2011 FORD EXPLORER — Complaint #2011868
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about STEERING:RACK AND PINION filed July 30, 2024
NHTSA complaint #2011868 (ODI reference 11605400) concerns a 2011 FORD EXPLORER and was filed on July 30, 2024. The owner reports the failure occurred on November 10, 2017. The report was geocoded to Colorado based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as steering:rack and pinion, 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:rack and pinion 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 on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel became very firm. The power steering assist fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the doors were opened and then closed, and the vehicle restarted. On the last occasion, after restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel remained firm. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 2011868 |
| ODI Number | 11605400 |
| Date Filed | July 30, 2024 |
| Failure Date | November 10, 2017 |
| VIN | 1FMHK8F87BG |
Similar STEERING:RACK AND PINION Complaints for 2011 FORD EXPLORER
The contact owns a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist with the power steering fault message displayed on the instrumen
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD VEER TO THE RIGHT WITHOUT THE CONTACT MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE RACK AND PINION
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER STEERING WITH THE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL
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.