There are 37 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2011 Ford Explorerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owned a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, turned off, and unoccupied, the vehicle caught fire. The contact was in her residence, and a neighbor knocked on her door, making her aware that the vehicle had caught fire. The fire has been extinguished by the local fire department. The fire department indicated that the failure may have occurred due to a wiring malfunction in the vehicle. A police report was not filed, but a fire report was filed and was unavailable. There were no injuries reported. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Going down road about 40 mph when power steering was lost with lots of warning.
The dash lights go off then it's says starting rebot. Air bag lights stay on. Check engine light on says miss firng. All Carfax report was forged. Dealer said needs new engine but was not told by seller. No one will fix it they say not worth the price for car. I over paid big time. Got lied too.
I keep losing my power steering. i called ford and they told me the recall to fix it was out dated . this could cause an accident . and shouldnt have a time line to have it fixed . It has happened several times the last year
HAZARD LIGHTS DO NOT WORK AND I AM HAVING TROUBLE GETTING THIS PROMBLEM SOLOVED.I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS AND I HAVED LOOKED AT VIDEO AND I AM STILL HAVING ISSUES WITH IT THEY WORK SOMETIMES AND SOMETIMES THEY DON'T.. PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!
REAR BACK UP CAMERA STOPPED WORKING ABOUT 50% OF THE TIME SO I CANNOT SEE DIRECTLY BEHIND THE VEHICLE WHILE BACKING UP
THE AC/HEAT SPEED WILL RANDOMLY INCREASE/ DECREASE TO EITHER FULL OR LOW SPEED WITH IS CLICKING SOUND LIKE YOUR DOING IT ON YOUR OWN. THIS WILL CAUSE MY WINDSHIELD TO FOG UP WHEN COLD OUTSIDE WHILE DRIVING & DISTRACTING ME THE DRIVER THE ANNOYING CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE UNIT ITSELF. THIS COULD POSSIBLY CAUSING ME NOT TO SEE SOMETHING COMING OR IN THE ROAD CAUSING ME TO WRECK & PUTTING MY FAMILY IN DANGER.
REAR VIEW CAMERA NOT WORKING PROPERLY - REPAIR QUOTED ~$800 TO REPLACE CAMERA
HAZARD LIGHTS CUT ON BY THEIRSELVES WHILE I WAS AT WORK. VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND SHUT OFF. LIGHTS WILL NOT TURN OFF
THE INTERFACE MODULE ON FORD EXPLORER STOP WORKING AND HAZARD LIGHTS STAY ON AND ONLY FIX AND BY A DEALERSHIP
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.
STARTED THE FORD AND THE BACKUP CAMERA WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. ALSO NOTICED THE 'SYNC' SCREEN WAS BLANK, CLIMATE CONTROLS WERE NOT VISIBLE (FUNCTIONING) AS WELL AS THE RADIO SYSTEM WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. WENT OUT AND STARTED THE SUV IN MY DRIVEWAY, EVERYTHING WAS CORRECT WHEN I RETURNED HOME THE NIGHT BEFORE.
My rear view camera was replaced in August 2019 as it stopped working. It was an expensive costing $1000 to repair. It just stopped working again. Car has 100500 miles and this is excessive for what I consider a safety feature in a car this large. I was just told by Ford the backlog for a new camera nationwide is greater than 240 units and some customers have waited over 6 months. I searched online and found many complains on model years 2011 forward due to a bad design flaw that allows moisture in a wiring harness causing corrosion / failure. In my opinion, Ford needs to step up to root cause and provide options other than a complete replacement that only temporarily solves the issue
APIM MODULE WENT BLACK - NO CONTROLS, NO BACKUP CAMERA / PROXIMITY ALERTS
WHEN YOU SHIFT THE VEHICLE IN PARK, THE PARKING SENSOR DOES NOT ALWAYS RECOGNIZE THE SHIFT THUS LEAVING A MESSAGE ON THE DASHBOARD/SCREEN SAYING 'SHIFT TO PARK.' TO CORRECT THE ISSUE YOU HAVE DEPRESS THE SHIFT LEVER OVER AND OVER TO GET IT TO SHIFT IN PARK. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON THE BLOGS, AMONGST VARIOUS FORD OWNERS.
