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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HUBLER FORD (2605 IN-44, SHELBYVILLE, IN 46176, (317) 392-2557) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING GEAR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS GIVEN AN ESTIMATE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000(STEERING) WITH THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

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MY CAR STARTED TO LEAK COOLANT I'VE HAD TO KEEP TOPPING OFF COOLANT, TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALERSHIP, STATED IT WAS MY WATER PUMP WHICH WOULD COST ABOUT $2000 TO FIX. I AM ONLY AT 108K MILES & I WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT THEY DO NOT NEED MAINTENCING AND WOULD LAST TILL 150,000 MILES

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MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN A BACK ROAD BY OUR HOUSE WITH OUR 3 CHILDREN IN THE BACK AND MYSELF AS A PASSENGER. THE VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING AT ROUGHLY 40MPH HAD A LIGHT FLASH THAT READ SERVICE ADVANCE TRAC. SHE THEN LOST ALL POWER STEERING AND COULD NOT PULL OFF THE ROAD. SHE COULD ONLY BRAKE. WE SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON. IT REGAINED STEERING FOR A FEW MILES AND THEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN SHORTLY AFTER IN A PARKING LOT. IT IS NOW AT THE FORD GARAGE TO GET LOOKED AT. IT IS SUPER DANGEROUS ESPECIALLY IF SHE WAS TRAVELING AROUND A TURN. IT HAS 50000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE

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EXHAUST SMELL IN THE CABIN WHEN DRIVING. CHECKED THE DOOR SEALS AND OTHER PLACES WHERE IT COULD BE COMING FROM AND FOUND NO BREAKS IN THEM. THAT LEAVES THE EXHAUST SYSTEM COULD BE LEAKING INTO THE CABIN

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IT'S AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING GOES ON AND OFF. IT DOES SO WHILE STILL OR EVEN WHILE DRIVING.

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WHEN MY CAR IS TURNING ON THE POWER STEERING WILL BRIEFLY LOCK UP. MY POWER STEERING WAS COMPLETELY LOCKED UP AS I BEGAN DRIVING RECENTLY AND ONLY UNLOCKED WHEN MY CAR WAS RESTARTED.

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PAINT BUBBLING ON ALUMINUM SURFACES HOOD AND DOOR SKINS, REFERRED BACK TO DEALER WHO REPAINTS AND REOCCURS UNTIL OUT OF WARRANTEE. STEERING FAILURE INTERMITTENT ACCUTRAC CONTROL REQUIRING TOWING AND COMPUTER RESET. CAN FAIL WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN NO OR DIFFICULT STEERING. MULTIPLE TIMES RESET NO CHARGE. ESTIMATE TO REPAIR $2500

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WHEN DRIVING (VARIOUS SPEEDS HIGH WAS 70 MPH - LOW WAS 25 MPH - VARIOUS ROADWAYS) VEHICLE LOSES POWER GOES DOWN TO ABOUT 5 MILES PER HOUR - CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS COMES ON-- MESSAGE "SEE MANUAL". HAPPENED INTERMITTENTLY FOR 5 MONTHS INITIALLY ONE TIME- MAY GO A MONTH BEFORE HAPPENS AGAIN . FINALLY IT STARTED OCCURRING 3 TIMES WITHIN AND HOUR THEN OK - DID FOR THAT FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE DAYS BEFORE TAKING IT TO BE FIXED. CALLED FORD DEALER THEY CLAIMED THEY HAD HEARD OF THIS - SAID IT COULD BE MANY THINGS - I MENTIONED THE REPORTS OF THIS ON 2016 EXPLORED. TOOK IT TO A LOCAL SHOP. REPLACED THROTTLE BODY AND THROTTLE BODY GASKET ON 2 OCT 2019- ISSUE HAS NOT OCCURRED SINCE.

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WE HAVE JUST BECOME AWARE THAT EXHAUST GASSES ARE LEAKING INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND APPARENTLY HAVE BEEN FOR SOME TIME, CAUSING HEADACHES, DIZZINESS AND EYE IRRITATION. WE LOCATED A TSB FROM FORD (TSB 16-0166) RELATING TO THE ISSUE AND BECAME AWARE THAT FORD HAD OFFERED TO FIX THE ISSUE. BOTH THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY AND THE NHTSA INVESTIGATED THIS ISSUE RESULTING IN FORD NOTIFYING OWNERS OF POTENTIALLY AFFECTED VEHICLES OFFERING TO FIX THE ISSUE FOR FREE. I NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER, AND WHEN I CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE LINE I WAS TOLD THAT MY VEHICLE'S VIN WAS NOT AFFECTED. WITH THE LEAKAGE OF THE EXHAUST INTO THE CABIN I'VE EARNED THE RIGHT TO CALL BS. THIS IS NOT THE TYPE OF DEFECT THAT WILL REPAIR ITSELF AND PRESENTS A CLEAR AND PRESENT RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH, AS EVIDENCED BY THE MULTIPLE REPORTS OF CRASHES. THIS SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO BE SWEPT UNDER THE RUG AND WARRANTS A RECALL AND INSPECTION/REPAIR OF EVERY VEHICLE IN THE CATEGORY. DATE BELOW IS THE DATE THAT WE TOOK IT IN TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR, BUT THE EFFECTS HAVE BEEN NOTICED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS.

