Home · 2016 Ford Explorer Gas · Complaints

What 2,428 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Explorer Gas

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 (2,428)Crash / fire / injury (77)Body & structure (573)Steering (527)Engine (379)Transmission & drivetrain (213)Electrical system (124)Engine & cooling (114)Fuel system (110)Airbags (99)Speed control (76)Suspension (73)

573 of 2,428 complaints match · Body & structure · clear filters · page 15 of 23

Jun 18, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she became aware that the A-pillar trim was missing. The contact stated that a couple months later the rubber gasket on the driver’s side had flown off. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available and advised the contact to call the NHTSA Hotline. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11595077

Jun 14, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the outer structure of the A-Pilar trim detached from the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,500. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11594359

Jun 12, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact observed pieces of rubber on both the driver’s and passenger’s sides were deteriorating. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the exterior A-Pillar trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11593855

Jun 11, 2024Body & structure

trim piece flying off while the vehicle was in motion with traffic around me.

NHTSA ODI 11593713

Jun 10, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's door trim panel detached, and the keyless entry keypad wiring became exposed. The "Door Ajar" message was displayed. The failure prevented the rear liftgate from opening as needed. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,205. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11593360

Jun 10, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side front windshield trim detached and flew off. In addition, the driver's front side windshield trim had also detached. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11593535

Jun 6, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the passenger’s side glove box console detached. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the glove box console needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned that he could have been involved in accident or severely injured due to failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592850

Jun 5, 2024Body & structure

Trim on driver side windshield flew off while driving. ordered Replacement, 2 weeks after i replaced the driver side the passenger side has fallen off while driving. I have not yet ordered the passenger side yet but today while driving home down the interstate the driver side that was just replaced less than 30 days ago flew off again. Being on the interstate it hit my windshield and flew over and hit a truck traveling behind me who swerved I do not know if it did any damage to his vehicle neither of us stopped ( We were on the interstate but I did notice he swerved luckily did not hit any other vehicle. However now I am hearing a whistling I just got home to do some research and see this is in an ongoing issue but what do I do? order and replace again this will be 3 sets in less than 60 days. this site says there is not a known fix yet?

NHTSA ODI 11592726

May 29, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the A-pillar trim on the passenger’s side raised up and blew off the vehicle by the slipstream. The contact was unable to stop to retrieve the part. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or body shop. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11591359

May 21, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the A-Pillar trim on the driver’s side detached from the vehicle and flew off. The contact stated that two months later the A-Pillar trim on the passenger’s side almost detached from the vehicle while driving. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road and removed the trim. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11590005

May 20, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-Pillar applique trim detached from the vehicle. The contact replaced the part. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11589679

May 15, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the A-pillar trim on the driver's side detached from the vehicle and flew off the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11588894

May 14, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was a flapping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact observed that the rubber seal around the windshield was detaching. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not 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 issue. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11588729

May 9, 2024Body & structure

A-pillar trim pieces have both become detached. One detached from the vehicle while traveling on the highway and flew into on-coming traffic. The other detached on the highway and hung on the drivers mirror. Ford advises that even though both parts have detached it is the customer's responsibility to pay for repairs since the recall is still in advanced notice status.

NHTSA ODI 11587856

May 6, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the passenger's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repair. 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; however, it was confirmed parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11587151

May 6, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 80 MPH, the A-pillar trim detached from both sides of the windshield and flew off from the vehicle into traffic. 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 not contacted. 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 had not experienced a failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11587159

May 6, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the passenger’s side exterior A-pillar trim had detached. Additionally, the contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, she observed a loud flapping noise emanating from the window. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the passenger’s side A-pillar trim needed to be replaced, but parts were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,095.

NHTSA ODI 11587216

May 6, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the passenger's side A-pillar trim, detached from the vehicle. 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 confirmed 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 failure mileage was 74,151. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11587304

May 5, 2024Body & structure

While driving on the highway at approximately 80 mph, the driver side A-pillar molding on my 2016 Ford Explorer flew off and struck a vehicle behind me. I am not able to determine if there was any damage to the impacted vehicle. On my vehicle, there are what appear to be scratches or smudges on my door and window due to the rubber molding flapping rapidly. I have attached a picture for reference. I have contacted Ford Motor Co., and all they communicated was they are working on a remedy but could not offer any other resolution to a potentially deadly and catastrophically unsafe situation. The speed at which this is being remedied is unacceptable. my family and the other lives in the impacted vehicle were put in danger. This is not an unserious matter.

NHTSA ODI 11587055

May 2, 2024Body & structure

After buying this vehicle on 4-10-24 checked with Car fax for any recalls. Found a recall on my vehicle 24S02 for the pillar trim. Inspected my vehicle and noticed passenger side pillar trim of the windshield at the very top is starting to come loose and is a bit separated. Didn't notice it till after hearing about this recall.

NHTSA ODI 11586528

May 1, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Focus. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 65 MPH, the front A-Pillar trim detached from the windshield almost causing a crash. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repair. 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 local dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11586324

Apr 26, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11585448

Apr 19, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side windshield trim panel detached and flew off and almost caused an accident. The contact stated that the failure had previously occurred, and the contact paid out of pocket for the repair. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 62,884. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11584013

Apr 19, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side pillar leaked water during rainy weather. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. 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 failure mileage was approximately 95,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11584099

Apr 12, 2024Body & structure

The contact owns a 2016 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar detached from the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11582687

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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 2016 Ford Explorer Gas verdict →