Problems with 2011 Ford Explorer STEERING

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. while driving 65 mph and attempting to make a turn, the power steering warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle continued to drive forward. the vehicle ran off the roadway, which caused the front passenger side wheel and tie rod to fracture. there were no injuries. the vehicle was driven to beechmont ford (located at 600 ohio pike, cincinnati, oh 45245, (513) 752-6611) where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module software needed to be updated. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred three times. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. while driving, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to jones ford casa grande (1932 n pinal ave, casa grande, az 85122, (520) 836-3100) where it was diagnosed that the engine block was mixing with the oil. the vehicle was repaired. on another occasion, the power steering was locking consistently, and the interlock and advancetrac warning indicators illuminated. the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and was repaired again. the contact stated that the power assist warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the same dealer where the gears and alignment were reset. the contact also mentioned that the check engine warning indicator continued to illuminate. the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where it was determined that an unknown part needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure continued. the contact stated that the fuel filter neck assembly also needed to be replaced. the evaporator canister was replaced and the technician informed the contact that the fuel tank was leaking fuel. the vehicle was not repaired because the fuel tank was no longer manufactured by ford. the contact stated that the vehicle remained at the dealer and was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. the failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

It was a power steering wheel recall but the ford company could not fix it because of over mileage but my understanding it's a recall and i haven't had my ford explorer for about 5 week and i really need it back thank you *tr

While driving at 35mph, steering froze and "power steering system fault" notification illuminated on the dash. safely stopped at next driveway. shut down car. exited car, called husband. restarted car and steering was working again. travelled 2 more miles at 35mph and power steering froze again with same subsequent notification; also advance trac lights illuminated. man handled steering to drive car home. now engine starts and runs 7-10 minutes before power steering fault occurs. scheduled at ford dealer service department in paducah, ky for repair on oct 19, 2016.

Power steering failed requiring extreme effort to pull over off the road. warning came up "service power steering". vehicle was brought to dealership where they determined the power steering rack needed to be replaced (many many reports on this) on 9/26. picked up vehicle on 9/29 with a brand new power steering rack and drove it home. started vehicle on 9/30 and drove 3 miles when the brand new power steering rack failed giving a red warning "service power steering now". again, no power steering and had to man handle the vehicle to dealership. contacted ford roadside and they would not tow back to same dealer because there was a closer dealer by 9 miles. why isn't ford being required to recall these. this is a major safety issue

The steering has never worked correctly, something just does not feel right with this vehicle. also - the sync system does not work correctly and the screen randomly reboots and is not working correctly. lastly the car system does not recognize when keys are in the car, so every time you go to start the car does not work. how this is unsafe - is in cold weather you have your keys in hand and the car will not start, which means you could be left in the cold and the car will not start. this is not safe.

Sep 3, 2016 3rd incident of power steering going out while driving. first time was one year ago. the steering wheel completely locked while i was making a left turn. i had to use all my strength to "un-jam" it. took it to the dealership for service and they replaced the steering gear. 6 months ago steering went out again while driving with my husband and 3 children on vacation. had the car towed to the closest dealer who "found nothing wrong" with the car and sent us on our way without paperwork even documenting our complaint. 3rd time was a week ago while i was driving with my husband and son. my husband, the tow truck driver and the tech at the dealership had difficulty steering. dealership is replacing the steering gear again. "same fix as last time, but better parts since a year ago" is what i'm told by the dealership. i have no faith in this car and cannot put my family or anyone else on the road at risk. steering locking up while you are driving is extremely terrifying and ford is telling me there is nothing they are required to do because it is not under manufacture warranty anymore. basically, if you buy a ford you have to be prepared to risk your safety and the safety of others on the road. their recall fixes don't fix the problem.

It start happening yesterday when start my suv after it start on message console i see power steering assist fault and steering wheel get very hard to turn. truck have 78k and don't know if ford dealer will accept that as a recall? i have shut off the car and restart and issues went away. but later on same day when i start the truck it happen again.

