I haven't looked yet, but if Ford followed Chevy they have updated steering to electric. If the battery isn't disconnected it becomes a safety issue.
I'm ready to replace my Edge with a new one, but the battery issue threw me off too. My thinking so far is to simply install a cutoff switch similar to the cutoff on my MH batteries and make it simple.
I'm hoping one of the Ford techs on this board can chime in and give a good explanation. I don't mind disconnecting the battery, but would like to set it up as an easy fool proof method. Knowing "why" would sure help with the "how".