What 2,423 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Explorer

The water pump failed vehicle only has around 105,225 miles on it. This has been a known issue with the 3.5L Twin turbo ecoboost. The water and coolant continuously coming out happens to be on the alternator which has caused it to short out and no longer be working properly. There has not been any kind of malfunction or warning lights for any of the issues and because of the way ford designed the water pump to be inside the motor working off the timing chain it turns into what the book lists at 14-15 hours to complete. The motor has to come out taken apart to replace the water pump and with that not just one but both timing chains have to be set again which adds additional hours for the repair and of course more money to take it to a ford shop to have it fixed the rough estimate which they said did not include the labor for the timing chains being set nor the price of any of the parts needed as I have already purchased them myself so only labor for the water pump (not including timing chains) is about $4,350.00 + tax of course but they said that would increase because of the labor for the timing chains that you have no option or choice regarding having to work on them or not because of the water pump. oh and none of that includes rental fees while repaired nor the price to get and replace the alternator and labor for that. so my guess would be somewhere around $6,000 give or take to fix this disaster and Ford does not care about their known failed design and flawed water pump issues and expect someone to be able to fork out that kind of money instead of trying to help fix there issue.

NHTSA ODI 11610098

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while making left and right turns on several occasions at various speeds, the parking assist warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,312.

NHTSA ODI 11592895

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the second-row seat wiring harness plugs were damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.

NHTSA ODI 11582070

Stereo/ inside lights turn off randomly. Unable to know if others can see if blinkers are on or not. Has not been checked due to high out of pocket cost through dealership. No warning lights ever come on from the times the issues have occurred.

NHTSA ODI 11580903

There has been many reports of electronic steering issue where it would just swerve you off the road and loose full control while driving for years 2013-2015 cars but 2016 years are also being effected. A dealership confirmed it was an electronic steering rack causing the issue. No warning lamps had went off either

NHTSA ODI 11577640

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that rainwater had leaked into the driver's side B-pillar trim panel causing electrical failures to occur which included the battery failure and the keyless entry failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11577643

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the driver’s side front door panel became loosened due to failed adhesive exposing wiring in the door. The front door lights remained illuminated while the door was closed. The contact stated that the rear door failed to open however, the door ajar light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and tape was placed on the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the Keyless entry door panel and actuary for the rear door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 195,000.

NHTSA ODI 11574255

Vehicle sat for a little more than a week, and battery dies has happened multiple times. I consider this a safety issue, because I cannot leave my car for longer than a week. If I go on a trip, and coming back to a dead battery in the middle of the night is clearly unsafe. Battery is 1 1/2 months old, replaced it because it kept dying after a week to one and a half weeks of sitting. Dealer confirmed, parasitic draw, but says it’s within spec and nothing they can do about it. Suggestion from dealer, was leave the car on a trickle charger. If you look on Ford Explorer groups, this is a rampant problem with the Ford Explorer dating back years.

NHTSA ODI 11565736

Faulty power steering making noise while turning, difficult while driving because power steering seems to be failing. Making it hazardous to drive because it is difficult to keep straightforward in the road. Day before occurrence the back hatch (lift gate is ajar) would not open and shows light on dashboard and not sure if it's electrical or related to power steering. Only open manually through back of vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11545487

The power liftgate stop working. The liftgate light on dashboard shows liftgate open and the power liftgate does not work open nor closes.

NHTSA ODI 11544216

water pump blew up at 120k miles, motor locked up leaving me in the middle of the road

NHTSA ODI 11543526

I was Driven down in Orlando FL while on vacation and 3 notifications popped up on the screen back to back. I pressed Ok to clear the notifications off the screen because I was Unsure what they meant. I soon lost control of my vehicle and was unable to steer. I ended Up veering into another lane and almost hit another vehicle. My boyfriend grabbed the wheel from the passenger side to help straighten it up. I was Thankful that incident did not harm my family or the other family. I get It towed to PepBoys and they inform me I need A new rack and pinion installed and that was going to run me up to $4500. I was Also told in the same sentence that the part I needed Was out of stock or unavailable pretty much everywhere. I contact Another shop and receive a cheaper quote but still no part is available. I contact Ford and speak to an agent. Not very helpful at all. I mentioned I was looking up the part online and read there are recalls on that. The representative asks for my VIN and she tells me there is a recall however not for my VIN. I’m livid. Here it is going into August and still no parts are available. Ford never will I ever Buy another vehicle with that name on it. Found On Road Dead is basically coming to light.

NHTSA ODI 11534960

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the instrument panel intermittently went blank. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The contact was informed that the APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer provided the contact with an estimate for the repair and agreed to cover half the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534981

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated upon conducting a routine inspection on the vehicle, he became aware that the battery was leaking acid onto the terminal connectors, and the terminal connectors were severely corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery and the terminal connectors were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the battery and the terminal connectors needed to be replaced again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 36,421.

