2011 Ford Explorer Steering Problems
- 424
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 424 stored complaint records:
- 12 indicate a crash
- 2 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- Electric Power Assist System · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 143 |
| 30–60k mi | 120 |
| 60–100k mi | 78 |
| 100–150k mi | 38 |
| 150–400k mi | 21 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
While drive down highway at about 60 mph, audible warning alarm went off with two lights on dash. Lost power steering control. Service advance trac warning. Was barely able to pull over but after shutting vehicle down and restarting power steering was back. I will take it to dealer tomorrow as warranty is nearly up and scared to drive it anymore especially with children in the vehicle. *tr
ODI 10521279
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel seized and the service advance trac and power steering assist fault warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was moved to the shoulder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000.
ODI 10520869
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 mph, there was a loss of power steering with the illumination of the warning indicator. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. The vehicle restarted and resumed normally. The failure recurred. The vehicle failure was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of…
ODI 10592710
Steering
The first time this happen my wife was driving down the road at approximately 35 to 40 mph. I was riding passenger seat. All of the sudden just going down the road. She said she couldn't steer and at that time i heard a beep. This was a message on the dash saying steering assist fault. She had a very hard time steering it around a corner we had come to. She asked if we should pull over but since we were less than a…
ODI 10553171
Steering
2011 explorer was parked, engine running. Attempted to back up and unable to steer vehicle. Power assist failure and power steering fail lights came on. I turned vehicle off, waiting a few minutes, turned vehicle back on, no further warning lights came on. Was able to drive normally. I did not report this incident to ford. About a month later i was slowing down at an intersection and the same warning lights came on.…
ODI 10531923
Steering
While driving at freeway speed i received audible alarms and dashboard warning lights to service advance trac and terrain management. At that time the steering become very difficult. The car was manuverable though quite difficult so i proceeded 10 miles to my destination at reduced speed. After restarting the vehicle immediately the problem did not go away. The vehicle was left overnight and upon restarting the…
ODI 10519658
Steering
On june 9 2013. I was driving onto a highway on-ramp and suddenly the steering became very difficult. The alarm sounded and the warning display indicate a power steering system failure as well as traction control system failure and terrain management system failure. I was on my way to the airport to catch a flight, so i proceeded approximately 2 miles to the airport and parked. It was very difficult to steer,…
ODI 10521685
Steering
In the past few months i have had a problem with the steering electric power assist system. The first two happened while parking, the third happen while driving on a local street and the fourth happened on 8/3/13 on i95 on my way to my son philip's 4th birthday party. I was in the left lane when the error message on my dash came up i have been driving for approx 15 minutes on i95 north going at 60 mph. I was in the…
ODI 10534457
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated while traveling highway speeds the steering failed and it was very difficult to turn the steering wheel in order to drive onto the emergency lane. When the failure occurred, the vehicle began to perform as if the tires were also failing; however, the traction and steering lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who…
ODI 10515947
Steering
I was driving approximately 55 mph when out of nowhere two light warnings flashed. One said advanced trac system auto (or something like that). My steering wheel then locked and i got scared and pulled over. I could not move my steering wheel to drive properly so i called roadside assistance, and waited over 2 hours for a tow. I didn't feel comfortable driving it with two small children in truck. It got towed to…
ODI 10515098
Electrical System · Engine · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. While driving at any speed, the power steering and computer failed. In addition, the engine, abs, traction control, air bag, and security sensors illuminated. The dealer advised the contact to reset the master controls. The vehicle also exhibited computer failure. The firmware was updated multiple times, however the failure recurred months later and included various…
ODI 10632562
Electrical System · Steering
Traveling at freeway speed the warning message appeared on the instrument panel before the power steering quit. When i restarted the car it appeared to have corrected the problem. On september 10th, the same warning came on the instrument panel before the power steering quit. I was traveling at 35mph. I restarted the car and it appeared to correct the problem again. When i previously took it into the dealership they…
ODI 10543175
Steering
On engine start up, the dash screen read "power steering assist fault" and the car would not turn using the steering wheel manually. I checked the internet for similar problems and found many complaints regarding this same issue. There was the suggestion to turn off and restart the car which did seem to fix the problem, but then the dash reads another warning "terrain management fault." i called the dealer to have…
ODI 10514744
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
The power steering goes out and then a warning appears stating a malfunction with the all terrain stability control. Not only does the power steering stops working, but it feels like the vehicle is going to turn over for a couple of seconds. This has occurred three times; our ford dealership has made two attempts to repair the problem with a third attempt scheduled next week. The last event was day before yesterday…
ODI 10531958
Steering
Was driving down the road and with no warning the power steering went out and lights came on the dash. Arrived at destination cut the car off and several hours later started the car and drove it with no problems. 5 months later my wife was driving the vehicle and the same thing occurred. We took it to the ford dealership they were able to reproduce the problem and said it was the steering rack electric control…
ODI 10548872
Steering
I was driving about 65 mph when my power steering failure light as well as vehicle traction light came in. The steering wheel became extremely tight. I was able to slow down and pull off the highway because it was late at night and no vehicles were around. I turned the car off and back on and it fixes the problem. It was extremely scary going that speed to have the power steering light come on. *tr
ODI 10514239
Steering
I was driving in a parking lot and the power steering went out. A light came on, and the system made a sound to let me know there was a message. It let me know that i had a problem with my power steering. I was turning into an isle, and had to put my body into turning the suv. I pulled into a wide open parking space, turned the car off and back on. The issue resolved itself. Two days later i was on my way to work…
ODI 10515093
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the steering became difficult to maneuver. The advanced track and power steering assist failure warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis however, the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
ODI 10516026
Steering
Was driving and received an alarm on instrument cluster stating that the power steering unit failed - and lost complete power steering so had to manually steer the car which was difficult - referred to manual and it said to stop car and turn off and should reset problem.. Did that and it worked for about 30 minutes then came back on - took to dealer this morning and they said the steering rack failed and had to be…
ODI 10513866
Steering
I was driving my wife's car for the first time in a couple months, i was coming to a red light and the power steering assist failed. I couldn't move the wheel. Two warning system lights came on, power steering assist fault and terrain management fault. I put the car in park and turned the car off to restart. Everything worked after. It's a good thing it happened to me and not her. *tr
ODI 10513665
Steering
Power steering stopped working while driving. *tr
ODI 10513566
Steering
I was driving down a hill and two warning lights came on and the power steering stopped working. The power steering started working after the car was turned off and back on. The two warning lights that came on were advanced track system and power steering assist. *tr
ODI 10511554
Steering
I was pulling away from a stop sign at a t-intersection, attempting a left-hand turn when the car warning light sounded. At the very same time, the power steering completely failed. I was somehow able to keep the car on the road and came to an abrupt stop just as i completed the turn. I am very thankful i wasn't going faster or had to deal with oncoming traffic when this occurred. Two warning messages also flashed…
ODI 10511032
Electrical System · Steering
While driving my 2011 ford explorer the power steering suddenly went out. The vehicle gave me a warning, but only after the steering failed. The vehicle became almost impossible to steer. My only option was to try and get out of the flow of traffic in order to stop the car. Turning the car off, then back on appears to reset the issue. The first time it happened i was pulling out onto a road. Because the change was…
ODI 10513968
Steering
I was driving the 2011 ford explorer for about 20 minutes and as i got about 2 miles from my destination the power steering assist fault and service advance trac messages both began blinking on the dash. Then the steering wheel tightens and i can tell that its locking. I was able to turn right with a lot of force and get into the parking lot. Then i shut the vehicle off. I called my husband and we both began to…
ODI 10509808