My ford explorer 2011 omits a foul odor(smells like rotten egg)when you turn on the ac while driving, the steering column feels loose and has a strong wind noise while driving. *tr

The power steering fails, and it becomes very hard and almost impossible to steer the vehicle.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). the vehicle was taken to a dealer and repaired. however, while the contact's wife was driving 25 mph, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn. as a result, the driver lost control and the vehicle veered into the next lane. the steering failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated that it had already been repaired and that the contact would have to pay for any further repairs. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer and pay for the repairs. the approximate failure mileage was 41,000. the vin was unavailable. updated 06/29/17*lj

There are times when i am driving down the road and i want to change lanes, it is hard for me to turn the wheel. there are also times where and slowing to make a turn and it is extremely hard for me to turn the wheel.it doesn't happen every single time but it happens more than enough.

I purchased my vehicle in march of 2016. i first had issues with the braking system. i heard screeching and whirring as i drove the vehicle. next, i had issues with the battery, battery acid leaked all over the battery, corrosion built up on the battery. most recently, after servicing my vehicle, the power steering locked up. the computer read that there was power steering fault. i don't understand how i was able to purchase a vehicle off the dealership lot with all of the issues that the vehicle had.

After having epas replaced (@hall ford ellizabeth city, nc) under recall 15n01 after complete power steering failure. we began a 700 mi. road trip home and began to experience spontaneous traction control interaction with our driving input which affected either power distribution to the axels, braking ability, and steering ability. after making it nearly 300 miles the electronic stability control completely went out along with what felt like abs control seemed like it intervened sporadically. we also recieved a dash prompt that the fuel filler inlet needed checked as well. upon arrival to a ford dealer along our route (sheehy ford, warrenton, va) they pulled the codes listed and appeared to be a litany of codes nearly a page and a half long. they cleared the codes and drove the vehicle. after driving the vehicle around the block the traction control began to act intermittently without loss of traction. they came back and checked for error codes and the "steering position sensor was at fault" they went through re-calibrated the equipment installed and cleared out the codes and drove without any issues. we then continued on our remainder of our trip without any further issues. upon arrival to our home destination the following day we began to again have traction control intervening with driver input when not needed where it appears to be shifting power from axle to axle or applying braking to aid in traction control. i have also noticed that that rear view camera displays the postion of the driver wheel in relation to the wheel path in reverse but appears intermittant as if there is a not a continuous connection with the sensor. taking to our local ford dealer here monday 4-4-16 to have them thoroughly go through the vehicle but appears to continue to be an issue with the electronic power steering assist. all issues are present when traveling at speed and turning

My 2011 ford explorer started having power steering assist failure in dec, 2015 at first it would be on first start up, lasting 3-4 seconds with a frozen steering wheel. gradually it happened more often and lasted longer (5-10 seconds) recently in march 2016 while driving across florida on vacation, i slowed to enter the driveway of a shopping center, as i made the turn at approximately 15 mph my steering went stiff and i had to use excessive force to turn and avoid a vehicle exiting the parking lot. it was only then i google searched if other explorer owners had experienced similar failures. that's when i learned that its happening to thousands of other ford explorer. even though a safety recall has been issued to replace the steering gear, you'll find ford will want to change other parts first, parts not covered on the recall. the steering gear is very expensive ($1,500) first the dealer said its the steering wheel angle sensor and not the steering gear. they told me it would fix the problem and they charged me for the repair......i literally pulled out of suburban ford of waterford michigan and drove 1 mile to a nearby grocery store, after returning to my vehicle on the first start up after this repair my steering was frozen for 7-10 seconds after 4 days loss of usage of my vehicle while at the dealership, no rental car offered, i'll be returning my explorer to the dealer tomorrow, i'll keep posting updates to this nightmare with ford motor co. folks, i'm sure you'll all agree, loss of steering is one of the most dangerous defects a vehicle can have, not only to the owner and occupants but to the other innocent drives on the road as well

While driving at a speed of 55 mph, in a down-pour rain, on a state hwy, on a straightaway, the power steering was lost when the "check charging system" warning light came on (check battery light came on as well). steering was extremely difficult. cause at this time is unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving at 3 mph, the steering wheel seized. the "power steering assist failure" was displayed across the message board. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 42,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. while driving at approximately 15 mph, the steering wheel seized. the contact mentioned that the failure only occurred while driving low speeds. the failure recurred three times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 77,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. while the vehicle was parked, the steering wheel seized. in addition, the "service power steering" and "service advance track" warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering); however, the failure recurred while driving 35 mph. the vehicle was towed to multiple dealers where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the failure persisted. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the failure mileage was 118,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. while making a left turn from a stop, the steering wheel seized without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where the technician stated that the vehicle was operating as designed; however, the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering), but the failure recurred multiple times. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 38,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. while accelerating over 65 mph, the odor of fuel was present inside the vehicle. while driving at various speeds, the power steering and power terrain messages displayed before the steering wheel became locked. the driver was unable to turn the steering wheel. after shutting the vehicle off and restarting the engine, the vehicle operated normally. the cause of the failures were not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the failure mileage was 80,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the vehicle loss power steering completely as the check power steering unit warning indicator illuminated. the failure recurred on two other occasions. the vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

