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

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The low coolant message was displayed. The contact was able to pull off to the side of the road. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine had seized. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

NHTSA ODI 11459981

Airbag fault

NHTSA ODI 11459991

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.

NHTSA ODI 11458120

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The driver was able to safely pull over and stopped the vehicle. The contact stated that the hydraulic system failure warning light was illuminated. The driver turned the vehicle off and, on several times, and the power steering functionality returned. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the electric power steering gear needed to be replaced. Additionally, the mechanic stated that the failure was similar to NHTSA Campaign Number 14V286000 (Steering) and 14E001000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.

NHTSA ODI 11458151

There is a recall for 2011-2014 Ford Explorers for the "Power Steering assist fault". My 2011 Ford Explorer is having this exact problem, however after taking it to a Ford dealership, I was told. YES there is a recall, but my vehicle was left off the list. This is 100% unfair. You have a recall for 2011 Ford Explorers, except my vehicle. This is a dangerous problem. I could have had an accident with my two Grandchildren in the car. How can Ford know this is a problem, but leave vehicles off the list.

NHTSA ODI 11458213

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.

NHTSA ODI 11457915

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.

NHTSA ODI 11457611

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

NHTSA ODI 11457679

Power Steering assist fault

NHTSA ODI 11457398

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.

NHTSA ODI 11457149

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.

NHTSA ODI 11456986

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.

NHTSA ODI 11456797

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.

NHTSA ODI 11456303

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.

NHTSA ODI 11455707

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.

NHTSA ODI 11455627

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was recently repaired under an unknown steering recall. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The steering assist, traction control, and an unknown warning light were illuminated during the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle would regain power steering functionality a day or two after the failure. The failure had recurred three times within the month. The contact had contacted the dealer who diagnosed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer confirmed that the vehicle was out of warranty and referred the contact to NHTSA for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.

NHTSA ODI 11454965

The steering wheel is hard and I can not turn it correctly, upon asking Ford in Saugus Mass. they inform me that there is a two week waiting period. So i guess they will be responsable if it commpletly locks while I am driving on the highwway, or taking my children to school. Upon verifying the information on google there has been similar situaitons with this same model, my vehicle was, manufactored in May 2011. So it does go under the recall number 14S06. But Ford is not helping me with the stituation what so ever. I am a single mother with children I depend on no-one, so it is very unprofessional when I came with the urgent situation to them and they acted like they did not care.

NHTSA ODI 11454722

Power Steering assist fault making steering impossible. Had to stop and restart the car a few times to clear the fault in order to move it. Lucky I was at a stop and not driving or I would not have been able to straighten the wheels and would have ended up in an accident

NHTSA ODI 11454551

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel seized and made a jumping motion causing the vehicle to move both left and right. The contact stated that the traction control warning light and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact parked on the side of the road and restarted the vehicle but continued to experience the vehicle. The contact stated he continued to drive the vehicle with the failure to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the control module and rack and pinion to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 236,111.

NHTSA ODI 11453353

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V746000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated the recall was not shown in the system. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified but no further assistance was provided. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN tool showed no open recall.

NHTSA ODI 11453413

I was driving and my wheel locked up almost resulting in a accident I could not turn the wheel I had to pulled over and had to get my car towed I'm being told it is my rack and pinion I have a 2011 Ford explorer now they are charging me 3,000 dollars to get it fixed when their was a recall on it in 2015 I was only going 30 mph when this happened

NHTSA ODI 11453473

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel seized with the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle however, the persisted. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11453479

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V746000 (Suspension) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that there was a noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The local dealer and the manufacturer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11452381

steering wheel gets hard to turn anywhere. a light turns on when this happens but, I couldn't read it as I was trying to get safely out of the road. it has happened to me a couple of times. sometime it happens as I turn the car on once I put the reverse gear on it gets hard I'm able to notice this before I move so I turn the car off and when I turn it back on it fixes itself. but, last few times its happened while driving once in the highway. I was told this could be triggering my check engine light on, which now is always on, according to the shop where it was taken for a check up it is something related to a misfire of the fifth cylinder. they think it is more related to a factory defect.

NHTSA ODI 11452529

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the steering wheel would seize. The contact stated she would turn off and restart the vehicle for the steering wheel to function properly. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and the power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the actuator for the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11451476