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

The steering gear failed. The vehicle's steering wheel was locked in the fully right hand turn position and could not be moved. Luckily, this happened in my driveway. If this happened on the road, a crash could have occurred, possibly causing injury to myself or others. The problem has been confirmed by my mechanic. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps but the steering was jerky about 1 week prior to completely locking up.

NHTSA ODI 11509013

The traction control sensor will come on out of nowhere making a loud noise and causing the vehicle to jerk to a stop. Yes it is available for inspection and has already been taken to a dealership. My safety is out at risk because the vehicle almost jerks to a stop when the traction control kicks in when not needed. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by a Ford dealer. The component has been inspected and reset according to the work report from the dealership. There were no other warning lamps, messages or symptoms before this issue began. According to the dealership my vehicle was taken to they said they have seen this issue on several other vehicles and usually is fixed with the process they performed on my vehicle for $545.09. And if that didn’t fix it that I would have to spend approx $2,500 to get the ABS module replaced. This issue a a safety concern and I don’t feel like I should be liable to pay for these repairs especially when the dealership has said that they have seen this issue before on other vehicles. I feel this repair should be covered under a safety recall and that ford should reimburse me for the original repairs that did not fix the issue. They stated that they test drove my vehicle before and after the repairs but how is that when the mileage in and out of the shop on their repair order is the same mileage…???

NHTSA ODI 11508800

Driving on highway approx. 65-70 mph windshield trim on passenger side flew off, over car onto highway. I was unable to retrieve piece due to number of vehicles on the 3-lane highway. Have noticed other Explorers in Colorado missing same piece. Thanks for looking into this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11508584

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions while making a right or left turn, there was a loud sound coming from the steering wheel. The contact stated that the failure persisted. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced; however, the parts for the repair were on backorder. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the parts for the repair. The contact was informed the vehicle was inoperable. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508391

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after stopping at stop sign, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that after driving a short distance the vehicle regained power steering functionality. The contact stated that whenever the vehicle came to a stop the failure would reoccur. The contact stated that a message to check the charging system was displayed. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer to diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

NHTSA ODI 11507819

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel inadvertently turned to the right and then seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11507838

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard a popping sound and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the engine shut off. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rotor fractured, and coolant leaked into the engine and the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

NHTSA ODI 11507864

I have had the windshield replaced for the trim coming loose on both sides. I was able to use duct tape to keep them in place until replacement. That was a few years back. Then it happened again. Now it is happening again. So 3 times in 8 years.

NHTSA ODI 11507187

Driver’s side windshield molding detached while driving 70 miles per hour on highway, unknown if object hit another car. Was unaware what happened, heard loud noise. I have a picture, unable to upload below.

NHTSA ODI 11506917

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Escape. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. In addition, while reversing out of a parking space, the failure recurred with the ABS warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where and diagnosed with power steering failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

NHTSA ODI 11505976

The drivers side pillar molding piece along the windshield flew off the car while driving down the highway. It could have struck the car behind us but luckily it missed them. The piece seemed a little loose when scraping ice off the car but didn’t seem like it would just fly off like that.

NHTSA ODI 11506072

WINDSHIELD TRIM PIECES HAVE BLOWN OFF MULTIPLE TIMES AND HAD TO BE REATTACHED BY BODY SHOP. LOCATED TRIM PIECE ON SIDE OF HIGHWAY. LIKELY PUT DRIVERS IN REAR IN DANGER DUE TO FLYING DEBRIS. NO WARNING WAS GIVEN OF THE FAULTY PIECES COMING FREE FROM THE SUV.

NHTSA ODI 11505751

The wheels corrode around edges & Bead mounting area due to improper procedures done during manufacturing. The factory only put clear protection on the outside (visible portion) of the wheel. Thus the elements enter under the clear coating from the un-protected portion of the wheel. As this corrosion expands, it causes the Bead of the tire to leak. The leaking gets more rapid in a short time and causes poor handling & can cause a loss of control. The Ford Customer Forum has Hundreds, if not Thousands of Customer Complaints. The problem is that Ford will not stand behind their product and doesn't care about the Safety Danger to their Customers.

NHTSA ODI 11505824

This is about my 2014 ford explorer passenger side "windshield trim panel ",it fly away when I driving at speed around 70mph at I275 ,it did make some noise before fly away,and i found out it's the trim panel when i home. already bought a replacement but not sure when will happen to the driver side.

NHTSA ODI 11505615

Lost all power steering while driving with absolutely no warning. Took to dealer and it is the electronic steering assembly. After further investigation and talking to people this seems to be a major issue with this year of explorers. And it is very expensive to fix.

NHTSA ODI 11505096

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the windshield trim panel detached. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23001 (Structure). The failure mileage was approximately 185,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11505135

I was driving on the highway on December 17, 2022 when the right windshield trim panel came off the vehicle. I didn't know what it was at the time but there was a loud noise. When I got to my destination I noticed the trim panel was gone. The panel flying off could have hit another vehicle. I just saw the article on Fox Business that others were having this issue so I wanted to report my issue as well.

NHTSA ODI 11505167

Three times in 8 years I have lost windshield trim panels when traveling at elevated speed (approximately 70 MPH). I believe it would have occurred more often but I grew weary in 2018 of paying the $135 to replace the trim part. Each time it occurred the trim piece left the car with a resounding & startling "crack" sound and happened without warning. All three occurrences involved the driver's side trim part on the A-pillar. Twice it occurred after a large truck passed me going the other way on a two lane road. Initially I went to the local Ford dealer but no one there seemed to care... they directed me to the parts counter... happy to take my money for this grossly overpriced part. Currently my car does not have the trim part in place

NHTSA ODI 11505183

Exterior trim or molding on windshield, driver and passenger (both) sides flew off vehicle while driving 65 MPH on the interstate. The weather conditions were sunny skies and wind during day time. This incident occured July 2022. Thank God no serious accidents occurred I'm aware of. After some research, I learned this is a common occurrence with Ford Explorer vehicles. I feel this is a safety concern. Hopefully Ford issues a recall or other type of compensation for owners. I replaced the molding on both sides via Amazon myself after I didn't hear back from a Ford Dearlership nearby.

NHTSA ODI 11505250

Plastic Trim piece, which covers the windshield rubber seal on driver side “A” pillar, fell off my 2014 Ford Explorer Limited. Incident happened about 2018.

NHTSA ODI 11505279

Driving down the interstate and windshield A pillar panel flew off.

NHTSA ODI 11504843

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? WINDSHIELD TRIM How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? ONE SIDE FLEW OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? NO Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? NO Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? IT STARTED TO GET LOOSE A FEW DAYS PRIOR

NHTSA ODI 11504866

Windshield trim piece on right side flew off while driving down the road.

NHTSA ODI 11504881

While driving on the IH-20 highways in Dallas, Texas, the TRIM panels in the RIGHT side of the Windshield fell off the vehicles. I was driving 70 MPH and 75 MPH on IH-20. Weather was clear and was not using the windshield wiper. Had to buy 2 NEW TRIMs, (1 for Left side and 1 for the Right side) from the Ford Dealer and utilized a Windshield repair company to fix the failed units.

NHTSA ODI 11504974

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the front driver’s and passenger’s side windshield trim panel detached and struck another vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that he would be charged a repair cost. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.

NHTSA ODI 11504978