At low speeds the floor of the car feels like it is shuttering back and forth. i thought it was the steering wheel but it doesn't move back and forth if i take my hands off but i can definitely feel it in the steering through the floor

I had the recall work done for the power steering assist fault and this morning, i started the car and got the same fault code and had no power steering.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. while driving at 15 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to steer and the power steering assist warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. when the contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, it resumed normal operation. the vehicle was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 67,000.

After starting vehicle, power steering assist failure alert noted. power steering not working and attempted to reset by restarting car with no success. towed to dealer. need to replace total rack and pinion in order to fix this electrical problem.

Traveling at low speed coming to a stop, felt like a lost in power and advance trac system failure, power steering failure warnings go off. i turn the vehicle off, i thought the vehicle shut down. i started driving again and same thing happen at low speed at next stop sign. i drove a little further and turn car off. upon returning all systems were working fine. on 6/19/15 same thing happen at low speed, advance trac and power steering failure and still not working after several hours sitting.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. when the contact attempted to drive the vehicle, the steering wheel became very difficult to maneuver. the power assist warning indicator illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, but the technician could not find a failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the vehicle was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. while driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel seized and the vehicle could not be controlled. the vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed. the contact believed that this was a serious safety issue since it could cause a crash at any time. the manufacturer was notified of the issue. the vin and failure mileage were unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering). the vehicle was taken to the dealer to service the vehicle under the recall, where the power steering control module software was updated. the contact mentioned that shortly after the repairs while driving approximately 40 mph, the electric power steering warning light had illuminated and a loud noise near the front end of the vehicle was present. the loud noise was dominant when steered left and right. the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for diagnostic testing and the mechanic stated that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 49,000.

While driving on the interstate, the power assisted steering failed, and two alerts appeared (service power steering *duh*, and something about the terrain management. i was able steer the vehicle (with a large amount of effort) to the dealership for service.

Started car, and power steering fault warning displayed on the dash. i turned off the car, waited for about 10 seconds, and then started the car again. this time everything works fine. i go down the road about 15-20 minutes. i pull over for about 5 minutes while leaving the car running. i get back in and start driving. it looses power steering again. i try to start the vehicle several times, and it continues to have no power steering. i do some research and find that there has been a recall for this very issue. i take it to the nearest ford dealer and have them look at it. they said the recall is closed and will not take care of the issue. they say it had the software issue fixed last year before i owned the car. this time it is a part failure and will cost $1500. i do not think the issue was fixed in the first place when the recall was issued.

In april 2015, i had two instances in which my vehicle lost power steering with a corresponding "power steering assist fault" message. i, fortunately, was in a parking lot both times and was able to steer to a parking space, turn off the ignition and restart the car (as advised in the owners manual). in researching the issue, i discovered a recall notice for power steering issues. i took my car in for service on april 23rd to have the service performed. on april 27th, when i started the car to pull out of my garage at home, i realized that i had no power steering. turning off the ignition and restarting no longer worked. i contacted the dealership who performed the recall service. because the power steering was working when i took the car in for the recall service, they performed the basic reset and sent me on my way. ford is telling me that because they had serviced the recall once, they consider it to be repaired and will not cover the repair of the failed power steering. fortunately i was not traveling down the interstate at 65 mph when my power steering failed, otherwise it could have been tragic. i cannot believe ford is refusing to repair a known defect that was serious enough to warrant a recall. *tr

