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

This weekend we were driving down the interstate and all of a sudden the windshield trim flew off. It didn’t cause any wrecks thankfully but the cars behind us did break all of a sudden and another swerved. Luckily nothing happened but it could of caused an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11531671

I was driving when I got a warning my power steering needed serviced I was on the highway and couldn’t pull over my traction control turned off and said the advanced traction control needed serviced. I got to a sage space and pulled over. I turned off my car and turned it back on to my wheel being locked and unable to move.

NHTSA ODI 11531706

i was driving on the thru-way 90 and lost all power steering almost hit 3 people I was so scared I have proof of 13 people die because of this issue no steering control

NHTSA ODI 11531266

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the message "Steering Default" was displayed. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 87,000.

NHTSA ODI 11531267

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH and merging into the left lane, the vehicle pulled to the right with the traction control and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to control the vehicle but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who referred the contact to the dealer since the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) and that the warranty had expired. No additional assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NTHSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 249,000.

NHTSA ODI 11531361

There are no warning lights on. My steering wheel is extremely hard to turn at times. I have seen recalls on this same year vehicle. The dealership has inspected my vehicle for this issue and it is the known steering issue for explorers. Where this is a failure of a known nature, my vehicle should be covered under the recall and I should not have to pay for this repair out of pocket.

NHTSA ODI 11529963

The power steering system has an intermittent electric connection and the steering wheel will jerk in opposite directions. There is a recall for the issue with similar year ford explorers but for has told me to contact nhtsa to see if this vehicle can be added to the list for the same issues. Also I am not able to smog it due to bad catalytic converters.

NHTSA ODI 11529211

My explorer has 120000 miles and water pump started going bad. Bought parts to get it fixed. $80 for pump, $300 for timing chain kit due to it being a stupid internal chain driven pump. $1200 labor to break motor down just to change an $80 part. Less than 28 days, was pulling out of driveway. Went about 50 feet and Chain breaks locking motor up ruining motor due antifreeze leaking into motor from where internal water pump was going bad Originally. Now have to pay additional $3000 for a new motor due to internal pump. Please help. An internal water pump is the most stupid idea they ever came up with. Too many critical parts were tied in to this part. Would’ve been easier for it to be external with a serpentine belt driving it. Fire whoever came up with this stupid and very expensive idea.

NHTSA ODI 11528979

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, with the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, which corrected the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 145,178.

NHTSA ODI 11528468

The rear subframe fractured while driving nearly causing a wreck. The rear of the vehicle jerked violently to the right. If this had been on the highway I believe it would have cost the car to spin out. At the dealership it was found that the rear subframe was rusted out where the recalled to link attached. I tried to get part from the dealership but they said it was already disposed of i do have several pictures of the rusted frame. There were no symptoms until it broke.

NHTSA ODI 11528541

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized with the "Power Steering Assist Fault" message displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11528574

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, and the "Service Power Steering Now" and "Service Advancetrac" messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11528273

Steering rack moving up and down, steering loose

NHTSA ODI 11528434

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 20 MPH, the power steering seized. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11527967

Started car and Power Steering Assist Fail message came on, put car in drive and tried to turn steering wheel and had no power steering. Shut down car and restarted. The message did not show up this time, put car in drive and had power steering. This message has shown up in the past, approximately 10 to 12 times, but this is the first time we’ve had a loss of power steering. It appears Ford has had a recall for this issue already (Recall #14S06) with a limited number of vehicles. Obviously, this is a problem with farther reaching ramifications that Ford should be required to do something about at their expense. If I had lost power while driving down the highway, I could have been involved in a wreck injuring myself and/or others. Please look into this. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11527987

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the power steering failed to operate as needed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact also stated that when the Lane Departure: Lane Keep: Automatic Steering was engaged, the function independently disengaged, and the vehicle was drifting out of the lane. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the functionality returned. Additionally, the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was notified of a failure with the rear suspension related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (Suspension) rear toe link. The contact related the steering failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 214,000.

