Well, yet another surprise for me with my new to me 2012 F150.

Yesterday, my electric power steering failed. Little bit of Google detective work shows this to be a fairly common problem and I have all the symptoms. Power steering fail warnings on the message center, AdvanceTrac failure warnings, turn signals don't latch, loud squeals when you turn the wheel and of course, a real fight to steer the vehicle at low speeds.

Obviously not safe to drive this way, but surprisingly, it does not seem to be too bad a problem at highway speeds as long as you don't make any sudden movements. Problem is, I am 2 hours away from home and I have decided I will try to nurse it home.

I noticed that you seem to be fighting the power assist motor when you turn the wheel, particularly at low speeds. I also noticed that you can unlock the steering without turning on the power and you can armstrong the steering with a reasonable amount of effort. Turn the power on and the fight to turn the wheel becomes one you may lose.

What I would like to know is there a fuse you could pull or a connector you could undo to kill the power to the assist motor? Seems to me that no power assist would be preferable to fighting the broken system in order to get home.

And yes, I am pretty upset that Ford would design such a system that fails in a dangerous way. Probably even worse than their battery management system. I do still like this truck, but my old beater 86 is looking better and better.

 

You can unplug the rack. Don't know if it'll help or not. #8 in the inset pic.

 

NotEnough, let us know how this trick works out for you, may be one of those "good to know" tricks that could happen to any of us down the road.

 

As it turned out, I had no resources to lift the truck to gain access to the rack and I was able to maneuver carefully as long as I turned the wheel very slowly and gently. So, I undertook a very sketchy 200 km drive to get home. Fortunately, at highway speeds, the wheel was easier to turn although a sudden movement would bring an opposing effort from the electric power steering. The route had sparse traffic which was a blessing because I made a few unexpected lane changes. Made it home in one piece and the truck is now parked because supply chain issues have made the rack difficult to obtain.

So, my plan is to obtain a replacement rack and in the meantime, I am using an older truck that I had previously retired. It's my work season right now and earning my paycheck is the priority, but I do plan on looking into disconnecting or disabling the electric assist to make that damaged ride home a little safer. I could not reach the connector from under the hood, but I understand there are two fuses related to the EPS. There is supposed to be a 125A fuse under the hood, but I did not locate it yet. I believe this would be the primary power for the assist motor and disabling the assist would stop the fight when you attempt to turn the wheel.

I will update this in a few weeks when my work season is finished.

 

That fuse is part of what Ford calls a breaker attached to the positive battery cable clamp. It's not one you can pull out easily. You would have to crack open the plastic lid and physically break the fuse leaving the cable connected for the truck to operate. It's $40 so I'd advise you drive up on some blocks if you don't have ramps to gain clearance to unplug the rack.

Here's a link to the breaker. https://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts...-14526-aa.html