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

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the power steering control module (PSCM) software was updated. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, his daughter noticed that the steering wheel had lost power steering assist functionality. The message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was illuminated. The contact's daughter turned off and as she restarted the vehicle, the steering wheel regained power steering functionality. The contact's daughter continued to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer advised the contact that he would be responsible for the cost of the repair as SSSC denied the request to cover the vehicle repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000. Dealer notified the owner that recall 14S06 was still open on this vehicle. The owner picked up the vehicle from the dealer and, the power steering system failed again with the message “Power Steering Assist Fault”. Owner tried to steer the vehicle. It was very hard to steer. Owner turned off the vehicle and restarted, and the power steering was restored. Power steering failure occurred while the vehicle was parked. No damage or injury occurred . Owner determined that the failure was a safety issue, because the vehicle would be too hard to steer if the power steering failed while driving. Owner had the power steering gear replaced at Apple Ford and paid all expenses out of pocket. Owner found recall 14S06 Supplement #3 on NHTSA’s website. Supplement# 3 states that “ This safety recall involves reprogramming the Power Steering Control Module, or replacing the steering gear if certain Diagnostic Trouble Codes are present, regardless of vehicle mileage or warranty start date.

NHTSA ODI 11451065

Error message appeared and lost power steering to the vehicle while driving. I learned that 14S06 safety recall was to address this very situation (codes matched). Ford denied the safety recall due to 10 year limit (Vehicle has 39,000 miles and is 10ys 7mo old) May 17th 2019 Letter from ford regarding safety recall 14S06 updates the recall to "regardless of vehicle mileage or warranty start date." I paid for the fix out of pocket as I need a vehicle that doesn't lose the agility to steer while travelling down the roadway. I'd like Ford to honor the safety recall and reimburse me for the repair.

NHTSA ODI 11450552

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving around a right turn at approximately 40 MPH, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became difficult to turn nearly causing the vehicle to collide with an approaching oncoming vehicle traveling in the opposite lane. During the incident, the messages "Advancetrac" and "Service Power Steering" were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering gear assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that the steering gear assembly had already been replaced on two separate occasions; once under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 138,000.

NHTSA ODI 11449857

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) had become defective which caused the front and rear defrosters to not operate as needed. The contact also stated that the APIM failure had caused the rear backup camera to not function. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer and was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11450010

Power steering rack and pinion quit working. Part is on hold because Ford knows its a dangerous part that is breaking and the part is not reliable

NHTSA ODI 11449221

The ABS and the terrain system will flash and the power steering will flash red and you will loose power steering. We have been told the steering rack needs replaced and there was a recall on this a time before.

NHTSA ODI 11448909

I own a 2011 Ford explorer. There was a recall #11V063000 that has not been put on my vehicle however, the exact problem is happening to my vehicle. The power steering will go while driving and it has happened several times.

NHTSA ODI 11448919

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering would intermittently fail to operate as needed. The "service power steering now" and "service advancetrac" warning messages would appear on the instrument panel. The contact also stated that when the failure initially started, the power steering functionality would return upon restart of the vehicle; however, recently, the failure would persist even after restart. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective steering rack. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11448204

Failure on Power Assisted steering. I'm not able to move the wheels. Failure came at ~5am when I turn on the vehicle. I left the vehicle in my garage and then I turn on at 12pm and I get the same failure. Around ~3pm I turned on the vehicle and there is no error. I'm afraid to use this vehicle for safety concerns. I forgot to take pictures of the error during the first time of the issue. The dealer told me that there is no recall from Ford but doing a search thru the web there are a lot of concerns for this specific problem. Any help will be appreciated due to the car will not be used in order to get a proper evaluation from Ford. The error message is no longer available in the vehicle due to when I turn on the vehicle at 3pm the error and problem disappear. I'm worried that the dealer does not find the main issue and then costs me a lot of money for just evaluation. My approach is that this vehicle will not be in use until getting proper contact from FORD. The safety of my family is first even this problem is known on another vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11447217

While driving the vehicle, the service power steering and traction control warning appeared on the dash. Vehicle lost all power steering and the turn signals quit working.