ENGINE DAMAGE DUE TO OVERHEATING. REGULAR AND REQUIRED OIL CHANGES ARE DOCUMENTED AND IMPLEMENTED AS SCHEDULED. NO OTHER ENGINE OR VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONS DURING THE COURSE OF OWNERSHIP, EXCEPT REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND TIRE REPLACEMENT. HOWEVER, ON MAY 15, 2019, VEHICLE SENSOR NOTIFIED OIL CHANGE NEEDED. FIVE DAYS LATER VEHICLE STALLED AT LOCAL MOTEL DUE TO DECREASED POWER, ROCKING MOTION OF CAR AND LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO SLOWLY TURN INTO LOCAL HOTEL TO CUT OFF ENGINE AND GET TO SAFETY. AFTER 2 HOURS OF LETTING VEHICLE SET AND COOL DOWN, LOCAL MECHANIC, CHECKED AND SAID WE HAD ENOUGH OIL IN VEHICLE AND NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED. WAS ABLE TO DRIVE VEHICLE HOME, WITH NO SENSORS ON DASHBOARD ALERTING US TO ANY FURTHER PROBLEMS. THREE DAYS LATER, WITH NO VISIBLE SENSORS FLASHING, CAR BEGAN TO EXHIBIT ROCKING MOTION NOT SPUTTERING MOTION AS I BEGAN TO PULL OUT IN FOUR-WAY INTERSECTION, AND APPROACHING TRAFFIC HEADING MY WAY. THEN SUDDENLY, CAR REGAINED POWER AND WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE TO PROPER LANE AS IF NOTHING WAS WRONG. AFTER TRAVELING ANOTHER 1.6 MILES, CAR JUST STARTING LOSING POWER, CHECK ENGINE, LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT, TEMPERATURE LIGHT WARNING ALL APPEARED SUDDENLY. I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT IN MIDDLE LANE IN FRONT OF DEALERSHIP WHERE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. I IMMEDIATEDLY TURNED VEHICLE OFF AND WALKED TO DEALERSHIP TO GET HELP IN MOVING VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD. AFTER 3DAYS OF WAITING, DUNCAH DEALERSHIP IN CHRISTIANSBURG, VA, NOTIFED US THAT HEAD GASGET WAS CRACKED AND OVER 7,000 REPAIR BILL WAS NEEDED TO FIX ENGINE REPAIR. AS NOTED BEFORE NO MAJOR PROBLEMS HAS EVER BEEN REPAIRED OR REPLACED REGARDING THIS VEHICLE. DURING THE TWO INCIDENTS REGARDING THE VEHHICLE LOSING POWER, WITHOUT NO VISIBLE VEHICLE SENSOR NOTIFICATIONS IS OF GREAT CONCERN TO US REGARDING OUR SAFETY IN DRIVING OUR VEHICLE. THANKFULLY, WE WEREN'T ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INFOTAINMENT SCREEN WAS NOT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO J. O. WILLIAMS MOTORS (419 E BROADWAY AVE, GLADEWATER, TX 75647, (903) 845-2222) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ACCESSORY PROTOCOL INTERFACE MODULE (APIM)NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE WARRANTY REGARDING NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10053471 (EQUIPMENT, EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE) WAS CLOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
THE "SYNC" TOUCHSCREEN STOPPED WORKING. ONCE THIS HAPPENED THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG SETS TO "OFF" ALL THE TIME. THE FORD DEALER REPORTS IT REQUIRES A NEW APIN, WHICH WAS COVERED UNDER A RECALL BUT ONLY FOR 5 YEARS FROM DATE OF NEW PURCHASE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE PROGRESSING FROM THE AREA OF THE ALTERNATOR ASSEMBLY AND THE SERPENTINE BELT. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. THE CONTACT HAD TO COAST THE VEHICLE SLOWLY TO BE PARKED AT THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE DEALER (BERGEY'S FORD, 700 N BETHLEHEM PIKE, AMBLER, PA 19002, (215) 793-3700) INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NEED TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THAT THERE WAS NO WARRANTY, RECALL, OR MANUFACTURER CAMPAIGN; THEREFORE, NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED OTHER THAN THE DEALER DIAGNOSING AND REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
WHEN DRIVING A WARM VEHICLE (MEANING IT WAS DRIVEN AND THEN PARKED FOR 1-5 HOURS) THEN DRIVING IT A SECOND TIME WITHIN THIS TIME FRAME, THE VEHICLE WILL DIE AFTER DRIVING 15-25 MINUTES. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE RADIO CONTINUES TO WORK, THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, THE INTERIOR LIGHTS COME ON AND THE LIGHTS AROUND THE SPEEDOMETER COME ON. THE REST OF THE INSTRUMENTAL PANEL IS DEAD. THE REMOTE WILL LOCK AND UNLOCK THE DOORS. THE CAR WILL REMAIN IN THIS STATE FOR ANYWHERE FROM 10 SECONDS TO 4 OR 5 MINUTES. THIS HAS HAPPENED 6 OR SO TIMES IN THE MONTH THAT I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE. IT HAS HAPPENED PULLING UP TO A STOP SIGN AND ALSO GOING 75 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE (WHICH IS VERY SCARY). IT HAS ALWAYS HAPPENED IN THIS 15-25 MIN TIMEFRAME. I HAVE NEVER HAD IT HAPPEN IN LESS TIME THAN THIS NOR HAVE I HAD IT HAPPEN AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS RUN CLEANLY FOR 25-30 MIN. I HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE TO AKRON, OH AND BACK. IT HAPPENED TWICE ON THAT TRIP. ONE TIME AFTER WE HAD DRIVEN FOR ~3 HOURS, STOPPED TO EAT FOR AN HOUR AND THEN GOT BACK ON THE ROAD. IT DIED ABOUT 15-20 MIN AFTER WE WERE ON THE ROAD. IT STAYED IN THE "DEAD" STATE FOR ABOUT 2 MIN, THEN STARTED BACK UP AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE ANOTHER 3 HOURS WITH NO ISSUE. IT HAPPENED A SECOND TIME WHEN WE WERE GETTING READY TO TRAVEL HOME. WE DROVE ABOUT 3 MILES TO A RESTAURANT, ATE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AGAIN. THEN WHEN WE GOT ON THE ROAD TO TRAVEL BACK IT DIED ABOUT 15-20 MIN AFTER WE GOT ON THE ROAD. THIS TIME IT WAS ONLY OUT FOR ABOUT 15 SECONDS BECAUSE IT CAME BACK ON AND JUMP STARTED BEFORE I COULD EVEN GET IT OFF THE ROAD. THIS IS THE ONLY TIME THAT HAS HAPPENED.
Showing 1–20 of 37 complaints
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 Apr 25, 2026