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 driving, power steering assist abruptly fails, as does advance trac stability control. The vehicle becomes much harder to control. If the car is in a turn when the steering fails, the steering wheel lurches and tries to re-aim the vehicle straight ahead, disrupting the turn. Dashboard warnings confirm the steering and advance trac failures. Also, the turn signal sustain fails, so using the turn signal requires…
ODI 10549384
Power Train · Steering
This is the fourth time that it has happened to me. I have been driving down the street, when the car completely loses all power, cannot turn the wheel, cannot accelerate at all and you are completely unable to move the car. I have taken the car in every time to be serviced, they say that the computer shows that nothing is wrong, no codes show up. This past time i was 1 foot over train tracks when the car died. An…
ODI 10579522
Steering
Power steer assist default shown on dash. Vehicle lost power steering while in motion. It was reset by restarting the vehicle. This occurred several times before becoming fully disabled on may 18, 2014. Vehicle became very difficult to control while in motion and nearly impossible 5 mph and under. *tr
ODI 10592842
Steering
On thursday evening sept 9, 2013 i was driving east on highway 195 in nj. Out of nowhere the power steering fail signal and terrain warning signal came on and immediately the power steering went out at the exact same time. I was driving 65mph in the left lane with my young daughter in the car. The steering wheel froze and barely budged, could move maybe an inch in each direction. Thank god i was able to slowly get…
ODI 10544979
Steering
While driving a vehicle stability fault message popped up. This was caused by the electric power steering module failing. Luckily in this case my wife was able to slow the vehicle down and muscle it off the road without accident or injury. When the electric power steering fails the car is extremely difficult to steer. Ford know about this system failure and refuses to recall it. *tr
ODI 10544410
Steering
Driving straight on an interstate i-82 at 70 mph.. Bell chime sounded, looked at the instrument panel which displayed yellow "steer assist fault"!!! Then i realized i had no power steering. Off i-82 to find a ford dealer. Dealer check it out and said it worked now. When it quits, pull over, stop, turn off the engine and start it again; the computer resets itself. The dealer, ford country in prosser, wa has a…
ODI 10544061
Steering
Our first indication of steering problems happened around september 2013. A dashboard error "service advancetrac" message kept illuminating. First the dealer replaced a "sensor" that didn't fix it. Then a software update, that didn't work. They then replaced the "rack and pinion", in this car i am told it is an electronic steering motor. That did fix the problem with the error message, however at times the entire…
ODI 10561280
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated while driving 20 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated as the steering wheel seized. The contact applied the brakes and shut off, then restarted the vehicle as it operated as designed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the electronic steering sensor would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was…
ODI 10544427
Steering
I was with my family on trip driving 80 mph on the freeway when the power steering went out! There was no indication on the instrument cluster that the power steering failed so i was not prepared for this. We did run off the road and onto the shoulder and fished tail out of control. This was frightening for my family. I was ready to pass some slower vehicles when this happen and had to move quick but the power…
Crash reported
ODI 10542610
Power Train · Steering
Lost steering assist during turn into driveway. It was extremely difficult to manually steer the vehicle, which i was able to stop due to the low speed. The next morning it was again very difficult to steer the vehicle when i backed out of the garage, however, after stopping and starting the vehicle 2-3 times the power steering begin working again allowing me to drive the vehicle to the ford dealership. While…
ODI 10567295
Steering
On three occasions the car loss power steering and warning light came on in the dash. The ignition was turned off and then the engine was restarted and the power steering seem to return to normal function. Car has been taken to dealer. Dealer is going to replace the rack and pinion steering assy. *tr
ODI 10544037
Steering
We purchased our 2011 explorer in july 20, 2013 with approx 43,000 miles. The first instance (8/30/13) we were leaving a friend's house, turned on the car and had no power steering for the entire ride home. This was a friday night so we were unable to take the car to the dealership. Power steering came back the next morning when we restarted the vehicle. Sunday (9/1/13) we were driving at approximately 40 mph when…
ODI 10548025
Steering
When turning right into my work parking lot yesterday morning i received the power steering assist fault error and service advance trac error with loss of power steering. This is the second time this has happened with the first time in june driving on a highway. The warning message (audible and visual warning) come on at the same time the power steering is lost so there is no warning, it just happens and you have to…
ODI 10537637
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
While driving to work the following warnings came up. 1. Power steering fault 2. Service advancetrac system car became very difficult to steer, almost resulting in a major car accident as i was approaching a very tight turn on i75. Upon doing some research it appears this issue is way to common, and extremely dangerous. *tr
ODI 10537216
Steering
Driving 65 mph on a highway when i suddenly lost the ability to steer my vehicle. I was fortunate enough to be able to maneuver the vehicle onto a shoulder, but this is certainly defect and must be recalled before someone is injured. *tr
ODI 10537248
Steering
Was in park in a fast food drive through and had the vehicle in park and when i put it in drive and accelerated i immediately got an error power steering assist failure and the power steering was gone and very hard to turn the wheel. Luckily it was a straight drive through. I turned off the engine and restarted and the error cleared and i was able to steer again. This is the second time this has occurred with a…
ODI 10537895
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the steering wheel seized without warning and the steering wheel became hard to turn. The power steering assist light illuminated after the failure occurred. The contact shut off the vehicle for several moments before proceeded to the dealer. The dealer performed a diagnostic and advised that the steering wheel electrical box…
ODI 10536954
Steering
I own a 2011 ford explorer with approximately 20k miles. "power assist fault warning" code has come on a handful of times for about a year. I never thought to look into it because it happened when i first started the truck and was not driving. After restarting the truck it would go away and wouldn't come back for a couple of months. Unfortunately its happening more and more often. Earlier this week i was making a…
ODI 10536890
Steering
I started my car and as i was backing out of my driveway 2 warnings came up: power steering assist failure and service advance trac. At which point i lost my power steering. I turned the car off and on again and the warnings went away. I drive to work fine but i leave for my lunch break and get the same warnings and no power steering. I turn off and on several times even going back in to work to let it sit a while.…
ODI 10536340
Steering
Has happened multiple times, steering stops working and car has to be turned off and back on to correct problem. On a trip with family on curvy road to lake tahoe it happened and we almost collided with traffic. The other cars manuvered away from us we hit the embankment no damage or injuries but my wife will not drive the car now. *tr
Crash reported
ODI 10535108
Electronic Stability Control · Steering
While driving down the highway, there was a notification on the info center that there was an issue with the power steering. At that point i lost power steering in the vehicle and then traction control. This issue has occurred 4 times in the last month and we have already taken it to the dealership and they were unable to find out what the issue was since it is not keeping records in the computer of these issues. *tr
ODI 10534998
Steering
Why have there been no recalls on the loss of power steering??? I'm reading all of the same complaints from other 2011 ford explorer owners and am shocked!!!!! *tr
ODI 10534511
Steering
While driving home from work in pittsburgh, pa i experienced a failure in my 2011 ford explorer's power steering. Apparently, the newly designed power system shut down causing a manual override for manual steering 'only'. Again, very difficult to steer at a high rate of speed. I am a pa state trooper and drive as a profession. I personally struggled to keep my vehicle on the roadway and was very fortunate to safely…
ODI 10534356
Steering
I got a power steering assist failure light, and a terrain management fault light. I had extremely limited steering ability. I drove straight to the dealership and left the car running so they could not say they were unable to duplicate the problem. I was very close to a crash and had difficulty getting out of the high speed lane to pull over. *tr
ODI 10534428
Steering
While driving in town, traction control lights came on and vehicle lost all power steering. The steering rack assembly had to be replaced. *jb
ODI 10541713