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2013 FORD EXPLORER WITH HOOD PAINT BUBBLING AND PEELING. I NOTICE A WHILE BACK AND THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A ROCK THAT HIT THE HOOD. NOW IT PEELING REALLY BAD AND CRACKING AND PEELING. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL CAUSE SO MANY CLIENTS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ALL AMERICAN FORD IN OLD BRIDGE (3698 U.S. 9, OLD BRIDGE, NJ 08857) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROL MODULE WAS FAULTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

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WHILE DRIVING (SECOND INCIDENT, IT WAS REPAIRED BY FORD MOTOR VEHICLE FOR THE SAME THING LAST YEAR) MY STEERING WHEEL BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE. THE VEHICLE KEPT PULLING ME TO THE LEFT, I ALMOST HAD A HEAD ON WITH THE ONCOMING VEHICLE. I WAS SO SHOOK UP, I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND WAITED FOR HELP. MY HUSBAND TESTED IT SINCE AND THE PULL IS QUITE NOTICEABLE.

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ON MY EXPLORER THE RECALL 19V-435 (FORD NUMBER 19S17) WAS EXECUTED. AFTER 3 MONTH AND APPROX. 2500MI THE LEFT NEW TOE LINK BROKE. THE CAR WAS RUNNING WITH 35MPH TO AN INTERSECTION AND I STARTED MODERATE BRAKING IN FRONT.OF A TRAFFIC LIGHT. DURING BRAKING THE LEFT NEW TOE LINK BROKE.

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UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE THE WARNING INDICATOR "POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILURE" MESSAGE APPEARS AND THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. TURNING OFF AND RESTARTING SOMETIMES RESETS THE WARNING AND POWER STEERING WILL RETURN BUT NOT ALWAYS. THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS (14S06) BUT MY VIN FALLS OUTSIDE THE MANUFACTURE DATE. REACHED OUT TO FOMOCO AND THEY VERIFIED THERE ARE NO RECALLS AND THERE HAVE NEVER BEEN ANY RECALLS FOR MY VIN. ONE MONTH AGO I RECEIVED A RECALL LETTER FROM FORD FOR A DIFFERENT ISSUE THAT I HAD FIXED UNDER THE RECALL BY FORD. THAT RECALL DIDN'T SHOW UP IN FORDS DATABASE EITHER FOR MY VIN WHEN I CALLED TODAY BUT YET IT EXISTED AND WAS FIXED. ODD THAT THE SAME POWER STEERING PROBLEM KEEPS OCCURRING ON VEHICLES BUT FORD WONT RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OF A BUILD LOCATION AND DATE. FORD DOESN'T ENGINEER US SPEC VEHICLES BASED ON THEIR MANUFACTURING PLANT, THEY SEEM TO BE SAYING THAT THE SAME ENGINEERS THAT DESIGNED A FAULTY ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR FOR CHICAGO DIDN'T DESIGN A FAULTY MOTOR FOR ANOTHER PLANT. OR THE ORIGINAL "FIX" DIDN'T REAL "FIX" THE PROBLEM.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, WHETHER IN REVERSE OR DRIVING FORWARD, THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR SUDDENLY ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE POWER STEERING FAILED, THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE CONTACT HAD TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE AND WAIT A FEW MINUTES BEFORE THEY WERE ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, THE POWER STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000 (STEERING). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 154,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

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I HAVE HAD INTERMITTENT ISSUES WITH THE POWER STEERING GOING OUT. GENERALLY WHEN I START THE CAR. I CAN USUALLY RESTART IT AND IT WORKS FINE. JUST RECENTLY, THE POWER STEERING COMPLETELY FAILED WHILE DRIVING. IT IS STILL NOT WORKING. JUST TOOK IT IN TO THE FORD DEALER FOR REPAIR. THEY ARE TELLING MY THAT MY VIN# IS NOT PART OF THE POWER STEERING RECALL, BUT CLEARLY IT HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY THE RECALL OF THE FORD EXPLORER FROM 2011-2013.

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AFTER AN ALL DAY EVENT, I GOT INTO THE CAR, STARTED IT AS USUAL, BUT THE POWER STEERING WOULD NOT WORK. THERE WAS A WARNING ON THE DASH, SO I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. HE HOOKED IT UP TO THE COMPUTER, AND DID A SCAN, WHICH SHOWED SEVERAL CODES RELATED TO POWER STEERING ISSUE. I DO RECALL ON THE DRIVE TO THE EVENT, MY NAVIGATION WENT OUT, WITH A WARNING THAT SD NAV CARD IS NOT WORKING, AND MY PHONE WOULD NOT CONNECT TO THE SYSTEM VIA THE CABLE. MECHANIC RESET THE CODE TO TEST IT OUT. THIS HAS ACTIVATED THE POWER STEERING, RADIO, AND EVEN THE BACK UP CAMERA. YES, BACK UP CAMERA WOULD ONLY WORK PERIODICALLY, SO I THOUGHT IT WAS CAMERA ITSELF. I'M WORRIED POWER STEERING WILL GO OUT DURING THE NORMAL DRIVE. IS THERE ANY RECALL ON POWER STEERING OR ELECTRICAL ISSUES?

