There are 5 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2002 Ford Excursionin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WHILE BACKING THE VEHICLE I FELT A POP AND THEN THERE WAS NO STEERING CONTROL. I LOOKED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THAT THE TIE ROD CONNECTION TO THE PITMAN ARM HAD SNAPPED.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXCURSION. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE STEERING CONTROL ARM DETACHED FROM THE FRAME. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 95,000.
CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT ENGAGE. ICON ON DASH JUST FLASHED WHEN" SET "WAS DEPRESSED. I TRIED ALL CRUISE SWITCHES TO VERIFY IF IT WAS A STUCK SWITCH. PRESSING CRUISE" ON "AND "COAST" SWITCHES ON STEERING WHEEL CAUSES HORN TO SOUND. DEALER SAID THE BRAKE SWITCH WAS THE CAUSE DUE TO A MISSING GROUND BUSS. THE VEHICLE USES GROUND SWITCHING SO THE HORN SHOULD BE ON ALL THE TIME. THE HORN STILL SOUNDS WHEN SWITCHES ARE DEPRESSED. I FEEL CAUSE IS IN THE STEERING WHEEL HUB AND AM CONCERNED THIS CAN EFFECT THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT. *TR
AT LOW SPEEDS OR WHEN STOPPED WITH THE BRAKES APPLIED, THE STREERING CAPABILITIES ARE EXTREMELY LIMITED OR NON EXISTANT. (IN OTHER WORDS, I CAN'T TURN THE STEERING WHEEL UNDER THESE CONDITIONS) AND IT HAPPENS REGULARLY - EVERYDAY!!! *JB
WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED AND VEHICLE HAS STOPPED, DRIVER IS UNABLE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL, CONSUMER CONTACTED DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT IT WAS NORMAL.*AK. CONSUMER STATED IT IS VERY HARD TO TURN WHEEL, IT FEELS LIKE THE STEERING IS BINDING, WHEEL CAN NOT BE TURNED MORE THAN 1/4 TURN RIGHT OR LEFT WHEN BRAKE IS ON AND VEHICLE IS STOPPED. *JB
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026