What 2,224 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). A case was opened, and the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11629739

While driving in a straight line the steering wheel seems momentarily disconnected from the wheels. The car feels like it is "fishtailing" and veers violently to one directing before returning to it's previous direction of travel. This action is random with no identifiable cause. The occurrences seem to be increasing in frequency. The last incident started with the vehicle traveling approximately 60mph on a straight, flat road. The vehicle suddenly, with no driver input, violently crossed the centerline, struck the shoulder on the opposite roadside before veering back across the highway. The brakes were applied as soon as the vehicle veered left and the ABS was working. The vehicle is currently parked at a service garage and not being driven as it is a safely hazard to others and the driver/occupants.

NHTSA ODI 11628818

Our steering wheel locked when we were about to leave our destination and drive back an hour to go home.

NHTSA ODI 11627583

For the past year, when I place the car in reverse the backup camera shows a reverse image. Items on the left appear on the camera as being on the right, and visa-versa. The first time it occurred I backed into a ditch. This occurs nine out of ten times. The hazard to pedestrians and chance of an accident is substantially increased. I contacted the local Ford dealer who showed no interest in my complaint, other that stating I would pay for the camera replacement, including labor. I noted that Ford Explorers were already recalled for rear camera problems. They stated that was for a different problem.

NHTSA ODI 11626576

Power steering I look it up and see a recall for my cars year but it’s not covering my car why ?? This is exactly what’s going on with my car my car has no power steering light on either when I turn it is hard ! Very unsafe as I have young children

NHTSA ODI 11626676

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while at a car wash and washing the vehicle and spraying water from the hose onto the passenger’s side front windshield, the windshield trim detached. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact purchased glue and Velcro to attempt to reattach the trim to the windshield. The contact stated that while accelerating between 1 - 5 MPH and making a right turn the passenger’s side of the front windshield trim detached again. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact purchased gorilla glue and purchased a trim piece from the junkyard to reattach to the windshield. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 86,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11626173

The steering wheel locked at a 45degree angle while I was driving. It locked and I was unable to turn the wheels in any direction. (Diagnosed by dealership as power steering failure steering wheel locked) My safety was absolutely compromised. Imagine losing the ability to turn the steering wheel or steer in any direction while going around a corner, without any warning. Luckily I wasn't on the freeway when the steering wheel locked without warning. Yes, this problem has been reproduced by the dealership at Elk Grove Ford CA, and reported to the Ford Motor corporate office, who refused to look into the safety issue or pay for the repair. The vehicle or component has been inspected by the Ford dealership. There were not any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and the problem appeared on 11/10/24.

NHTSA ODI 11626229

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became firm and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The message "Steering Assist Fault" was displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where the contact was informed that the rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); which was linked to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 218,000.

NHTSA ODI 11626263

I took my car into Alpine Ford in Pueblo, Co to fix the recall for the toe links. They left my alignment extremely off. They refuse to fix it and no other shop in town can fix it. I’ve gotten multiple alignments done. A mechanic told me there was no fixing it unless Alpine redid with their tools or I replaced the toe links with adjustable toe links. Yes. It is available for inspection. There isn’t a light that comes on. This causes a major safety concern. My alignment is off which causes the vehicle to not drive properly. I went through a brand new pair of tires in a year. Those tires got worn down to the wire, even with regular rotation and alignments done all year long. My tire could have blown at any time while I was driving.

NHTSA ODI 11625782

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on both sides of the windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11625530

The A Pillar failed on my vehicle while driving on the interstate. When it failed, it wrapped around my side passenger mirror and broke a piece off of the body of the mirror housing. Ford not only has not repaired the A Pillar in a timely manner, but they refuse to cover the passenger side mirror that the failed product damaged. The incident happened in early August 2024. I opened an escalated ticket with Ford, who promised that a representative would contact me by phone within 1 business day and that was October 14th, and no one has contacted me to this date. I was notified of the recall back in January. Why has Ford not made any progress on making the parts available for this recall repair?

NHTSA ODI 11625487

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11624972

While driving vehicle started pulling in curves. When we pulled into a gas station steering became locked up. Apparently due to a failure in the EPAS system on the car. We were fortunate that it did not occur while driving as the wheel will not turn left or right at all. Ford dealership advised that since it was 1 year and 24000 miles over they could repair at cost of $3227.02. FMC advised it was not a safety issue which concerns me as if that had occured while driving it could have been catastrophic.

NHTSA ODI 11625063

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11624804

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the steering wheel was turned left, however, the steering failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the steering proceeded to go forward. In addition, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle slid onto the grass and crashed into a barrier. The air bags deployed. The engine seized. The vehicle started, and the vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The contact stated that this was an extremely terrifying situation. The contact was the only occupant in the vehicle. The contact sustained a skinned left shoulder and a stiff neck, however, no medical attention was required. No Police report was filed. The vehicle was damaged to the passenger's side front grill. The contact stated that due to his fear, the vehicle had not been driven since the crash occurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. In addition, the contact was a certified mechanic and stated that the failure indicated a possible failed electronic steering module. The contact referenced recall NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000(Steering) which had a similar failure description, however the contact VIN was not associated with the recall. The dealer was made aware of the failure, however the contact was informed that the contact's vehicle was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the contact's VIN was not associated with any unknown recalls. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,953.

NHTSA ODI 11623989

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware of fuel leaking from the rear wheel well from a place near the fuel tank. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V812000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11623436

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the passenger’s side of the windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the exterior A-pillar applique trim clip attachment had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the parts not being available. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made not aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11623458

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The check engine warning light was reset, and the contact was informed that the check engine warning light was due to the air filter that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact purchased a scanner to check on the codes herself. The contact retrieved a code related to the catalytic converter. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was confirmed that the catalytic converter had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.

NHTSA ODI 11623533

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced a death wobble. The contact stated that there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the vehicle while driving or while idling. The failure became more persistent and more pronounced over time. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, a final diagnostic result was not provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11622871

The side pillar of my windshield flew off on the freeway and probably hit another car this was very dangerous and now I'm missing a piece of my car. This recall need to be fixed asap

NHTSA ODI 11622489

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim was flapping against the vehicle. Upon arriving to the destination, the contact also noticed that the driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim had detached. The contact and her son removed the trims from the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,300. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11622235

I have been waiting patiently for the recall (24S02/24V031) to be completed for my vehicle as it has been over 6 months since I received a letter. I have called the dealership several times, and they are waiting on Ford to deliver the parts to the dealership to make the repair. I am worried that this issue may get worse if it is not completed soon. What can you help me with to get this issue resolved quickly? When there is very high wind, I am worried that the parts will come off and break my side windows.

NHTSA ODI 11622136

The heat in my 2013 Ford Explorer won't work. The Rad fan isn't working so any antifreeze I put in is gone after 1 trip to the store. It's burning it. The sunroof has never opened fully, it wobbles. The electrical is shot on it. There are so many safety issues with this vehicle and I see I'm not the only one but yet I search my Vin and there are no recalls that's not right

NHTSA ODI 11622082

My vehicle a 2013 ford explorer has a power steering assist fault rendering my vehicle un usable which i just bought through carvana this last summer has had a multitude of issues including a piller trim flying off the same day I bought it and the warranty carvana gave me provided no where close to me to have repaired plus my backup camera stopped working within 2 months of buying it and now the power steering assist fault has ultimately stopped me from being able to drive the car and I see that ford stopped allowing the recal of this issue to be fixed since 177,000 vehicles are affected by this problem I just think this wrong

NHTSA ODI 11622114

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11621706