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VEHICLE HAD TOE LINK REPLACED IN ACCORDANCE WITH RECALL 19V-435 ON 8-19-19. ON 9-10-19, THE REPLACEMENT TOE LINK FAILED WHILE DRIVING AT 45MPH. THE DEALERSHIP REPORTS THE TOE LINK FAILED AT THE WELD.

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VEHICLE'S WATER PUMP BEGAN LEAKING DURING A NORMAL PATROL SHIFT. WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL OF THESE FAIL AT VARIOUS MILEAGES AND EACH REPAIR THAT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY HAS COST US AROUND $2000.00 EACH TIME. I KNOW THESE ARE NOT ISOLATED INCIDENTS AND THAT THESE WATER PUMPS FAIL OFTEN. I RECALL BEING AT A FLEET CONFERENCE THIS PAST AUGUST AND SEEING A SLIDE DURING A PRESENTATION FROM FORD AND IT SHOWING THE CASTING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD STYLE AND NEW STYLE PUMP. THE OLD CASTING WAS THINNER NEAR THE SEAL AREA AND THAT ALLOWED FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT WHICH CAUSED THE SEAL TO FAIL. THE NEW STYLE PUMP HAS A THICKER CASTING TO PREVENT THIS FAULT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A WARRANTY EXTENSION OR RECALL ON THE THESE PUMPS JUST LIKE FORD ENDED UP DOING FOR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.

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VEHICLE'S WATER PUMP BEGAN LEAKING DURING A NORMAL PATROL SHIFT. WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL OF THESE FAIL AT VARIOUS MILEAGES AND EACH REPAIR THAT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY HAS COST US AROUND $2000.00 EACH TIME. I KNOW THESE ARE NOT ISOLATED INCIDENTS AND THAT THESE WATER PUMPS FAIL OFTEN. I RECALL BEING AT A FLEET CONFERENCE THIS PAST AUGUST AND SEEING A SLIDE DURING A PRESENTATION FROM FORD AND IT SHOWING THE CASTING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD STYLE AND NEW STYLE PUMP. THE OLD CASTING WAS THINNER NEAR THE SEAL AREA AND THAT ALLOWED FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT WHICH CAUSED THE SEAL TO FAIL. THE NEW STYLE PUMP HAS A THICKER CASTING TO PREVENT THIS FAULT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A WARRANTY EXTENSION OR RECALL ON THE THESE PUMPS JUST LIKE FORD ENDED UP DOING FOR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.

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VEHICLE'S WATER PUMP BEGAN LEAKING DURING A NORMAL PATROL SHIFT. WE HAVE HAD SEVERAL OF THESE FAIL AT VARIOUS MILEAGES AND EACH REPAIR THAT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY HAS COST US AROUND $2000.00 EACH TIME. I KNOW THESE ARE NOT ISOLATED INCIDENTS AND THAT THESE WATER PUMPS FAIL OFTEN. I RECALL BEING AT A FLEET CONFERENCE THIS PAST AUGUST AND SEEING A SLIDE DURING A PRESENTATION FROM FORD AND IT SHOWING THE CASTING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD STYLE AND NEW STYLE PUMP. THE OLD CASTING WAS THINNER NEAR THE SEAL AREA AND THAT ALLOWED FOR EXCESSIVE HEAT WHICH CAUSED THE SEAL TO FAIL. THE NEW STYLE PUMP HAS A THICKER CASTING TO PREVENT THIS FAULT. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A WARRANTY EXTENSION OR RECALL ON THE THESE PUMPS JUST LIKE FORD ENDED UP DOING FOR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS.

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THE ELECTRONIC STEERING RACK HAS FAILED AND LOCKED UP. THIS RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SOME EXPLORERS BUT SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE MORE VIN NUMBERS AS THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM AND THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 40,000 MILES ON IT. THE PROBLEM STARTED WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THE STEERING LOCKED UP FULLY AND POWER STEERING FAILED DURING THEIR TEST DRIVE.

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SUDDEN POWER STEERING FAILURE WHILE DRIVING CRUISING SPEED.. CAR BECAME EXTREMELY LIMITED TO HANDLE. FORD TECH VERIFIED AND PULLED CODE U3000:61 REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF STEERING GEAR.

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POWER STEERING ASSIST LIGHT TURNS ON WHICH CAUSES LOSS OF STEERING CAPABILITY.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO TURN THE VEHICLE, IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER THE STEERING WHEEL AS IF THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE ALSO HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD AREA OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH TRI FORD INC (LOCATED AT 12610 ILLINOIS 143, HIGHLAND, IL 62249, 618-654-2122) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND CONFIRMED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.

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