There are 4 stored owner reports matching the steering leading-label group for the 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 4 of 4 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)MY TRUCK'S STEERING COLUMN IS TIGHT. IT FEELS LIKE IT COULD LOCK UP OR BREAK OFF. THE KEY IS HARD TO TURN IN THE IGNITION; THE GEAR SHIFTER IS TIGHT TO SWITCH FROM PARK TO DRIVE. THIS IS OCCURRING WHEN I START THE TRUCK, THEN IT SEEMS TO BE FINE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW FORD HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE MECHANISMS TO ENABLE A SMOOTH START. MY TRUCK HAS ONLY 49,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY. I WORRY THAT IT COULD LEAVE ME STRANDED OR THE STEERING WHEEL COULD LOCK UP. HAVE THERE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS NATURE?
WHILE DRIVING FOR THE ORGANIZATION MEALS ON WHEELS, I PROCEEDED TO TRY AND SHIFT FROM PARK TO REVERSE AND THE STEERING OR GEAR SHIFT LEVER SNAPPED OFF. I WAS UNABLE TO PUT MY CAR INTO GEAR AND CALLED A TOW TRUCK WHICH TOWED THE CAR TO A FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. I AM WAITING FOR AN ESTIMATE FROM THE SERVICE CENTER. *TR
FROM THE ORIGINAL PURCHASE TO NOW 95K MILES I HAVE COMPLAINED OF A ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT END OF OUR 2005 FORD EXPLORER SPORTS TRAC. THEY HAVE REPLACE A NUMBER OF PART AND CONTINUE TO TELL US THAT ITS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE TO HAVE VIBRATION. I HAVE ASKED SEVERAL TIME FOR THEM TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK WITH THEM REFUSING. THEY HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIX IT. AS 100% DISABLED PTSD VETERAN I HAVE HIT MY LIMIT WITH THEM. THIS IS A PIECE OF CRAP AND I PAY ALMOST 600 A MONTH AND HAVE TO FIX IT ALL THE TIME. *TR
DT: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HIS DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING A 2005 FORD EXPLORER SPORTS TRACK AT 20-25 MPH THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL FELL OFF. THE CONSUMER STATED THE KNUCKLE BEHIND THE WHEEL BROKE. THE ZONE MANAGER FOR THE FORD MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE DRIVER MUST HAVE HIT SOMETHING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. THE CONSUMER STATED THE DRIVER DID NOT NOTICE ANY INDICATION THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITHIN THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER, AND ACCEPTED THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE ZONE MANAGER. *AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 29, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.