Home · 2014 Ford Explorer Police Intercept · Complaints

What 1,671 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (1,671)Crash / fire / injury (50)Steering (496)Body & structure (274)Engine (196)Suspension (102)Electrical system (100)Transmission & drivetrain (79)Fuel system (71)Engine & cooling (67)Visibility & wipers (53)Airbags (47)

Newest first · 1,671 complaints · page 12 of 67

Oct 3, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side A-trim panel detached and flew off the front windshield. The dealer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was advised to use duct tape to hold the loosened trim down. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V0314000 (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 made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11617916

Oct 2, 2024SteeringWheels

My vehicle has been experiencing the "death wobble". I've done research online and I've seen other people complain about the issue as well as videos. Whenever I drive my vehicle, I hear noises coming from the front end such as scraping and my steering wheel wobbles and it's excessive while on the freeway. I've gotten the wheel bearings replaced, tires rotated, replaced front passenger tire, breaks and rotors replaced. My axel and car were lifted in the air with no damages.

NHTSA ODI 11617680

Oct 2, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 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 contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11617730

Oct 1, 2024SuspensionEngineBody & structure

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side door panel had started to detach from the body of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the rear wheel bearing needed to be replaced. The dealer repaired the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light later was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11617492

Sep 25, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. 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 stated that the passenger’s side A-trim pillar had detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11616456

Sep 24, 2024Steering

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH and attempting to make a left turn, the power steering failed without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal and turned the vehicle off. After waiting for a while, the contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving at slower speeds. The contact noticed that when the steering wheel was turned to the left or the right, the steering wheel seized and jerked the steering wheel and the vehicle moved in the direction as intended. The vehicle was taken to a body shop where the vehicle was inspected, and the contact was made aware that the vehicle had an electric power steering assist, not a hydraulic power steering fluid system. The contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled; however, the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 149,000.

NHTSA ODI 11616136

Sep 23, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the top half of the front driver-side A-pillar trim detached. 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, but 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 113,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11615949

Sep 23, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s and passenger’s side A-pillar trim pieces detached. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); the VIN was included, but the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11616053

Sep 20, 2024Steering

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and lost power steering functionality. No warning light was illuminated. The contact research and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnostic tested. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11615594

Sep 18, 2024SteeringLane DepartureCrash

My steering system needs to be replaced. While driving, my steering became very hard to control. My vehicle sways and I wrecked bc of it. Ford said it’s the steering gear that needs to be replaced for $2600. My driver and lane keeping assist lights came on when this started happening. My car needs a new sensor because of the wreck as well. This has prevented me from attending to everyday activities such as work. I have lost so much money and will probably lose everything I have like my home because of this. Ford needs to fix this now!

NHTSA ODI 11615137

Sep 18, 2024Steering

The whole power steering system has failed as it was being driven in a parking lot. It was at low speeds so no crash involved but was almost impossible to control or turn steering wheel. It said "power steering system needs serviced" but had been working fine when I parked it just a little while before.

NHTSA ODI 11615186

Sep 17, 2024Steering

The steering wheel failed out of nowhere and is now making a hub bearing grind sound the vehicle tells me “power steering assist fault”.

NHTSA ODI 11615019

Sep 17, 2024Steering

I was making a u turn and the power steering all but gave out on me. And a message came up on the dash saying “ steering assist fault service required. Luckily I was going at a very slow speed and was close to home. This could be a major problem if on a freeway

NHTSA ODI 11615064

Sep 16, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 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 made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, the passenger’s side A-pillar trim detached and flew off the vehicle. The contact was unable to retrieve the part. The contact stated that the driver's side A-pillar trim almost flew off the vehicle. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim was fractured by the slip stream and the upper section blew off the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 212,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11614820

Sep 13, 2024Steering

While driving the Ford Explorer the Electronic steering fails and can cause a crash.

NHTSA ODI 11614370

Sep 12, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 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 local dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that parts were not yet available. 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 approximate failure mileage was 120,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11614157

Sep 9, 2024Steering

Steering noise. Steering will randomly lock up or extremely difficult to gain control. My car is a 2014 Ford Explorer bought new. 2011-13 & 2015-16 have recalls for steering issues realted to same symptoms and safety risk. Ford will not recall or procide cistomer care for this known safety risk for 2014 models.

NHTSA ODI 11613430

Sep 9, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11613615

Sep 6, 2024Airbags

My airbag light on it just turned on this morning then started flashing

NHTSA ODI 11612974

Sep 5, 2024Steering

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality with a message to “Drive Safely” displayed. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle but was unable to find the cause for the failure. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the destination where the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer opened a case for the failure. The manufacturer had referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 180,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11612860

Aug 29, 2024Brakes

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with electronic ABS module failure. The contact was informed that the electronic ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the parts needed to complete the repair were on backorder and the contact was #90 on the waiting list. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,200.

NHTSA ODI 11611569

Aug 23, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the passenger’s side 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 local dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that parts were not yet available. 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 approximate failure mileage was 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11610540

Aug 20, 2024Steering

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle jerked abnormally, and the advancetrac, traction control, steering assist, and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that an unknown message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11609655

Aug 20, 2024Steering

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the steering wheel seized with the message “Steering Loss – Stop Safely” displayed. The contact was unable to turn the steering wheel. The contact stopped, turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the steering wheel remained seized. The vehicle was towed to the contact's lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN related to the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 168,000.

NHTSA ODI 11609688

Aug 16, 2024Steering

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the electric power steering stopped functioning as intended. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the steering seized, and the vehicle was difficult to steer. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was jerking. The contact stated that the failure occurred while his minor children were seated in the rear seat of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed power steering module. The contact was informed that the steering assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 84,700.

NHTSA ODI 11608942

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How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2014 Ford Explorer Police Intercept verdict →