NHTSA ODI 11446779

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, she noticed that water had leaked from the front passenger’s side of the windshield onto the glove compartment and floorboard of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that they could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly whenever it rained. The contact stated that the instrument panel control buttons, the dashboard lights, and the rearview camera had failed to work as designed. The contact also received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V746000 (Suspension) however, the dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

NHTSA ODI 11446170

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to reverse out of the driveway, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault warning message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the rack and pinion replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

NHTSA ODI 11445665

No warning when the fuel relay gasket attached to the pump assembly fails and allows fuel vapor to fill the cabin of the car. Owner safety is at risk of possible fire. I know of 2 Ford dealerships that are aware of the safety hazard.

NHTSA ODI 11445337

My steering wheel is not moving and I have a warning coming on saying Power Steering Assist Fault. I called the dealership because it was a recall on the truck in 2014 and the owner back then never went and got it fixed. The dealership is refusing to fix the recall

NHTSA ODI 11445037

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist fault message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was 228,655.

NHTSA ODI 11444747

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the power steering assist failed, and the steering wheel locked up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that they could not assist since the vehicle was not purchased from a Ford dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11444425

While driving with my 2 minor daughters a high-temperature light came on and then seconds later low pressure and engine light came on. Suddenly my 2011 Ford Explorer engine turned off and stopped in the middle of two busy highways stranding us. Towed to an auto shop where I was informed that the water pump bearing had come apart got into the engine and caused the timing chain to jump time. Now my 2011 Ford Explorer does not work and a replacement engine was going to cost $7700 plus the labor and work to tear it down which would exceed the almost $10,000 value of the vehicle. All over the internet, all I see is water pump/engine defaults for the same reason. This is obviously an ongoing issue that needs further investigation and mandatory replacements. Stranding us in the center of the highway was dangerous enough that my towing insurance told me to call the police because of where we were stranded not to mention my vehicle that is had zero issues is now nonoperational and has left me with a catastrophic financial and mobile deficit.

NHTSA ODI 11441423

My 2011 Ford Explorer has been leaking water into everything including the console, seat belts, down the doors and staying inside the doors, into the spare tire storage area, and down all sides of the interior. The water leaks so badly that at times I've had more than an inch of water on the floor boards of my vehicle. The only thing that has permanently stopped working is the motor that controls the moonroof. I have no idea where the water is coming from and this is causing concern as the water is getting into all aspects of my vehicle including electrical areas. My research indicates that it could be many different places but I also seeing 10s of thousands of complaints from Explorer owners about this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11440938

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and was diagnosed with needing the steering gear and steering rack replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000. Consumer has a recall issue which still is ongoing and Ford refuses to fix it.

NHTSA ODI 11440825

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the power steering assist fault warning message was displayed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be inspected. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11439916

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the power steering assist fault message was displayed. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 138,300.

NHTSA ODI 11439936

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the electronic power steering would suddenly fail to cause the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the message "service power steering" would display and the traction control warning light was illuminated. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000.

NHTSA ODI 11439702

When I was almost home, the service power steering light came on. I parked and when I started the vehicle again, the light said service power steering now was on. The steering wheel would not turn at all. I had my vehicle towed to the dealership I bought it from. Now they are saying that the recall has expired. I just want my vehicle repaired per the recall. I don't think I should have to pay for it since it was a problem caused when the vehicle was built.

NHTSA ODI 11439563

The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the power steering warning light illuminated, and the power steering failed to operate as needed. The contact was able to manually steer and drive to her residence nearby. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 14E001000 (Steering). The mechanic advised the contact to contact an authorized dealer for assistance. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

NHTSA ODI 11438552

Our Power Steering locked up while we were driving, we had 3 kids in the car! This happened while at a low speed, but made the vehicle incredibly difficult to drive/steer. When we started troubleshooting the issue, we found that this problem was included in a safety recall but our VIN was not included, NHTSA# 14V286000. We then contacted Ford Customer Service and were told that this problem is related to a Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) EPAS Steering Efforts #15N01, our warranty on this expired since it was past 10 years and we would have to pay out of pocket for repairs. Why were we not notified of this issue? Why is this happening? Why is this VIN not included in the recall? This is a SERIOUS Safety concern. Please do the right thing and include these VINS to the recall list. The repair is going to cost in the neighborhood of $2,000.00, I feel incredibly frustrated that we have to pay for this. Who decides which VINS get on the list? There are ENDLESS complaints about this issue. Are we waiting for injuries? Are we waiting for someone to die?? DO THE RIGHT THING.

NHTSA ODI 11436768