2011 FORD EXPLORER — Complaint #1985460
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM filed April 22, 2024
NHTSA complaint #1985460 (ODI reference 11584437) concerns a 2011 FORD EXPLORER and was filed on April 22, 2024. The owner reports the failure occurred on April 22, 2024. The vehicle had 170,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Maryland based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as steering:electric power assist system, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same FORD EXPLORER cohort independently describe similar steering:electric power assist system failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2011 FORD EXPLORER shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the electronic power steering. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1985460 |
| ODI Number | 11584437 |
| Date Filed | April 22, 2024 |
| Failure Date | April 22, 2024 |
| VIN | 1FMHK8F80BG |
Similar STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM Complaints for 2011 FORD EXPLORER
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The power assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicl
2011 FORD EXPLORER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. WHEN
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while reversing out of her driveway, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The vehicle was able to be restarted and regained functional
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at a low rate of speed, the power steering locked as the power assist warning light illuminated on the instrum
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the power steering and traction control warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel and the power steering assist
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.