2011 Ford Explorer Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 110about this part
- Share
- 9%of 1,197 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 100,500miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 110 complaints about the body and structure of the 2011 Ford Explorer, 9% of the 1,197 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 100,500 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I have, on several occasions, have gotten very very tired while driveing my 2011 Ford Explorer to the point where I have almost fallen asleep behind the wheel driving and have fallen asleep while idiling in the driveway. Not to mention the excruciating headaches ive suffered from recently along with nausea, not to mention the smell of exhaust in the cabin.”
NHTSA complaint #11014986, filed 2017-08, 109,333 miles“This vehicle was in for a recall for the electrical power steering. Recall was done on the vehicle in 2014 now in 2019 at 150,000 miles and again the same problem only this time it cost me $1,800 to get fix just to have the same problem recur 3 times. I also got into an accident. This is more than a safety issue and I notice a lot of people complaining about the same thing. When will Ford decided to address this issue!”
NHTSA complaint #11194597, filed 2019-04, 150,000 miles“Driving about 65 miles per hour on the highway, passenger side windshield trim flew off the car into traffic behind me (no previous damage, nor looseness etc.). When we stopped to see what happened, realized the driver's side had also come loose, but was still attached to the vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #11119670, filed 2018-08, 122,000 miles“I was traveling with my family down a busy highway. The windshield moulding on the driver side flew off. I was going about 70 MPH with flow of traffic. No abnormal wind, just wind from speed. Was no reason it should have flew off. I have talked to numerous other Explorer owners and this is a common issue. Some have even had to be replaced more than once. Thank you for your time and I hope there is a solution found to this.”
NHTSA complaint #11075250, filed 2018-02, 99,600 miles“My husband bought my car from a used Ford dealership 2 years ago. In the two years we have had to replace the molding around the front windshield 3 ones. The passenger side flew off while driving down a road and we replaced it. The driver side flew of 2 times after being replaced. We went to the Ford dealership and they said I'm sorry there is nothing we can do. He even told us that 4 other people came in wth the same problem.”
NHTSA complaint #11112778, filed 2018-07, 50,000 milesRelated recalls
- 24V031000Jan 19, 2024Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim…Covers: Ford Explorer 2011–2019
- 15V171000Mar 24, 2015Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may…Covers: Ford Explorer 2011–2013
Related service bulletins
- 11029052Feb 24, 2026Ford 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…
- 10235153Apr 4, 2023For 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…
- 10177863Jul 13, 2020This article supersedes TSB 19-2026 to update the vehicle model years affected. Some 2000 and newer Ford/Lincoln/Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit…
- 10163552Jul 4, 2019Some 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles equipped with a factory keyless entry keypad may exhibit a loose driver side B-pillar front door upper moulding. This may be caused by a lack of…
- 10156863Feb 7, 2019Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without…
- 10155551Feb 7, 2019Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without…
- 10095849Feb 22, 20172011-2015 explorer and mkt vehicles requiring replacement of right front axle shaft no longer require installation of the center support bearing heat shield(7f469). The heat…
- 10038944Apr 15, 2011Ford: some vehicles do not unlock using the intelligence access key or the integrated keyhead transmitter.
Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 5% |
| 2025 | 7 | 7% |
| 2023 | 10 | 9% |
| 2022 | 11 | 4% |
| 2021 | 25 | 6% |
| 2020 | 45 | 4% |
| 2019 | 150 | 50% |
| 2018 | 288 | 39% |
| 2017 | 659 | 39% |
| 2016 | 591 | 24% |
| 2015 | 411 | 23% |
| 2014 | 276 | 16% |
| 2013 | 439 | 20% |
| 2012 | 144 | 17% |
| 2011 | 110 | 9% |
| 2010 | 1 | 1% |
| 2009 | 2 | 6% |
| 2008 | 1 | 1% |
| 2007 | 11 | 5% |
| 2006 | 11 | 2% |
| 2005 | 151 | 30% |
| 2004 | 426 | 33% |
| 2003 | 354 | 31% |
| 2002 | 486 | 15% |
| 2001 | 29 | 8% |
| 2000 | 29 | 3% |
| 1999 | 47 | 3% |
| 1998 | 48 | 2% |
| 1997 | 50 | 3% |
| 1996 | 63 | 4% |
| 1995 | 39 | 5% |
| 1994 | 158 | 13% |
| 1993 | 86 | 9% |
| 1992 | 62 | 10% |
| 1991 | 31 | 5% |
Other parts of the 2011 Ford Explorer
742 complaintsOther or unknown
118 complaintsElectrical system
95 complaintsEngine
83 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
64 complaintsAir bags
44 complaintsFuel system
40 complaintsBrakes
28 complaintsElectronic stability control
28 complaintsSuspension
24 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
23 complaintsEngine cooling
21 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2011 Ford Explorer
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology