power steering assist and increased steering effort thus far. Four of these complaints allege that the steering assist failure resulted in increased steering efforts that contributed to a loss of control and a crash.
ODI says there is also related information in Early Warning Reporting field report data submitted by Ford. Many of the complaints say there was a power steering warning message as the failure occurred. In some cases, the defect was corrected by turning the vehicle off and restarting.
A Preliminary Evaluation has been opened to assess the scope, frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect. These often result in a recall down the road.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
