2011 Ford Explorer steering problems
742 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the steering on the 2011 Ford Explorer — 62% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“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…”
filed Sep 6, 2026
“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…”
filed Aug 29, 2026
“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…”
filed Jul 31, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Affected vehicles may experience an intermittent connection in the electric power…Campaign 14V286000 · May 29, 2014
Steering problems in other Explorer years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 1 | 3% |
| 2025 Explorer | 9 | 9% |
| 2024 Explorer | 2 | 10% |
| 2023 Explorer | 12 | 11% |
| 2022 Explorer | 9 | 3% |
| 2021 Explorer | 6 | 1% |
| 2020 Explorer | 25 | 2% |
| 2019 Explorer | 9 | 3% |
| 2018 Explorer | 20 | 3% |
| 2017 Explorer | 76 | 4% |
| 2016 Explorer | 530 | 22% |
| 2015 Explorer | 345 | 19% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2011 Ford Explorer
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.