2011 Ford Explorer problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (689) · Structure (54) · Structure:body (43)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Explorer model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
877 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (8)
Structure:body:roof And Pillars 2024-01-19 · campaign 24V031000 · 1,889,110 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.
Risk: A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.
Suspension:rear 2021-09-22 · campaign 21V746000 · 150,723 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. These vehicles may be equipped with a cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) replacement part that could seize, and result
Risk: A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealer will inspect for the presence of a CABJ. If a CABJ of any design is found, the dealer will inspect the tightness of the CABJ, and replace the CABJ, knuckle, and/or toe link as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 17, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S43.
Suspension:rear 2019-06-10 · campaign 19V435000 · 1,194,173 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
Risk: A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, and inspect both rear toe link ball joints, replacing the rear wheel knuckle(s), if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S17.
Wheels:hub 2017-08-28 · campaign 17E048000 · 630 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain Wheel Hub Bearing assemblies, part number HB5Z-1104-C, incorrectly listed as being for installation on the rear axles of 2011-2017 Ford Explorer 4X2 vehicles. These bearings assemblies were manufactured without a self retention feature, possibly resulting in the separation of the wheel or wheel end.
Risk: A loss of the wheel or wheel end can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify the distributors of the hubs specifying that they are to only be used on drive axles. It is believed that none of the hubs were purchased from Ford dealers for the incorrect application. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Structure:body:door 2015-03-24 · campaign 15V171000 · 194,484 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
Risk: If the interior door handle return spring is unseated, the door may unlatch in the event of a side impact crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S11.
Steering:electric Power Assist System 2014-05-29 · campaign 14V286000 · 179,027 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured May 17, 2010, through February 28, 2012. The affected vehicles may experience an intermittent connection in the electric power steering gear, which can cause a loss of the motor position sensor signal resulting in a shut down of the power steering assist.
Risk: If the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist it will require extra steering effort at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of motor position sensor signal when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, its steering rack assembly will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S06.
Steering 2014-01-06 · campaign 14E001000 · 300 vehicles
Defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain replacement steering gears installed on model year 2011-2012 Explorers as service parts in September 2013 and January 2014. The affected gears may lock, preventing the driver from being able to steer the vehicle.
Risk: The inability to steer the vehicle increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will replace the suspect steering gears with new steering gears, free of charge. The recall began on January 29, 2014. Customers may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 13S14.
Seats 2011-02-02 · campaign 11V063000 · 1,658 vehicles
Defect: FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 EXPLORER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 15, 2010, THROUGH DECEMBER 13, 2010, EQUIPPED WITH SECOND ROW 60% SEATS WITH MANUAL RECLINER MECHANISMS THAT MAY HAVE COMPONENTS THAT ARE OUT OF DIMENSIONAL SPECIFICATION. THESE SEATS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 207, "SEATING SYSTEMS."
Risk: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEAT BACK MAY NOT PROVIDE THE REQUIRED STRENGTH, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE SEATS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 15, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD MOTOR COMPANY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP CENTER AT 1-866-436-7332.
Service bulletins (78)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Structure 2023-04-04 · SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2000-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. it is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification number (vin) from a different vehicle. most modules on these affe
Suspension 2023-02-07 · 22N01 S1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2011-2017 model year explorer vehicles rear wheel knuckle replacement reason for this supplement program terms: added 21r01 and 21r02 reason for providing a no-cost, one-time repair: added 21r01 and 21r02 owner notification mailing schedule: added mailing schedule for 21r01 and 21r02 oa
Unknown Or Other 2022-11-04 · 21R02 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2011 - 2013 model year explorer vehicles with rear wheel knuckles that have been replaced rear toe link inspection/replacement under safety recall 21s43, some of the affected vehicles that have had one (or both) rear wheel knuckle(s) replaced and were sold or operated in certain traditional
Unknown Or Other 2022-11-04 · 21R01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2011-2017 model year explorer vehicles rear toe link replacement under safety recall 21s32, some of the affected vehicles exposed to a highly corrosive environment where road salt is used extensively during winter months, have experienced a seized toe link ball joint resulting in a fracture
Showing the 6 most recent of 78 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Steering“estaba estacionado poniendo gas a mi exprorer y cuando la encendí el volante se puso muy duro y me marco el código p07ae-09 y también apareció falla en el sistema de dirección asistida.…”
2026-09-06 · Steering“car has a history of showing a p07ae-09 code in the power steering control module. when the code logs in the computer the car loses power steering assist while driving causing the steering to be hard to turn. upon researching the cars recall work we seen that the car had the power steering control module software updated but no steering gear change…”
2026-08-29 · Steering“i am reporting a serious safety concern involving my 2011 ford explorer, vin [xxx]. after recently filling the vehicle with fuel, i went to drive it and received a “power steering assist fault” message on the dashboard. the vehicle then lost power steering assistance, making the steering extremely difficult and requiring significantly more effort …”
2026-07-31 · Steering“the power steering has fully stopped working , the car cannot be steered, this started to happen on the road, i had to steer the entire weight of the car myself, at fast speed it was difficult but not impossible, at slow speed and zero speed or while the vehicle is stationary it was impossible or unmovable to steer. there were no warning lamps abou…”
2026-07-31 · Steering“on friday 7/24/2026, i was driving and all the sudden my steering went out. dash flashed no power steering assist / advantrac system fail. i pulled over immediately to turn around & get home with zero power steering. the amount of strength to steer/control was extreme. to turn was almost impossible. i took my car to ford autonation on arapahoe in …”
2026-07-20 · Steering · 140,000 mi“the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the message "power steering assist fault" was displayed and the vehicle failed to start. the contact stated that the failure reoccurred after starting the vehicle, and the steering wheel locked up. the dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not …”
2026-07-02 · Steering · 199,455 mi“the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the left or the right. the contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal rumbling sound coming from the vehicle and the steering wheel started shaking. no warning light was illuminated. th…”
2026-06-22 · Structure:body“the pillar covers fell of the vehicle when driving last week. both plastic covers are on the side of the interstate. i was told and found there is a recall for the clips on these covers, but when i searched, they are not listed for this vehicle. there appears to be an issue with this recall and the explorer.…”
2026-06-16 · Structure“the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 24v031000 (structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the dealer and manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacture…”
2026-06-15 · Engine“while stopped at a stop sign my engine suddenly died, before restarting a low oil pressure light came on but went out immediately. i was approximately 40 miles from home when i got to my destination. the car was showing no signs of issues, no warning lights or errors. when i went back out to start it and head home it would not start. i had to pay a…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.