What 1,191 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired at the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V435000 (Suspension); however, the failure occurred after the recall repair was performed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made squeaking and popping sounds. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the sway bar links needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

NHTSA ODI 11521493

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the Service Advancetrac warning light intermittently flash on the instrument panel. Recently, the contact stated that the warning light flashed and remained on the instrument panel and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), which she linked to the failure. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 208,000.

NHTSA ODI 11521580

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact’s wife notified the contact, and the contact was able to coast the vehicle off the road. The contact then stated that he allowed the vehicle to cool down, restarted the vehicle, then coasted the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump failed and caused the coolant to leak into the engine and damaged the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 173,000.

NHTSA ODI 11519857

I am getting intermittent warning lights pertaining to the steering assist on this vehicle. It was a prior safety recall in which ford merely reprogrammed the unit in an effort to correct the problem. According to my local dealership, it did not correct the problem and the safety concern is still relevant. The dealership asked ford corporate for permission to make the repair and they were denied. Ford says the repair was made and they will not do anything further. The ford website also states all safety recalls never expire, but apparently that is not the case. Ford appears to be making a mockery of the recall program by closing recalls without permanently correcting the problem and will not reopen this safety recall. Internet discussions on this topic reveal I am not the only one with this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11519117

When driving and get up to 60mph car shakes and moves side to side hard to control.

NHTSA ODI 11518629

The windshield trim on the driver's side flew off of the vehicle when I was traveling on the interstate (at interstate speed - about 70 mph). It did not hit another vehicle, but certainly could have if another vehicle had been to my left or close behind my vehicle. I was unable to stop and retrieve the part. No inspection has been made by police, insurance, etc. I now need to have the trim piece replaced, and I am nervous about the windshield trim on the passenger side possibly doing the same thing.

NHTSA ODI 11515936

The electrinic power steering has failed. It just stopped working after starting the car one day. This is a repair that the dealer fixed 15 months ago, with a new part. A new electronic power steering Rack and Pinon should not last only 15 months. I have called the dealer and they say that warranty for that job is 12 months. They suggested contacting ford's customer service. Ford customer service says that there are no warranties on Recall repairs. This just does not sound right. I mentioned that if a repair that is suppose to fix a safety Hazzard does not work, and the safety Hazzard returns they are still liable for the repairs and or the consequences.

NHTSA ODI 11515479

I read an article online dated 1/31/23 that indicated that the NHTSA was investigating windshield trim panel issues on certain year models of the Ford Explorer. My 2011 Ford Explorer driver-side windshield trim panel flew off the vehicle while driving at highway speeds (70+ mph) on May 3, 2021, so I wanted to provide this information and photos of the damage. I agree this is a serious issue for this Make and model that should be addressed. This was an expensive repair and dangerous for other drivers on the road. I can provide additional information if needed.

NHTSA ODI 11513580

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact detected an abnormal fuel odor. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that there was a vapor leak coming from the top of the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11513366

Was driving down the highway and my car lost power and put me in a very dangerous situation. Looking into the issue, i found out the waterpump was damaged in which is inside the engine and extremely expensive repairs (3000) dollars or more but the engine has been compromised with alot of coolant into the oil. My car is down and im still paying on it so im in very tough situation and believe the manufacturer should fix this situation.

NHTSA ODI 11512681

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, she noticed that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact then became aware that the power steering was electric and not dependent on power steering fluid. The contact waited until the power steering operation returned as needed; however, the failure reoccurred on several occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure occurred while driving on the highway. The contact stated while veering to the side of the road, the power steering operated as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software was reprogramed under Ford Campaign Number: 15N01; however, the failure persisted. The dealer informed the contact that the power steering rack could not be replaced again under the campaign number because the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11512348

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed and making a turn, the steering wheel became firm with the power steering wheel warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure continued. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 170,000.

NHTSA ODI 11512361

We got the vehicle about two years ago 2021 only had 107,000 miles on it. We were having a power steering problem but it would reset itself on and off stopped for a while came back on never got any notification about a power steering software update recall now power steering won’t turn on at all I’ve restarted it won’t turn on says power steering system fault I’m not getting any codes or anything. Car is now at 209,000 miles runs strong nothing wrong. Just keep having this power steering problem that needs to be fixed. I’ve had it cut off while driving before on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11511321

I can’t control my vehicle, the steering wheel sometimes work sometimes lock that I can’t turn to right or left. Called Ford with recall recall 14 e-001 13S14. Called the dealer and now it is an extended warranty, they ask for mileage and they don’t want to update the system or replace it. I’m the second owner when they send the letter, previous owner didn’t take the ca to the dealer to fix it. I had the issue before but now is worse I don’t want to have an accident with this failure on the system since sometimes work and other not

NHTSA ODI 11510343

I was closed to my home when my car power steering locked.

NHTSA ODI 11510170

Passenger side windshield trim came off while traveling on freeway at 85 mph hit the windshield. Then about hit the car behind us and about hit a car next to us. The car is available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11509953

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the front windshield trim detached and flew off the vehicle. The dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508953

Driver's seat windshield panel flew off while driving. Part number BB5Z-7803145-AA

NHTSA ODI 11507388

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering with the "Power Steering Assist off" and "Service Power Steering" messages displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to have the power steering control module (PSCM) software updated under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module (PSCM) software needed to be updated again. The vehicle was repaired; however, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering functionality and the vehicle lost motive power and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact made another local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11507233

Intermittent loss of power steering assist. Car starts and steering wheel won't budge. Sometimes after a short wait, it is restored to normal. Sometimes, car must be re-started one or more times to get steering normal. So far, it has not happened while driving, but I am wary of it happening while driving. When it happens, POWER STEERING FAULT message appears on the dashboard. Has happened randomly several times over the last 4 weeks.

NHTSA ODI 11507319

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the trim panels detached from the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact stated that he repaired the vehicle. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

NHTSA ODI 11507011

I was going down the road had to avoid a piece off tire so fast the steering looked on me for a second Then hit that piece. And after that the steering start getting harder to steer, made it home safely. But now I can’t drive the car because it’s hard to steer . So we have to start looking to repair it.

NHTSA ODI 11506695

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH in a parking lot, the power steering failed. The contact stated that she stopped the vehicle, shifted to park(P), turned off and restarted the vehicle and the power steering resumed normal functionality. The contact stated the power steering fault warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first; however, the power steering failure had become more constant. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

NHTSA ODI 11506065

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact related the failure to TSB: 13S14 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a faulty EPAS steering gear. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 158,355.

NHTSA ODI 11505152

Windshield trim panels came loose and were slapping the drivers and passengers side windows. Read article in paper with 164 complaints. Cost me over $800 to replace

NHTSA ODI 11505243