NHTSA ODI 11528003

Sudden loss of power steering and traction control components at high velocity. Loss of steering put me and other at risk by not being able to control the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11527670

Side pillar flew off while driving

NHTSA ODI 11527689

The front windshield trim starting flapping and hitting my side window and windshield while driving approximately 65 miles an hour. At first I had no idea what the loud noise was. Something was in my eye sight hitting my window and windshield. I did not know what was happening, it was very startling and scary! I was in traffic. I pulled over as soon as I could, trying to avoid getting hit by other vehicles. When I was able to get out, I saw the trim had come loose. I taped it so I could continue on my trip. It is very frightening and unsafe while in traffic. The other side of the windshield trim is now coming out. I fear that the windshield is not secure. A couple of months ago, I received a letter about this problem in the mail. We made an appt. with Ford dealer to get it fixed. I had to cancel that appt. due to an emergency. I contacted the dealer last week and said I could now bring the Explorer in to get it fixed. I was told that there has never been a recall or any letters addressing this problem sent out to owners. I DID receive a letter several months ago, my husband took the letter to Ford when he scheduled the original appt. and the dealer kept it as reference! Now I am told that a letter about this windshield trim has never existed! I will take my Explorer to a dealer and get it repaired, letter or no letter. I feel like Ford is not being totally honest with me about an unsafe problem.

NHTSA ODI 11527759

The trim on the front windshield blows off constantly at highway speeds. I’ve had this car for a little over a year now and we’ve already replaced it four different times. Every time, it stays on about a month before it detaches and blows off again. The last time, it just barely missed the car behind me. I haven’t replaced it since then because I am terrified the next time it happens, a motorcyclist will be behind me and it could hit them and cause a fatal accident. This is a SERIOUS issue that needs addressed! I should not be scared to drive my car over 45 MPH for fear of causing a serious accident! On top of that, not replacing it means it now leaks into my car when it rains. I love my explorer but the trim on it is absolute garbage..

NHTSA ODI 11527598

Transmission has failed at 136,000 miles. All maintenance is up to date and has been performed by the dealership. When i pulled out on a main road the car would not accelerate almost causing an accident. I took it to our local mechanic and they had two mechanic's check it and stated the transmission failed. Check engine light show catalytic converter failure, Terraine maintenance failure and solenoid shift failure that came out of the middle of now where .

NHTSA ODI 11525994

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while turning out the driveway, there was a grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The steering wheel became firm with the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was 181,324.

NHTSA ODI 11526048

For the 4th time since I have owned this vehicle, the trim on the driver's side of the windshield came loose, (the other times it snapped off), the gasket seal around the windshield came loose as a result, loosening the edge of the windshield. The first and second times we thought it was a coincidence or installation problem. By the 3rd time, after Ford denied there was an issue, my mechanic's shop took the time to investigate and found that this is a recurring problem and a design defect. This just happened again and once again I found myself hoping to make it to a store where I could buy tape to hold it all in place until I got home. I used a fair amount of 10x tape, but in addition to severe anxiety and stress over wondering if my windshield was going to peel off (that's what it sounds like), I also had the worry of being in an accident or causing one when the trim snapped loose completely and flew onto the highway. Because I travel for work as well as fun, I am now facing another repair bill that I cannot afford, but cannot do without. All four times this has been at highway speeds. I have reached out to Ford Motor Company and they have denied that there are any reports of problems. I looked online to see that you have opened an investigation and that there have, in fact, been numerous complaints about this same issue. Any support or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, and I am happy to speak in further detail with you. Thanks.

NHTSA ODI 11525836

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he depressed the accelerator pedal while shifted into reverse to exit his driveway and the steering wheel seized. The contact depressed the brake pedal and shifted into park. The contact stated that the “electric power steering assist failure” message was displayed. The contact then stated that he inspected underneath the hood of the vehicle, but no failures were detected. The contact then turned off and restarted the vehicle. The warning indicator had turned off and the vehicle operated as designed. The dealer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

NHTSA ODI 11525900

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving in a parking lot, the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, and the vehicle worked as designed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who referred her to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11525577