Summary: updating the software does not fix the 'loss of power steering' problem under ford recall 140s06 for 2011 ford explorer. power steering still fails after the software update. however, ford rejects to cover the cost of replacing the steering rack to fix the problem if the customer has done software update; ford agrees to cover it only if customer has not done software update. basically if you are given remedy option 1 which is updating software by the dealer, then you lose the right for remedy option 2 which is replacing gear for this recall regardless if option 1 has fixed the problem or not. this is not right! in july 2014, i brought my car to the dealership after receiving power steering recall letter. they could not detect the power steering error code at that time, so simply they updated the software. but i still occasionally experienced the same error message, and it happened more often later on, until last week april 14th, 2015, the message stayed on, and i lost the power steering completely in a parking lot. i called ford customer service on april 17th to open a case #[xxx] requesting to replace the steering gear under the recall 140s06 at no cost. after a few days' prolonged back and forth with the dealer and ford, my case was denied by ford. the reason given to me is that the software update was completed so my recall case was closed and it will not be covered to replace steering gear. when i asked about the recall 12month/12k warranty that i am still within, ford insisted that it only covers the software that was updated. but i believe the recall is meant to address the problem of loss of power steering, if the same problem exists, meaning software update does not work, the warranty should cover the recall remedy option 2 to replace the gear for a real fix. no way will a software update fix a physical hardware defect. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Several occasions turning on vehicle system reports power steering assist fault, service advance traction control - power steering failed, and steering wheel very difficult to turn. turning off and back on had made it go away before, then did not. power steering assist service advance traction and terrain management systems all failed, truck nearly impossible to steer. i believe this to be an extremely dangerous issue, if power steering goes out, and the wheel is that difficult to turn driving in any condition becomes a potentially hazardous activity. i live in a rural area, roads are very curvy, often scattered with loose debris (sand, salt, gravel) if paved, or just gravel in some areas, and safe navigation of these roads to get to my home would be impossible. i have discovered that ford has issued a recall for vehicles assembled in the chicago plant, between 5/2010 and 2/2012, for exactly this problem, and though this vehicle meets those criteria, there is not a recall on my vehicle. *tr

Car power steering wheel locked on 3/23/15. brought it to sam galloway ford in ft. myers, florida. had part numbers bb5z3504re (1 gear asy-ste), w712961-s439 (bolt), w716182-s439 (2 bolts) replaced. labor and parts came to $1,567.53. saw on this site that this make and model (not this vin) had been recalled for similar incident. ford would not reimburse us for this problem. on august 4, 2014, after receiving a recall notice 14s06, the car was brought to friendly ford in poughkeepsie, ny for a power steering issue. ford said that that visit resolved the power steering issue. as the owner of this vehicle, i feel that the issue was not resolved since we had a subsequent incident on 3/23/15.

Cranked up vehicle, put it in reverse and began to move backwards. heard a chime and at the same time lost power steering. there was a "power steering assist fault" message box on the left side of the dash. i stopped; put it in park and turned it off. after restarting it was ok. this has been happening the past couple of weeks to my wife however and she will not drive it anymore. i have contacted my ford service dept. that handles the maintenance of the vehicle and informed them of the problem and that i received recall notice 14s06 in july 2014 talking about this very issue. they did a reprogram to the software which obviously did not "fix" the problem. it stipulates in that recall that if the update does not fix the issue that the steering gear is to be replaced free of charge. i have requested a date in a couple of weeks for work to be done as i am almost 3 hours from the dealer / service dept. *tr

Power steering failed while driving. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact stated that driving at 45 mph, the steering wheel seized. in addition, the contact stated that power steering failure, service power assist was displayed across the message board. the vehicle was taken to a dealer. the technician diagnosed that the power steering needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 60,000.

When backing the vehicle out of a parking space a tone sounded, a warning message "power steering assist fail" came on and the vehicle became impossible to steer. after cycling the ignition the problem went away. it occurred again two days later in a similar situation (low speed) and again went away after cycling the ignition. ford dealer diagnosed as "code u3000 failure type 49 internal electronic failure, need to replace electronic steering gear - part bb5z 3504 d". *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a loud noise coming from the steering wheel and it was extremely difficult to turn. the vehicle was serviced under a power steering manufacturer's recall, but the failure persisted. the vehicle was taken to the dealer more than three times where a code was reset, but the failure persisted. on another occasion, while driving, the steering wheel seized. the vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was not available.

