Home · 2011 Ford Explorer · Complaints
What 1,191 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Ford Explorer
These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.
3 of 1,191 complaints match · Suspension · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters
Oct 26, 2025SteeringSuspensionTransmission & drivetrainCrash
I had a recall on my 2011 Ford explorer for toe Links and bushings. Since ever since this has been going on I have gone through 38 tires in the rear in the past two years alone no shop will fix my car because the camber is so out of whack I have to have the whole rear suspension redone again when it should have been fixed the first time with the recall link Ford spent 5 minutes going through my car and said that my car didn't qualify for any recall because my car is a front wheel drive and not an all-wheel drive so they did not do the recall now after bringing it to another shop I have the estimate of what it would cost to fix that needs to be done it is an emergency because when I hit a pothole I go in the ditch my friend and his smashed because I can't control my car my steering freezes while driving down the highway and this all has something to do with the rear suspension five Star automotive wrote down everything that needs to be replaced this is a hazard to be on the road, if I could afford another car I would have one I keep sinking money into this one, because of Link Ford and their mistake me and my car should not have to suffer for it or anyone else on the road because this is a hazard my car is going to kill someone if I would have had the recall replaced, I wouldn't have had to spend an additional $1,400 on parts and labor that never even got put in because they can't put them in until this is repaired I can't even get a front end alignment because of this the entire rear suspension is sagging to the ground and my tires tilt in about 42°. I have the printout from both Link Ford in mining and 5 star automotive in Superior WI because of the 22 times I've gone in the ditch due to my suspension and steering locking up I have a short in the ground wire somewhere that is now fried my ECU so when I put it in a $90 boot every time it lights on fire within 30 seconds I'm in closing that picture as well of the one I just put in little over an hour ago.
NHTSA ODI 11695632
Jul 26, 2019SteeringSuspensionBody & structureCrash
RIGHT FRONT AXLE/CONTROL ARM FAILING (SNAPPED CLEANLY IN 2) 3 TIMES WITHIN 2 YEARS. FIRST TIME MAY HAVE BEEN SUBSEQUENT TO LOW SPEED FRONT END COLLISION. SECOND & THIRD TIMES DRIVING LESS THAN 25 MPH WITH NO COLLISION UNTIL AFTER HEARING THE SNAP & SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF STEERING. SECOND TIME FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A FULL STOP & TURNING LEFT ON A CITY STREET.THIRD TIME I'D BEEN DRIVING STRAIGHT APPROXIMATELY HALF A MILE ON A CITY STREET WITH SPEED NO GREATER THAN 25 MPH. LAST TWO REPLACEMENT/REPAIR DONE BY PROGRESSIVE INSURANCE CERTIFIED REPAIR FACILITY.
NHTSA ODI 11235001
Feb 1, 2017SuspensionCrash
DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY IN MY CAR LOST CONTROL. THIS WAS REALLY SCARY. I SAW SEVERED CRAVING FOR WELD. THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS -25. I REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER. HE REFUSED TO HELP ME. NOW I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. I FEAR FOR THE LIVES OF THEIR LOVED ONES. DATE OF INCIDENT: 27 JANUARY 2017 VIDEO SCENE: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=59M8A1KXYPO I'M FROM RUSSIA. HOPE ONLY ON YOU. MY ADDRESS [XXX] TELEPHONE [XXX] I DO NOT WISH THAT EVEN SOMEONE HURT. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
NHTSA ODI 10948780
Working with the data? Download all 1,191 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026
How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your
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