What 1,669 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Ford Explorer

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with his 12-year-old child in the vehicle, the steering wheel tightened up, and the vehicle drove straight and crashed into a sand barrier. The air bags deployed. The driver sustained injuries to his chest, head, and shoulder. There was no injury stated for the 12-year-old child who was also in the vehicle during the crash. Medical attention was provided to the driver. A Police report was filed but was not provided to the contact. The vehicle was towed to the Police Precinct. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the crash, the vehicle was parked and rolled back and struck another vehicle. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (Suspension). The contact called an unknown local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the crash. The contact stated that the vehicle was totaled; however, the Insurance Provider had not yet rendered a decision on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11606028

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after making a left turn, the vehicle jerked in the opposite direction, and then the steering wheel became difficult to turn, and she crashed into a parked vehicle. The check engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, she noticed a fluid leak underneath. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V675000 (Suspension). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown. The contact stated that the air bags never deployed at the time of the incident. Also, it is difficult to click the seatbelt clip in. The local Ford Service Team was contacted but offered no help, stating that the accident had no correlation to the recall. They stated that they would not be covering the cost of repair for that incident.

NHTSA ODI 11516053

My Ford Explorer had a rear suspension toe link Recall, and in December I took my vehicle to the Ford dealership to get it fixed. At that time, they did a full vehicle inspection, fixed the part, and told me everything looked great. Shortly after the service, we had a snow storm, and my SUV would fishtail in Icy/snowy conditions. Every time it'd snow, it made me so scared to drive, because I'd essentially not have control over my vehicle. The issue wasn't present when the roads were clear. Within the two months since that service, my back tires have gone completely bald, down to the wires. I recently got in a car accident because my car wouldn't complete a turn and ended up t-boning a Tundra on a residential street. Luckily I was going slow so the damage to the other vehicle was minimal, and no obvious injuries have resulted from the accident. I was able to remove some of the plastic pieces around the fender, in order to still drive it, so I took it to the Ford dealership that originally serviced my car for an inspection. Now that the dealership has inspected my vehicle, they're claiming that it's not on their liability and that they're not responsible for any of the damage. Now the alignment is off on both the front and back, and the strut is bent (whether that's from the accident or not, we don't know). The Manager admitted that when servicing my vehicle they were only allowed to perform a rear alignment, but a front alignment was never suggested or offered to me. When aligning a vehicle (especially in the winter) the whole vehicle should be aligned, not just half. They of course claim zero liability or responsibility, even though I was having issues with it fishtailing shortly after it being serviced at their shop, for a part on the suspension, which affects alignment.

NHTSA ODI 11510009

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH, THE REAR TOE LINK SPLIT IN HALF WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL AND SLAM INTO THE GUARDRAIL ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. THE VEHICLE BOUNCED AND SPUN 260 DEGREES AND HIT THE GUARDRAIL AGAIN AND SCRAPPED ALONG THE GUARDRAIL. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE DOWN TO SLOW DOWN AND COME TO A REST IN THE LEFT MEDIAN LANE. THE BRAKES FAILED AND THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND GET OUT AND INSPECT THE DAMAGE. THE CONTACT HAD A POLICE OFFICER DIRECT HER TO FURTHER PULL HER VEHICLE COMPLETELY OUT OF THE LANE FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER APPROVED BY HER INSURANCE COMPANY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE TOE LINK HAD BEEN A RECALL REPAIR FROM THE DEALER DOVI MOTORS, INC 263 TOMPKINS ST, CORTLAND, NY 13045 (607) 756-2801 BACK IN 2017. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED YET. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11363057

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HIS DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING 75 MPH, THE REAR DRAG LINK DETACHED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SPIN AROUND SEVERAL TIMES AND CRASHED INTO THE CENTER RAIL AND POLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED IN THE FRONT AND REAR. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THERE WERE NO REPORTED INJURIES. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO RANDALL REED'S PLANET FORD (19000 EASTEX FWY, HUMBLE, TX 77338 866) 844-5995) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR DRAG LINK FRACTURED HOWEVER THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER THEY DECLINED THE REPAIRS DUE TO VEHICLE DAMAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A VIN SEARCH WAS DONE ON-LINE AND THEY DISCOVERED UNREPAIRED RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT REFERENCED THE FAILURE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V435000 (SUSPENSION). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 11329214

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE LOWER CONTROL ARM FRACTURED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. NO FURTHER DETAILS WERE AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,500.

NHTSA ODI 10811158

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO MANEUVER WITHOUT WARNING. AS THE CONTACT APPLIED FORCE TO THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO STEER THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY JERKED TO THE SIDE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE REAR END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE HAD FRACTURED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR BRUISES AND THE REAR PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR NECK BRUISES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CONTROL ARM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,500.

NHTSA ODI 10811166

TO AVOID HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT ILLEGALLY CAME INTO THE LANE I WAS ENTERING (THEY WERE DRIVING ON THE SHOULDER), I HAD TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION, WHICH CAUSED ME TO TURN MY VEHICLE INTO A CURB. AT THE TIME, I WAS TRAVELING 15 TO MAYBE 20 MPH. AFTER HITTING THE CURB, MY VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AND UPON INSPECTION I DISCOVERED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM HAD COMPLETELY BROKEN IN HALF. MY VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY SUBSEQUENTLY SERVICED THE VEHICLE, WHICH I PICKED UP ON MARCH 15, 2014. HOWEVER, WITHIN 100 MILES OF DRIVING, MULTIPLE SYSTEM ERRORS OCCURRED, AND MY STEERING WENT OUT. THE DEALERSHIP IS NOW SAYING THERE WAS APPARENTLY AN ISSUE WITH THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY, AND THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FURTHER DIAGNOSE UPON REPLACING THAT PART. MY CONCERN IS THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE AND SPECIFICALLY THAT I DO NOT THINK A CONTROL ARM SHOULD SNAP IN HALF AT THAT SPEED, PARTICULARLY IN A SUV THAT HAS AN UPGRADED SUSPENSION AS PART OF THE TRIM PACKAGE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10573219