Hello folks and Happy Thanksgiving. Recently my 2013 Explorer had a check battery charge appear on my dash. Upon driving it to my local Good Year, the steering wheel started to become extremely stiff when turning. Almost like it locks and can only turn a little when giving speed.

Apparently there are lot of issues with 2013-2018 explorers and their water pumps. Especially with how it’s placed in the engine. It’s costed a lot of people money and I mostly paid for labor. I scrapped up some money from my savings, ran my credit card for the remainder of the amount, and drove back home.

2 days later, behold, the light comes back on and the steering wheel is locking up. 2k+ in the hole and now I can’t drive to my mechanic.

Has this ever happend to anyone and if so, what should I do. I’d my mechanic 100% responsible for this diagnosis and fix? I never knew that a car I spent 30k and it only HAS 78,000 miles would cause me this issue today. Please help with any advice. Thanks!

  • moderatorcorruptionBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    Don’t ever go to a chain store like good year. Find a local family owned shop and look at the reviews.

    Get your battery and alternator tested for free at a place like autozone. It’s probably completely unrelated to the steering issue.

    Your mechanic probably knows nothing about cars. The water pump wouldn’t affect the steering…unless they are on the same serpentine belt - and if the belt were the actual issue, you’d likely be hearing it squeal. According to google, you don’t have hydraulic power steering. The coolant shouldn’t have been an issue unless there was a leak, the vehicle is overheating, or it was time to change it (maintenance).

    Lastly, the guy should have looked at TSBs and recall information. Call the ford dealership. You might get it fixed for free since there’s a recall regarding this. They check it if you provide them the VIN number of the vehicle.

    I would ask for your money back.

    - https://www.cars.com/articles/recall-alert-2011-2013-ford-explorer-1420663014640/#:~:text=The%20Problem%3A%20A%20potential%20electrical,the%20risk%20of%20a%20crash.