My ford explorer had a recall (14s06) so i took it into my dealer and had them to the update. aprox 1000 miles later my power steering completely went out and now the bill could be as high as 1500 dollars and ford won't cover it because i already had the recall fixed once. could you tell me what i can do to not have to pay this large amount? *tr

I sent my vehicle in two months for to be fix at drew ford dealership. they also corrected a recall on the powersteering fault. now the fault is back and the steering wheel is immovable or extremely hard to move. they also claim this will not fall under the recall, because it has been remedy the first time. i am very upset with ford, because this can be a 600-2000 dollar repair. power steering should not go this fast, my car is barely 4 years old. i may have to trade it in for more reliable vehicle like a honda or toyota. i want to support american companies. this experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. while driving 10 mph, the steering wheel seized and the power steering light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the electric power steering module needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle would not be repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 14v286000 (steering) due to a recent evaluation of the vehicle at a dealer. the failure mileage was 83,000.

Had unit back in dealer november 2014 for the recall14s06 and was told they did a software update. january 7th 2015 went to leave work, started unit to warm up. got in it 15 minutes later and no power steering. light on dash said :steering assist failure" took back to dealer and was told i had to spend $1600 because it needed the steering gear replaced. please note this unit was built in march 2011 in the chicago assembly plant and falls under the suspected time frame of the failed component. also it is 10 months out of warranty but only has 26000 miles on it. i had to contact ford and explain to them i felt it should be cover 100% but was told i would have to take it up with my dealer after they ran my case number. was contacted by my dealer the next day and was told it would cost me out of pocket $800 plus it could take 3/5 working days to get component. i find this as a good faith gesture but come on ford you knew back in the lab that the software update was only a bandaid and the really problem still exists.you need to step up to the plate and repair all failed units with a new steering gear at 100% your cost! *tr

When parked in a parking garage i started out and of my spot and down a ramp toward the pay station/booth of the garage to exit. the power steering assist fault came on, i immediately lost power steering and was headed directly toward the pay booth/attendant until i was able to brake and muscle the steering away from the impending crash. this power steering issue has started to occur briefly over the last few 6 months and either resolves itself or if i stop, shut off, then restart it seems to reset. the electronic power steering seems to be at fault. i can only imagine losing this at highway speeds and the danger it poses to drivers. *js

We were driving the vehicle at approximately 35 mph when warning light came on stating there was issue with power steering, i believe it said power steering service was required. when we stopped at next intersection, it was evident power steering assistance was reduced. after pulling over and shutting off vehicle, then restarting, there was no power steering assistance, only manual. when traveling at low speed, turning was virtually impossible. immediately after stopping, because wheels could not be steered, vehicle went straight, blocking a cross path in a commercial lot, with cross traffic nearly causing collision, although no collision occurred, there was clear danger. *tr

Ref, previous case [xxx] ... just curious, saw ford had several 2011 vehicles added to recalls, but not explorers for this cause, wonder why, since our experience was exactly what the other recalls were, lost power steering assist, could not control vehicle. was electrical steering gear malfunction at 47,000 miles [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).' *jb

2011 ford explorer limited: i was driving my family back from a vacation and had been traveling at an approximate speed of 65 mph on the hwy. i turned into a parking lot for a restroom break for the kids when the rack & pinion bar broke completely near the driver side front wheel. i noticed the chimes, some loud pops and harder than normal steering prior to the part breaking. vehicle was unable to be steered. it is not a every day driven vehicle. vehicle has 42,608 miles on it. luckily we weren't traveling at 65 mph when the part failed. *tr

After bringing my car in on 9/15/14 to address the ford explorer 2011 recall, sheehy ford in springfield, va declared my parts ok and reprogrammed my pscm (i had never had a single issue with my power steering)...i subsequently drove to kentucky (from burke, va) and several other places...eventually driving to my parent's house in vienna, va (about 30+ minutes away) for thanksgiving day (12/27/14), just 3 months later. several streets from arrival i received a message that my power steering was failing. the car became very difficult to drive, but i was able to park the car in front of their house. after research on the internet, i hoped to be able to start the car and find the problem fixed, but unfortunately was not able to steer the car at all. i had to have the car towed the next day to a dealer (i did not choose the same dealer who had done the recall). they replaced the power steering parts several days later, but the parts were not covered under the recall because the code they received was different. this happened 3 months after they declared my parts ok! i only had to pay $100 for the fix because of my extended warranty, but am ill about what might have happened if i had been on my way to or from kentucky when the power steering failure happened so i feel obligated to report my issue to you. i understand from press releases i've seen that you consider this issue closed. i do not believe that to be the case... *tr