2011 Ford Explorer complaints

Loss of electric power assist, Backed out of drive and could not steer, was locked up. Pulled back in drive. Called wrecker and had taken to Ford. Ford states this is not covered due to it being a warranty out of date issue so repair will be at our cost.

NO INCIDENTS YET. I HAVE HAD A POWER STEERING FAULT WARNING CAME ON. IT IS OFF NOW I HAVE CONTACTED FORD IN DETROIT, RECALL EXPIRED EVENTHOUGH MY CAR HAS ONLY 124,100 MILES ON IT.IT WILL COST ME $2300. TO FIX IT WHICH I DO NOT HAVE. I WAS NEVER TOLD ABOUT A RECALL ON THIS. I PURCHASED THIS USED CAR IN DEC,2021 AT KEARNEY MOTORSPORTS IN LOUISVILLE KY. NOW I HAVE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ON THE SUSPENSION. I FIND THIS CAR VERY UNSAFE AND REALLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS, ESPECIALLY THE POWER STEERING. PLEASE ADVISE, OH I DID REPORT THIS TO KYDOT.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the engine temperature hot warning light illuminated as the vehicle began to stall. The contact pulled off to the side of the road as a white smoke started coming from the vehicle. The contact waited for the vehicle to cool down before opening the hood and discovering that the coolant reservoir was empty. The contact added coolant in the reservoir; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact then called a family member who was able to jumpstart the vehicle; however, after several miles of driving, the failure recurred. The contact coasted the vehicle into a Walmart parking lot where she purchased more coolant; however, the coolant immediately leaked out of the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic and it was determined that the water pump had malfunctioned which led to the engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred her to the NHTSA to file a complaint. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic where it remained in their possession and was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

My 2011 Ford Explorer has had issues with the steering locking up. A number of times I've been able to "reset" it by turning the car off and on. Over time this has happened more often and requiring a number of cycling of the car on and off. These are have an associated alert Power Assist System Fault. Driving the this week the alert came on while driving, steering locked which was extremally frighting but then unlocked. The alert remained and all power steering was lost. I had to use all my strength to turn the wheel and get out of the road. Loss of all power assist in the steering.

Current owner purchased this vehicle used. Power steering has failed and after researching recall history it was discovered that this is a long known problem under Fords recall 14S06 and supplement 15N01. Ford will not honor the recall because the vehicle is now at 165,000 miles. Why should the current owner suffer the out of pocket expense for a recall repair that should have been properly repaired the 1st time while still within the recall limits? I have zero confidence that Ford or NHTSA will act in good faith on behalf of owners.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering became inoperable. The power steering and service traction warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified and referred to contact the NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 137,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The low coolant message was displayed. The contact was able to pull off to the side of the road. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine had seized. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

Airbag fault

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the power steering malfunction warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving, the steering wheel locked up and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion had an internal failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) in 2014. No further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 83,242.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The driver was able to safely pull over and stopped the vehicle. The contact stated that the hydraulic system failure warning light was illuminated. The driver turned the vehicle off and, on several times, and the power steering functionality returned. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the electric power steering gear needed to be replaced. Additionally, the mechanic stated that the failure was similar to NHTSA Campaign Number 14V286000 (Steering) and 14E001000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

There is a recall for 2011-2014 Ford Explorers for the "Power Steering assist fault". My 2011 Ford Explorer is having this exact problem, however after taking it to a Ford dealership, I was told. YES there is a recall, but my vehicle was left off the list. This is 100% unfair. You have a recall for 2011 Ford Explorers, except my vehicle. This is a dangerous problem. I could have had an accident with my two Grandchildren in the car. How can Ford know this is a problem, but leave vehicles off the list.

There is an issue with the power steering and the system on the vehicle states that there is a “power steering assist fault” and “terrain assist fault”. This issue completely locks my steering wheel to the point where it is impossible to turn. The concerning part of this issue is that there have been multiple times while driving through a parking lot or on the highway that this issue comes up out of nowhere. Luckily, this lapse in the power steering has only lasted less than a minute and during times when I could stop however, there will come a time when that won’t be the case and something serious may happen. The unfortunate part to this issue is that there is a recall for this exact issue amongst other 2011 ford explorers however, my vin# is not included in that recall. It makes absolutely no sense to me why it isn’t when the same problem is occurring in my vehicle.

Powering Steering assist fault light came on in my 2011 Ford Explorer . It is a recall for 2011 For Explorer, however my vehicle is not on the list. If this is a problem with 2011 Ford Explorers, it isn't fair to leave my vehicle off the recall list.

Every time we put the car in park, it would not register that it was in park and warning kept flashing that said shift to park. We had to just turn off the car most of the time and sometimes wiggling the shifter would work any time the "Not in Park" sign comes on when I know the gear is in park. I believe this can cause serious damage to property or cause death since the vehicle can roll. I believe Ford Motor Co should own up and recall all vehicles for service much for This is a known problem that has been know to happen to 2011 Edge and Explorers. The switch in the console shifter tends to fail prematurely. If the light does not light up the computer thinks the car is NOT in Park and alarms go off. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED BY FORD THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE

Power Steering assist fault

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and approaching a curve, the warning message "Service Advance Tract” illuminated and the steering wheel locked inadvertently, almost causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle by using tremendous physical force to steer the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair as his VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 186,850.

