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

The A pillars, which are the moldings on the left and right side of the windshield, began to come detached from the vehicle while driving down the Interstate at 70 mph. Only one clip was left to hold it on. I had to reduce speed to 40 mph on a very busy interstate until I could exit the interstate. These clips are similar to those used on the roof rails of this vehicle which was part of two previous recalls. Body parts detaching from the vehicle while driving at high speeds down an interstate should certainly constitute a safety concern. From what I understand from the Ford dealership, this has been a problem for a couple of years now that Ford has chosen not to address. It is currently being held on with duct tape until these can be replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11507393

I was on I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson southbound. I heard a thumping noise but could not see anything wrong. Then there was a loud bang and I thought a semi had kicked up something though I saw nothing in the air. I was doing 75mph the posted speed but there was a cross wind. When I arrived home in Oro Valley i noticed the right, front passenger windshield entire trim was gone! Upon looking for a replacement part I noticed that I am not alone with this problem so I am reporting it. I would suspect many others have this problem but do not. Anyhow it is a safety issue. It is a large part to have this debris fly into another vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11507447

Passenger window trim piece came off while driving down interstate. I have seen a story that stated complaints about this were already being investigated so I felt I should report that it happened to me as well.

NHTSA ODI 11506155

In November of 2022 on the highway the molding against the windshield that runs from the hood up to the rooftop flew off the vehicle. Luckily nobody was injured or no accident caused. Kerry Ford charged me $538.62... In February of 2023... Again, going down the highway the driver side molding against the windshield broke in half and another piece went flying off... Again, luckily no other damage or accident caused. I noticed this time there appeared to be velcro underneath at the bottom of the panel - Velcro? Not sure that seems appropriate. Again, Kerry Ford charging me another $446.00 to repair the driver side now - Hopefully Ford doesn't think Velcro is the answer. Meanwhile, I'm out nearly a $1000.00 because Ford has pieces flying off their vehicles... wonder how long until it causes a major accident or cost someone behind me their life? Better start a recall now instead of waiting for the worst to happen.

NHTSA ODI 11506225

Right side windshield molding flew off on highway.

NHTSA ODI 11506011

My pregnant girlfriend was driving our Explorer on the highway (70mph) with her father in the passenger's seat when the driver's side A-pillar trim came off. She said it came loose and stuck the window, scaring them both, before it detached completely. They weren't sure if there was a vehicle close behind them when this happened. This seems like this is a big safety issue worthy of a recall. I purchased replacement parts from a local Ford dealer, and they said they sell a lot of those trim pieces.

NHTSA ODI 11505691

When I was driving the vehicle on the interstate (approximately 75 mph) the roof rack railing flew off. Luckily there were no cars following behind me. This was a prior recall that was fixed on my vehicle and I was told Ford was no longer fixing that because they found the glue was faulty.

NHTSA ODI 11505636

we were driving on the 58 freeway in CA and when we went to stop for gas we noticed that the passenger side windshield trim panel had broken off somewhere on the freeway.

NHTSA ODI 11505461

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s and passenger’s side window trims detached from the window and struck the side mirror. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA ODI 11505110

Every since I bought this vehicle back in December 2016. I've had major problems that consist of the battery lasting a year an half. In 2018, Ford had it for two weeks due to a major problem that they repaired but never told me what the issue was. Still, to this day, I don't know what they repaired. In 2021, My water pump went out, something is wrong with he fuel injection that may be causing the engine light to be on. Every year since 2016 there's been something going wrong with my Explorer, including the radio panel/cameras monitor. Last year, 2022, I was driving down the highway when my windshield trim panels flew off! I thought it was something from another car until I stopped and realized, my windshield didn't have a cover on the driver side. I'm hoping I didn't caused harm or almost caused harm to any drivers behind me! Nonetheless, since my incident, I have noticed other Explorers missing a windshield cover.

NHTSA ODI 11505134

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on two separate occasions; the windshield trim panels on the passenger’s and driver’s side detached from the vehicle. The contact replaced the parts himself; however, the failure returned less than a year after the initial failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 11505143

Trim piece on driver-side windshield flew off while driving. To the best of my knowledge it did not hit any surrounding vehicles. There was no warning prior to this happening...I just realized it was missing when I returned to my vehicle after work. I had just heard on the news about window trim pieces flying off Ford Explorers the same day this happened to mine.

NHTSA ODI 11505251

I have had to replaced two separate times my windshield trim pieces that cover the hardware on windshield. Every time I have lost them it has occurred on the highway where I was going a speed of 65-70mph. When I have had a professional reinstall new parts it has cost me almost $350.00 The parts are coming directly from ford nothing aftermarket and they are being reinstalled by a professional. I should not have keep paying for the same parts. All due to the fact they don’t stay adhered to the vehicle properly and they’re the parts coming directly from Ford manufacturer. I know no accidents have been reported but we shouldn’t wait until one happens either. Ford needs to correct this issue and stop costing the consumer so much to replace and deal with same problem.

