Well I have the same problem as apparently half of the F-150 owners.

About 3-4 weeks ago while backing into my driveway my electronics went on the fritz, cut out and I lost my steering. I restarted the truck and all was well.

After looking at it, I assumed it was due to my battery post being corroded as they always seem to be. Now my positive connector is half gone and needs replaced. I've tried using the battery post protectant, after cleaning them repeatedly, that I use successfully on my boat, no such luck with the truck. So I cleaned the post once again, as best as possible, since now I'm afraid to take the post off, since I haven't been able to find just a connector, but only whole harnesses. I read online ford wants $300 for this, I found them online for $153, which seems a lot better, until you realize I only need a connector.

Well anyways, wasn't the problem. Now last week I got the whole problem as everyone else. Service AdvanceTrac warning along with the service engine soon warning. The truck now runs extremely rough and has no acceleration. After reading other people's experiences online (losing steering while driving) I've been afraid to have my wife or son in the truck, so we went down to one car since then, that's been awesome.

I scheduled an appointment with Walker Ford here in Clearwater as Crystal has been advising everyone. Here now, Thursday 1000 appointment, truck is still waiting in line.

My dad worked for Ford for 37 years, and even after retiring in 2006 he got a job working in the Louisville truck plant and still does. I'm a loyal person, served 10 years in the Marine Corps, been with my wife since I was 16 (22 years), I've been driving for 22 years, I have owned 9 cars, 8 Fords, and 1 Mercury. The last 4 have been new, 2003 Focus SE, 2004 Explorer XLT, 2007 F-150 Lariat and now a 2012 F-150 Platinum SCrew 4x4 EcoBoost. Each one getting more expensive than the previous one. Now I have been planning on buying a new 2015 F-150, my wife and I set the afternoon aside last weekend to come buy one before the 0% APR promotion ends, but couldn't after the truck broke.

After reading so many people having the same problems, why hasn't there been a recall? I've never been disappointed with Ford the way I am right now. I'm livid. 54k for this truck, now this is the second time I have had to have a repair, the previous 8 Fords I had 2, yes 2, bad parts other than routine maintenance. 1 bad MAF (1994 T Bird) and 1 bad coil pack (1999 Mustang GT vert). Is this what I can expect from Ford from now on? I have spent my entire life supporting Ford, always arguing with owners of other brands. I couldn't even muster that up right now.

If they come back in a couple of hours and tell me it's gonna cost me $1200-$2000 to repair this, well I'm still getting rid of it this month, difference is I will be doing something I never imagined I would ever do, parking a GM in my driveway.

Your plate Ford.....

 

Welcome to the site, Otto1946; I'm glad your truck is in the hands of your dealership. How many miles are on it currently? I'll see what I can do to help get you back behind the wheel as quickly as possible.

Crystal

 

Thank you Crystal. 43500 miles.

They told me it had a bad map sensor and it will be covered under the power train warranty luckily. Hopefully that fixes it.

As far as the battery connector, the mechanic told me he was gonna try to see what he can do tomorrow.

 

It sounds like things are moving in the right direction, Otto1946. FYI, I just responded to your PM about this.

Crystal

 

Thanks Crystal.

Well since its supposed to be getting fixed tomorrow under warranty they didn't hit me for it on the trade in appraisal. Offered me a little lower than I wanted, but still 13k more than I owe.

Brought home a new 2015 Lariat SCrew 5.0 V8. Not quite the 2012 platinum SCrew 4x4 EcoBoost I had, but it has new tires, battery, battery cables and fuel door, all of which needed replaced. Plus I love the new style and it has 43k less miles, and a new warranty.

Still a Ford parked in my driveway. Number 10.

 

Congrats on the new rig, Otto1946; thank you for your loyalty to Ford!

Crystal

 

Had the Service Advancetrac message show up on my 2011 F-150 FX4 Ecoboost. But like most folks, the message goes off after turning the truck off and I can't reproduce to take it to the dealer.

 

Andy,
I know this is an old post but are you implying that the 5 yr 60k mile drivetrain warranty would cover this?


I got the "service advancetrac" last night while backing into my driveway at near full lock. I cleared the code and all dtc are now green but I get a b1596 "null" which I guess just means the computer wants to see x amt of drive cycles now.




The service advance trac has not come back after 50+ miles now and it seems to be working, I can turn it off and on as well as the traction control.

Or maybe Crystal could answer this? I have 53000 miles and was told the warranty will end in july or august when I purchased in December.


I should also note that I have zero other symptoms, no noise, no other lights came on, no trouble steering etc... everything seems fine except that service message.

Dave

 

My service advanced trac just came on last night on my 2011 F150 with loss of turn signals. I'm now worried that I'm in for a $1,500 repair. I know my truck has 100k miles but it still seems that this is an expensive repair for what appears to be a faulty sensor that is inside the steering. It would be nice to see ford cover the cost for their owners on what appears to be a known issue. I will know more on Tuesday when I can get my truck into the dealer. Maybe it is time to look at a different manufacturer. Between this and the vibration/shaking that ford has never been able to fix I'm fed up.

 

My Service Advance Trac light and warning message came on yesterday. Also, couldn't use the turn signals. Pulled over and shut down the truck. Started it back up and everything appeared fine. Haven't driven it since but plan to see the dealer. I have a 2012 FX4 with 36,000 miles and bought it brand new. Is this a powertrain issue? Also, why is there still no recall?

 

I used a scan tool and reset the code. Has not come back is about 5 days or so of driving 70 miles per day.
Maybe happened when i threw it in reverse not completely stopped and was on sand backing into driveway at almost full lock?
I have no other symptoms and everything seems to work as it should now.
My scan tool is saying b1596 null now but no CEL or anything so i guess im good?