Entire braking system on this 2011 with only 140,000 miles apparently all failed simultaneously. Dealer required replacement of rear brake pads, rotors, calipers, brake booster, master cylinder and wanted to replace the entire ABS control assembly - which I declined. Brakes had a "soft pedal" when I took it into the dealership and when I left the dealer apparently sabotaged the brake system as it was undrivable at that point. Dealer even requested I waive my rights prior to taking the vehicle (see attached). It appears Ford manufactured a vehicle that their own technicians can't figure out to properly repair without replacing the entire system that fails with low miles.

The vehicle has been in for service at Downs Ford Dealership twice in the past two years for the same issue and has yet to be resolved. When the gas tank is filled with gas, there is overwhelming smell of gas that doesn’t get better until the tank is about half full. The first time the car was in for service, I was told that the gas tank needed to be replaced but they were having trouble finding one. They said to take the car home and they would call when they found one but they never called. The vehicle was brought in a 2nd time to fix the issue in July of 2021. At that time we were told a valve needed to be replaced and charged $500 but it has not fixed the issue. I’m frustrated and tired of wasting $ and time without my car when they don’t seem to be able to fix it. Consumer would like to would like to withdraw the complaint.

Airbag light stays on after have completed all the fixes as stated in the official TSB 12-5-11 05/29/12. The steering has become extremely difficult to turn at low speeds or moving for a complete stop. It is freezing up and get harder as time goes by. The recall is expired, but the symptoms are the exact same as the recall stated.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that a recall for the steering had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the failure was not safety-related and provided no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN SERVICED IN AUGUST 2015.

The steering wheel gets hard to turn it acts like it has glitches in it. It goes from easy to hard and doesn’t come out of it’s turns on it’s own I have to pull it back. Almost acts like I’ve lost the power steering.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was recently repaired under an unknown steering recall. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The steering assist, traction control, and an unknown warning light were illuminated during the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle would regain power steering functionality a day or two after the failure. The failure had recurred three times within the month. The contact had contacted the dealer who diagnosed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer confirmed that the vehicle was out of warranty and referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.

The steering wheel is hard and I can not turn it correctly, upon asking Ford in Saugus Mass. they inform me that there is a two week waiting period. So i guess they will be responsable if it commpletly locks while I am driving on the highwway, or taking my children to school. Upon verifying the information on google there has been similar situaitons with this same model, my vehicle was, manufactored in May 2011. So it does go under the recall number 14S06. But Ford is not helping me with the stituation what so ever. I am a single mother with children I depend on no-one, so it is very unprofessional when I came with the urgent situation to them and they acted like they did not care.

Power Steering assist fault making steering impossible. Had to stop and restart the car a few times to clear the fault in order to move it. Lucky I was at a stop and not driving or I would not have been able to straighten the wheels and would have ended up in an accident

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel seized and made a jumping motion causing the vehicle to move both left and right. The contact stated that the traction control warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact parked on the side of the road and restarted the vehicle but continued to experience the vehicle. The contact stated he continued to drive the vehicle with the failure to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the control module and rack and pinion to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 236,111.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V746000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated the recall was not shown in the system. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified but no further assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN tool showed no open recall.

I was driving and my wheel locked up almost resulting in a accident I could not turn the wheel I had to pulled over and had to get my car towed I'm being told it is my rack and pinion I have a 2011 Ford explorer now they are charging me 3,000 dollars to get it fixed when their was a recall on it in 2015 I was only going 30 mph when this happened

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel seized with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle however, the persisted. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V746000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that there was a noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The local dealer and the manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Steering wheel gets hard to turn anywhere. a light turns on when this happens but, I couldn't read it as I was trying to get safely out of the road. it has happened to me a couple of times. sometime it happens as I turn the car on once I put the reverse gear on it gets hard I'm able to notice this before I move so I turn the car off and when I turn it back on it fixes itself. but, last few times its happened while driving once in the highway. I was told this could be triggering my check engine light on, which now is always on, according to the shop where it was taken for a check up it is something related to a misfire of the fifth cylinder. they think it is more related to a factory defect.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel would seize. The contact stated she would turn off and restart the vehicle for the steering wheel to function properly. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and the power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the actuator for the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the power steering control module (PSCM) software was updated. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, his daughter noticed that the steering wheel had lost power steering assist functionality. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was illuminated. The contact's daughter turned off and as she restarted the vehicle, the steering wheel regained power steering functionality. The contact's daughter continued to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer advised the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair as SSSC denied the request to cover the vehicle repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000. Dealer notified the owner that recall 14S06 was still open on this vehicle. The owner picked up the vehicle from the dealer and, the power steering system failed again with the message “Power Steering Assist Fault”. Owner tried to steer the vehicle. It was very hard to steer. Owner turned off the vehicle and restarted, and the power steering was restored. Power steering failure occurred while the vehicle was parked. No damage or injury occurred .

Error message appeared and lost power steering to the vehicle while driving. I learned that 14S06 safety recall was to address this very situation (codes matched). Ford denied the safety recall due to 10 year limit (Vehicle has 39,000 miles and is 10ys 7mo old) May 17th 2019 Letter from ford regarding safety recall 14S06 updates the recall to "regardless of vehicle mileage or warranty start date." I paid for the fix out of pocket as I need a vehicle that doesn't lose the agility to steer while travelling down the roadway. I'd like Ford to honor the safety recall and reimburse me for the repair.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving around a right turn at approximately 40 MPH, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became difficult to turn nearly causing the vehicle to collide with an approaching oncoming vehicle traveling in the opposite lane. During the incident, the messages "Advancetrac" and "Service Power Steering" were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering gear assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that the steering gear assembly had already been replaced on two separate occasions; once under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 138,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) had become defective which caused the front and rear defrosters to not operate as needed. The contact also stated that the APIM failure had caused the rear backup camera to not function. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer and was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Power steering rack and pinion quit working. Part is on hold because Ford knows its a dangerous part that is breaking and the part is not reliable

The ABS and the terrain system will flash and the power steering will flash red and you will loose power steering. We have been told the steering rack needs replaced and there was a recall on this a time before.

I own a 2011 Ford explorer. There was a recall #11V063000 that has not been put on my vehicle however, the exact problem is happening to my vehicle. The power steering will go while driving and it has happened several times.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering would intermittently fail to operate as needed. The "service power steering now" and "service advancetrac" warning messages would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that when the failure initially started, the power steering functionality would return upon restart of the vehicle; however, recently, the failure would persist even after restart. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective steering rack. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Failure on Power Assisted steering. I'm not able to move the wheels. Failure came at ~5am when I turn on the vehicle. I left the vehicle in my garage and then I turn on at 12pm and I get the same failure. Around ~3pm I turned on the vehicle and there is no error. I'm afraid to use this vehicle for safety concerns. I forgot to take pictures of the error during the first time of the issue. The dealer told me that there is no recall from Ford but doing a search thru the web there are a lot of concerns for this specific problem. Any help will be appreciated due to the car will not be used in order to get a proper evaluation from Ford. The error message is no longer available in the vehicle due to when I turn on the vehicle at 3pm the error and problem disappear. I'm worried that the dealer does not find the main issue and then costs me a lot of money for just evaluation. My approach is that this vehicle will not be in use until getting proper contact from FORD. The safety of my family is first even this problem is known on another vehicles.

While driving the vehicle, the service power steering and traction control warning appeared on the dash. Vehicle lost all power steering and the turn signals quit working.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, she noticed that water had leaked from the front passenger’s side of the windshield onto the glove compartment and floorboard of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that they could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly whenever it rained. The contact stated that the instrument panel control buttons, the dashboard lights, and the rearview camera had failed to work as designed. The contact also received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V746000 (Suspension) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to reverse out of the driveway, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault warning message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the rack and pinion replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

No warning when the fuel relay gasket attached to the pump assembly fails and allows fuel vapor to fill the cabin of the car. Owner safety is at risk of possible fire. I know of 2 Ford dealerships that are aware of the safety hazard.

My steering wheel is not moving and I have a warning coming on saying Power Steering Assist Fault. I called the dealership because it was a recall on the truck in 2014 and the owner back then never went and got it fixed. The dealership is refusing to fix the recall

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 228,655.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the power steering assist failed, and the steering wheel locked up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that they could not assist since the vehicle was not purchased from a Ford dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

While driving with my 2 minor daughters a high-temperature light came on and then seconds later low pressure and engine light came on. Suddenly my 2011 Ford Explorer engine turned off and stopped in the middle of two busy highways stranding us. Towed to an auto shop where I was informed that the water pump bearing had come apart got into the engine and caused the timing chain to jump time. Now my 2011 Ford Explorer does not work and a replacement engine was going to cost $7700 plus the labor and work to tear it down which would exceed the almost $10,000 value of the vehicle. All over the internet, all I see is water pump/engine defaults for the same reason. This is obviously an ongoing issue that needs further investigation and mandatory replacements. Stranding us in the center of the highway was dangerous enough that my towing insurance told me to call the police because of where we were stranded not to mention my vehicle that is had zero issues is now nonoperational and has left me with a catastrophic financial and mobile deficit.

My 2011 Ford Explorer has been leaking water into everything including the console, seat belts, down the doors and staying inside the doors, into the spare tire storage area, and down all sides of the interior. The water leaks so badly that at times I've had more than an inch of water on the floor boards of my vehicle. The only thing that has permanently stopped working is the motor that controls the moonroof. I have no idea where the water is coming from and this is causing concern as the water is getting into all aspects of my vehicle including electrical areas. My research indicates that it could be many different places but I also seeing 10s of thousands of complaints from Explorer owners about this problem.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was diagnosed with needing the steering gear and steering rack replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000. Consumer has a recall issue which still is ongoing and Ford refuses to fix it.