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.
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
While the car was moving the dash annunciator came on and, in succession, indicated "terrain management system fault", "service advancetrac" and then "power steering assist off". This last one is a serious problem as this car is virtually impossible to steer/turn without power assist. The power steering assist stopped completely without warning. If i were at high speed, at a curve, or had to avoid another car or…
ODI 10475098
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the power steering failed and the vehicle became very difficult to steer. The contact mentioned that the advance trac and power steering warning lamps illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was…
ODI 10466428
Steering
I was crossing traffic and the power steering went out. I had to stop to turn the wheel so i could make my turn. I was so lucky there was no traffic coming and i wasn't going any faster because i could have hit a tree. *tr
ODI 10466787
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the power steering failed and as a result, became very hard to steer. The contact mentioned that the traction warning and the power steering warning lamps were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who was not able to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not…
ODI 10465789
Steering
Terrain management system fault, and "power steering assist fault" both popped up on left hand screen and my steering wheel locked up. This happened twice while turning into a driveway and once after stopping at a stop sign. Took it into the dealership and they said they could not duplicate the failure. 2 days after getting it back from the dealer it happened 2 more times. Taking it back but i have to wait 2 weeks…
ODI 10466466
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, she noticed that the power steering stopped functioning. The contact was able to safely maneuver to the shoulder. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer for a diagnosis. The dealer stated that they needed to replace the steering axle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no asssitance. The…
ODI 10466448
Steering
Power steering assist failure warning came on as i lost steering. Brought the car to the dealer where they they reprogrammed epas module which obviously wasnt the problem because 7/27/2012 i was driving on the highway at 55mph and the same thing happened again...i was barely able to steer the car off the road. *js
ODI 10468137
Steering
Turning into parking lot, power steering abruptly ceased,i had to muscle car out of way of another car,narrowly escaping accident.lights lit up, power steering failure,terrain management failure. *tr
ODI 10465887
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the power steering seized completely. The traction control warning light also illuminated as the engine was turned off for about three minutes. Upon restart, the vehicle functioned as normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who inspected the failure and stated that the steering column needed to be replaced. The failure…
ODI 10466477
Steering
As the vehicle was being driven home from work the power steering went out making it very difficult to control the vehicle. A warning light also appeared on the dashboard indicating that the power steering wasn't functioning properly. The vehicle was safely pulled over to the side of the road and the ignition was turned off. After a few moments the vehicle was restarted and the power steering seemed to be…
ODI 10465204
Steering
While parked with the vehicle running, the steering assist fault light came on and the steering locked up. I was not able to turn the wheel. I restarted the engine and it worked fine. I am concerned that this will happen while i am driving. *tr
ODI 10465151
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph the power steering failed. The contact was able to control the vehicle by exiting to the shoulder. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the failure and stated that there was a national shortage on the component for the vehicle to be repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure and current mileage was…
ODI 10464709
Steering
Traveling at approximately 40 mph when multiple warnings occurred. "terrain management system fault", "power steering assist fault", and "service advance trac" power steering was not working. Upon stopping and restarting vehicle power steering started working again. This happened 2 more times in the next 4 days. Fortunately i was traveling in a straight line each time and was able to stop and restart the vehicle and…
ODI 10465704
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
Driving on highway at highway speeds when the alerts for failure of the electronic stability control came on. We then realized that the power steering had failed and had difficulty steering the vehicle. Managed to get the vehicle off at an exit. Towed to dealer. Dealer not clear as to what happened and part to repair is on back order from ford. Internet research demonstrated this is a common problem with 2011 ford…
ODI 10465698
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
On july 4, 2012, was driving on the highway getting ready to exit in about 100 yards, as i was decreasing speed i heard and felt a light bang, the car seemed to surge like it was the transmission and brakes were pulsating, and had no power steering. Car pulled severely to the right almost hitting the guard rail, could not steer. Jammed on breaks, fortunately in the slow lane, and pulled over. Power steering light…
ODI 10469324
Steering
Driving at 35mph when a beep and notification popped up in the instrument panel. I received a warning for "power steering assist fault" and had a "service advance trac" warning. I lost power steering to the vehicle, which was very difficult to pull off of the road in traffic. I also lost the terrain management system function. After turning off the ignition and re-starting the engine, the warning went away and i…
ODI 10468412
Steering
Unfortunately, for such a great truck, the power steering has failed three times on my vehicle which has only just over 14k miles on it. It occurred the first time around the 11k mile point in which the power steering failed for no reason going ~40mph. The dashboard displayed a message stating "power steering assist fault." this is the same message that was displayed on all three occasions. Upon turning the truck…
ODI 10464221
Steering
While slowing my 2011 ford explorer at an intersection, the power steering stopped working and the wheel felt locked. An error message showed 'power assist failure'. I was barely able to get the vehicle to the side of the road to turn it off. Once restarted, the error message cleared. This has occurred 4 times in 3 weeks after having the vehicle 1 year. It had approximately 8,600 miles on it when this began to…
ODI 10466040
Rack And Pinion · Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, there was a loss of power steering with the warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. The engine was turned off and upon restarting, the vehicle resumed normally. The failure occurred three times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, who was…
ODI 10465371
Steering
This has happened twice now about 3 weeks apart from each other. We are driving under normal conditions and the power steering will fail. An alert on the dash will say power steering failure. Once we turn the car off and restart it the power steering engages again. I took it to the dealer and since the computer didn't submit a code and they couldn't reproduce the problem they sent me home with it. This is extremely…
ODI 10470066
Steering
Started vehicle and received terrain management warning, power steering fault and traction control fault. Vehicle electronic power steering not working and terrain management system also disabled. Will have to drive to dealership without power steering. Shut off vehicle multiple times and restarted. Same warnings and result. *tr
ODI 10462875
Steering
I purchased the 2011 ford explorer on 6/10/12. On three separate occasions the car was started and power steering would not work but was able to be remedied by turning the ignition off and back on again. An appointment was set up to have car serviced. On two more separate occasions after appointment was made power steering was lost while driving on the highway at speeds ranging 55 to 65. On july 3rd once again while…
ODI 10466458
Steering
When the vehicle was started, the power steering was not functioning. The dash message center showed a power steering assist fault. This had happened a couple of times in the past but turning the vehicle off and then back on solved the problem on prior occasions. This time the power steering continued to fail after multiple times of turning the vehicle off and back on. This malfunction made the vehicle very…
ODI 10464424
Steering
I was slowing down to make a right turn into a strip mall and the wheel didnt turn at all until i put both hands on the wheel and fought the wheel with both arms to turn. A message on my lcd screen said power steering failure. I had to turn the truck off and back on and the steering was fine, i thought. About 20 miles later the truck did the same failure again. I turned the truck off and back on. It just had a…
ODI 10462829
Engine And Engine Cooling · Steering
Power steering failed while driving. Traction assist control also failed at the same time. Shutting the engine off and restarting brought the power steering back but not the traction control. The traction control began functioning again after the truck sat for about 8 hours. *tr
ODI 10463422