2011 Ford Explorer Complaint Log

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the steering wheel locked up. The message "EPAS Error" was displayed. The contact stated that he turned off and restarted the vehicle and the steering wheel operated as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown recall due to the mileage. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard a popping sound then the vehicle stalled. The contact then stated that he attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but not assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

The power steering failed while pulling into parking spot and garage approx 5 times in the last few months.

While driving, my steering column locked and an error message saying power steering assist failure alerted. I immediately stopped, attempted to start the car 4 times and the steering column would not move. There is a recall for this same problem from March 2014. Ford is saying that the recall for the same issue not applicable to my vehicle.

Power steering & terrain assist fault would occasionally pop up and lock my steering wheel up. which I would just turn my car on & off to make go away.Only one day in mid turn it came on locked my steering wheel up was side swiped right into a pole. Not only was my car physically damaged but my 4 yr old daughter refuses to get in the car now which makes it extremely frustrating when we have to go places

Power steering and terrain management system failure. Power steering assist failure has happened upon starting vehicle a few times but has reset after restarting. There is a recall for this but apparently not for my VIN

I was driving down the highway going 60mph when my steering wheel locked up and I wasn't able to steer the car and had to hit the brakes and try to pull over so I didn't cause a car accident. It has also locked up several times while driving it in town also

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.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the steering wheel seized with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off and then restarted the vehicle and drove to her residence. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a faulty steering control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) as a possible solution to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 157,000.

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.

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.

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.

Airbag fault

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.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The contact stopped the vehicle safely in the middle of the road. The contact stated that the power steering assist failure message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer the following day. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering assist had failed. The dealer related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

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.

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

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The electronic power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) failed and needed to be replaced. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Power Steering Control Module failed again and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that no recall was affiliated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the power steering assist fault message was displayed, and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. The contact was able to stop the vehicle, and the vehicle was turned off and restarted and regained power steering functionality. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent and occurred at various speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and became aware of two Customer Satisfaction Programs associated to the VIN; however, the contact was informed by the dealer that the program for EPAS Steering Efforts 15N01 (Steering) was no longer covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 108,045.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while a friend was driving approximately 45 MPH, the driver inhaled an excessive amount of carbon monoxide. The friend accidentally drove into a ditch. The vehicle was pulled out of the ditch by nearby residents. The driver was not injured. There were minor damages to the passenger’s side front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with plugs underneath the engine. The plugs were not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 168,000.

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 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.

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.

Power Steering assist fault

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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 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.

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

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 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 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.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and was diagnosed with steering gear malfunction. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

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 . Owner determined that the failure was a safety issue, because the vehicle would be too hard to steer if the power steering failed while driving. Owner had the power steering gear replaced at Apple Ford and paid all expenses out of pocket. Owner found recall 14S06 Supplement #3 on NHTSA’s website. Supplement# 3 states that “ This safety recall involves reprogramming the Power Steering Control Module, or replacing the steering gear if certain Diagnostic Trouble Codes are present, regardless of vehicle mileage or warranty start date.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Electric power steering failed without any warning. Ford HAD a voluntary recall, but as a second owner I did not get any notification. As vehicles are supposed to exceed 100k miles this is disturbing (like iPhone battery fiasco). Electric steering is nearly impossible to drive and being thIs is a KNOWN problem with this vehicle and the fact it is the #1 vehicle currently utilized by Law Enforcement I find it odd there is not a mandatory safety recall for this issue. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

I am getting intermittent warning lights pertaining to the steering assist on this vehicle. It was a prior safety recall in which ford merely reprogrammed the unit in an effort to correct the problem. According to my local dealership, it did not correct the problem and the safety concern is still relevant. The dealership asked ford corporate for permission to make the repair and they were denied. Ford says the repair was made and they will not do anything further. The ford website also states all safety recalls never expire, but apparently that is not the case. Ford appears to be making a mockery of the recall program by closing recalls without permanently correcting the problem and will not reopen this safety recall. Internet discussions on this topic reveal I am not the only one with this problem.

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.

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 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.