Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the "Traction Control" and "Power Steering" warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was very difficult to turn, and the vehicle was pulled over off the roadway. The contact stopped and turned off and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle had not fully regained power steering functionality. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed but was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH from a parking spot and turning the wheel to the left, the steering wheel seized. The steering wheel failed to turn left or right. The contact was able to reverse into a parking spot. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under recall. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 105,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the ABS, traction control, and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed. The contact stated that the brake lines were flushed, and brake fluid was added to the vehicle; however, the failure returned several days after the repair. The vehicle was taken back to the mechanic where an ABS pump fault code was retrieved. The contact was then informed that the part needed to repair the vehicle was on backorder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the power assist steering fault message displayed on the instrument panel and the power steering malfunctioned, causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn in either direction. The traction control message was also displayed and the vehicle loss functionality. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 177,000.
I was diving down the highway at approximately 55-60mph when my vehicle jerked twice then started decelerating rapidly. At that time pressing the gas pedal had no effect and I had to pull over on to the shoulder to avoid getting hit by oncoming traffic. A wrench light came on and my car began to shake and would not accelerate. I put the car in park and waited a few minutes but it did not stop shaking and the wrench light would not go off. I turned my car off halfway on the highway and half on the shoulder with oncoming traffic. After leaving the car off for approximately 3 minutes I turned it back on and the wrench light went off and my car operated normally. The same thing happened the next day. I called my local Ford dealership and was told that they could not take my car that day. …
The power steering has failed and is reporting error power assist system failure. The stability control os also reporting an error. The behavior is the same as is described in recall# 14V286000, but the VIN check doesn't include my vehicle in the recall even though I have the same model vehicle that is the subject of the recall. I have seen reports by others reporting the same issue and are also finding their vins are also not included in the recall. Intermittently I used to get the power assist system failure message when I would first start the car, but after turning the car off and then on again everything would be fine. However, a few days ago the system failed permanently. Fortunately it occurred while tue car was stationary, in my driveway. I'm taking car to dealer for repair tomorrow, however, I'm expected the repair to cost around $2000. …
When traveling on the interstate the vehicle started pulling my steering to the right or left when not driving straight. The steering wheel would pop to one side or the other making it difficult to maintain my lane on the interstate. Dashboard lights appeared indicating trac control and trac system maintanence. After exiting the highway the vehicle made a loud popping and screeching noise when making a sharp turn, the wheel became more difficult to turn and was physically challenging. Realizing the severity of the situation and feeling the loss of control behind the wheel I attempted to pull into a parking lot when the steering completely locked up. The wheel wouldn't budge and I was left stranded with the car jacknifed on a side street. …
Purchased a used 2013 Ford Explorer xlt with 127,158 miles on it. Drove it for 5 days without problems. On day 6, I drove the car on the freeway for 73-miles. At 127,400 miles I stopped at a burger joint for 35-minutes before resuming my drive to my destination, several warning messages appeared on the information screen when I started the car again. 1)service power steering now. 2) terrain management system failure. 3)service advancetrac. The power steering was dead from that point on. The car was drivable but it took great effort to turn the steering wheel when the car wasn't moving or when making anything more than gradual turns. A search for this problem says that the electric power assisted steering (epas) has died. There was a huge recall to address this problem, but my VIN# is, sadly, not included in that recall. …
I was driving on the freeway at around 65/70mph when suddenly my car shut down. The wrench light illuminated, and the dash said to "check manual" and all power was lost in the car. It was a terrifying experience. I was in the fast lane during the morning commute and my car completely shut down and I had to safely navigate getting over 6 lanes of traffic. Thank god no one was injured because this could have been deadly. The car went into "limp mode" I took it to a Ford dealer today and it was diagnosed as a defective electronic throttle body. I was told it is not covered by the Ford extended warranty which should cover it for 10 years or 150,000 miles. I called Ford and they also told me it was not covered. This is contrary to all the research I have done and the agreement Ford reached with the NHTSA.
I was backing up from parking spot in a city garage and when I place the car in drive my power assisted steering (epas) failed. I got the power steering fault error, advancetrac error and terrain management error. The car was too difficult to manually steer actually nearly impossible. It took almost 1 hour and 2 grown big men to manually steer it out of the garage so that it could be put onto a flat bed tow truck. Ford claims that my VIN# number is not part of the recall (14s06) for this issue. The dealership that I had it towed to has quoted me around $2,000 to replace the steering rack. This is definitely a safety hazard and Ford need to takes responsibility and correct this issue.
Traction Control complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2013 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2013 Ford Explorer, 2% of the model year's 2,237 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Explorer traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2013 Ford Explorer, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Ford Explorer traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 84,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.