NHTSA ODI 11532146

Vehicle is experiencing a loss of power steering at all speeds. Steering stiffens and loosens erratically. Repair shop reports failure to electronic steering system and state that a replacement of the electronic steering gear assembly is required.

NHTSA ODI 11530841

Everytime my ac/heat is on it affects my engine as I’m driving. My speedometer fast jumps. As soon as I turn it off it seems to run better. I made a complaint a week ago about something going on with my fuel and fan running high speed. I have a foul smell in my car. I thought for awhile it was something outside but now I believe it’s coming from my car. It smells like fuel/rubber/sewer if that makes sense.

NHTSA ODI 11518316

My fuel evap pump check engine light keeps coming on. I’ve owned this vehicle since July 2022 and I have paid for the evap pump 3x’s. My fan constantly runs in the engine. My engine has a stutter when I press the gas. Ford absolutely dropped the ball with this vehicle. I have already paid thousands of dollars (water pump, evap pumps and more) please help on getting this car serviced. I still owe like 20k on this car. I cannot afford to keep getting it fixed. I have 121k miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11516956

My vehicle had a rear seat air bag recall. i brought the vehicle in for the recall and during a test of the airbag system the driver side air bag had a fault and the harness was replaced. Ford indicated that the vehicle airbag system is operational. I got a airbag light come on the dash and an appointment was made. They told me that the passenger side airbag harness is defective. They would not repair the issue because they said that the recall had been resolved and this is a new one? I feel that they did not resolve the issue since it is a electrical harness issue that needed a recall for the entire vehicle. since they said the fixed the driver side they will not honor the recall. I feel this is not fair for the consumer and the safety of the passengers. I feel that there should be another recall on all airbags electrical harness. I feel that they did not complete the job since it was the same issue that caused the recall for the rear seat should cover all airbags in the vehicel.

NHTSA ODI 11509739

My touch screen isn’t working properly and I have brand new converters in there is smoke coming out of my tail pipes, also I have to jump my vehicle every time I want to go somewhere.

NHTSA ODI 11509110

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N01 (High Speed Fan Motor Relay) the dealer diagnosed that the water pump was faulty, causing the air conditioner fan to fail to deactivate. The dealer declined to perform the repair because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 41,785.

NHTSA ODI 11498554

Rack and pinion power steering rack stopped working while my wife was driving back home with our two kids that are 4 years old and 9 months old. Thankful she didn't crash because she was unable to steer the vehicle. No warnings or signs of the part going bad. Ford should be held responsible for issues like this. Numerous people are having the same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11498358

The accelerator for the climate controls is malfunctioning. Cannot defrost the windows to see, when driving the windows get so fogged I have to pull over to get them to defrost. Over 50k people online have stated the same issue. The climate controls stop working and there are no recalls from Ford. When I spoke to Ford, the lady made a statement that she’s had many calls with the same issue and it’s definitely a Saftey hazard.

NHTSA ODI 11493003

First problem I had was with the Actuator. I lost the ability of defrost and have the heat/AC go to anything other than direct face mode. Now, the power steering to my 2016 Ford Explorer is gone. It felt like I was grinding concrete when I would make any turn or slight shift. It’s been at the shop for weeks due to a backorder. I’m a single mom of 2 and it’s my only transportation. I’m really struggling without my vehicle. This should be part of a recall ASAP cause from my research this is too common almost this vehicle and good people are really going through it.

NHTSA ODI 11492011

On 6/16/22 my vehicle was put in the shop for overheating. It was a water pump leak. It is a timing chain run water pump. The water pump is located in the engine. It was a very expensive repair. Due to the amount of labor this took to fix I was out of a vehicle for almost a month. I paid for the repair. Less that a week after I got it back my AC stopped working. Back to the shop it went. More money later... Mechanic explained to us that the water pump is located on top of the compressor. When it leaked it got all over everything destroying it. Now I must get a new compressor. No telling what else it ruined under there. This is a huge problem with this year model of Ford. Matter of fact in Canada it has already been recalled. Why is this problem not getting recalled in the US? Many people have gone after Ford with no luck and one judge threw of the case.

NHTSA ODI 11476649

My rack and pinion steering column and power steering pump went out causing a hefty cost to replace and it is starting to fail again creating hazardous conditions while driving. I do believe there is a steering issue in these models. Also my power lift gate in the back closes without stopping automatically while I’m loading the rear or unloading. There is NO STOPPING SAFETY SENSOR, I HAD THE BACK CLOSE ON ME MULTIPLE TIMES AND ALMOST CRUSH ME. there is no safety sensor to stop the power lift gate from closing on you, I have had to crawl in my rear end to avoid being crushed by my liftgate! This is not safe!

NHTSA ODI 11448158