2025 Ford Explorer Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 9about this part
- Share
- 8%of 107 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.
NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the steering of the 2025 Ford Explorer, 8% of the 107 complaints for this model year. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“When going around a curve the steering wheel is sticking on the right. I have to tighten my grip on the wheel and manually straighten the wheel. This happened to me several times today on my 50 min trip. This was very frightening to me making me scared the wheel would stick and I have no control of the car while driving. I purchased this car on sat June 27. It just started today July 3. I am planning to take it back to the dealership on Monday.”
NHTSA complaint #11748213, filed 2026-07“-EPAS malfunctioning and is available for inspection. -Steering sticks in turns and requires too much effort to return to center causing me to overcorrect which causes the steering to stick in the opposite direction and so on. This is not consistent or predictable Also The car is constantly drifting left to right and requires constant corrections to maintain center. -I replicated the issue with the dealer in the car. Dealer said the other car drove the same so there was nothing they could do. …”
NHTSA complaint #11701973, filed 2025-11“My 2025 Ford Explorer pulls hard to the left, the steering wheel feels heavy, stiff, and gets hard to steer my wife and I are constantly fighting with the car to get it to steer right and stay in the lane. If I let it, I can keep the steering wheel straight and the car will just veer to the left Into the left lane, it’s dangerous, my wife won’t even drive it anymore. Then there are times while driving on curvy roads, the wheel or the cars steering will get stuck and if I wanted to, it will stay turning on its own around corners or curves. …”
NHTSA complaint #11729079, filed 2026-04“Bought my vehicle from a dealership advertised as Ford gold certified. Immediately after taking delivery of the car, the steering had an issue. Above ~30 mph the steering wheel does not reliably return to center on it's own. Forcing the driver to manually re-center the wheel. Meaning that if I take my hands off the wheel while turning, the car continues turning in that directly. Brought to the dealership immediately for servicing to fix the issue. They replaced several major components including the steering rack only to find that the issue persists. …”
NHTSA complaint #11746260, filed 2026-06“On October 24, 2024, my 2025 Ford Explorer ST experienced a sudden steering column lock and complete loss of braking while I was driving, leading to a crash and injuries. The vehicle had approximately 800 miles and was a warranty replacement provided weeks earlier. Prior to delivery, the dealer referenced a Quality Assurance hold of about two months on this vehicle, which was not disclosed to me in any detail. The simultaneous loss of steering and brakes suggests a potential common cause safety defect that may affect other 2025 Explorer ST vehicles. …”
NHTSA complaint #11683816, filed 2025-08Related service bulletins
- 11037421Sep 15, 2026Some 2025 Aviator/Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit a "Steering Assist Fault Service Required" message and diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) C1110:56 and/or…
- 11034225Jun 30, 2026This bulletin supersedes 26-2150. Reason for update: To remove the M6 nut from the part list and remove the Steps to install the M6 nut from the Service Procedure.
- 11031309Apr 9, 2026This TSB supersedes TSB 26-2035. Reason for update: update the Service Procedure to add figures 1, 2, 5 and 6 to clarify the ground location, update Steps (13-15, 21-22), and…
- 11028801Feb 5, 2026This TSB supersedes TSB 25-2350 to update the Service Procedure, vehicles affected, and parts list. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of…
- 11026503Dec 8, 2025Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit steering column shrouds that are misaligned or pushed out. This may be due to the wiring harness causing…
- 11025821Nov 25, 2025Some 2025 Aviator/Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may exhibit diagnostic trouble code (DTC) C1110:56 and/or U3000:96 stored in the power steering control module…
- 11020998Jul 25, 2025Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit all of the following conditions: * "Steering Assist Fault Service Required" message displayed in the…
- 11018597May 21, 2025This article supersedes TSB 25-2121 to update the affected production build dates. Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a click/pop noise while…
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 2% |
| 2025 | 9 | 8% |
| 2024 | 2 | 10% |
| 2023 | 12 | 11% |
| 2022 | 9 | 3% |
| 2021 | 6 | 1% |
| 2020 | 28 | 2% |
| 2019 | 9 | 3% |
| 2018 | 21 | 3% |
| 2017 | 76 | 4% |
| 2016 | 532 | 22% |
| 2015 | 348 | 19% |
| 2014 | 500 | 30% |
| 2013 | 836 | 37% |
| 2012 | 360 | 43% |
| 2011 | 742 | 62% |
| 2010 | 4 | 3% |
| 2009 | 1 | 3% |
| 2008 | 13 | 9% |
| 2007 | 10 | 5% |
| 2006 | 9 | 1% |
| 2005 | 12 | 2% |
| 2004 | 41 | 3% |
| 2003 | 27 | 2% |
| 2002 | 155 | 5% |
| 2001 | 21 | 6% |
| 2000 | 40 | 4% |
| 1999 | 38 | 3% |
| 1998 | 70 | 4% |
| 1997 | 33 | 2% |
| 1996 | 47 | 3% |
| 1995 | 52 | 6% |
| 1994 | 24 | 2% |
| 1993 | 19 | 2% |
| 1992 | 25 | 4% |
| 1991 | 10 | 2% |
Other parts of the 2025 Ford Explorer
23 complaintsBrakes
19 complaintsOther or unknown
19 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
16 complaintsForward collision avoidance
15 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
13 complaintsEngine
8 complaintsBody and structure
7 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsAir bags
5 complaintsExterior lighting
5 complaintsFuel system
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2025 Ford Explorer
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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