CarComplaints.com Notes: The NHTSA's complaint data shows potentially scary power steering problems with the 2011 Ford Explorer.
The steering complaints are pretty serious - owners report the power steering cuts out while driving. The NHTSA opened an investigation into the power steering problems in June 2012, which lead to a recall in 2014. However years later, many 2011 Explorer owners report this defect is still occurring.
It's too bad because the 2009 & 2010 Ford Explorer are solid, trouble-free model years.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
18 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,730 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff, and difficult to turn in either direction. The contact was able to veer over to the shoulder of the road. The message "Power Steering Assist Failure" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and the contact was informed that the repairs were denied by the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. In addition, the local dealer diagnosed the vehicle and linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 2 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The contact stated that an independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle at the residence and determined that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
Power steering assist fault, and power steering EPS system failed while driving! Was replaced by Ford in 2015 and has already locked up while driving! Tire pressure sensor constantly stays on even after replacement.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, the steering wheel seized and was not functioning properly. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. As a result, the driver lost control of the vehicle, resulting in a crash into a gate where it came to a stop. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. No warning light was illuminated. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
- Raleigh, NC, USA
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The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the electronic power steering assist rack. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 185,000.
The contact owned a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); because the mileage was over 150,000. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.
I was driving down a highway at 55 MPH and my traction control lights came on. Next my assist power steering warning light came on which was yellow. Then the red assist power steering warning came on and I lost all power steering. The dealership did confirm the problem was my steering angle sensor, but said this did not fall under the recall anymore because I have too many miles.
Power steering has gone out on car. There was a previous recall but I was told it has expired. I am not over the miles allowed to claim the recall on the power steering. It is not safe to drive this car without properly being fixed. The recall should still be applied regardless of its expiration as I have not exceeded the milage. I don-??t feel it is safe to have an expired recall on a car, especially if the milage is so low.
While driving down the highway, the power steering quit working totally. Causing me to go off the road into the ditch. There was a recall on the power steering gear that ford refuses to fix. They state it was fixed with a power steering module reset that did not.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the steering wheel failed to move as intended. The service power steering now warning light illuminated. The contact merged to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the contact's place of business and had not been driven since the incident. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (STEERING). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 168,281.
Power windows and power mirror buttons stopped working and then -??Service power steering now-?? message came on and the steering wheel is locked and very hard to turn. The electrical wiring for the windows run through the power steering gear. The vehicle has not been inspected or repaired
I was on the highway and my whole steering went out and I bought the vehicle 2 years ago and learned today there was a recall in the steering gear and I need to know what I can do because I have 3 children one with down syndrome and we need to have a vehicle that is safe Please help.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the steering wheel was intermittently firm. Additionally, the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel locked. The contact stated that the following day while attempting to move the steering wheel, the steering wheel was back to normal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 103,500.
I was driving 68 MPH down the highway when my car threw a Power Stearing Assist Fault, I almost hit head on with a Semi but was able to hit my E break and put the car in neutral to get back over to my side fo the road. I had to have the car towed, my mechanic said there was a recall on the Electric Power Assist System. the Reference number is 14v286000. I called the ford dealship and explained to them the situation as well as what my mechanic said and they told me they were not going to do anything for the vehicle. How are we not going to replace faulty parts that almost took someones life. Someone has to be held resposible as there should be safety measures in place on the vehicle to prevent this and there were none and now the manufacturing company isnt going to honor the recall put into place by the NHTSA.
As I was driving, a -??service Power steering-?? warning came on along with another warning about my power assist being lost. I have taken my car to see a mechanic a total of 4 times for this same issue and need answers or reimbursement.
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced a loss of power steering functionality intermittently. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed; however, the failure progressively worsened. The contact stated while driving 50-55 MPH with her child in the rear seat, the vehicle made an abnormal beeping sound, the messages "Power Steering Failed" and "Service Advancetrac" were displayed, and the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact called an independent mechanic who instructed the contact to temporarily disconnect the battery. The contact followed the instructions; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where it remained. An independent mechanic diagnosed that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) and the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software was previously updated under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The contact's son owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel intermittently became stiff and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that the "Service Power Steering Now" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the strut on the driver-??s side had fractured. The contact was later informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The contact's daughter-in-law called the manufacturer and was informed that the vehicle was no longer covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
The contact 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the recall repair did not need to be performed because the vehicle was not experiencing the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel was locked, and the contact became aware that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. No further information was provided. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the power steering became functional. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently upon starting the vehicle. Several unknown dealers were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could only be diagnosed after the failure occurred. The contact stated that the failure had worsened and persisted after turning off and restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Williamsport, PA, USA