2011 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

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.

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.

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

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.

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and approaching a curve, the warning message "Service Advance Tract” illuminated and the steering wheel locked inadvertently, almost causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle by using tremendous physical force to steer the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair as his VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 186,850.

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 vehicle has been in for service at Downs Ford Dealership twice in the past two years for the same issue and has yet to be resolved. When the gas tank is filled with gas, there is overwhelming smell of gas that doesn’t get better until the tank is about half full. The first time the car was in for service, I was told that the gas tank needed to be replaced but they were having trouble finding one. They said to take the car home and they would call when they found one but they never called. The vehicle was brought in a 2nd time to fix the issue in July of 2021. At that time we were told a valve needed to be replaced and charged $500 but it has not fixed the issue. I’m frustrated and tired of wasting $ and time without my car when they don’t seem to be able to fix it. Consumer would like to would like to withdraw the complaint.

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.

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.

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.