NHTSA ODI 11505275

While driving 60mph on the highway my windshield molding on the passenger side flew off.

NHTSA ODI 11504839

The plastic windshield trim on the passenger side of the vehicle broke and flew off while driving down the interstate. The piece was then run over by another vehicle. Luckily it did not hit another vehicle or someone on a motorcycle . When I called the dealership near us they said that they were aware of the problem. The dealer said it has happened to several explorers that the were aware of but there was no recall. They gave me a quote of 400 dollars to replace it. The vehicle has not been repaired and is still being driven. Hopefully the piece that is still remaining does not come off and hit someone. There needs to be a recall to fix this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11504913

I was driving down the road 50 mph The driver side, plastic piece that goes around.the outside of the windshield blew off.Upon further inspection the passenger side is also loose and ready to fall off. The rubber that goes around the whole windshield is dry rotted and all broke off .

NHTSA ODI 11504943

The windshield trim panel blew off. It was repaired at Camargo Cadillac where the Explorer was purchased. It blew off on the way home. Camargo replaced the panel again. It blew off 2 days after the second repair. We were reimbursed and it was suggested we go to a Ford dealer. I called Beechmont Ford and I have waited 5 months plus for an appointment for recalls that have not been done. I always felt it was very dangerous when the metal part blew off. In today’s paper I noticed NHTSA is investigating complaints that the windshield panels can fly off of Ford Explorers while traveling at highway speeds.We certainly know this to be true. Please add this to your recalls with instructions on how to correctly fix it. To our knowledge we were never notified about serious issue with the rear suspension toe links either.

NHTSA ODI 11504979

I was driving down the Interstate in my 2016 Ford Explorer at approximately 80-85 MPH when a long piece of the windshield trim panel flew off of the car. I didn't realize what had happened until I saw the trim piece missing. Once I saw how big the piece was, I was immediately concerned that the trim piece could have hit another car and seriously injured someone. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealership service center to have the trim piece replaced. The vehicle was not inspected by anyone other than the Ford service center. There was no warning at all prior to the panel flying off. It didn't appear loose or flap in the wind, it literally just flew off.

NHTSA ODI 11504642

10/23/22 While driving at highway speeds - Interstate 39 - a large piece of the driver's side windshield trim flew off. We had no impact with anything that would have made it fall off - it simply came apart and landed on the road behind us. We have had the piece fixed since. Body shop could have photos still - if needed. No warning signs were present in the car.

NHTSA ODI 11504652

Pieces of my windshield seals are flying off my car endangering other drivers.

NHTSA ODI 11504769

The windshield outer trim on the passenger side has detached two separate times (I replaced it each time at my cost), and it could be a hazard when it happens while I am driving on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11504787

Body trim pieces on the b pillar of the vehicle became loose and flew off on the highway, secondary replacement from Ford is now loose and about to come off on both sides, waiting on the warranty from Ford to send another new one.

NHTSA ODI 11504826

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the A and B molding used to secure the windshield, detached from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and retrieved the pieces. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who replaced the moldings. The contact stated that the front windshield molding had since started to detach again. The contact stated that the rear and front passenger’s side door moldings were also detaching. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall regarding the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 83,913.

NHTSA ODI 11484465

While driving on the freeway, the right front exterior pillar trim came off and flew back toward traffic behind me. That exterior trim was between the door frame and the windshield. Luckily it did not strike any other vehicle. It could have easily struck another vehicle and caused an accident and/or injury. Prior to the detachment, the trim in question did not appear to be lose or coming off. When I checked with my local Ford Dealer, the service technician told me he knew of many other incidents involving that particular trim coming off on both sides of the vehicle. The dealer replaced the trim at a cost of $500. I later did some research on the internet and found that this has happened to may other owners of Ford Explorers. I notified Ford of the incident, no recalls involving this equipment.

NHTSA ODI 11481000

Passenger side windshield trim came loose on the freeway and flopped around violently then broke off and went flying behind us. Thankfully it did not hit vehicles behind us as it weighs several pounds and has pointy ends. We purchased this Ford Explorer brand new and it always had some wind noise at freeway speeds on that side. @ 46K miles and the trim replacement was not covered by warranty. The dealer said it is quite common and they see it regularly (and will happily take your $500 to fix it). I have seen several other Explorers (including one Police Ford Explorer) with this missing trim panel and you can find many aftermarket replacement brands selling them online and in auto parts stores. This must be a very common issue to justify several companies making replacements. This issue could be deadly if you are following behind a Ford Explorer when it comes off at speed. Ford has sold millions of these SUV's. Looking at the damage it appears the bottom plastic clip that hold the large trim piece fails then wind gets under the trim and breaks the other clips ultimately sending the part flying.

NHTSA ODI 11479067