 

Folks – I’m new to this forum and truck ownership after 35 years of driving cars. I’m the proud owner of a 2012 F150 FX4 Ecoboost or perhaps more appropriately a dismayed and disappointed owner now I know I have the Service AdvanceTrac problem in the first few months of ownership. This is encountered on full left lock in either forwards or reverse and in both 2wd and 4wd. I didn’t think much of it at first as often an engine restart reset the fault. The problem has become more frequent and sometimes doesn't reset for a day or so.

A quick Google search shows this to be a common problem affecting numerous owners many suggesting it should be addressed by a recall or TSB, but Ford has declined to admit that the EPS is of poor design or longevity or both. It’s a sad state of affairs when the entire EPS needs to be replaced for 1 faulty sensor that is unable to read the steering angle correctly. It’s pretty ironic for me as I need to swing hard left when exiting my garage so the “Build Ford Tough” message is very quickly replaced by Service Advancetrac error. Quite an oxymoron.
So this is my mistake for purchasing a domestic vehicle out of warranty and expecting its manufacturer to admit there is a problem impacting many vehicles and issue a TSB. The US government engaged in legal proceedings for allegedly bad floor mat design with Toyota and yet this steering rack problem is swept under the carpet. I’m wondering whether a tort lawyer would be interested in a class action suit if enough irritated owners came forward? Or if the NTSHA would like to see a picture of the dashboard graphic showing the wheels at full lock yet the vehicle traveling in a straight line at 70 mph. Perhaps then it will be recognized as a safety issue and Ford forced to take action.

I’ll probably sell the truck as Ford has not been able to demonstrate that it has modified the EPS design so why spend close to $2000 and wonder when the problem will reoccur.

Ford – Here’s a chance to rebuild my confidence in the brand and earn future business. If I sell my truck the money will go to another brand. Do the honorable thing for your loyal owners that have posted on this and multiple other forums.

A few questions:
Has anyone found a fix that doesn’t require a complete EPS replacement?
Has anyone seen evidence that the replacement part has been modified to fix the problem (Note: it is common for manufacturers to keep the same part number so the change is not seen by the NTSHA. GM tried this with the ignition switch problem until they were caught and fined.
Has anyone had this happen more than once?
Has anyone heard of a TSB which addresses the EPS unit (some reports of a firmware flash for 2011 F150’s)?

Thanks
Newbie F150 (may be not for long!).

 

Hey Bowhunter76,

I just wanted to check on you. How’s your vehicle running?

Welcome to the community, Newbie F150!

I replied to your message. Please check your inbox when you get a chance.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Tricia

 

Just joined this forum to see if others are having the same problem I have with my 2012 F-150 4X4. Guess what, many many others have the same problem.. Wondering if anyone has found a fix... Here is the problem...... Started in 2013, less than a year old. Service Advance Trac light came on, turn signals would not work, unless you held the lever in place. Called the Dealer immediately and the service department advised me that this was a common thing. The solution they advised was to let the truck set for a few minutes, turn the engine back on, put in reverse and drive around the block, the light should go out. I did this and yes the light went out. This problem keeps on keeping on. It is getting to be a major thing with me. Each time the light comes on, I call the service dept and they advise me to bring the vehicle in, however, when I stop the vehicle and restart and put it in gear the light goes out. The service department advised that they can do nothing unless the run the computer on the vehicle with the light on.... I have read on this forum where there are several f-150 out there with the same problem... Whey had ford not issued a Service Bulletin or better yet a recall on this problem. Will be trading vehicles again next year, Is it time to go to GM... or Dodge, Thank maybe so. Have had problems with the ECOBOOST eng. Battery Cable, and others. Ford F-150 was at one time the best out there, however, I am beginning to rethink that....

 

Hi Tannero,


Thanks for asking. I've been out of town so its taken a while to move this forward (or actually backwards). Ford Service PM'ed me asking for my VIN and mileage details to see if they would be able to do anything for me. I provided all the details and restated that my truck is out of warranty but given the nature of the problem and the number of people requiring new steering racks I remained hopeful. Ford Service asked that I take the truck into a dealer for diagnosis which I did earlier this week. Long story short, it is the same problem and requires a steering rack assembly replacement.


Ford Service handed off to a regional CSM who was very polite but told me there were no programs in place to allow Ford to help me. I explained the issue in detail and the answer was the same. I requested this be escalated and spoke to the CSM's supervisor a day later and was told the same thing. I was also that there were no further escalations and I'd need to write to Ford HQ if I wanted to take this further. I'm now an extra $121 out of pocket for the diagnosis on top of a $1500+ estimate to change the rack and perform a realignment. I knew what the issue was and had to pay $121 for Ford to confirm and then tell me they couldn't help. I asked for a goodwill gesture /contribution to the fix and was told no.


So now I'm extremely disappointed in my truck, Ford customer service and Ford's reluctance to admit that the steering rack is if poor quality design, unrealisable and needs to be swapped out due to a simple sensor failure. I'm probably heading down to the GM or Toyota dealer this weekend. I read stories about Toyota really standing behind their products even out of warranty and admitting their errors.


Next steps: Please message me if anyone is interested in taking this to a lawyer to determine if there is sufficient number of failures to warrant a class action lawsuit. I'm also planning to write tot he NHTSA.


Warning to other readers. If Ford Service or a CSM requests you to take the car to the dealer for diagnosis make sure that you have an arrangement up-front that if the problem is as you've stated that Ford pays for the appointment. It's pretty much rubbing salt into a wound having to pay to prove your point and then Ford simply saying no when the Social media team clearly stated on a PM "I’ll be happy to lookinto available options to assist! "


Good luck!